Hermione's Hats

[KathyK]

No: HPFGUIDX 78366

Robert Jones:

<snip>
>>But then how are the hats and socks that Hermione is knitting and 
hiding around the Gryffindor common room supposed to free them, since 
once again the elves would only pick them up themselves? <snip> JKR 
has made Hermione very brilliant, as her analyses in OOTP repeatedly 
showed -- so wouldn't Hermione think of this simple point too?  What 
am I missing?<<

Kathryn:

<snip> 
>I think that's just Hermione being overly ambitious
and not thinking things through.  In addition to the
fact that the elves are just picking up the hats, not
being given them, Hermione is not their master.  She
can hand them as many socks or hats as she wants but
it doesn't matter.  <snip> <

KathyK: 
 
*waves to Kathryn before beginning*

In GoF, HRH go to the kitchens because of Hermione's SPEW cause where 
they run across Dobby and Winky.  The Trio discusses Dobby's freedom 
and his wages as well as what's happened to Winky since Crouch gave 
her the sack (or the clothes <g>).  There are other House Elves 
there, we know, gladly handing food to them and listening to the 
conversation.  (Chapter 21, The House-Elf Liberation Front)

The house-elves have seen HRH in the company of that bad, rule 
breaking Dobby discussing freedom.  I'm sure they noticed Hermione 
advocating house-elf freedom, as well as finding some SPEW buttons 
lying about somewhere.  Perhaps they even read the SPEW manifesto.  
Maybe Hermione distributed them to the house-elves.  Hermione, after 
all, wants to not only educate the human population about house-elf 
enslavement but also the house-elves themselves. 

Actually, while I've been looking up portions of the books in 
composing this response, I've begun thinking Hermione knows she can't 
free the house-elves.  She's done all sorts of research on the 
subject (GoF, US paperback 224).  She must know exactly what freeing 
a house-elf entails.  So she's either learned that any student can 
free an elf or, more likely, she learned that she has no power to do 
so.  

What she's doing with the hats is symbolic of freeing them.  She's 
trying to get the elves used to the idea of freedom.  If the house-
elves take the hats, in her mind it's a step in the right direction.  
If they were to begin wearing the hats, that would mean her message 
was getting through.

The house-elves also obviously know that Hermione's hat's won't free 
them.  They're refusal to even clean Gryffindor Tower because of the 
hats is their way of telling her that she is wrong.  They do not want 
freedom.  They're house-elves.  They're built to serve.  Hermione is 
offending their sense of being with her actions.  

Dobby says, "they finds them [the hats and socks] insulting." (OOP, 
US 385)  Dobby, the only one to embrace freedom, is the only one 
willing to take Hermione's "gifts."  Even Winky who was also 
freed, "still does not care for clothes." (OOP, US 385)  She still 
rejects the idea of house-elf freedom and the hats that Dobby 
collects for her.

KathyK (randomly wondering if Umbridge refused to pay Dobby wages 
while she was Headmistress...or does she *only* hate half-breeds?  
Something tells me she wouldn't be pleased a house-elf doesn't know 
his place)