"Tinky is liking her job very much, sir! There is always things to do."

"That's good! What kind of things do you like to do?"

"Tinky is enjoying making foods very much, sir! It's why Tinky is working in the kitchens." She leans forward conspiratorially and whispers, "Tinky is especially liking making dessert."

"Why do you like working in the kitchens, though? Do you like to work?"

"Yes! Tinky is enjoying working very much, Tinky is a good elf."

"I don't like to work. Why do you like to work?"

"Tinky is being a good elf! Good elves like to work."

"If a wizard was working without pay, that would be sad. But when an elf works without pay, it's not?"

She looks very horrified by the thought, and a couple of other House Elves nearby stop to stare at him in shock. "Elves aren't being paid for working!"

"Why are elves not paid but wizards are?"

This discussion is visibly distressing her. "Good elves are working! We are doing good work and being good elves and not being freed, sir!"

"You don't want to be free because you would be a bad elf? I don't want you to be sad."

She nods vigorously, which causes her ears to flap a lot. "Tinky is being a good elf and working very much and doing desserts for the students, sir."

"Have you ever...known a bad elf?"

Her eyes go very wide but she nods, twice.

"Why did the bad elf want to be free? Is it...bad to talk about bad elves?"

She looks down at her bare feet. "No, sir, but..." Then looks up at him again. "He was a bad elf and he left his family and he was paid in Galleons."

"What if the family was bad?"

"It was his family, Mister Scott. Good elves aren't running from their families," she explains as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's sad, to wizards. Maybe not to elves."

"It is not being sad. Dobby was being a bad elf when he was running away."

Nod.

"What happened to Dobby? Where is he now?"

She looks down at her feet again. "Dobby was helping against the Dark Lord when he—"

"I'm sorry."

A moment of silence.

"I'm not sure I understand something. Is Hogwarts your family?"

She takes a few seconds to reply, trying to come up with an explanation. "Hogwarts is being to Tinky what Dobby's family was being to Dobby," she settles on.