'Harry Potter' Fans Are Sharing Interesting Fan Theories About House-Elves
Elves are a staple of fantasy stories but the ones in the Harry Potter universe remain quite mysterious. These fans have pointed out a number of theories about prominent elves like Dobby and Kreacher but also the house-elves as a whole that could shed new light on the characters.
- 1183 VOTES
Kreacher Is Disturbed Because Of How Long He Spent Near The Locket Horcrux
From Redditor u/achuislemochroi:
I like this theory. Guilt from leaving Regulus to die + Horcrux effects + inability to destroy locket = seriously unhappy Kreacher.
I'm no fan of his for the most part, but I wouldn't inflict a Horcrux on any living being.
- 2141 VOTES
Kreacher Mutters Because He Was Ordered To Think Out Loud
From Redditor u/Goreexgo:
Sirius obviously can't stand Kreacher's 'quiet' mutterings but never orders him to stop. Maybe it's because it's sometimes useful to know what he's thinking because he's often up to no good.
I wonder if Sirius or another member of the Black family ordered him to think out loud either as a joke or to keep tabs on him. Maybe his Mistress ordered it and Sirius can't get him to stop. I think it's a funny idea that Sirius did it as a joke because he was tired of listening to him being two-faced.
- 3207 VOTES
Lucius Malfoy Wanted To Kill Dobby, Not Harry, At The End Of 'Chamber of Secrets'
From Redditor u/V1C3TH13F:
At the end of Chamber of Secrets, Harry tricks Lucius Malfoy into giving Dobby a sock and releasing the elf from servitude. Enraged, Lucius pulls out his wand and begins casting Avada Kedavra before being stopped by Dobby who proclaims 'You shall not harm Harry Potter!' Many people have noticed that it makes no sense for Lucius to attempt to kill Harry for a multitude of reasons, but especially because they are at Hogwarts just outside Dumbledore's office.
Despite Dobby's protective quote, I don't think Lucius intended to kill Harry at all, he intended to kill Dobby. Lucius is intelligent enough to understand how killing Harry would end poorly for him. Lucius also showed his disdain for Dobby numerous times throughout the film and it is made abundantly clear that he only ever saw Dobby as the Malfoy's servant, rather than a creature deserving of respect. Once Dobby had been freed, he had no use to Lucius. Enraged at losing his servant, Lucius planned to kill Dobby to tear away Dobby's newfound freedom as well as revenge/punishment to make Harry feel guilty for being the one 'responsible' for Dobby's death.
- 4136 VOTES
An Ancient Version Of The Imperius Curse And Fidelius Charm Enslaved Elves
From Redditor u/Eilmorel:
So, I was thinking... elves seem to be magically compelled to obey to their masters, no matter what, so compelled in fact that they can use magic in circumstances where wizards could not. Example: when Regulus summons Kreacher, Kreacher is able to apparate from the Cave no matter what anti-apparition charms Voldemort has put there- because the first and most important law for a house-elf is to always obey to their master. When Harry orders Kreacher to shut up in HBP, Kreacher keeps thrashing on the floor in complete silence. Winky is terrified of heights, but she still goes in the high tribune because Mr. Crouch ordered her.
And yet- Dobby breaks his orders constantly when he's trying to save harry in CoS. He reveals his masters secrets (albeit only partially) and actively works against his master's goal.
All this makes me think that the whole race of elves is enslaved via an ancient version of the Imperius Curse and the Fidelius Charm. An ancient, and hecking powerful version, because to magically enslave a whole race it takes a LOT of power. Dobby seems to be the only elf to ever break free of the magic, and we know it's possible to break free of the Imperius Curse.
- 5140 VOTES
The Elves Built The Room Of Requirement
From Redditor u/MedievalFolkDance:
I've been reading into the Room of Requirement and a couple of things have made me wonder if the room was created by the house-elves.
Dobby tells Harry that some of the elves call it 'the come-and-go room'. I initially thought that this was because the room comes and goes. Could it be because the house-elves come-and-go to the room? They all know about the room. Only a few wizards have discovered the room's existence themselves, usually by complete accident when they really need something.
The room doesn't supply food. You could literally be dying of starvation and the room would not produce anything for you to eat. It will give you a passage to the Hog's Head so you can get some grub, but, it won't make you a sandwich. Could it be because making food is the house-elves job? We know they take offence at Hermione's repeated attempts to free them. With the exception of Dobby, they all seem to really, REALLY love their jobs. Look at Winky, she becomes an inconsolable alcoholic when she gets freed by Crouch.
Read the full theory here.
- 6175 VOTES
Dobby Died Because He Broke An Unbreakable Vow With Harry
From Redditor u/ryuk790:
Alright bare with me. I believe any promise a house-elf makes is technically a unbreakable vow. Harry makes Dobby promise that he will never try to save him again. Exactly before his death he does save Harry and the others in Malfoy Manor. If my memory serves me correct if you break an unbreakable vow you will die right? Also, house-elf's can apparate in and out of Hogwarts and other places with charms only allowing certain wizards to do so. So it's not that far of a reach that his promise could of led to his death right?
- 7116 VOTES
House-Elves Used To Be The Dominant Magical Species
From Redditor u/TrollerPilotXIV:
House-elves are highly skilled with magic, even more so than humans from the look of it, yet they're subservient to human magicians. Why is this? This is just a theory, but I personally believe that they used to be the dominant magic users. In their peak they were a tall, attractive and proud species with a society built around magic. They saw humans as barbarians and were content to stay completely separated from them. When humans started developing their own magic during the classical period, the elves didn't give them a second thought; they thought they would never be able to wield magic effectively. Underestimating humans was exactly what led to them ending up as a meek servitor species.
- 8142 VOTES
Elves And Goblins Exist Because Of Wizards Trying To Keep Bloodlines 'Pure'
From Redditor u/Miserable_System3269:
As every Harry Potter fan knows, most of the wizarding families, especially pure-blood ones, would do anything to maintain the pureness of their wizarding genes, including incest.
So how IS this related to those goblins who keep the bank or house-elves?
Almost everyone knows that incest will cause many unhealthy genetic mutations in the child (I'm not talking much about it here, Google is your good friend). So, some mutations might cause the some young expected-to-be-witches-or-wizards to be born with elfish, or 'goblinish' features. Naturally, their parents would be so frightened that they would abandon them in the first place, and obviously Hogwarts won't accept them as students although they still have magical powers (reputation problems).
So as more and more 'elves' and 'goblins' get abandoned, they would be likely to start a civilization by themselves, until they get in touch with the general wizarding population again and get enslaved or hired by wizards.
And so that's why there are so many magic-using creatures in the Wizarding world, but only witches and wizards get to go to Hogwarts.
