Kreacher

[mz_annethrope]

No: HPFGUIDX 125723


Finwitch <finwitch at y...> wrote:
 
> Now, where IS this house-elf going to end up?
> 
> Will it be so that he'll go to Narcissa (family-tie)
> or that he will stay (house-tie).
> 
> I think it is house-tie, or Kreacher would have gone to Malfoys to 
> stay when Sirius' Mother died.
> 
> It's the house of Black Kreacher serves. (Note that Narcissa was 
> IN the tapestry... and Bellatrix, too!) He wasn't taking orders from 
> Tonks who had been burned off the tapestry. (And Sirius recognised 
> that as the reason, and then burned ALL the names off it...).
> 
> But Sirius wasn't in it, either. So why was Kreacher taking orders 
> from him? Was it just because Sirius owned the house? Or because 
> Sirius had LIVED in that house until he left at sixteen... <snip>


mz_annethrope:

Here's an idea: a house elf is analogous to a serf. A serf is bound 
to the land, but has to serve the master of the house by tilling the 
land and performing various other duties. The serf has no freedom 
with regards to the master. A house elf likewise is bound to a 
house, but serves the family that owns the house (the wizarding 
world being a bit more egalitarian than the medieval world). Rather 
than till the soil and return most of the produce to the master, the 
house elf takes orders from the master and mistress and is bound to 
obey those orders. So the house elf is bound to the specific house, 
and is a slave to the masters of the house.

That's why I think Kreacher stayed on in the Black house during the 
years between Mrs. Black's death and Sirius' return to the house. He 
was bound to the house and was not free to leave, or at least not 
free to reside any other place. The only time he leaves is when he 
twists Sirius' command "Get out of here" (sorry, don't have text in 
hand) to mean he's free to visit Narcissa. And that's why I don't 
think he'll be rushing off to serve the Malfoy's in the next book, 
assuming he will be alive to serve them. 

With regards to Sirius, Kreacher doesn't seem much inclined to take 
orders from him. I suspect that's because Kreacher doesn't think 
he's bound to serve him. After all, Sirius has been burned out of 
the family tree. As far as Kreacher's concerned he's still serving 
the portrait in the hallway and not the disowned son.

My suspicion is that if Kreacher is still alive in the next book 
(which I doubt) he'd be happy to serve Narcissa or Draco were they 
to become owners of the Black house. But Andromeda or Tonks can 
forget about it if they get the property.

mz_annethrope (who really wonders how house elves manage to beget 
the next generation)