House-elf
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House-elves are fictional creatures that exist in the world of Harry Potter. They are bound to serve one family forever unless they are set free. If not, their children will continue to serve their master's family.
House-elves wear things like pillow cases and tea cozies, because they are not allowed clothes. If a house-elf's master were to give them any clothing, even a sock, the elf would be free to leave their family forever. At the end of Chamber of Secrets, Harry tricks Lucius Malfoy into freeing his house-elf, Dobby.
Most house-elves would be offended if given clothes, for it would mean that they had failed to properly serve their master, but some (like Dobby) enjoy being free. However, Dobby still doesn't want to be paid too much.
Hermione Granger was horrified at the way house-elves were treated and started the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare (SPEW) to help house-elves. However, the house-elves don't seem to want to be helped. Rumors have circulated that Rowling's inclusion of SPEW has been a jab at british feminists.
J. K. Rowling's characterisation of a house-elf owes a lot to the legends of brownies, and also to the traditional figure of a hobgoblin, a half-tamed, amusing but tricksy goblin of the hearth (the "hob"), often euphemistically called "Robin Goodfellow" or Puck.
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House-elves in the narrative
Kreacher
Template:HP Elf Character Kreacher is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series. Kreacher was a House-Elf who was forced to guard many secrets for the Order of the Phoenix. According to Dumbledore, Kreacher's existence is as miserable as that of Dobby.
The family Kreacher served was the "Ancient and Most Noble House of Black". When Sirius Black was the only member of the house of Black left, Kreacher had to serve him. The Black family was mostly made of evil dark wizards.
As Sirius Black was innocent and not a dark wizard like the rest of his family, Kreacher hated him. Kreacher seized his chance when Sirius told him to "get out". He left the house and went to a member of the Black family he still had respect for: Sirius's cousin Narcissa Black, also known as Narcissa Malfoy, the wife of Lucius Malfoy.
Lucius Malfoy, under orders from Lord Voldemort no doubt, told him that if Harry Potter were to contact the house by means of the Floo Network, he was to lie and say Sirius was not there. Since Kreacher did not belong to Harry he could lie to him without having to punish himself.
He turned up in the attic and Sirius was convinced he had been there the whole time. He followed the plan and it succeeded, Harry went to the Department of Mysteries. Sirius Black was killed in the struggle there, apparently ending the Black bloodline. The only known living descendants of the House of Black are Narcissa and her son Draco Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, Andromeda Tonks, and Nymphadora Tonks. Kreacher has refused to accept Nymphadora Tonks as a member of the Black family as Nymphadora's line was omitted from the Black family tree (due to Andromeda marrying a Muggle-born wizard, Ted Tonks), and Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange were when last heard of prisoners in Azkaban. Whether Kreacher will seek to serve Narcissa and/or Draco, the only currently active members of the family, and so to transfer his allegiance to the House of Malfoy remains to be seen.
Winky
Winky was the Crouchs' House-Elf, who unlike Dobby, didn't want to be freed. She guarded the family's many secrets, but when Barty Crouch Jr. was rescued from Azkaban by his father, he was kept under control with the Imperius Curse and forced to hide under an invisibility cloak at all times. Winky nursed Barty Crouch Jr. back to health.
She urged Barty Crouch to let his son attend the Quidditch World Cup. He agreed in the end, but neither knew that Crouch Jr was fighting the curse. While attending the World Cup festivities, Crouch Jr stole Harry Potter's wand and used it to conjure the Dark Mark. Winky was sacked because she was found with the guilty wand in her hand (but Crouch knew she had failed to keep Crouch Jr under control), the sacking absolutely disgusted Hermione Granger.
Winky now works at Hogwarts. She is very depressed and drinks a lot. Her family has served the Crouch family for generations. She still refuses to give away her old master's secrets. When a dementor kissed Barty Crouch Jr., the Crouch bloodline ended.
Winky is friends with Dobby who first appeared in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This book, second in the Harry Potter series, became a film in which Dobby was a digital character. This method is expected to be reused if Dobby and Winky appear in the up and coming fourth movie.
House-elves at Hogwarts
Hogwarts has in its employ over a hundred house-elves, including Dobby and later, Winky. They clean the castle, work in the kitchens and tend to the magical fires burning in the offices and common rooms. Unlike the poor treatment of other elves like Kreacher and Dobby when he was with the Malfoys, Hogwarts house-elves are treated fairly and with respect by their employer. They wear clean, pressed pillowcases with the school's monogrammed label, and seem genuinely happy about their situation. They provide Fred and George Weasley, and Harry, Ron and Hermione with cakes and treats when they sneak into the kitchens (Harry's father James and his friends Sirius, Remus and Peter did the same when they where in school as well) Like most House-elves, they feel it is a matter of pride to serve well without complaint and to work hard. They disapprove strongly of Dobby when he requests wages for his labor, and of Winky for her alcoholism.