House elves and some spoilers for Swordspoint WAS: realistic solutions

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 180789

> 
> Magpie:
> Only if the book actually suggests the problem exists. In HP it 
> certainly shows that there's a problem if you're a bad Wizard like 
> Lucius, but no I don't see any indication that there's any problem 
> with Dumbledore or Harry or Hermione owning a slave.

Pippin:

No problem?  Even though Dumbledore would never
use an Elf as a poison tester, his ownership allowed Slughorn
to do so. Sirius said that an elf is supposed to obey every
member of the family.

Hermione's married to Ron. Harry's son is James. Nuff said. 

The problem with a person who thinks that they're good owning
a slave was dramatized with Sirius.  JKR doesn't have to dramatize
it again to show me that I can't generalize from Harry's experience
to the whole WW, much less the real world. Even if Harry is given 
the grace to do no harm, bless him, what about everyone else? 

Magpie:
 And given the 
> pov that comes through in a lot of the book that seems pretty 
> consistent--power should be held by the good guys.

Pippin:
You want it should be held by the bad guys ???
 
> Pippin: 
> > Harry had to accept  the responsibility and so he makes the
> > best of it; that's Harry's way. 

> Magpie:
> I don't remember Harry worrying about these things, and given how 
> great I hear this Harry Potter fellow is, no I don't think he'll ever 
> really have a problem with this. Yeah if he makes a mistake (not that 
> I think he would) it'll be a shame that Kreacher has to punish 
> himself--but good old Harry will no doubt swoop in to stop him if 
> that happens because he's a good guy. 
> 

Pippin:

But then we're talking about sheer fantasy, and not about a realistic
situation at all. In which case, sure. I don't think I'd suffer if I was owned
by an angel or a saint. Heck, I'll  volunteer, especially if I get to live at 
Hogwarts and do magic. 

Who wouldn't? 

Of course there's the minor problem that saintly and angelic beings  
wouldn't want to own slaves, and wouldn't be seduced into thinking 
that slavery was an objective good no matter how many sandwiches 
I made for them. Oh well. 

Pippin