Dissin' the Slyths

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 38446

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "marinafrants" <rusalka at i...> wrote:

> When everyone walked into the hall and saw the Slytherin 
banners inYear One, everyone -- not just the Slyths -- assumed it 
meant a Slytherin victory. <

Maybe. We don't see everyone walk into the Great Hall, we only 
see Harry walk in, last of all except for Dumbledore, and no one 
speaks to him. What we know is what Ron told Harry the day 
before  in the hospital wing: "The points are all in, and Slytherin 
won, of course--you missed the last Quidditch match,  we were 
steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you." It could be just Ron's 
assumption that it's all over.

> They wouldn't have assumed it if last-minute
> changes were the norm before then.  

No? No over-confidence? No"Last minute points? Oops! we 
forgot!" ?

 Marina:
>>>>Also, the points awarded Gryffindor that year were *not* last 
minute points.  A fair chunk of time passed between Harry's 
confrontation with Quirrell, and the leaving feast.  In fact, the 
confrontation took place before the Quidditch Cup final 
(Ravenclaw beat Gryffindor because Harry was in the infirmary 
and couldn't play.)  So the final standings in Year One were 
actually determined *earlier* than they were in Year Three, yet 
Dumbledore held back the information in order to perform the 
switch at the feast.<<<


Do you really think so? Let's see what Dumbledore had on his 
plate during those four days: one dead Professor, one Dark Lord 
at large, one student at the brink of death, and having to explain 
to his oldest friends that it's time to line up for the next big 
adventure. It wouldn't be realistic for him to give much thought to 
Slytherin or the house championship at all. Who hangs the 
banners, anyway? I rather doubt it's the Headmaster. 

 I do think JKR deliberately arranged for the humiliation of the 
Slytherins, and they can take it up with her if they like (Could this 
be why Phoenix is late?)  I don't think it was out of character  for 
Dumbledore to take advantage of a teachable moment  to 
illustrate what Porphyria's essay on Job (great work!) calls "the 
terrible arbitrariness of fortune." There is no  power that can 
defend against that, and for Dumbledore to humor the Slytherins 
in their delusion that there is would be a  dangerous lie.

>>> What the Slytherins need to learn is that they don't need to 
be the biggest bully in the playground in order to have respect.  
Instead, they get shown that they do need to be the biggest bully, 
otherwise a bigger one can come along and take it all away from 
under their nose.<<<

Respect has nothing to do with it. There'll always be someone 
bigger, someone stronger, someone with the power to take it all 
away. We all get kicked out of the playground sooner or later, 
respected or not. 

Pippin