Is Dobby a good house elf/short?

[uncmark]

No: HPFGUIDX 36907

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., kellybroughton at n... wrote:
> >"It state in COS chapter two--- "The Wizard family
> >Dobby serves, sir... DObby is a house-elf... bound to
> >serve one house and one family forever."
> >
> >and since later we find out that he's Malfoys elf... I
> >dont think he could be the Potters old elf."
> 
> >adrienne
> >
> 
> Well.... I wonder. If Dobby truly *is* the Malfoys' house-elf, 
theirs alone and always will be, WHY then would he make the effort to 
go to Harry on his own initiative(?) and try to keep Harry from going 
back to Hogwarts in order to save Harry? In other words, why would 
Dobby *care* whether Harry goes back or not? Dobby makes it quite 
clear that the Malfoys don't even know what he's doing, and if they 
ever find out, they'll put him in a serious hurt.(Refer to Cos, page 
14.) I am of the mind that there's something going on to make Dobby 
go against his nature (being a "good house-elf") that forces him to 
make such a bold action. Could the reason possibly be that, by going 
to Harry without the Malfoys' knowledge and/or permission, that Dobby 
actually IS being a "good house-elf"?

A good 'house-elf'? Maybe Hermione's rubbing off on me, but the term 
seems reminiscent of the Roots miniseries when a slaveowner was 
discussing a good ni--er. Agreed, Dobby acts against the wishes of 
his master, but he recognizes the need to break his enslavement. I 
don't know how long-lived elves in the Potterverse are, but Dobby 
remembers how elves fared under Lord Voldemort. Amd he recognized hoe 
elves would fare if his master Malfoy's plans went through.

Was Dobby James Potter's elf? It's possible. It would explain Dobby's 
independent thought if he had gone from being the domestic of a 
benevolent wizard to the cruelty of a secret Death Eater. 

I'd like to think Diobby arrived on trhe idea himself, that 
independent thought was an ability present in all house-elves. Like 
the Giants mentioned in GofF the elves might be strong allies in the 
fight against Valdemort. They have strong magic without wands and at 
least Dobby has a strong sense of goodness and loyalty.

I'm studying all the references to elves and will post later, but No 
my belief is that Dobby was a poor house-elf. He is too smart to 
follow orders unquestioningly and may actually think & act 
independently following his idea of goodness.

Uncmark