Questions tagged [house-elves]
A form of elf appearing in the Harry Potter universe who are typically servants to magical families and act as housekeepers and protectors.
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What's so awful in Dobby's words?
In the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets film, Harry Potter speaks to Dobby:
Harry Potter: You can't have met many decent wizards then.
Dobby: No, I haven't. That was an awful thing to say. Bad ...
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Why does Kreacher respond when Harry summons him but not when Sirius does?
Book 5: As Weasleys and Harry arrive at 12 Grimmauld place (after the attack on Arthur), Sirius screams at Kreacher "get out!" and Kreacher disappears (goes to Malfoys) and does not come ...
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Why was it assumed that Kreacher follows the same rules as the enchantments on Grimmauld Place?
Chapter 3 of Half-Blood Prince makes it very clear that The Order doesn't quite knows how the enchantments on Grimmauld Place work:
We do not know whether the enchantments we ourselves have placed ...
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Why didn't the Death Eaters use a house-elf to get into Hogwarts?
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Malfoy tries to get Death Eaters into Hogwarts through the Vanishing Cabinet. Couldn't the Death Eaters use an elf instead? We know they can teleport in and ...
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Does casting a spell require a Wand? [duplicate]
In multiple Harry Potter books/movies, there are a number of scenarios where a spell is cast or some magical event happens but the instigator did not use a wand:
In HP1, Harry removes the glass from ...
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Are house-elves powerful creatures?
We have seen in HP and the Chamber of Secrets that Dobby could easily defeat Malfoy, when Malfoy tried to attack Harry for freeing Dobby. Also Dobby is able to perform magic without any wand.
So are ...
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Could a house elf use Side-Along Apparition and bring a wizard or wizards into Hogwarts that way? [duplicate]
For instance, in The "Half-Blood Prince", Draco spends almost his entire school year trying to fix the Vanishing Cabinet so he will be able to bring back-up Death Eaters into Hogwarts. But couldn't he ...
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Wouldn't Kreacher have been able to escape even without following an order?
In Chapter Ten of Deathly Hallows we are presented with the story of Kreacher's escape from Voldemort's cave:
“How did you get away?” Harry asked, and he was not surprised to hear himself ...
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Why did the house-elves fight without magic? [duplicate]
In Chapter Thirty-Six of Deathly Hallows we have the following passage:
The house-elves of Hogwarts swarmed into the entrance hall, screaming and waving carving knives and cleavers, and at their head,...
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How did Dobby curse the Bludger?
In Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, Dobby tries to keep Harry out of school, and when that fails, Dobby tried to injure Harry so he would leave. We know that he tampered with a Bludger so it ...
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Why do house elves struggle with English grammar?
In the Potterverse we see house elves speak broken English. Winky is the best example
House elves does what they is told. I is not liking heights at all, Harry Potter...but my master sends me to ...
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In Harry Potter, are house-elves being used as nurses?
By "nurse" I am wondering if, for example, Narcissa was the one who was taking care of Draco when he was a baby, or was Dobby the one who changed his diaper and fed him at night?
I can't imagine them ...
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If a house elf’s master dies are they freed?
If a house elf’s master dies and the master has no descendants of any kind, would the house elf be freed?
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Are Hogwarts' house-elves obligated to obey commands from students?
In James Potter and the Hall of Elders' Crossing (part of the fanmade James Potter series involving Harry and Ginny's eldest son), there is this passage in which James' muggle-born friend Zane talks ...
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Why didn't Harry simply Summon Kreacher to bring them food in the Deathly Hallows? [duplicate]
Several times Harry, Ron, and Hermione have had almost nothing to eat:
The fact that Hermione was getting better at identifying edible fungi could not altogether compensate for their continuing ...
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Do House-Elves genuinely enjoy serving a family and love them or would they rather be free
I understand that House-Elves really do want to serve but is it really what they want or would they prefer to be freed? This whole concept is really odd to me and I don't know how it is supposed to be....
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How does the house elves clothes rule work and why?
We know from the question "How did the house elves start serving wizards?" that it is not sure when was house elves enslaved, so we probably don't know the evolution of the rule in the past.
But the ...
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What would have happened had Harry said yes to Dobby?
From Chamber of Secrets:
Harry wasn’t listening. He made a grab for the letters,
but Dobby jumped out of reach.
“Harry Potter will have them, sir, if he gives Dobby his
word that he ...
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Why couldn't the Ministry of Magic use Veritaserum to question Winky about Barty Crouch Jr.'s Testimony? [duplicate]
Since Winky was present at the testimony of Bartemius Crouch Jr. (in the Defense Against the Dark Arts office), she would have remembered it. In addition, she could confirm that what he was saying was ...
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Why didn't Kreacher find Harry after Yaxley arrives at the house?
I understand that Harry couldn't summon him because someone from the Ministry could have come along with Kreacher, but I don't understand why Kreacher couldn't find Harry because Dobby found Harry in ...
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Can house-elves be ordered to kill?
If house-elves must obey their master’s orders, can they be ordered to kill?
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Why did Sirius's outlook towards House Elves change drastically from GoF to OotP?
During the trio's meeting with Sirius in his Hogsmeade hideout, Sirius seems to be much kinder towards House Elves.
"Hermione's obsessed with house-elfs," Ron muttered to Sirius, casting Hermione a ...
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Did Harry free Kreacher accidentally / unwittingly?
Does Harry giving the locket to Kreacher allow him, Kreacher, to be free?
We've seen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as well as in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, that presenting a ...
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What are the limits of house-elf apparition?
I know Wizards can't apparate where they want on the Earth, except if they are very powerful but what about a house-elf ? Their magic is different so I was wondering if they can apparate wherever they ...
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Did the condition of house elves really improve after the initial defeat of Voldemort? In what way?
When Dobby first meets Harry, he mentions how much better life had vecome for house elves after the vanishing of Lord Voldemort.
“Ah, if Harry Potter only knew!” Dobby groaned, more tears
...
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Why didn't Dumbledore and Harry bring a house-elf to the Horcrux cave?
Related: Regulus Black and the Horcrux Cave
Why didn't Dumbledore and Harry Potter bring a house elf with them to the Horcrux cave so they could get in and out more easily (given that elves could ...
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What happened to Kreacher post-Deathly Hallows?
The last we see of Kreacher in the books is at the Battle of Hogwarts.
The house-elves of Hogwarts swarmed into the entrance hall, screaming and waving carving knives and cleavers, and at their ...
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Why couldn't Dobby just tell Harry what was going on?
In Chamber of Secrets, Dobby went to see Harry a couple of times (first at Privet Drive and then at Hogwarts Castle's Hospital Wing).
Dobby was doing everything he was not told to do viz:
Going out ...
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How does one get a House Elf for a new house?
Is there a canon source of information about how House Elves get to start serving a certain family?
I.e. the Weasley's did not have a House Elf. Fred and George became rich and would like to get one ...
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What happens if a family gives a house-elf two contradictory orders?
As Dobby clearly states, house-elves are enslaved to families, not individuals.
"Your family?"
"The wizard family Dobby serves, sir...Dobby is a house-elf - bound to serve one house and one ...
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Are house elves free in the USA?
When Newt and Tina enter MACUSA, we see a scene of a house-elf being handled over a wand to polish it. Even if it is a "servant" job, a house-elf holding a wizard's wand is seen as outrageous in the ...
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Where do house elves come from?
Just like my other question this has got nothing on it anywhere, where do the house elves originally come from?
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Who first enslaved house elves? [duplicate]
Who first actually enslaved house elves and why did they? There is basically nothing out there to help you.
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Do House Elves have last names?
Do the House Elves share the family name (aka last name) of their masters? If so, what happens if they are freed? For example is Dobby "Dobby Malfoy" or is Kreacher "Kreacher Black"?
If they do not ...
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Why Did Bartimeus Crouch Senior free Winky?
Was it the smart thing to do, considering she could've been hired/enslaved by other wizards and reveal his secret(s), especially the one about his death eater son?
We know Winky did end up in ...
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How did Winky meet / know Dobby?
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the main trio meet the Crouches' house-elf Winky. Winky indicates that not only does she know Dobby, she also knows of his freedom as well as his 'wanting ...
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Why was Nick surprised at Hermione's ignorance of the Hogwarts elves?
Nearly-Headless Nick clearly presumes that knowledge of Hogwarts' huge house-elf population should be common knowledge to the average student when Hermione asks about them here:
"There are house-...
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How could Dumbledore summon the House-elf Kreacher in Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 3?
Here is the relevant text from Half-blood Prince:
"You see," Dumbledore said, turning back to Harry and again speaking as though Uncle Vernon had not uttered, "if you have indeed inherited the ...
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Why did Rowling seemingly make light of the house-elf situation?
According to J.K. Rowling, the house-elves are used as an allegory for slavery.
The house elves is really for slavery, isn't it, the house elves are slaves, so that is an issue that I think we ...
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Are House Elves biologically compatible with humans?
In Harry Potter, House Elves exist as short servants to the wizarding world, despite their superior control over magic. As there are no wild elves mentioned, the question of how they came to be ...
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What was the point (out of universe) of house-elves?
When I first read about house-elves in The Chamber of Secrets, I thought they were introduced as a very clear ethical artifact to teach children reading the story about slavery and forced work. The ...
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How did the house-elves become enslaved to wizards? [duplicate]
House-elves are magical creatures, that are bound to serve their wizard masters until death, unless they're given an article of clothing. How did they become enslaved? Did wizards create them? Are ...
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Why did Harry and Co. completely ignore the existence of Kreacher?
When Harry, Ron, and Hermione are hiding from Voldemort's supporters in Deathly Hallows, they keep complaining that they have no food, and that Hermione sucks at cooking. Harry even bemoans the fact ...
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Why weren't house elves used in the war against Voldemort?
House elves seem to be inordinately powerful, if they are doing it for their masters.
For example, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, after Kreacher has recounted his experiences in the sea cave:...
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House elves - who taught them to do house chores?
Did House elves have families?
Who taught them how to cook or clean houses?
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What happens to Kreacher after Yaxley breach Grimauld's Place secret? [duplicate]
Kreacher is the house-elf of Grimmauld Place. From the death of the last black inhabitants, he was left alone until Sirius moved in. Then his ownership passed on to Harry.
Harry had him work at ...
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Do Goblins and Elves use different spells and charms than witches and wizards?
Filius Flitwick is a part-goblin, part-wizard teacher of charms at Hogwarts. Thus, we can assume that goblins and elves may cast same charms and spells as witches and wizards. But it is mentioned ...
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Did the Malfoys replace Dobby?
It is known that Dobby was the house-elf (servant) which belonged to the Malfoy family; until he was set free by Lucius (as set-up by Harry with a sock in Tom Riddle's diary) in Harry Potter and the ...
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How did Aberforth Dumbledore know to send Dobby to help Harry at Malfoy Manor?
When Harry needed help escaping Malfoy Manor, Aberforth Dumbledore sent Dobby to apparate them out of there:
... the mirror fragment fell sparkling to the floor, and he saw a gleam of brightest ...
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How did Aberforth Dumbledore know to send a house-elf to help Harry at Malfoy Manor?
When Harry needed help escaping Malfoy Manor, Aberforth Dumbledore sent Dobby to apparate them out of there:
... the mirror fragment fell sparkling to the floor, and he saw a gleam of brightest ...
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