House Elves...

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 17034

Amanda wrote:

> Well, look at the sample. We've seen Dobby and Winky, who come from
> pretty well dysfunctional families. <snip>

> The only other sample we've met personally would be the Hogwarts
> staff-elves. <snip>

Very true.  We are probably seeing the worst and the best of house-
elf life with this sample, and not much in between.  

I don't agree, though, that Dobby only wants to split because he's 
ashamed of working for dark wizards.  He wants to split because 
they're nasty horrible people who treat him like vermin...and he 
=can't.=  However it came about, that's an unjust state of affairs, 
and I can't believe that JKR is saying "don't worry about it."
 
> The word "Elf!", by the way, is spoken by Amos Diggory, but while it
> says he spoke it sternly, there is nothing condescending or 
superior in
> his interview with her. He's just been faced with the reappearance 
of
> the Dark Mark, she's a suspect, and his usage of "Elf!" is 
commensurate
> with "Madam!" or "Sir!" or "You!"

Darn it, Amanda, no getting specific when I don't have GF!  I will 
have to summon my evidence when it arrives (supposedly in a few 
days).  But on my memory I just can't agree with this.  The 
equivalent to "Madam!" would be "Madam!," and it's a fairly polite 
way to address someone, so why doesn't he address her that 
way?  "You!" is pretty rude, and that's about what "Elf!" sounds like 
to me.

Remember, this is a man who works for the Dept. for the Regulation 
and Control of Magical Creatures.  This is the kind of treatment 
elves can expect whenever they deal with the MOM?  I know he's under 
stress at the moment, what with the Dark Mark and all, but yeesh.  If 
people in that department treat werewolves that way, they're going to 
have me to answer to.

There are lots of things in the books that we can't draw hard and 
fast conclusions about, and house-elf status is one of them, but it's 
as well-established, IMO, as, say, Ron Likes Hermione.  On the face 
of it, and until we learn something that turns our perceptions upside 
down, the treatment of house-elves is a blot on the wizarding world.  
JMHO.

Amy Z