House Elves, namely Winky

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 16771

Jenny from Ravenclaw wrote:
> > Perhaps the Malfoys were the worst owners around, but Crouch
> > treated poor Winky terribly as well.

Rita the Catlady wrote:
 
> Umm, could you give examples, please? I can't remember anything 
about
> how Crouch Sr treated Winky before the World Cup except that it was 
she,
> Winky, who talked him into letting Junior see the World Cup. Senior 
was
> not guilty of forcing an acrophobic to save him a seat up on the Top
> Box: she *volunteered* to do that so that invisible Junior could sit 
in
> that seat. Senior broke her heart by firing her. He fired her when 
she
> had just allowed Junior to escape, cast the Dark Mark, and go to 
help
> Voldemort.

You're right about the top box; it was her idea, and sitting 
elsewhere would've looked suspicious (Crouch in the bleachers?  come 
on) and would also have made it more likely that Crouch Jr. would 
be discovered--more crowded seats, people bumping past "empty" 
seats and noticing that one of them isn't empty.  Firing her is pretty 
terrible treatment, though, IMO.  She didn't "allow" him to do all 
those things; he overpowered her.  That isn't her fault; if anyone but 
Junior is to blame, it's Senior, whose Imperius hex wasn't strong 
enough to keep him under control.  One reason Crouch fires her 
is that he has to go along with the pretense that she cast the Dark 
Mark, and also get her out of the way before Amos asks her 
any more difficult questions.

Amy Z

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 "I'm *not* going to be murdered," Harry said out loud.
 "That's the spirit, dear," said his mirror sleepily.
                       -HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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