House-Elves and Apparating

[Steve Vander Ark]

No: HPFGUIDX 22459

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., prefectmarcus at y... wrote:

> (3) If nobody can apparate or disapparate at Hogwarts, how come 
Dobby 
> can pop in and out easily?

Dobby doesn't Apparate. He doesn't use magic at all in the Wizard 
sense. House-Elves have a special magic all their own, magic which is 
not bound by the actions of the Wizarding population. This is easily 
the most powerful magic we see in the books, with the possible 
exception of that charm of love that saved Harry's life. Dobby can 
thwart the barrier (and was apparently able to SEE the barrier even 
though he was not even there). He could interfere with Owl Post. He 
could enchant a powerful magical item, a Bludger. House-Elves are by 
far the most powerful magical beings in the Harry Potter universe. I 
believe that Hermione's somewhat misguided attempts to "free" them 
will turn out to be enormously important, as it could be the key that 
unleashes the force that defeats an otherwise undefeatable Voldermort.

For more information, see the article about House-Elves in the 
Lexicon, found here:
http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/house_elves.html

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