House points and Dumbledore

[Tom Wall <thomasmwall@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 51123


STEVE bboy_mn WROTE:
<snip>
[Harry] at 11 years of age, with the help of his 
friends, defeated the best protections the staff 
of Hogwarts had to offer, not to mention solving
the mystery to the extent that they were even able 
to get down into the enchanted chambers. 
END QUOTE.

I REPLY:
Steve, I really have to respectfully disagree 
with you here. I do not perceive the trio's success 
on the "obstace course," as Maria referred to it, 
to be any great accomplishment at all.  In fact, 
the first time that I read PS/SS, I thought that 
the stone's protections were pretty lame, and that
anyone could have gotten through them.

-The trio did zero to beat Fluffy, as not only did 
Hagrid gave them the answer, but they didn't even 
have to strum an out-of-tune guitar, 'cause Quirrell 
had already taken care of it for them via enchanted 
harp.  

-Recognizing Devil's snare should be no big deal for 
any experienced wizard, so no great shakes there.

-They didn't even have to really think to figure out 
what key opened the door, since the wings on the 
correct key were already broken by Quirrell when he 
went through the first time.  All Harry had to do 
was use his eyes and a minor bit of logic. Actually,
I'm much more interested in figuring out how Quirrell
found that key.

-The only serious skill involved, as far as I'm 
concerned, was Ron's chess game.  And even *that's* 
ridiculous, that he could beat McGonagall, if chess 
is indeed, a strength of hers.  Unless JKR wants us 
to somehow believe that at eleven years old, Ron 
Weasley is a magical Bobby Fischer. <contrived>

-And, for all his bravery (give credit where credit 
is due, I say,) Harry's victory was also pretty 
lame.  He didn't, after all, really *DO* anything, 
unless you consider "being" to be action, which some 
do, to be comprehensive in my coverage. Quirrell died 
as a result of Harry's special protection, and 
Voldemort *wasn't* that stong anyways.  Harry basically 
just stood there and held on.

And for *that*, Dumbledore awarded Gryffindor enough 
points to win the House Cup? Hogwash. And timing? I'm
100% with Elkins and Maria here. *Humiliating* is not
the word for what Dumbledore did to the Slytherins.


STEVE bboy_mn WROTE:
Not to mention that their hard work consists of 
lying, cheating, and doing anything they can accept
actually earning it, to achieve their ends. 
END QUOTE.

I REPLY:
There is nothing to support that in canon. In fact,
from what I recall, it's the Gryffindors who do more
lying and cheating and breaking of rules, as far as I
can see. The Slytherins' cunning comes across to me
as stuff like setting up Harry to meet in the trophy
room for a sham duel. That's cunning. It comes across
to me as reporting Harry's rule-breaking to McGonagall.

Doesn't anyone think it's ODD that Slytherin was on a 
seven year winning streak and only started losing once 
Harry 'n the gang showed up? I do. Extremely odd. And 
if it doesn't point more to favoritism than the other 
evidence, then I don't know what does. Obviously 
Slytherin is full of capable people. Slytherin has a 
very capable Quidditch team, for one, and the Nimbus 
2001's didn't come until CoS. You don't lie and
cheat your way through seven years of victories. One, okay,
two, fine. Three even. Sure. *Not* seven.

The idea that Slytherin won for seven years running, and 
would have won for an eighth if Dumbledore hadn't 
interfered, does not indicate to me that this is the 
direct result of undue favoritism from the Snape, either. 
On that note -

MARIA WROTE:
No one will ever convince me that the 472 points 
they earned were due to lying and
cheating. There is no canon to support that.
Judging all the Slyths like that is stereotyping.

And BTW there is *no* canon that Snape gives them
points for nothing.
END QUOTE: 

I reply:
I completely agree. I don't recall *any* instances 
in canon to support the notion that Snape gives 
Slytherin points unfairly, and the Gryffindors and 
Slytherins have Potions together in several of the 
four books. Snape likes Malfoy, sure. But have you 
ever seen him give him points in Potions class? You 
know, come to think about it, I don't think we've
ever seen Snape give his own students points even
once.

OTOH, I recall numerous instances of McGonagall 
rewarding her own students. Hermione gets points 
in Transfiguration all the time. However, to be 
fair, she is a strict and severe disciplinarian 
who can take them away as well.

-Tom