The Hogwarts' Kitchen

At Hogwarts, the people who cook the meals are never revealed until the Goblet of Fire at the welcoming feast (and I have accidently given it away in the last quotes). Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, tells Harry, Ron and Hermione of the house-elves that prepare and cook the meals, and also undertake cleaning duties. Hermione is shocked and it is at this point that she has decided that she wants to protest for their rights.

House-elves are like the servants that existed in Victorian times. They stay with the same family and are treated as below inferior to the families that they were serving. However, this is a magical world, and elves are not human beings. So, they are not treated as such, and compared to the Victorian servants, they are treated worse. House-elves are not paid wages. They do not get holidays or any kind of benefits that are expected at any workplaces nowadays. They are only allowed the clothes that they are wearing. They are expected to be completely loyal to their masters. Note the use of master and not employer. Nearly Headless Nick states “That’s a mark of a good house-elf, isn’t it, that you don’t know it’s there?” (the Goblet of Fire, 161). Dobby is the first house-elf that is introduced in the story. He was the Malfoys’ house-elf until Harry freed him. He was loyal to them and would punish himself if he ever spoke negatively about them. However, his employment there ceased when his master accidently handed him a sock, which is a sign of release from employment.

The scene when Dobby is free and is finally able to use his powers against his former master

The house-elves at Hogwarts are first seen in the kitchens by Hermione, Harry and Ron. Every time they visit the kitchens, they are greeted with lots of house-elves who are happy to help.

“He had one brief glimpse of an enormous, high-ceilinged room, large as the Great Hall above it, with mounds of glittering brass pots and pans heaped around the stone walls, and a great brick fireplace at the other end, when something small hurtled towards him from the middle of the room, squealing, ‘Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!’ [Dobby hugs him tightly]” (327)

“[Dobby] seized Harry’s hand, and pulled him off into the kitchen between the four long wooden tables that stood there. Each of these tables, harry noticed as he passed them, was positioned exactly beneath the four house tables above, in the Great Hall. At the moment, they were clear of food, dinner having finished, but he supposed that an hour ago they had been laden with dishes that were then sent up through the ceiling to their counterparts. At least a hundred little elves were standing around the kitchen, beaming, bowing and curtseying as Dobby led Harry past them. They were all wearing the same uniform; a tea-towel stamped with the Hogwarts crest, and tied, as Winky’s had been, like a toga” (328)

The kitchen is just as large as the Great Hall and the tables in the kitchen are laid out like in the Great Hall so it is easy to transfer the food to the tables above. This is done by the magic that house-elves possess. The elves are all wearing the same clothes, a uniform, because this is their place of work. Dobby, on the other hand, is more experimental and wants more than conformity because he wants his freedom, which he exerts through his eccentric clothes. Throughout the time that they visit the kitchens, there are no mentions of the house-elves doing any cooking. The only exception is to make tea, but even this is done away from their eyes, so Rowling doesn’t explain. The links with how Victorian servants were treated, in that the kitchen was hidden away from the family and the guests. The number of elves is mentioned though – “at least a hundred” – which is large number. Their behaviour to the humans is respectful. This is because even though Harry, Ron and Hermione are students, they are still masters to the house-elves.

Hermione is determined to help them get better work benefits. She doesn’t understand the life and mentality of a house-elf or the hierarchy in the wizarding world because she didn’t grow up in this world. Her constant questions and her protests are met with objections and disapprovals from the house-elves and humans. Hagrid calls any elf that wants freedom ‘a weirdo’ (233), which is indirectly an insult to Dobby because he now wants to be paid for his services. Fred and George’s claim that the house-elves are happy with their position is supported by the following quote:

“[Dobby offers Harry tea and] instantly, about six house-elves came trotting up behind him, bearing a large silver tray laden with a teapot, cups for Harry, Ron and Hermione, a milk jug and a large plate of biscuits. ‘Good service!’ Ron said, in an impressed voice. Hermione frowned at him, but the elves all looked delighted; they bowed very low and retreated” (329)

The house-elves are very good at their job. They seem to be prepared for any guests as they instantly bring a teapot to their guests, as well as treats. Ron’s compliment is received well by the house-elves. They are very appreciative of his comment, even if Hermione doesn’t approve, thus proving that they are happy. 

Hermione’s determination is further disproved when Dobby tells of his time searching for work. It took him two years to find work, which ended when he went to visit Dumbledore.

“Professor Dumbledore says he will pay Dobby, sir, if Dobby wants paying! And so Dobby is a free elf, sir, and Dobby gets a galleon a week and one day off a month!’ ‘That’s not very much!’ Hermione shouted indignantly from the floor, over Winky’s continued screaming and fist-beating. ‘Professor Dumbledore offered Dobby ten Galleons a week and weekends off,’ said Dobby, suddenly giving a little shiver, as though the prospect of so much leisure and riches was frightening, ‘but Dobby beat him down, miss… Dobby likes freedom, miss, but he isn’t wanting too much, miss, he like work better.’” (330-1)

It is clear that Dobby is happy that he has freedom and all his demands are met. But it is also clear that he does not want too much freedom and actually seemed to be scared of too much of it. It is in his blood to serve humans, and he clearly wants to; Dobby just wants to be appreciated and recognized for his work, which Dumbledore understood and was more than willing to help him. Yet again, Hermione is shocked at his lack of benefits, despite Dobby’s visible disapproval of too much freedom. Winky, a house-elf that was fired, is another example of house-elves not liking freedom. She has taken her dismissal very hard and results in drinking many bottles of Butterbeer, which has an alcohol-like effect on house-elves. This may be due to their small size, as Butterbeer contains very little alcohol. The other elves do not approve of her behaviour.

“Half-a-dozen house-elves came hurrying forward, looking disgusted. One of them picked up the bottle [of Butterbeer], the others covered Winky with a large checked tablecloth and tucked the ends in neatly, hiding her from view. ‘We is sorry you had to see that, sirs and miss!’ squeaked a nearby elf, shaking his head and looking ashamed, ‘We is hoping you will not judge us all by Winky, sirs and miss!’” (467)

From this incident, it is clear that they do not want to be associated with her and they do not want to be judge by her behaviour. They know how a house-elf is expected to behave and this is not it. Hermione disagrees with their attitude towards her and tries to support her. This does not work in her favour.

“’Begging your pardon, miss,’ said the house-elf, bowing deeply again, ‘but house-elves has no right to be unhappy when there is work to be done and masters to be served.’” (467-8)

Hermione has just disagreed with their submissive behaviour and using Dobby being happy with his freedom as an example of what they could have. Dobby doesn’t want to be involved. The house-elves do not want to be involved either. They do not want to change their lives or gain freedom either. As a result, they give them the food that they asked for and usher them out of the kitchen quickly. All of this is done with respect as they still remember their inferior positions, even if Hermione still doesn’t understand the order of hierarchy in the magical world.

House-elves are a vital part of how Hogwarts or a household is run. Their place in the household is inferior. They know this and so do the wizards. Hermione is an exception, because she doesn’t understand. Her attempts at helping them achieve a better lifestyle are not successful because the house-elves are happy with their lives. Even though, Rowling never lets the reader see the house-elves do any work (which is one of their qualities), it is not wrong to assume that they use magic to do their tasks. This is clearly seen in transporting the food from the kitchens to the tables in the Great Hall. Magic may be a small factor in this post, it is not a small part of their lives and tasks.