Winky

Winky was a female house-elf who faithfully served the Crouch family for many years. She is characterized by her unwavering loyalty, her deep-seated belief in the traditional role of a house-elf, and the profound depression she suffers after her dismissal. Her story is central to the mystery surrounding Barty Crouch Jr. in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and serves as a poignant counterpoint to Dobby's desire for freedom, highlighting the complex psychological effects of enslavement on house-elves.

For many years, Winky served as the devoted house-elf to the Crouch family, which consisted of Barty Crouch Sr., his wife, and their son, Barty Crouch Jr.. After Barty Crouch Jr. was sentenced to Azkaban for his activities as a Death Eater, his dying mother persuaded her husband to arrange a breakout. The two switched places using Polyjuice Potion, with Mrs. Crouch dying in Azkaban in her son's place. Back at the Crouch home, Winky was tasked with nursing Barty Crouch Jr. back to health and keeping him under control using her powerful house-elf magic. She was bound to keep his survival an absolute secret. Winky cared for him deeply but lived in constant fear of her master, Barty Crouch Sr., who kept his son restrained under an Invisibility Cloak and controlled by the Imperius Curse. Over the years, Winky pleaded with her master to grant his son some small reward for his good behaviour.

In 1994, Winky successfully persuaded Barty Crouch Sr. to allow his son to attend the Quidditch World Cup, albeit hidden under the Invisibility Cloak and supervised by her. During the chaos following the match, Barty Crouch Jr. managed to fight off his father's Imperius Curse, steal Harry Potter's wand from his pocket, and cast the Dark Mark into the sky. Ministry of Magic officials, including Amos Diggory, found Winky stunned in the woods, holding Harry's wand. Despite her protestations of innocence and terror of heights (making it unlikely she was in the stands with the Crouches), Barty Crouch Sr. publicly dismissed her on the spot. He gave her clothes, the ultimate sign of disgrace for a house-elf, to sever all ties and protect his reputation. The dismissal was a devastating blow from which Winky never fully recovered.

Ashamed and heartbroken, Winky was found by Dobby, who brought her to Hogwarts Castle to work in the kitchens alongside him. Unlike Dobby, Winky was horrified by her freedom and the concept of wages. She fell into a deep depression and developed a severe drinking problem, frequently consuming Butterbeer, which has a much stronger effect on house-elves than on humans. She spent most of her time in the Hogwarts kitchens, often intoxicated and weeping over her dismissal. She refused to divulge any of the Crouch family's secrets, even when prodded by Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Her plight became a central cause for Hermione's founding of the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare (S.P.E.W.). Despite her personal struggles, Winky was present for the Battle of Hogwarts, where she joined the other house-elves, led by Kreacher, in fighting against the invading Death Eaters.

Winky is described as a small house-elf with enormous, liquid-brown, tennis-ball-sized eyes and a soft, squeaky voice. While in the service of the Crouch family, she wore a clean tea-towel draped like a toga, with the family crest stamped on it. After her dismissal, she became unkempt and often wore the mismatched skirt and blouse that Dobby had found for her. Her personality is defined by her absolute devotion and loyalty to her masters, a trait deeply ingrained in her identity. She embodies the traditional house-elf mindset, viewing freedom as a source of shame and disgrace. Winky is timid and easily frightened, possessing a notable fear of heights. Her dismissal plunged her into a deep depression, leading to alcoholism and perpetual grief. She was fiercely secretive, protecting the Crouch family's reputation even at great personal cost.

As a house-elf, Winky possessed powerful, innate magic that did not require a wand.

• Apparition: Like other house-elves, she could Apparate and Disapparate at will, including within the grounds of Hogwarts Castle, where such magic is normally blocked for wizards and witches.
• Binding Magic: Her magic was strong enough to bind and control a grown wizard like Barty Crouch Jr., though he was eventually able to overcome her power.
• General Charms: She was capable of performing all necessary household duties with magic.

• Crouch Family Tea-Towel: During her service, her only attire was a tea-towel toga bearing the Crouch family crest. This symbolized her identity and belonging.
• Clothes: Upon her dismissal, Barty Crouch Sr. presented her with clothes, which she viewed as a mark of shame rather than an item of personal property.

• Barty Crouch Sr.: Winky was fiercely loyal to her master but also terrified of him. His decision to dismiss her was the single most traumatic event of her life, destroying her sense of purpose and identity.
• Barty Crouch Jr.: She held a deep, maternal affection for Barty Jr., caring for him in secret for over a decade. Her desire to see him happy led her to persuade his father to take him to the Quidditch World Cup, which ultimately resulted in her dismissal.
• Dobby: Dobby was Winky's closest companion at Hogwarts. He pitied her and tried to help her adjust to a life of freedom, but she largely rejected his cheerful outlook. Their relationship starkly contrasted the two dominant house-elf perspectives on freedom and servitude.
• Hermione Granger: Hermione saw Winky's miserable state as proof that house-elves were an oppressed class in desperate need of liberation. However, Winky did not appreciate Hermione's efforts, finding the aims of S.P.E.W. to be insulting and shameful.

The name “Winky” may be a diminutive, suggesting something small and perhaps overlooked. It could also allude to her large, expressive eyes, which often seemed to be “winking” back tears, especially after her dismissal.

Winky was completely written out of the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Her role in guarding Barty Crouch Jr. and the events at the Quidditch World Cup were either omitted or condensed, significantly altering the exposition of the Crouch family subplot. In the film, Barty Crouch Jr.'s presence at the World Cup is implied rather than shown, and the discovery of his survival is handled differently. (film)