At times, they seemed to desire to disobey these orders, but as their master's orders were 'the house-elf's highest law', they couldn't, and were forced to punish themselves if they did.

' GET OUT!' - Sirius Black's fateful order to Kreacher Ī house-elf had to obey any commands given to them by their masters. This led wizards such as Albus Dumbledore and Hermione Granger to personally work to improve the lives of these creatures.

Despite their existence at the time, these guidelines were not enforced by the Ministry of Magic by 1996, and therefore many wizarding households such as the Malfoys and the Blacks mistreated their elves. The guidelines on house-elf welfare were a set of regulations passed by the British Ministry of Magic regarding the treatment of house-elves. House-elves had always been subjected to work with wizards who they treated as their 'masters', and the way they were treated and how they behaved were subject to the laws of their country's wizarding government, known as Elf Legislation. Harry Potter once remarked that house-elves were better at performing advanced magic than wizards, which was testament to the impressive strength of their magical power. It is implied that with a wand and the proper knowledge, a house-elf might be able to do other magic, as Winky was falsely accused of using the Morsmordre curse to summon the Dark Mark. Although a house-elf might rarely act without permission, they would have to punish themselves for these acts.

Apart from routine domestic tasks, house-elves usually had to obtain permission from their master before they would use their own brand of magic for other things. However, unlike some other magical beings, the house-elf was actually quite happy not to own a wand, as they did not require one for their daily activities. Their magic was limited by the lack of a wand. ĭobby blasting Lucius away in order to protect Harry Potter In 1993, Dobby did not hesitate to protect Harry Potter, by using his magic on his former master Lucius Malfoy to blast him away after he attempted to physically assault Harry on the Grand Staircase. More than just a mere housekeeper, a house-elf was a ruthless protector of those to whom they gave their allegiance.

Their abilities remained even after they were freed from their masters. ' Fight, fight for my master, the defender of the house-elves! Fight for master Regulus! Fight!' - Kreacher leading the house-elves into battle Īll house-elves had their own brand of powerful magic, which allowed them to perform tasks, such as Apparating, where wizards and witches couldn't.

Elf harry potter