Dobby redux (long)

[fiondavhar]

No: HPFGUIDX 106218


> Kneasy:
> > What's with Dobby?      <SNIP>
> >If he wanted to nip the plot in the bud, he'd warn 
> > the Weasleys,  not Harry. 
     <SNIP>
> > Two possibilities occur to me - well, three, but we should be 
able 
> >to discount one of them out of hand. 
> >We'll  deal with that one first.
> >I wondered if there was a parallel in the behaviour of Dobby and 
> > Kreacher. <SNIP>  Dobby might  have  done  the same, expressing 
his 
> > philosophical disapproval of Malfoy's moral stance by telling 
Harry 
> >as much as Malfoy's instructions allowed him to. But this would 
mean 
> >that Harry and the Malfoys were somehow related, and we've been 
told 
> >that Harry has no living relatives except the Dursleys. Shame. 

Bonny now: 

  I think that to say somone has no living relatives means that they 
have no close living relatives, no-one that could really be 
considered family. For instance, I am friends with a guy whose great 
great grandfather was my grt grt grt grandfathers brother. We aren't 
really considered close family, but we have a similar bloodline, and 
a similar inheritance. I would never have been sent to live with 
that family had my own died as a child, but it is concievable that, 
had there been somthing like a house-elf in our faimly, we would 
both have some authourity over it :) I know that JKR has basically 
ruled out any sort of family connection, but it is still fun to 
speculate.


> >SNIP>

> Kneasy:
> > Secondly - there's this mysterious Office for House Elf 
Relocation 
> >in the Ministry. Herself rarely  does something without good 
reason 
> >and this seems a largely irrelevant snippet to throw into 
FBaWTFT -  
> <SNIP>
> 
> Aggie:
> Mmmmm interesting.

Bonny: 

I also find this very interesting, and combined with Dobby's 
apparant loyalty to Harry (and this goes further than CoS and 
Harry's releasing him - Dobby takes orders from and goes out of his 
way to help Harry numerous times throught the books)I think this 
could be an interesting factor. The only questionable thing that 
stands out in my mind is, why doesn't Dobby just tell Harry if it is 
so? Is it because he wants a salary, or because there's no truth in 
my argument? hmmm...

SNIP
 

> Aggie:
> George said in CoS 'House elves come with big old manors and 
castles 
> and places like like. . .'  Where is the Potter mansion?  GH was a 
(?)
> cottage in the middle of a muggle village (?) can't find 
description 
> but IIRC it sounded just like an average house.  James's parents 
> might have had a mansion but why wouldn't James have inherited it 
> then? And if he did and just didn't use it then why has no-one 
> informed Harry of it's existence?
> 

Bonny:

Good question! There is definatley somr sort of mystery surrounding 
the Potters (senior and junior) an their history I am sure, or else 
we would have heard more about it. James parents seem to have died a 
fairly early death, and were followed shortly by James, who was to 
be shortly followed by Harry. We don't know how the sr. Potters 
died, but it sounds a bit like elimination of the family line to me. 
Maybe someone considered them "blood-traitors"? Does Harry have 
a "Grimmauld Place" lurking somewhere, full of family secrets?


> Dobby says in CoS 'Dobby is a house-elf, bound to serve one house 
and 
> one family for ever.'   This intimates that Dobby has only served 
one 
> family.  (Although, if this IS the case why is there an office for 
> House Elf relocation?  D'oh just answered own question, for when 
they 
> get freed!)
> 

Bonny:

Or when the family line dies out, as it would have when Bartemius 
Sr. Crouch died, seeing as his only son was already supposed dead.
  
SNIP
> 
> Aggie:

> Malfoy's release of Dobby WAS unintentional but this does not seem 
to 
> matter to house elves.  In OotP when Hermione was knitting 
furiously 
> all the hats and scarves to free the elves, they refused to clean 
> Griffindor common room in case they accidently picked up the 
article 
> of clothing and *unintentionally* freed themselves.  If it works 
one 
> way round surely it'll work the other.

Bonny:

Atually, they refuse to clean Gryffindor house because they find the 
hats insulting, not because they are afraid of being freed.

"She still does not care for clothes, Harry Potter. Nor do the other 
house-elves. None of them will clean Gryffindor Tower any more, not 
with the hats and socks hidden everywhere, they finds them 
insulting, sir."

OotP, Canadaian Hardback, page 342

Besides, Mrs. Weasley wanted a house-elf to do the laundry - it is 
specifically noted in CoS - and if a house elf could be freed simply 
by being handed a garment, they certainly would not be able to do 
laundry. I believe there has to be intent.
> 
> 
> 
> Kneasy: 
> > It's the third possibility that I find fascinating, mostly 
because 
> >it opens up vistas of double-dealing, betrayal  and duplicity. 
> >Lovely!  Unfortunately, for all it's attractions it's the option 
> >with the least evidential or even inferential  support. Still, > 
> >that's never stopped a conspiracy theorist before, so...
> > 
> > Dobby is under orders from Lucius.
> > After all, it's not just a single visit to Privet Drive we're 
> >talking about, he drops in on Harry at Hogwarts a few times too. 
How 
> >often can House Elves flout their masters wishes, for Heavens 
sake? 
> >Once - possible; more seems a bit iffy  to me.

Bonny: 

I believe house elves can do things so long as they are not 
expressly forbidden to do them. Ie Kreacher was forbiddin from 
divulging the order's plans, but he was not forbiddin from talking 
about the relationship betweem Harry and Sirius, or from lying to 
Dumbledore or Harry. He could do so freely.
> 
> Aggie:
> It's a possibility.
> 
> Kneasy: 
> > And there's the strange way he identifies the danger - "Not he 
who 
> >must not be named" - very odd, very.....rehearsed. 
> 
> Aggie:
> Yes it is. . .because he's trying to give Harry a clue.
> 

Bonny:

And if this clue had been from Lucius, it would likley have 
read "Not the Dark Lord"...


BIG SNIP
 
> Imagine if Dobby hadn't visited Harry, would anything have been 
done 
> differently? Yes, Harry would have had his post, but unlikely to 
have 
> been able to reply to it.  Yes, Harry and Ron would have been able 
to 
> have caught the Express, but they got to school anyway. 

Bonny:

But the car wouldn't have been there to save Harry and Ron from the 
Acromantulae, and so they would never have lived to save Ginny or 
stop Riddle. 

SNIP
> 
> The problem I have with Dobby (going back to canon now!)is why he 
> thought Harry was in so much danger!  Was it just because of Tom? 
It 
> couldn't have been because of the Chamber, he wasn't a muggle-born.
> 
> Sorry to have gone on but this was so much fun I couldn't resist!

Bonny:

Dobby knew that Harry Potter was the person most likley to be 
targeted by TR/LV, because he is legend for bringing him down! That 
constitutes danger to me!