Snape's abuse v Mcgonagall abuse

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 131884

 
Betsy HP wrote: 
> As to Draco, McGonagall took twenty points from him.  And yes, that's 
> a lot.  But it's a lot less than the fifty each she took from Harry 
> and Neville and Hermione.  I don't understand why Neville got fifty 
> taken himself.  McGonagall seemed to think he was as much a victim of 
> Harry's and Hermione's "prank" as Draco, yet she lumps him in with 
> them.  The only reason I can put to it is that once again McGonagall 
> is upset and so she lashes out.  (Maybe she just dislikes Neville in 
> general?)

Potioncat:
Well, she took 20 points from Draco because he was out of bounds, and 
he was making up a stupid story about a dragon. She said she was going 
to talk to Snape about him. It isn't clear if she took Draco straight 
to Snape or not.

Shortly after that, she encounters the trio and Neville. I think (can't 
prove it) that McG sees a parallel between this incident and the 
Marauders & Severus history. She takes more points from the trio for 
being out of bounds *and* for tricking Draco. I also don't understand 
why she took so many points from Neville unless she thought he was in 
on the "trick".

I also think she's upset because she's going to have to explain to 
Snape that Draco was tricked by the trio into believing there was a 
dragon.

As to which one abuses students...erm, I'll stay out of that part of 
the discussion.
Potioncat