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I can't remember whether Filch was even mentioned during the last book.

Given the Ministry's strong rules against Muggle-borns, it could be assumed they might have somehow tried to dispose of squibs as well, but it seems unlikely, since at least in the school he would be under the teachers' protection.

Was he a participant during or before the battle of Hogwarts? I vaguely remember Mrs. Norris being mentioned somewhere during the battle, but not Filch. Did he escape, hide or fight with the wizards? Is it mentioned anywhere what happened to him after the battle?

PS: I have seen this where it says he helped students escape, but does not cite any references, and might even be describing the movie. If Filch is indeed mentioned in the last book, please provide the relevant quotes.

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    Tidying up with a dustpan and brush
    – dumbledad
    Commented Apr 7, 2014 at 14:08
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    Filch wasn't a Muggle-born; he was a Squib: born to wizards, but he could not do magic.
    – Brian Rogers
    Commented Apr 7, 2014 at 18:03

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The last two mentions of Filch I can find in the book are in Chapter 31 - The Battle of Hogwarts:

“… evacuation will be overseen by Mr. Filch and Madam Pomfrey. Prefects, when I give the word, you will organize your House and take your charges, in an orderly fashion, to the evacuation point.”

And:

“Thank you, Miss Parkinson,” said Professor McGonagall in a clipped voice. “You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your House could follow.”

Mrs. Norris is mentioned a bit later than Filch, just after the battle has started:

Along yet another corridor he [Harry] dashed, and then there were owls everywhere, and Mrs. Norris was hissing and trying to bat them with her paws, no doubt to return them to their proper place.

No further mentions of either of them, so we have to speculate. I'm not entirely sure what an old Squib would actually be able to do to help in a battle between wizards and magical creatures so I doubt he'd be involved in the fighting. I'm also not sure he'd be willing to leave Hogwarts without Mrs. Norris. Perhaps he stayed in the Room of Requirement to direct any latecomers going to or from the battle itself.

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    Wherever he was, he was probably not in the RoR, since Ginny was the last one to come out as Harry needed the room to change for him to look for the Horcrux. Neville's Grandmother locked the entrance to the Hog's Head before this, so if he did escape, he would have done it before she reached Hogwarts.
    – user13267
    Commented Apr 7, 2014 at 10:53
  • @user13267 Good points. It's been a couple of years since I read the books (I'm about due for a re-read, I think) so I'd forgotten about those minor details; I just searched for his name to answer the question. Seems likely that he did evacuate with the students then, at least as far as Hogsmeade, though I'm a little surprised he left his beloved Mrs. Norris behind though.
    – Anthony Grist
    Commented Apr 7, 2014 at 13:53
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    @AnthonyGrist - Have you ever tried to grab a cat in a hurry? She also may not have even been nearby, since she does roam on her own. He'd probably have been very upset, but not willing to chase her down.
    – Bobson
    Commented Apr 7, 2014 at 16:41

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