Dobby redux

[demetra1225]

No: HPFGUIDX 106256

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Barry Arrowsmith 
<arrowsmithbt at b...> wrote:

[ship]
> 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 -  
> especially since House Elves aren't mentioned in the body of the 
text, 
> there's just this brief reference in 'About the Author'. Hmm. I 
find 
> that suspicious, but then I find everything suspicious.

Demetra:
What does this department do?  
In GoF, Dobby says that he and Winky went out looking for work 
together.  No one wanted to take them on because they 
wanted "paying".  Why didn't the department find them new positions?  
Why did they have to wander around looking for work until they made 
their way to Hogwarts and Dumbledore?  

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.

Demetra:  Yep, very suspicious.  And I can't believe that Lucius 
would not have forbid Dobby from coming and going as he pleased.  
Either Dobby was deliberately disobeying his master on multiple 
occasions or Dobby was acting on Lucius' directive.

Kneasy:  [snip]
Personally, I  think option 2 is the likeliest, but option 3 has the 
> most potential for fun and games.

Demetra:  <veg>  
Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy, the double act of double agents.  
Slippery supposed friends do make the best spies, don't they?