Why Harry Potter Fans Think Kreacher Is The Best House Elf In The Series
The Harry Potter franchise is full of magical creatures, from dragons to hippogriffs to house-elves, but one particular house elf is emerging as a new fan favorite.
After Harry — played in the films by Daniel Radcliffe — meets Dobby, a house-elf who belongs to the evil Malfoy family, in Chamber of Secrets, he's introduced to the history of these particular creatures, which are owned by wealthy wizarding families. House-elves can only leave their family if they are presented with actual clothing, spending their lives clad in makeshift garments like togas made of tea towels, but that doesn't seem to bother most of the house elves that Harry meets. In fact, the way that wizards justify keeping house-elves — who even clean and cook within the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry — is because, by all appearances, house-elves love to work; Dobby, whom Harry frees from the Malfoys, loves his life as a free elf, and becomes something of a pariah amongst his peers.
Dobby might be hilarious and lovable, but another prominent house-elf in the series is now unexpectedly rising in the ranks: Kreacher, who belonged to the ancient Black family. Kreacher isn't particularly endearing at first, covered in dirt and spouting slurs about wizards with "unclean" blood, but thanks to some clever character development, Kreacher actually becomes the most layered house elf in the series. Here's why Harry Potter fans think Kreacher is the best house elf in the series.
Kreacher's character arc proves that he's the best of the house-elves
When audiences and readers first meet Kreacher in the fifth Potter installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, there's no reason to suspect that he'll be a fan favorite. As Harry heads to 12 Grimmauld Place, the home of the Blacks — and the childhood home of his godfather and black sheep of the pureblood family, Sirius (Gary Oldman) — Harry is initially pretty disgusted by Kreacher.
Harry's disdain for Kreacher only grows when the Malfoys, allied with Voldemort use the house elf for their own gain. Ultimately, Kreacher betrays Sirius, who dies and leaves 12 Grimmauld Place — as well as Kreacher — to Harry in his will. Harry is obviously reluctant to take Kreacher on, but in Deathly Hallows, he discovers there's much more to Kreacher than meets the eye.
Eventually, Kreacher helps Harry hunt for Voldemort's Horcruxes by telling him the story of his beloved master, Sirius' late brother Regulus. Though Regulus joined Voldemort's Death Eaters, he secretly tried to bring down the Dark Lord with Kreacher's help, and the two of them attempted to destroy one of the Horcruxes, an ancient locket, themselves. Regulus died in the attempt, leaving Kreacher in mourning.
With this information, audiences and readers understand Kreacher's evolution, and realize something vital: Sirius was cruel to Kreacher and Regulus showed him real kindness, and when Harry extends kindness to Kreacher, the elf becomes his ally. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Kreacher is even seen fighting alongside Hogwarts' house elves in the book.
If you're not a fan of Kreacher, you may want to revisit Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows and rethink this important character. The Harry Potter movies are available to rent or buy on major streaming platforms.