House elves battle

[zanooda2]

No: HPFGUIDX 176328

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "grouchymedic_26149" 
<tctrppr at ...> wrote:

> I apologise in advance if this question has been answered before, 
> and I missed it.
> In the final battle for Hogwarts, the house elves burst from the
> kitchen, and attack the forces of LV with knives and meat cleavers. 
> Why not magic?? 


Yes, someone came up with this question right after the last book was 
out. I can't say that it was answered thought :-), because very 
different ideas were expressed. I personally believed then, and still 
believe, that the house elves need to have their master's permission 
to use magic (I'm not talking about cooking, cleaning and laundry 
here). Dobby used offensive magic against Malfoy, but he was already 
free then, so it doesn't count.

I'm not sure how reliable Weasley twins' knowledge of the house 
elves' customs is (after all, they don't have one :-)), but in CoS 
Fred told Harry that "house-elves have got powerful magic of their 
own, but they can't usually use it without their masters' 
permission". I think that during the battle of Hogwarts there was no 
one to give them permission, that's all (no headmaster). Just a 
theory, one of many :-).

zanooda