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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Could Hermione really free the Hogwarts house-elves with her knitted hats?
Could Hermione really free the Hogwarts house-elves with the little knitted hats she hides around Gryffindor Tower?
‘Why d’you wear that thing, Dobby?’ [Harry] asked curiously.
‘This, sir?’ said ...
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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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Can house-elves do laundry without being freed?
Can house-elves do laundry without being freed?
‘Why d’you wear that thing, Dobby?’ [Harry] asked curiously.
‘This, sir?’ said Dobby, plucking at the pillowcase. ‘’Tis a mark of the house-elf’s ...
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Why are house-elves associated with rich families, if they are not paid?
In the second book, when Harry tells the Weasleys about Dobby, Fred says that "whoever owns him will be an old wizarding family, and they'll be rich", and George adds that house-elves "come with big ...
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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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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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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 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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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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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 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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Who owns the Hogwarts house-elves?
Who owns the Hogwarts house-elves?
‘Well, whoever owns [Dobby] will be an old wizarding family, and they’ll be rich,’ said Fred.
‘Yeah, Mum’s always wishing we had a house-elf to do the ironing,’ ...
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Are there other types of Elves in Harry Potter?
In the Harry Potter universe, we obviously know of House-elves. They have their own brand of powerful magic etc.
In general I love the thought of Elves as beings, ergo:
Is there any mention of other ...
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How did the house elves start serving wizards?
How/Why/When did the house elves start serving wizards? I tried on my own to find the answer but I couldn't find anything relevant to my subject but I am bad at searching.
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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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Can House-Elves Side-Along Apparate/Disapparate to/from Hogwarts?
I know that House Elves can Apparate inside Hogwarts, but this comment made me question whether they could Side-Along Apparate a human to/from Hogwarts. From what canon tells us, it is impossible for ...
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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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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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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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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 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 ...
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How did Dobby intercept Harry's mail?
How did Dobby the house-elf intercept Harry's mail during Harry's summer holiday between Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets?
‘See what it’s like here?’ [Harry] said. ‘See why I’ve got to go ...
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In the Goblet of Fire, what was the point of S.P.E.W.?
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, S.P.E.W. (Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare) was created. How did its creation drive the plot of the book forward? To me, it doesn't seem to drive the ...
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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 do house elves breed?
Winky states in Goblet of Fire that that her mother and grandmother served the Crouchs before her. In Grimmauld Place, the heads of the house elves on the wall all share the same nose as Kreacher, ...
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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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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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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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Are there any more free elves in Harry Potter?
Are there any more free (born free) elves in Harry Potter? What is their place in the society? They have their own brand of powerful magic. What do they do for their living? Moreover, I find no ...
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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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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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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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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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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 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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Why didn't Harry go with Dobby from the infirmary in Chamber?
In J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, chapter 10, we have Harry
keeping a firm hold on Dobby's wrist to stop him from hitting himself with the water jug again.…
...
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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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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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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 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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Why are House Elves all deemed to be servants or slaves to Wizards? [duplicate]
How come House Elves in the world of Harry Potter (such as Winky, Kreacher and even Dobby) are forced to work as servants to Wizarding families?
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Could a house elf be made into a Secret Keeper?
They are already extremely loyal to their master(s);
They are certainly capable of telling the secret to their master(s) after the charm is cast and are almost completely unable to betray them;
They ...
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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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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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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 ...
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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 ...
asked Mar 30 '17 at 18:21
EJoshuaS - Reinstate Monica
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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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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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Limits of house-elf apparition [duplicate]
Was Dumbledore aware of house-elf magic? If he was aware of house-elf Apparition, he should have gone to the Cave with Dobby. It seems nobody in the story made use of elf Apparition fully (it isn't ...
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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 ...
