Q's about house-elves

[Franzi schuerch]

No: HPFGUIDX 98039

 
This may have been covered before but I have some questions about house-elves.
 
1. In OoP after Dobby warned the DA members that Umbridge is on her way he starts to punish himself. But since he is a freed house-elf there should be no need to do so. Is it just the old habit? (Sounds more like Winky to me.)
 
2. Who is the master of Hogwarts's house-elves? I always assumed it to be Dumbledore because Dobby and Winky came to work for DD in GoF. In OoP however, is seems Umbridge is giving orders to the elves too. So maybe all theachers are regarded as masters over the elves? But what about students? According to Dobby in CoS only an elf's master can set it free. Well, in OoP Hermione obviously believes or knows (something mentioned in "Hogwarts: a History" perhaps?) to have the authority to set elves free when she knits all the elf closes. However, I found it hard to believe that students would be given that kind of power. I'm just picturing a scene where a house-elf is bond to answer to the trio's questions about Snape's dirty laundry (or his twins) ;-)
 
3. Something that mad me feel uneasy since I finished OoP is what's going to happen to Kreacher now that Sirius is dead? I could think of three scenarios:
a) Who ever inherit Grimmauld Place gets Kreacher as part of the property.
b) Being Sirius's next relatives Narcissa or Bellatrix are going to inherit him. I' m wondering if a house-elf can reveal its former master's secretes to a new master or not.
c) Since Sirius was the last Black Kreacher is set free. Would that mean he could reveal all he knows about the order to everyone? (In OoP Sirius sais to Hermione "We can't set him (Kreacher) free he knows to much about the order".)
 
Franzi, who would love to know what others think about it.




		
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