House-Elves yet again

[sistermagpie]

No: HPFGUIDX 181309

> > Magpie:
> > This thread has gone into this idea in a very detailed way, so I 
> > don't see how you can just jump back to it like it's so simple. 
> > Liking to *serve* is not the same as wanting to be *owned.* They 
are 
> > pleased to serve people *they wish to serve*--they show plenty of 
> > discomfort when forced to serve masters they don't want to serve 
> > because they are owned.
> 
> Random832:
> Well... not really. What is the difference between serving, and 
being 
> owned? 

Magpie:
The difference of Dobby, for instance. He continues to like to serve 
after he's free, but he's no longer owned.

Random:
Even if we accept that they are forced (by whatever* means) to 
> serve, and cannot choose not to, there is one important difference: 
> House elves cannot be bought and sold. When Ron laments his 
family's 
> lack of an elf, he speaks not of their financial situation, but of 
the 
> quality of their dwelling, and one is left with the impression that 
a 
> house elf would not _deign_ to lower themselves to serve a family 
that 
> lived in such a shack.
> 

Magpie:
We don't know whether house elves can be bought or sold. The only 
ones we ever meet are already owned. But you seem to be implying that 
if house elves don't deign to lower themselves to serve a family who 
live in a shack they're not really owned, as if they would refuse to 
serve a master if he didn't have a nice house. But we see that 
Kreacher has to serve Harry whether he deigns to or not. We don't see 
any house elves looking down their noses at houses. They talk more 
about their owners and get attached to them than the houses.

-m