[HPforGrownups] Re: House elves

[Kelly Grosskreutz]

No: HPFGUIDX 58073

> Steve wrote:
> >
> > I think if a house-elf chooses to not honor that commitment, there is
> > no legal precedent binding him to his master. Without a legally
> > binding precedent, his former master is powerless to do anything to
> > compell the house-elf to return.
>
Darrin wrote:

> I don't know. I don't see that Dobby wanted to be with the Malfoys any
longer,
> but he was bound to him until Lucius was tricked into giving him clothes.
>
> Dobby went to all the trouble to warn Harry, and had to bang his head into
> walls and stuff to try and spit it out. If he could willingly give up the
> committment, it seems like that would have been much easier.

Exactly.  To my mind, I see it as a magically binding commitment.  A house
elf swears to serve a given household, in this case, the Malfoys, and that
elf and all of his/her descendants must also serve that family.  Granted,
this leaves a lot left open.  When the house elf has children, do the
children also need to swear the commitment, or are they bound because their
parents swore the commitment?  Can any member of the family set a house elf
free, or does it have to be the Head of House?  We've seen Crouch Sr and
Lucius have the authority to set a house elf free, but could Draco fire one
if he so chose?

Kelly Grosskreutz
http://www.idcnet.com/~ivanova