SPEW how do you do ? (was Re: SOCKS and other presents)

[mlle_bienvenu]

No: HPFGUIDX 78376

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "david_p2002ca" <david_p at i...> 
wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "jesmck" <jesmck at y...> wrote:
> 
> > and now me (Jessica)
> > If Harry gave Dobby socks and Ron gave him a jumper, wouldn't 
Dobby 
> > be free?  And, if the reason these gifts didn't free him is 
because 
> > Harry and Ron aren't his master, then why is Hermione making all 
of 
> > those hats for the other house elves?
> 
> By the time Harry and Ron gave Dobby those gifts he had already 
> received his manumission (1) (or should that be elfumission?)  
Thus, 
> providing clothes to Dobby had no effect - he was already free, 
> working for money and even the occasional holiday!
> 
> Hermione's targets were the elves who were still bound to Hogwarts -
 
> those who had not yet been freed.  It does raise an interesting 
> question, though:  could a student free a house elf, or would it 
> require a prefect, professor or even the headmaster - a person in 
> authority at the school - to release a house elf?
> 
> David P.
> 
> (Whose current laundry pile could free all the elves at Hogwarts)
> 
> (1) http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=manumission

Mlle: Ohh, maybe that's what the comment in SS/PS means... (the one 
about Dumbledore seeing himself with socks in the mirror of Erised) 
If DD is the only one who can free house-elves, the reason he wants 
the socks is to free the elves (Yes, I know this has been suggested 
many times ad nauseum. Bear with me...) If this was the case, he 
certainly could buy his own socks should he want to free the elves 
(or any other clothes for that matter) But it's the symbolism of the 
sock that is important to Dumbledore. So what he's really saying is 
that he wishes people would -want- him to free the house-elves. (as 
symbolized by people giving him socks). It's not an altogether 
different conclusion to the usual 'maybe DD wants the socks for the 
elves" theory, but I thought the distinction was worth mentioning. 

Mlle Bienvenu