Q's about house-elves

[finwitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 98050

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Franzi schuerch <amlesis at y...> 
wrote:
>  
> 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".)
>  
-------
Finwitch:
about 1&2 - now, first off, Dobby is a free elf who WANTS to be free. 
Others don't want freedom.
What comes to their masters...
As Sirius told Harry - the elf is bound to do the bidding of EVERY 
member of the family he/she serves. I'd say that all Hogwarts staff & 
students are members of this family. (and maybe even the paintings!)
However, considering Kreacher (whose true loyalty was to Sirius' 
mother and Narcissa more than it ever was to Sirius);
Dobby's true loyalty is more to Harry than any other.

Anyway, I think the elves prioritise their orders. Other school-
elves, I believe, (not Winky and Dobby) set Dumbledore first, then 
the Heads of houses, then other Professors, then either students or 
Filch. For *Dobby*, however, Harry's orders go beyond ALL others, 
though Dumbledore is close second (Dobby likes Dumbledore). I'd say 
that Umbridge, while able to order house-elves around, is the LAST in 
Dobby's priority list (because of what she did to Harry, no less, and 
for her TRYING to gain authority over Dumbledore).

Me, I think that after Kreacher finds out that Sirius, his master, 
died because of his lie to Sirius' godson - he'll obey the Black 
family house-elf protocol and behead himself (Phineas tells him to, 
in order to gain some sort of revenge over Sirius?)

Finwitch