Shortly before the departure of Fred and George Weasley, Argus Filch took this form to Headmistress Dolores Umbridge to set the students an example. The twins, however, were of age, and flew away from the school in their broomsticks, setting a Portable Swamp in the Fifth Floor Corridor beforehand. After this legendary escape, Filch prowled the corridors with a horsewhip ready in his hands, desperate to catch miscreants. However, the students, inspired by the twins, started wreaking havoc at the school in such a way he never knew which way to turn.