Kreacher & House-Elf Relocation

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 74791

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "snapesmate" <snapesmate at h...>
wrote:
> Snapesmate:
> 
> The house elves are treated as property, as a slave, but most house 
> elves we have been introduced to WANT to belong to a family.  Dobby 
> was a bit of a one of, because he wanted to be free and paid for his 
> work.  

bboy_mn:
First House-Elves as property, I think you are right on this one, once
an elf has made a commitment, they and their successive generation are
 'reguarded' as the property of the family House (with a capital 'H'). 

I put 'reguarded' in single quotes because I think that Elves are
reguarded, treated, and traded as property, but I have my own theory
that there is really no legal precident for true ownership. Basically,
my theory is that the only thing binding elves is elfish honor.


> Snapesmate:
> I took house elf to mean an elf that belonged to a family, 
> that served around the family home.  ...edited...
>

bboy_mn:

Confusing issue, this one. On one hand, an elf is loyal to the Noble
House of Black, all of them; but is only bound to the direct
patriarchal decendancy of the Noble House of Black. And I do believe
it is the House of Black that they are bound to, not the home of
Black. As long as their are direct patriarchal decendance, the
ownership never travels sideways. That is, it's never passed from
father to son to cousin when there is another son or son of a son
available. 

But the Noble House of Black has ended; so now what?

Let's us assume for the moment that Kreacher becomes a free agent.
None of the remaining Black relatives want him, so he is on his own.
Well, theew is the Ministry of Magic's House-Elf Relocation office
located in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical
Creatures. I assume free agent elves can come here for reassignment to
  family Houses looking for an elf.

But I suspect that elves don't trust the Ministry very much. Winky
seemed to think it would be aweful if Dobby got mixed up with the
Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures like
some common goblin. 

So I suspect that most of the re-hiring of elves is done through
networking within the house-elf community. 


> Snapesmate:
> I am  curious as to how Hogwarts' house elves came to be there.  
> ...edited...

bboy_mn:
First, it's possible that many of the Hogwarts house-elves have been
working at Hogwarts through many successsive generations. Other may
have been dismissed/freed house-elves like Dobby and Winky. Others may
have come from elves that became free agents when their family line
died out. Also, at one time, I suspect there was a lucrative trade in
house-elves. They were essentially captured and sold as mechandise on
the open market.


> Snapesmate:
> Anyway, back to Kreacher...  I was thinking he has probably done all
> the damage he can do, unless he IS kept at Grimmauld Place AND the 
> OoTP continue to use the house.  What about you all?
>
> Lynne...

bboy_mn:
If Kreacher were a normal house-elf, I suspect there wouldn't be a
problem, they could just get him re-assigned to a new home. But
Kreacher has a psychotically deranged loyalty to the Black's, and as
much as he has picked up the hatred and prejudices of his masters, I
don't think he is capable of functioning outside the Black family. For
that matter, he is only marginally able to function inside the Black
family.

I can't explain why, I certainly have no proof, but I think Kreacher
has 'passed beyond the veil'. Exactly how I'm not sure, but one theory
is that having lost his only reason for existing, lost his only
functional purpose in life which was to serve the Black family, he no
longer has a reason to live. So, the late house-elf Kreacher; dead by
his own hand. 

A grim thought, but a thought none the less.

bboy_mn