The Trio's reward, in PS/SS

[Eric Oppen]

No: HPFGUIDX 51128

One of my learned friends (sorry, but I get this list in digest form and
can't remember the name) made an eloquent argument recently for the
correctness of Dumbledore's awarding of points to the Trio for their actions
in foiling Quirrelmort's plans to steal the Stone.  While all of her points
were correct, I think she misses the thrust of the arguments against
D'dore's actions, and, inadvertently, cheapens the Trio's own
accomplishments while attempting to praise them.

Dumbledore should have awarded the points, if he intended so to do,
immediately after the events of That Night.  Waiting until the banquet,
while a very dramatic move (and I do think D'dore is a showman and
attention-sponge who loves the limelight) was, to put it mildly,
unnecessary.  Points are generally awarded, or taken away, on the spot, at
the scene of the action that provoked the point-giving or -taking.  That
way, the Slytherins wouldn't have had that unpleasant surprise when D'dore
awarded the points at the banquet, and the subsequent change of decor.  I do
think that D'dore chose the dramatic way to do it because, as I have stated,
he loves being dramatic and loves the limelight.

At the same time, what the Trio did was, as has been pointed out above, far
above-and-beyond mere student stuff.  What they did, it can be easily
argued, saved the entire Wizard World.  In _Prisoner of Azkaban,_ Severus
Snape apparently confidently expects the Order of Merlin for merely
capturing an escaped convict, albeit one who is thought to be particularly
dangerous.  And he is an adult, a fully-trained wizard of some experience,
_not_ a twelve-year-old.  Being fobbed off with house points, although
satisfying for HR+H, would strike me as being short-changed were I in their
boots.

So-o-o, how does this sound?  Professor Dumbledore awards the House Cup to
Slytherin---and, then, announces that "three of our pupils, first-years at
that, performed far above and beyond the call of duty, as you all know.
Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to announce that Mr. Harry Potter, Mr.
Ron Weasley, and Miss Hermione Granger have been awarded the Order of Merlin
for their self-sacrificial bravery in the face of Unspeakable Evil.  Come
forth, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger."  After getting _that,_
the House Cup would still be Slytherin's, but it would look pretty tawdry
and tacky---kind of like getting a sports trophy, and then finding out that
the losing team includes people who're getting the Medal of Honor or the
Victoria Cross.  The Gryffindors would go _nuts_ at having first-year
members of _their_ house singled out for adult-level awards for heroism,
too.