[HPforGrownups] House elf Ownership/possesion

[Amanda]

No: HPFGUIDX 36903

Okay, I now chime in on the house elf thing. Again, haven't been following
in detail, but it seems to me that everyone's focus is on the elves
belonging to families. I don't think they do.

 When Fred and George clarify for Harry what a house-elf is, this is what
they say:
"I don't know whether the Malfoys own a house-elf...." said Harry.
"Well, whoever owns him will be an old wizarding family, and they'll be
rich," said Fred.
..........
"...House-elves come with big old manors and castles and places like that;
you wouldn't catch one in our house..." (from George's speech).
all, p. 29, CoS {US}

>From this, I think the terminology of the family "owning" the elf, and the
loyalty of the elf to the family, come from the family owning the PLACE.
They are associated with old wizarding families because old wizarding
families are likely to own big old manors and castles and places like that.

If the elves belonged to the families, their would not need to be a House
Elf Relocation Office. I think there is a complex bond, a 3-way
relationship, involving the elf, the location, and the owner of the
location. Status as the owner of the location gives the owner certain powers
over the elf, and the elves are bound to obey not the wizard per se, but the
owner of their location. For Winky, Mr. Crouch had the power to free her,
but what he did was banish her from her location, and her service to its
owners.

Why else, then, would they be associated as strongly with places as with old
families? The Weasleys are an old wizarding family themselves.

--Amanda, apologizing as usual if anyone's taken this angle