Funny questions (I hope)

[ginnysthe1]

No: HPFGUIDX 116565


While re-reading GoF last night, I came across this paragraph (ch. 
titled The House-Elf Liberation Front, p. 381, US Scholastic ed.):

<[Says Winky] "... My poor Mr. Crouch, what is he doing without 
Winky? <snip>  I is looking after the Crouches all my life, and my 
mother is doing it before me, and my grandmother is doing it before 
her... oh what is they saying if they knew Winky was freed?  Oh the 
shame, the shame!"  She buried her face in her skirt again and 
bawled.>

Winky's got a mother?!  And a grandmother?!  And they might still be 
alive somewhere?  Clearly she hasn't been writing tell-all letters to 
them...  For that matter, that must mean she's got a father and 
grandfather too, and maybe sisters and brothers?  And what about 
Dobby's parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and 
sisters...?  Even sillier question:  anyone out there thinking about 
a Dobby/Winky "ship"?

To continue:  Has anyone before made the analogy between house elves 
and dogs?  Maybe JKR's RW equivalent to the house elf is the family 
dog.  They have a lot of personality traits in common: loyalty, hard 
work, faithful service for which they don't expect to be paid, and 
anxiety and befuddlement at the prospect of being set "free."  Even a 
dog that was mistreated (the way the Malfoys mistreated Dobby) might 
feel like a fish out of water if he were simply set free.  And they'd 
keep the family's secrets too (paragraph 4, p. 380).  Besides, the 
House-Elf Liberation Front has got to be a take on the Animal 
Liberation Front.

Anyway house elves sure aren't modeled after my cat... "Hard work, 
what's that?  Fetch me another cat treat while you're up, will you?" 
she purrs drowsily.

Kim