![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pauraque_bkGoF 21: The House-Elf Liberation Front
-I thought we were the House-Elves' Front of Judea?
-No, no, we're the Judean House-Elves' Front!
We've already been through the lesson about appearances being deceiving three times, in the first three books, and it's frankly tiresome to go through it again with Moody in basically the same format, but with an even more outrageously convoluted scheme than Quirrell's, Lockhart's, or Peter's respective deceptions.
Dean draws Cedric with his head on fire because he got burnt by the dragon, presumably -- though it is interesting that Harry is tied for first place with Krum at this point, yet Cedric is the one singled out as the enemy.
So then we move on to more Skrewt-play (squick!).
Possibly evidence that Krum likes to sit in the library reading (which is what I thought), in addition to liking to watch Hermione.
And then they make their way down to the kitchens. Oh yes, it's time to catch up with everyone's favorite, the house-elf plotline. Probably the only points of interest here are the exposition about elves being unable to divulge their family's secrets (important for Kreacher), and the red herring (or is it?) about Bagman being a Dark wizard.
The elves react to Dobby as though he's proudly announced he's started whoring himself. They're also described as treating him like he might be "contagious" (and Hermione adds later that she hopes his attitude is). It's hard to accept Hermione's view as meritorious when we only have one elf -- one who's been terribly abused by his masters -- wanting to be free. He's crazy by elf standards; I wonder if the others actually pity him, concluding that the Malfoys' mistreatment cracked his mind.
As for Winky, she dodged a bullet. If she hadn't been dismissed that night, she'd have faced several months of living with zombie!Crouch, Voldemort, Peter, and Nagini. Fun fun fun. (Of course, this probably means Peter had to do all the cooking and cleaning, à la HBP 2.)
Although Winky is the one protesting that she's a proper elf -- refusing a salary -- she speaks less submissively than Dobby (whose every other word is 'sir' or 'miss').
It strikes me that we never meet any "normal" elves on an individual basis. Dobby's crazy (albeit apparently happy), Winky's a depressive drunk (though that's later), Kreacher's a crazy perv (humping Mr Black's trousers, was it?)... We see the "normal" Hogwarts elves as a group, bowing and scraping and looking away from Dobby and Winky with distaste. Is their situation acceptable because their master is Good? Have the three elves we know been corrupted by exposure to Dark wizards?
Oh, I don't know. I can't make heads or tails of this storyline, I swear.
Previous GoF posts are saved in memories here.
-I thought we were the House-Elves' Front of Judea?
-No, no, we're the Judean House-Elves' Front!
[Ron:] '...I'll tell you one thing, though, Harry, if it was Karkaroff who put your name in the goblet, he's going to be feeling really stupid now, isn't he? Didn't work, did it? You only got a scratch!' (317)The thing about this is that you can't really make anything out of the good guys not being able to figure out what the real plot against Harry is, because it's so utterly mad. They got as far as knowing that a DE is trying to kill Harry, but how could they ever know he was doing it by trying to help him win and then killing him?
We've already been through the lesson about appearances being deceiving three times, in the first three books, and it's frankly tiresome to go through it again with Moody in basically the same format, but with an even more outrageously convoluted scheme than Quirrell's, Lockhart's, or Peter's respective deceptions.
[...]Dean Thomas, who was very good at drawing, had put up some impressive new banners, most of which depicted Harry zooming around the Horntail's head on his Firebolt, though a couple showed Cedric with his head on fire. (318)In PS/SS Dean is also "good at drawing", and in PoA he's "good with a quill". I do love it when Dean is used as a window on wizarding art in fic, but it would be even nicer if JKR would think to do something with him.
Dean draws Cedric with his head on fire because he got burnt by the dragon, presumably -- though it is interesting that Harry is tied for first place with Krum at this point, yet Cedric is the one singled out as the enemy.
'He's supposed to work out the clue on his own,' Hermione said swiftly. 'It's in the Tournament rules...'Really? I must have missed that rule.
'I was supposed to work out how to get past the dragon on my own, too,' Harry muttered, so only Hermione could hear him, and she grinned rather guiltily. (319)
So then we move on to more Skrewt-play (squick!).
'Well, well, well ... this does look like fun.'She's not really in the school, though, she's outdoors -- obeying the letter of Dumbledore's law. I won't quote it because it's a long sequence, but she plies Hagrid with compliments and persuades him to grant her an interview. Clearly continuing to needle Dumbledore by singling out a staff member who's been in trouble before. She barely acknowledges Harry.
Rita Skeeter was leaning on Hagrid's garden fence, looking in at the mayhem. She was wearing a thick magenta cloak with a furry purple collar today, and her crocodile-skin handbag was over her arm.
[...]
'Thought Dumbledore said you weren' allowed inside the school any more?' said Hagrid, frowning slightly[...] (322)
But Hermione wasn't at dinner, and nor was she in the library when they went to look for her afterwards. The only person in there was Viktor Krum. Ron hovered behind the bookshelves for a while, watching Krum, debating in whispers with Harry whether he should ask for an autograph -- but then Ron realised that six or seven girls were lurking in the next row of books, debating exactly the same thing, and he lost his enthusiasm for the idea. (325)*dies* I don't make this shit up.
Possibly evidence that Krum likes to sit in the library reading (which is what I thought), in addition to liking to watch Hermione.
And then they make their way down to the kitchens. Oh yes, it's time to catch up with everyone's favorite, the house-elf plotline. Probably the only points of interest here are the exposition about elves being unable to divulge their family's secrets (important for Kreacher), and the red herring (or is it?) about Bagman being a Dark wizard.
'Dobby has travelled the country for two whole years, sir, trying to find work!' Dobby squeaked. 'But Dobby hasn't found work, sir, because Dobby wants paying now!'Gah. I'm not sorry this storyline's apparently been cut from the movie. I got a headache just typing it out.
The house-elves all around the kitchen, who had been listening and watching with interest, all looked away at these words, as though Dobby had said something rude and embarrassing.
[...]
'And then, Harry Potter, Dobby goes to visit Winky, and finds out Winky has been freed, too, sir!' said Dobby delightedly.
At this, Winky flung herself forwards off her stool, and lay, face down, on the flagged stone floor, beating her tiny fists upon it and positively screaming with misery. (329-330)
The elves react to Dobby as though he's proudly announced he's started whoring himself. They're also described as treating him like he might be "contagious" (and Hermione adds later that she hopes his attitude is). It's hard to accept Hermione's view as meritorious when we only have one elf -- one who's been terribly abused by his masters -- wanting to be free. He's crazy by elf standards; I wonder if the others actually pity him, concluding that the Malfoys' mistreatment cracked his mind.
As for Winky, she dodged a bullet. If she hadn't been dismissed that night, she'd have faced several months of living with zombie!Crouch, Voldemort, Peter, and Nagini. Fun fun fun. (Of course, this probably means Peter had to do all the cooking and cleaning, à la HBP 2.)
'And Professor Dumbledore says he will pay Dobby, sir, if Dobby wants paying! And so Dobby is a free elf, sir, and Dobby gets a Galleon a week and one day off a month!'As usual, Dumbledore takes in the outcasts and tolerates their eccentricities (perhaps tolerates them too much?). He didn't offer, though; Dobby came to him.
'That's not very much!' Hermione shouted indignantly from the floor, over Winky's continued screaming and fist-beating.
'Professor Dumbledore offered Dobby ten Galleons a week and weekends off,' said Dobby, suddenly giving a little shiver, as though the prospect of so much leisure and riches was frightening, 'but Dobby beat him down, miss ... Dobby likes freedom, miss, but he isn't wanting too much, miss, he likes work better.' (331)
'Mr Bagman comes too?' squeaked Winky, and to Harry's great surprise (and Ron and Hermione's too, by the looks on their faces), she looked angry again. 'Mr Bagman is a bad wizard! A very bad wizard! My master isn't liking him, oh no, not at all!'Just as we saw in the QWC chapters, Winky stammers when she withholds important information. In her opinion (or Crouch Sr's opinion -- same thing), Bagman is a DE.
'Bagman -- bad?' said Harry.
'Oh yes,' Winky said, nodding her head furiously. 'My master is telling Winky some things! But Winky is not saying ... Winky -- Winky keeps her master's secrets...' (333)
Although Winky is the one protesting that she's a proper elf -- refusing a salary -- she speaks less submissively than Dobby (whose every other word is 'sir' or 'miss').
It strikes me that we never meet any "normal" elves on an individual basis. Dobby's crazy (albeit apparently happy), Winky's a depressive drunk (though that's later), Kreacher's a crazy perv (humping Mr Black's trousers, was it?)... We see the "normal" Hogwarts elves as a group, bowing and scraping and looking away from Dobby and Winky with distaste. Is their situation acceptable because their master is Good? Have the three elves we know been corrupted by exposure to Dark wizards?
Oh, I don't know. I can't make heads or tails of this storyline, I swear.
Previous GoF posts are saved in memories here.
