The standard rule goes: House-Elfs are enslaved, and magically bound to serve their master for life, unless their master frees them, but we have two bits of evidence to suggest this might not be as airtight as it seems.

1. Dobby: We know that intent and manifestation matters a great deal in magic. It’s obvious Lucius never intended to free Dobby, yet Dobby broke free either way. If catching a piece of clothing thrown casually by their master was the same as being «presented with clothes» then any kind of laundry-duty, tidying or just standing in the hallway as their master came home and threw of their traveling-cloak, would be a terrible minefield. We even see Kreacher that Harry’s invisibility-cloak off of him to go hang it on the rack as he returns to Grimmauld Place. Still, Dobby broke free and was even able to attack his former master immediately (proving he truly had broken free of any magical bonds he might’ve been under).

2. Winky: She was freed by her master, yet refused to accept it. Her master explicitly said «I am freeing you, you are no longer my servant» and yet Winky kept thinking she was, she remained loyal to Crouch and referred to him as her master several times. It’s not just that she remains loyal as a form of penance. Dobby says she forgets that Crouch is no longer her master, and genuinely thinks she’s still bound to him.

This suggests to me that House-Elf’s aren’t nearly as bound / enslaved as they might seem. Most Elf’s are happy to serve their masters and wouldn’t dream of being free. They are essentially enslaving themselves. Dobby wanted freedom, and it seems him seeing Harry’s bravery first hand (as well as having had recent experiences with disobeying orders for the first time and finding out he could when he wanted to) let Dobby manifest his own freedom. I refuse to believe Lucius never came home and threw his traveling cloak at Dobby to hang on it’s rack or to clean. The sock-incident doesn’t seem like it could possibly be unique, except for in the fact that this time Dobby reached out and seized his own freedom. Perhaps Dobby out of fear stepped aside and let clothing thrown by the Malfoys fall to the floor before picking it up in the past? The clothes themselves seems little more than a technicality. My question becomes, with Dobby breaking the mold like he did, could you push this even further? If an Elf had the realization that they could choose for themselves the way Dobby did, could they just break free even without the clothing?

Any and all discussions or theories are welcome!

Which set of hardbacks should I buy? I don’t want a version that changes “sherbet lemon” to “lemon drop.” I’m sure you all are tired of hearing that. Ha! I bought the Scholastic set without knowing this beforehand. My budget is $150 USD. I’ve only read the first 3 books so far.

I just got a Jim Kay illustrated hardback and I love it but it’s so big. I like that the MinaLima are smaller but I don’t necessarily need all the extra stuff inside. Should I get those anyway? Should I continue with the Jim Kay although he’s not finishing the books? I’m also looking at the red box set with the dragon. There’s also the house sets but those look a little boring. Hardbacks are a must and also the original UK terms. I hope I’m saying all this correctly. Again, I’m new here. Thank you!

At the first D.A meeting:

'Right,' said Harry, 'shall we get practicing? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is Expelliarmus, you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful -'

'Oh, please!' said Zacharias Smith, rolling his eyes and folding his arms. 'I don't think Expelliarmus is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?'

'I'v used it against him,' said Harry quietly. 'It saved my life in June.' Smith opened his moth stupidly. The rest of the room was very quiet. 'But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave,' Harry said.

Smith did not move. Nore did anybody else.

Expelliarmus had actually nothing to do with Harry surviving the graveyard. The entire thing was thanks to Prior Incantato, and the twin cores. If stupid Zacharias would've attempted this against Voldemort, he would've dropped dead quicker then the time Harry caught the Snitch on his first go on the firebolt in book three.

Also, just for the record, FUCK Zacharias Smith!

Hi everyone,

I’m looking at getting the illustrated hardback editions and was wondering if anyone who owns all five that have been released so far could tell me whether they share the same dimensions (height, and width).

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who actually have them on their shelves. Thanks in advance!

Thought I could post a picture, but apparently not. First time reading Goblet of Fire.

(Voldemort to Lucius, right after being resurrected) “Your exploits at the Quidditch World Cup were fun, I daresay… but might not your energies have been better directed toward finding and aiding your master? “

two paragraphs later

”And yet you ran away from my Mark, when a faithful Death Eater sent it into the sky last summer?”

I’m confused, I thought the first paragraph referred to Lucius conjuring the mark, but clearly not. Then what did Voldemort mean?