Argyle hears some boy call her an it. Argyle may not be a wizard, but Argyle is certainly not an it either. Argyle looses her balance. Argyle and her books fall in a great heap on the floor. Making her way out of the heap of books Argyle walks to where the boy is sitting. "Excuse me kind sir. Argyle is not an it. Argyle is an Argyle. Would you like Argyle to call you an it sir?"

The conversation had swayed one way and another and Diane just stayed trying to make sense of it. The world around her was a tad bit frustrating, and a lot more disconcerting. The answer the woman gave her only told her she had understood nothing of what Diane had said. Did people in the magical world really think like this? It's like they have been befooled by their participation in the joint wizarding community.

Diane was lowering her hand but said, "I think a person who tells themselves that a person or creature is happy doing things they themselves detest, is looking for an excuse. It is everybody's nature to look after themselves. It's called the preservation of the ego, and there is none of that in these creatures. I don't know the woman you mentioned, Granger, nor her attempts at freeing elves. But if she went about the wrong way about it, it is still true these creatures look weak and malnourished.

"Can you really tell they have been looking at their own interest in the slightless? I ask you, has generations of people believing it was their place and nature to be enslaved, been right? Maybe they were made believe it was their place... After all, what better enslavement than make believe they chose that on their own. Or they are told that 'they are happy' by their peers, their own, and the people dominating them. I think you are making excuses. I think you fear them."

Diane was blunt about it and did not seem to have any fear written in her face, nor did she flinch holding the woman's gaze. Her subsequent ignoring of the woman may even count as a slight provocation-- "May I address one of them?" she turned to the professor asking for permission before proceeding. "Pardon me, Mr elf, you said your name was Argyle," Diane asked and stated at the same time. She offered the elf a distinctively warm smile. "Tell me, do you get hungry? Have you ever tried wizarding food? Something that you enjoyed, and can you take it any time you want?"

George hissed dangerously.

"Well dear, I certainly hope you are not pursuing a career in my division, because you haven't a chance of getting hired with that perspective," she informed her, tapping her heal. "First, you, like Hermione Granger once did, are seeing things the way you wish to see them. I would wager you yourself are Muggleborn. Not that that makes you less of a witch, but if you are less familiar with House Elves and REFUSE to learn about them, then naturally, you would think that is Wizardkind that chose their place for them and not the other way around. All creatures, and humans DO have a sense of self preservation, but soem are also clever enough to know that we can have help in our self preservation. Just in times when we relied on the barter system, and people traded goods and services, we keep house elves and they care for us, most enjoy the work, and some wizards enjoy the help. Some elves DO wish for more than just to be housed in exchange for their services, and in those instances The Office for House Elf Relocation, which is one of MY offices, handles their needs. This office is in place because House Elves have free will and intelligence and as wizards we don't wish to abandon House Elves who are freed or unhappy in their work if or when it should ever happen.

"As for your observation that house elves are malnourished, house elves are, as a species short, fine boned, and large eyed. Goblins too share some of these characteristics, are they too malnourished?"

George placed her hands on her hips and sneered at the girl. "So you are welcome to address whomever you chose, but do so respectfully, and Merlin help you if you insult any House Elf in this class," she said warningly. "It would be a good start to get Argyle's gender right, she's a female elf."

Simone thought a few moments before answering. A thought quickly came to her and said raised her hand and replied, "Freedom has many different definitions. It can be the rights of a person, being let go from imprisonment, the power to decide what you want to do with out having to deal with laws that prevent you from doing so, the manner of which you speak to someone, the right to enjoy privileges, and so on. In all honesty, sir, freedom is not free." She paused before continuing on with, "As for S.P.E.W., I think that the only way for them to truly support house elves is to let them decide what they want."

"I'm sorry if I offend you, Argyle." Jule apologized. She didn't know house elves were pretty sensitive. "But I'm not a boy, either. I was wondering why you were carrying so many books."

Diane might have half-heard the witch's self-justification, but she was far more interested in the elf's words. "My appologies, miss elf," she corrected herself. Indeed she had not known how to identify the one from the other. "That story you talk about, is it possible that we hear some of it? I would like to understand better."

What could make them so afraid to pledge absolute obedience to the egoist wizardkind, and how powerful could they be that the wizards held so fiercely a grip on the little creatures? She had seen confusion spread before, but how ignorant had wizardkind become? Yes, it is nothing new. To promote confusion is the work of a tyrant too afraid to realize it himself.

Hmm...the first question sounded pretty simple, but on the other hand, maybe the answer she was thinking of was just too simple. The professor had made it a point to stress that he wanted them to think about their answers. When she finally decided on something she thought sounded pretty good, Anna raised her hand.

"Freedom, to me, is the ability to act and think for yourself without having to answer to another. Freedom to one person may be answering to no one, whereas freedom to another may lie within answering to a number of people. It all depends on what the individual chooses to do. In this case, house elves could be considered free if they choose to follow the orders given to them by another," she answered. "From what I understand, house elves choose to serve another, therefore, they can be considered free."

"The issue with SPEW was that the organization only considered what its members thought was best for the house elves. They never actually considered what the house elves though was best for themselves. If it was best interests SPEW was looking out for, perhaps they could have spoken to the house elves and inquired as to what each of them truly wished to do," she said. "The problem with that, though, is that I don't think the elves would have necessarily always been honest with their answers."

Lucy looked around as another house elf appeared. It was Arglye! Lucy knew this house elf too. She had been another elf that Lucy had helped Professor Morgan with. "Hi Argyle." She said smiling over at the adorable house elf. "It's great to see you again." She added.

maaaaaaassive reply...
 

"Free from restraints, yes. But within whose reason?" Ethan nodded encouragingly. "Precisely, her intentions were... noble, but her methods were misinformed."

"A state of mind indeed. Whose mind though? Should the state of the collective human mind be forced on House Elves?" Ethan nodded at the rest of Diane's answer musingly, but did not comment.

"Certainly, our idea of freedom is not the same as theirs and it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking so. S.P.E.W was founded because of the mistreatment of one elf that did not feel a complusion toward domestic activity and was severely mistreated. Perhaps then, a better goal for S.P.E.W might have been to treat all house elves with respect and allow them to live to their own ideals of freedom."

"To live happily in your own skin. Very apt and certainly true. How must it feel to have someone attempt to change your life without bothering to ask about it? Is that not taking away a basic freedom itself?" Truebridge commented a bit rhetorically though he didn't mind if the students answered his questions.

Ethan listened to George offering her... expert input without comment, though he did hope his students were up to the challenge of defending or hopefully expanding their views, regardless of what they were.

"Excellent answer." Ethan nodded at William. The boy was set to do very well on his finals. "Perhaps S.P.E.W should have been formed with house elves as members, if at all."

"Ah, Abby." Ethan held up a finger. "Not all house elves have served without complaint and it certainly is not true that they do not know how to survive on their own, they simply do not want to." He nodded approvingly though, not so much because he agreed, but because she spoke her opinion well.

Truebridge nodded, agreeing with Celandine. He wondered if Abby had anything to say in response to this. "Abby, do you have thoughts on what Celandine responded to your answer with?"

"Thank you Argyle." Truebridge answered gravely, "You are not late, we have only just begun. If you would, perhaps you could hand out those books so that the students can look through them? That would be a big help."

"It either is or it isn't Chris." Truebridge responded to the way the boy phrased his answer, "More the ability to do and think what you want without being told not to do so. If you want to do something you are told to do, it is closer to encouragement than freedom. And as for S.P.E.W..."

"Hogwarts indeed. Hogwarts is a safe place for House elves, though they still want to work. There are very few elves that do not want to work, you will find that even free elves wish to help witches and wizards in some form, Chris."

"Dobby. A free Elf. We will come back to him." Truebridge nodded.

"You have a well-formed opinion." Truebridge noted respectfully, though it was clear he did not share it. Instead he looked to Georgia Mayes, expecting her to take exception.

Well, even though George was a tad abrasive... Ethan was inclined to agree with the body of her response to Diane.

"Freedom is not free. Freedom is the state of being free, though sometimes the pursuit of freedom can itself be restricting and restraining, most certainly it can be counter productive if someone is seeking freedom for one who does not want or need it." Truebridge responded with a nod.

"Thank you, Anna."

Ethan looked at their guests for a moment and continued the lesson, "Moving on for now, though do keep thinking about the idea of freedom -I guarantee it will come in handy later- Can anyone share something they know about house elves as they appear in magical history? Interactions with wizardkind, famous house elves, anything really. I'd like to know what you know."

Cam looked at all of the house-elves in the room, OH there were sooo many! He had to thank them for their wonderful food later though, focusing back on the professor. Er... he gave it a try and raised his hand, "There was a house elf named Hokey. I don't know if this is true, but didn't she poison her owner?" Hmm WHO was her owner--Cam had forgotten though he did know it was some... important person. But he didn't know if it WAS true, because house elves just DIDN'T look like the type of being who would do that.

"Yup," Anna replied, opting for a casual word in reply to the professor thanking her. She pondered his next question for a moment, thinking back to all the stories she'd been told about Dobby and Kreacher and all sorts of other famous house elves. Her hand shot into the air, and she said, "It's true that house elves are very loyal to the families in which they serve, but I think it's also important to note that the loyalty of a house elf only goes so far." She paused for a moment, thinking about the story her mother had told her about Dobby the house elf being freed via a sock.

"During the time Harry Potter was here at Hogwarts, he became great friends with a house elf named Dobby. Dobby spoke of a master, Lucious Malfoy, who didn't treat him kindly, and because of that, Dobby was willing to serve him but also defy him at the same time. Dobby assisted Harry Potter, a person who was completely against the cause Lucious Malfoy stood for," she recalled. "In the end, Dobby was freed from Malyfoy's control by means of a single sock being placed inside a book Lucious handed to Dobby. Afterwards, when Malfoy tried to harm Potter, Dobby turned his back on him and attacked, saving Potter from Malfoy's curse."

"I think the important fact we learn here is that although house elves are willing to serve their rightful masters, they are not, in turn, willing to always adapt their actions and manners of thinking to mirror that of their masters," she said. "They have a conscious and will act upon it if they see the need."

"May I say, you have a very high opinion of humans. If we consider the convents of mothers and the traffic of slaves, our human thinking isn't all that different; no, we are the same as house-elves, or at least we have been in the past."

Calmly if maybe unnervingly calm, Diane held the adult witch's gaze. "My definition of freedom meant to assign an entity the role of sole owner of their fate. One that is free would take lots of distance from everyone else, and that makes them a threat by force of action. As the Goblin's revolutions have proved, that will very likely blow on our faces in the future... It's the kind nature of elves that has prevented it."

"I ask you this. Would someone chose to hurt and punish themselves? If they do is because they feel they must. It is like they are carrying a burden over their shoulder, that their very action is watched, and their very value to serve." Her eyes rested on one of the smaller creatures as she said so.

"Freedom ambiguity is nothing I care to discuss, happiness impossible to define, so let's talk about peace of mind instead. Since you agree 'free' is a state of mind, how much peace is in the fear of displeasing, the confining bounds inside a house and the imprisonment of forever owing?"

"You say we provide a service to them, a treatment of equals from the point of view of their abilities to make decitions. Is that so, do we help them?" She gestured towards the toothless female. "That one over there had no dental assistance whatsoever."

"I know little to nothing about house-elves history," and nothing she cared to share, "but, I ask you this. In a cold night, do you ask your elf to fetch wood for the fireplace? I ask you, how many layers of cloth is she or he wearing?" she asked. "I heard hourselves can't touch clothing, not even coats."

"I'm not condemning their thinking, but that you think it is -our- place to think along those lines. The question is if you think we have no business taking care of our smaller peers, in ways beyond the relocation to another labour station. Should I think, because they do, that it is their place to neglect themselves for the sake of wizardkind? Even for the sake of God it would be too much to ask."

She held her gaze for a minute longer... and then, as soon as it had come, it was gone. "Forgive me, I did not mean to be disrespectful. I seem to have got a bit carried away and got off-track. I forgot myself. Please forgive me." Would it ever be known why this change of attitude...

Abby listens to Professor Truebridge and Celandine's responses to her comments. "I don't think I phrased my answer in a way that you'll understood the point I was trying to make. If I follow what Hermione Granger was trying to do while she was at Hogwarts, she wanted to free the house elves from what she believed to be enslavement. If I remember correctly, Bartemus Crouch, Sr. released his house elf, Blinky, when she allowed Mr. Crouch's son Barty, Jr. to escape and conjure the Dark Mark at the World Cup Tournament. Blinky could not handle life as a free elf. The only life she knew was as a house elf to the Crouches. I believe Mr. Crouch did Blinky a disservice by just releasing her into a world that was alien to her. Blinky's reaction was to constantly drink butter beer and neglect her duties at Hogwarts. Dobby was able to handle life as a free elf, but all elves are not able to make the transition as easily as he did.

I believe if Hermione Granger wanted to release all the house elves, she should teach them how to survive as free elves. Teach them about life as a free elf that they have choices to make such as remaining with their wizarding family or creating a life on their own. I don't approve of Hermione's idea of just giving them clothes willy nilly. I understand that after Hermione left Hogwarts, she dedicated her life to house elf welfare and made real strides in house elf reform. I'm am very familar with house elves. I had one as a nanny until I was five, then she helped a governess take care of me. I was very devoted to Hoppy and write to her even now. She continued to serve my family until we moved to the United States. Hoppy prefered to remain in Russia where the rest of her family was. I was very upset when we had to part, but I understood her wanting to remain near her family. I understand she works as a nanny with some of the other embassy familes." Abby looks at Professor Truebridge. "I apologise professor if my comments are off the subject being discussed now."

Argyle looks at the girl with her tennis ball size eyes. "Argyle did not realize Argyle had made a mistake again with gender. "Argyle apologizes too. Argyle did not mean to call girl a boy. Argyle has trouble with boy and girl wizards. Sometimes boys and girls all look the same to Argyle. Argyle has been working in the library since the kitchen has been flooded. As Professor Truebridge and the Ministry lady said, we house elves like to be helpful. Professor Truebridge is correct. House elves have lived on their own in the past. Argyle likes helping wizards out. Mistress Kohan has been letting Argyle help her with all her books. Mistress Kohan has lots and lots of books. Argyle wants to help Professor Truebridge teach History of Magic, then Argyle remembers Argyle knows nothing about Wizard history. Argyle brings the books, so Argyle can read them and help Professor Truebridge." Argyle listens to what Professor Truebridge says and starts handing the books out to the students.

don't mean to cut you guys short, ;) save it for the finals.
 

"Hokey indeed. Hepzibah Smith was her owner and Hokey was framed by Lord Voldemort himself." Truebridge answered, keeping it brief.

"Poor thing developed a butterbeer dependency. She certainly was not happy. She worked here after serving and being mistreated by the Crouch family."


"Another point too is that Dobby, wanting to be a free elf, accepted the sock. A house elf who did not want to be free would not have accepted it as an offer of clothing and freedom."

"Not at all Diane. And Muggle difficulties do not apply to the situation with house elves because their magic is strong enough to defy and defeat most magical folk if they so chose. You are more than welcome to attempt to free a house elf if you like, And I certainly understand what you have to say and appreciate your opinion," almost unbelievably detailed and well thought out for a first year and all, "but you admit that you know little to nothing about their history and, Diane, I must point out here that it shows."

Ethan nodded at the little elves. "They can touch clothing, they cannot be given clothing, though you will find some elves cannot even take an item of clothing for laundering from the hand of their master, but others can and will with the intent of cleaning it, but not with the result of being free. It is a symbolic thing, clothing, and wholly related to the individual elf along with the intent of their master. Also, their bodies are different to ours, their magic different to ours. They do not feel extreme temperatures in the same way that we do, and if it is cold enough that they feel it, there is no freedom association with blankets or sitting in front of a warm fire."


"That would be Winky that you are talking about, Abby and certainly I understand what you are saying though one of the key phrases there is that Ms. Granger wanted to free the house elves from what she believed to be enslavement. Those elves that wish to be freed should indeed have that chance, and that is one of the purposes that the House Elf Relocation Office serves." Ethan nodded encouragingly.

"Thank you very much Argyle you are a big help." Ethan inclined his head to the busy little elf.

"There was indeed an elf named Kreacher, another one that was mistreated and yet one that did not particularly desire freedom."

Ethan looked around at the little elves.

"I apologise if we have offended any of you by talking about clothes." He told them gravely, then continued with the lesson.

"Moving on, I'd like to ask you all what you know about House elves at Hogwarts. Any one have anything they've heard about or would like to share?"

Ana raised her hand "All that I know is that they are in large numbers and they do a lot of tasks like the laundry and food and that there are some well-known house elves at Hogwarts like it was said before. They work near the Hufflepuff Common Room in the Kitchens"

But they do feel its their obligation to expose themselves to the cold unprotected.

Diane looked again at the toothless elf. No matter how they went about saying different, these little ones were not taken care of... she wondered if they had ever been in their life.

The moment when the professor appologized to the elves for talking about clothes gave her a chest pain much like her interior freezing over. She did not comment at this time, though. There was nothing to be said, they wouldn't share her perspective. And her perspective was clear: Wizardkind should be taking care of elfkind, not the other way round.

Giving it a rest, she considered the question rather curious, for she remembered someone once told her, "There was a house elf called Hubert," she said raising her hand. "He lost his master, or so I heard."

Daniel was amidst the thought about their own house elves and then he raised his hand. "Professor, house elves in Hogwarts dates back almost since the starting of the school. They are located in the Kitchen where they prepare sumptuous feast for us." the sound of feast makes his stomach grumble.

AHA!

House-elf? Framed? What a bad guy that Voldy person was. Hmph. He wanted to chuck a banana at him. Evil thoughts spread his mind on what to do with people like that--either attack them with flying wild fruit projectiles or throw ... rocks at them. Yes. Rocks. Good thing that evil guy died.

Good thing indeed.

House elves at Hogwarttsss? Cam raised his hand.

"The suuuper nice and awesome house elves we have here at Hogwarts do all the bestest things for us like hm... cleaning our common rooms and helping us sometimes with... stuff! And they also work in the kitchens and make the BESTEST food evarrr," he simply stated, and decided to add his own opinion, "I cannot livee without the deeelicious food they make for all of us."

Which is why he HATED the summer, because there'd be no heavenly Hogwarts food.

Cela raised her hand. "House elves are at Hogwarts because Helga Hufflepuff gave them a safe place to work."

"Speaking of Dobby," Anna said, her hand held high into the air, "I remember hearing that he was very instrumental to Harry Potter's success in the Triwizard Tournament. He's the one who gave Potter the gillyweed used to complete the underwater task."

Lowering her hand, she added, "Oh, and Dobby is also the one who explained how and where Potter could find the Room of Requirement, and he alerted Dumbledore's Army that Professor Umbridge had discovered their secret. In this case, I guess you could say Dobby was instrumental in the entire fight against Voldemort, as Potter needed the Room of Requirement to teach the DA spells they'd need to know to defend themselves."

re ordering the responses so that i can be longwinded and tangenty.
 

So the child reads her Castle History. Well, it's not that impressive, anyone who lives here should know about its past.

"Hubert the House Elf belonged to Kris Airlia, one of the Potions Mistresses that Hogwarts has seen in its time. When Professor Airlia was killed by Leiden, a follower of Lord Voldemortist, Hubert stayed at the castle for a while, with Professor Anjelica Lainey for a period, but that pairing did not suit at all, so the Office for House Elf relocation found him a better placement."

Last time she had been in the File Cabinet snooping looking for pertinent information she miiiiight have fallen across his file. And she certainly remembered Professors Airlia and Lainey from her own time at Hogwarts. If she wasn't mistaken, Hubert was relocated with a family with five children in Dorset.

Okay, a few obvious answers, but not a total loss.

"Hogwarts is the largest dwelling of house elves in Britain, and has set the standard for their treatment. This is due to the pioneering efforts of Helga Hufflepuff to create a sanctuary for house elves back in her time, which was indeed near the founding of Hogwarts. This tradition carries on today, but there are people who feel Helga Hufflepuff had more nefarious motives for bringing house elves to Hogwarts. There are some who would say that she brought them here for their service and not for their protection. And I wonder if it HAS to be one or the other."

"Dobby was an instrumental part of the war against Voldemort. Though he was not, by far the only house elf who by the end, stood against Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

Well that was... nauseatingly touching. Don't get soft Georgia. But Dobby the House Elf was the subject of many a thesis for Magical Creature's students, so George knew that subject well.

"House elves by nature are loyal creatures," George repeated for the umpteenth time. "They will show loyalty, even go out of their way for any human who is considerate of them, they will serve people who are not considerate of them because they take pride in how helpful and loyal they are, and like human ambition, they strive to be better at their work and more loyal. This puts them in a very difficult position if they are ill treated.

Not only was Dobby the House Elf ill treated, but he like all house elves, had the intelligence to understand his former masters were not good people. But he strived to be loyal to them all the same. He didn't always succeed, and while it wouldn't trouble us to betray a man like Lucius Malfoy, even in a small way, even small betrayals, like speaking ill of him, is a betrayal on a grand scheme to a house elf. When a house elf finds himself in a position where he or she must decide between being loyal to a master who treats them harshly, and serving a greater good, like warning Harry Potter about Tom Riddle's diary, they face a HUGE crisis of conscience. Now the less well they are treated, the easier it is for them to decide on serving the greater good as they see it.

"Dobby is not the only House Elf who chose to betray his master, as history has shown, Kreacher betrayed Sirius Black. Did this with a relatively clear conscience so this says something to what degree Kreacher felt Sirius Black deserved his loyalty and how far treatment of a house elf goes toward their care of you and your interests."