Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Hokey

Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter - Character
Hokey
Gender	Female
Hair color	None
Eye color	Green
Related Family	Unknown
Loyalty	Hepzibah Smith

Overview

Hokey is the House-elf of Hepzibah Smith. She is extremely old.

Role in the Books

Half-Blood Prince

In Hokey's memories, we see Hepzibah primping herself in preparation of a visit by Tom Riddle. Tom, acting as a buyer for Borgin and Burkes, is there to make an offer on some Goblin-made armour, but Hepzibah, charmed by him, shows him her two fondest possessions, a cup originally owned by Helga Hufflepuff, from whom she claims distant descent, and a locket owned by Salazar Slytherin. Tom recognizes the locket as being the one that his mother had sold to try and support herself. Shortly afterwards, Hepzibah Smith dies, apparently mistakenly poisoned by Hokey. Hokey admits responsibility for Hepzibah's death, and goes to Azkaban, but Albus Dumbledore is able to visit her there and retrieve this memory of Tom Riddle.

Weaknesses

Hokey is apparently quite aged, and so may be susceptible to Tom Riddle's flattery and magic.

Relationships with Other Characters

Like all house-elves, Hokey is devoted to her mistress, Hepzibah. Because Hepzibah trusts, and is perhaps slightly infatuated with, Tom Riddle, we believe Hokey also trusts Tom to at least a limited extent.

Analysis

Hokey and Hepzibah here are used primarily as a means to highlight that Tom Riddle can be exceptionally charming when he chooses to be. Despite being present only as a buyer for a Dark magic store, and despite presenting what would apparently be a laughable offer for items Hepzibah is selling, he has managed to lower Hepzibah's defences to the point that she shows him her dearest treasures. It is significant in this case that Hokey does not warn Hepzibah about Tom. We are aware that Tom discounts non-human magical races even more than he does human wizards born of Muggle parents, so we would expect that he would equally abuse or ignore Hokey. That Hokey does not seem to be wary of Tom suggests that he has elected to charm Hokey as well, despite his dislike of her race.