Elf Magic / Apparating

[Steve Vander Ark]

No: HPFGUIDX 16617

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Bugg" <bugganeer at y...> wrote:
> Like I good user, I searched previous post and found some good 
> answers / opinions. The question that remains: 
> 
> Why are elves allowed to appear/disappear in and out of Hogwarts? 
> I don't think Wizard magic can prevent it. 
> Opinions or theories?  

In my opinion, House-Elf magic is some of the most powerful magic 
there is. Dobby is capable of amazing magical feats without a wand or 
incantation. He Apparates (the effect is the same, although he is 
proabably not using the Wizard spell to do it but a House-Elf 
version, which is why it works in Hogwarts). He can close a powerful 
magical portal at will. He can drastically affect a Bludger, which is 
not easy to do or players would do it all the time. 

Why do you think House-Elves are so enslaved? It seems to me that 
somewhere back in antiquity, the Wizards found that it was "best" to 
control the power that was so much greater than their own by cultural 
means, rather like Apartheid controlled a large and potentially power 
majority in South Africa. Hermione's clumsy attempts at House-Elf 
Liberation may just be the gentle stirrings of a great social 
upheaval which will bring to the surface a group weilding incredible 
magical powers. The Wizard community will be faced with changing 
their deep-seated prejudices or finding themselves up against an 
incredibly dangerous and powerful enemy: their erstwhile slaves.

So who knows...Dobby may be the Nelson Mandela of the House-Elves, 
tasting freedom and bringing it slowly to his enslaved people at 
great personal cost. Kind of exciting to think of where this all may 
go. Someone might want to write a fanfic about it. I won't read it, 
of course, until the series is done--I prefer to discuss these things 
in a non-fiction setting--but others might really enjoy that line of 
speculation in a story. Go for it!

Steve Vander Ark
The Harry Potter Lexicon
http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon