Iggy, the hired Elf

[justcarol67]

Carol asked:
Does Iggy wear a tea cozy (or "cosy," I guess, in the British
editions)? Also, if he'll forgive my asking, does he wear a tea towel
under the vest and shoes with the socks? And what is his idea of fun?

Carol, who thanks Iggy for the laugh and hopes he will tell her what a
tea cozy is
 
Iggy responded:
 
> Well, to answer the last question there, Miss, a tea cosy is a
quilted cover shaped much like a hood that Elvses put over a tea pot
to keep the tea inside for their employers, and that the Wizardses and
Witch ladies uses to keep their tea pots warm.
> 
Iggy does not wear a tea cosy, since that would look silly in Iggy's
> opinion.  He does, though, wear he uniform of a tea towel draped
over hisself under the other clothes Iggy wears.  Hats and tea cosies
are not something Iggy enjoys since they hold his ears in too tight
and pinch them even when they don't need pinching.  Iggy is happy
enough, and warm enough, with his vests and socks, Miss, and only
occasionally wears an old scarf or two when he must go out into the
snow for some reason.
> 
> For what Iggy does for fun, Miss, after he has made his new vests
and socks, Iggy likes to read (the Great Professor Flitwick lends Iggy
books from his own collection or gets them from the library for him)
and is being taught Wizard's Chess by a boy named Nicholas who is new
to Ravenclaw.  Iggy also enjoys visiting Haggrid to learn about other
magical creatures, and occasionally is asked by one of the
Professorses to run an errand down to Hogsmeade. (The Great Flitwick
likes many things from Honeydukes, as does the Powerful Professor
Dumbledore, so Iggy is allowed to sometimes go there before the store
opens and buy stuff for them, and even is given a sweet from the kind
Honeyduke's themselves, generous humans they is.  He is even
> allowed to buy some sweets for himself if Iggy has money left from
buying vests and socks.)
> 
> Iggy Elf
> (aka: Iggy McSnurd)

Thank you for taking time off from your duties to answer my questions,
Iggy Elf, but you forgot to tell me whether you wear shoes over your
socks. It seems to me that the socks would get rather wet or muddy on
trips to Hogsmeade without them. If so, what kind of shoes do you
wear? And do the house-elves who aren't free go barefoot?

Carol, sending Iggy Elf a virtual lemon drop for his amusing answers
to her nosy questions