death to capslock

But then, *is* it slavery? There is not one word anywhere in some 4000 pages of text to suggest that a House Elf can be *sold*. [.....] They are not slaves. They are *family members*. I can't agree. For one thing, they don't have to be merchandised to fit the definition of slaves, it's enough that they are owned, and for another, the Elves aren't treated like family members (or trusted employees, or even family pets) - they are treated like slaves. Besides we don't really know that they can't be sold.