House elves battle

[jlnbtr]

No: HPFGUIDX 176320

Petra:
..snip...
I think it very likely that 
> house elves cannot do magic to combat wizards.  Why then can 
> they do armed combat?  Perhaps the wizarding magic that restricts
> the house elves somehow did not take into account the extra-
> ordinary circumstances present at the Hogwarts battle.  As we've
> seen, instructions to house elves must be very carefully worded.
>  
> Does anyone remember any details from canon that supports this
> impression?  Or supports a completely different impression?
>  

Juli:
In CoS, doesn't Dobby jinx Lucius in some way at the very end when he 
tries to attack Harry? Or perhaps this is movie contamination (don't 
have the books at hand so I can't check)?

I think the knives were just to add a more dramatic effect. It does 
look cooler. Plus the elves are bound to serve their masters. 
Hogwarts is their master, so they would be almost 'forced' to protect 
Hogwarts. And for Kreacher, he is Harry's elf, if HArry told him to 
fight he would have had to.

Juli