Hermione's Hats

[davewitley]

No: HPFGUIDX 88892

Robert Jones wrote:

> So ... this means that the great Hermione Granger is making a 
> mistake when she thinks that the hats she is knitting and leaving 
> around the Gryffindor Common Room will free the House Elves.  How 
> did she think her clothes were being cleaned for years?  The Elves 
> can pick them up and nothing will happen.  But the Elves are still 
> annoyed that someone is trying to trick them and so they do not 
> clean the Common Room.

Your reasoning is impeccable, but I'm not sure it fits the fact that 
the elves refuse to take the hats.  Although they may resent 
Hermione's efforts, as good House-elves they would tidy up unless 
something really were at stake.

There's no doubt this creates problems: if the key element is intent 
to free, that doesn't sit well with Dobby's remarks or his eventual 
freeing in COS; if it's the physical hand-to-hand passing of clothes 
(does Dobby catch or pick up the sock in COS? I can't rememeber) 
Hermione's hats are not a problem for the elves; if it's mere 
physical contact with clothes belonging to the masters (or having 
last been in physical contact with them - Lucius Malfoy again) then 
how are student clothes cleaned?

There is an issue of definition here, too.  It's hard to imagine how 
the Malfoys could prevent a determined Dobby from touching some item 
of clothing at home, so at some point the magic fails.  Perhaps if 
students leave their dirty clothes in baskets and the house elves, 
motivated as they are, make sure they don't actually touch the items 
themselves?

I agree, however with the underlying thought here: I believe the 
function of Hermione's hats in the story is to signal her drift into 
arrogance.  Crucially, she never tries to find out if her tactic is 
working.  Why does she not wonder why all those joyful free elves are
not coming to thank her?

David