Official Philip Nel Question #9: House Elves (include...

[dicentra63]

No: HPFGUIDX 39194

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., elfundeb at a... wrote:
> 
Debbie observes:
>  I think it's very possible that the house-elves' current condition of 
> servitude is the result of a magical contract entered into between the 
> house-elves and wealthy wizards with castles and manor-houses;
house-elves 
> pledged themselves use their magic solely to serve their master or 
house in 
> exchange for lifetime care and protection. 

I ran across this in a recent re-reading of CoS (Scholastic 29,
emphasis mine):

"Yeah, Mum's always wishing we had a house-elf to do the ironing,"
said George. "But all we've got is a lousy old ghoul in the attic and
gnomes in the garden. House-elves *come with* big old manors and
castles and places like that; you wouldn't catch one in our house..."

Do house-elves "come with" mansions and castles the way roaches come
with cheap motels?  Is the mansion the house-elf's natural habitat? 
George certainly seems to imply it.  Maybe if you build a mansion you
automatically get house-elves.  Whether it's their choice (of sorts)
or they're magically or psychologically drawn to mansions, I can't
say: we simply don't know enough.

At any rate, it does answer the question of why the Weasleys don't
have a house-elf, even though you don't have to pay them: they don't
have the right kind of house. 
> 
>        <@ 
>        /___'
> 
> (The copyright to this L.O.O.N.* belongs to Dicentra, who graciously
loaned it to me.)
> 
> *League Of Obsessive Nitpickers

--Dicentra, who is more loony than LOONy
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]