Kreacher the Plot Device Elf (was: Potter...wealth - ...Nature of Elves)

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 161729

> > Magpie:
> > I can't help but be a little amused at your continually
> > calling Kreacher useless given how much he affected the
> > plot. ...
> > 
> 
> bboyminn:
> 
> Oh, Kreacher was a very valuable plot-device, and I don't
> think that aspect of his role is over. He still has a 
> few stashed trinkets that he needs to reveal. 
> 
> It is as a house-elf that I think he is worthless 
> regardless of who he is currently working for. If Master
> Black (the original, not Sirius) was still alive, I'm 
> sure Kreacher would /try/ to do a better job, but I'm not
> so sure he would succeed. 

Magpie:
That's exactly what I'm disagreeing with--what makes Kreacher so 
worthless as a house-elf?  Because he's too old to work well and is 
stubborn about helping the people he must help? Isn't that kind of a 
harsh view of house-elves?  In HBP Kreacher had one job to do and 
seemed to actually do it fine--though he did his best to work 
against Harry by giving him as little information about Malfoy as he 
could (which spoke to his mind working). So to me he came across as 
a character no less useless than Dobby, just working for other 
people. He did a *great job* in OotP from the pov of the people he 
was actually loyal to, I thought.

Steve: 
> Yes, if Harry is living alone, he doesn't really need a 
> house-elf, but if he is running the headquarter for the
> Order, and is playing host to the Dursleys, I don't see 
> him up to cooking big meals for gangs of people. Nor do I
> see Petunia cooking using a fireplace or a magical stove.
> Further, I don't see Petunia in a position to be running 
> down to the green grocers to pick up supplies.

Magpie:
I don't really see Harry running the Order or the Order's hotel in 
Book VII. If there's anyone staying at Grimmauld Place presumably 
the same person would do the cooking as always--Molly.  And at this 
point the Dursleys as house guests is just an idea for what might 
happen in Book VII so we can't count on it yet, but if they are 
there I would still assume Molly and the other adults would be 
cooking for them.

Steve:
> So regardless of whether Kreacher is /capable/ of being
> a good house-elf, I don't think he is. He isn't keeping
> up the Black House, we never see him cook or clean, and 
> he isn't faithfully serving his Master, and they can't 
> let him go because he knows too much. All in all, as an 
> Elf, I say pretty worthless, but I admit as a plot device
> he has and does serve well.

Magpie:
But is that all the worth of a house elf?  I just have a hard time 
applying the word "worthless" to someone because they're unable to 
cook and clean-if indeed Kreacher actually is completely unable to 
do any kind of task. His mind is still intact (the "crazy old house 
elf" was a rather convenient label for the Order). Looking at the 
elves at Hogwarts it seems like Winky is shown as being even less 
competent than Kreacher but I'd hate to just judge her as worthless 
as a house-elf. Based on what what I've seen I actually could 
imagine Kreacher being useful even in the regular house-elf ways 
(cooking and cleaning) if he went to work for one of the Blacks. so 
yes, I guess if you define house-elf strictly as the luxuries 
they're supposed to provide wizards with he's worthless to Harry. If 
you define house-elf as the sentient race to which Kreacher happens 
to belong I think he's got a lot of worth.  He's my favorite of all 
the ones we've met easily.:-)

-m