Special treatment - yes or no

[M.Clifford]

No: HPFGUIDX 145987

Irene wrote:
> PS:
> 
> 1. Even before the Hogwarts starts - if it was any
> other child, would the school be so insistent that he gets his
> letter? 

Valky:
Yes I think it would happen in another case. I think that the spell
itself became more persistent to get its job done, or that it simply
could not stop sending letters until Harry recieved one and read it.
JKR tells us in interview that the hogwarts letters are automatic, so
its unlikely tht conscious effort went into special treatment of
Harry, here.


Irene:
> Generally speaking, can muggle parents ever refuse for
> a child to go? 

Valky
But they aren't his parents, and they weren't simply refusing him to
let him go. 

This doesn't apply, really because Harry's parents wanted him to go to
Hogwarts. The issue here is that Petunia disrespected her sisters
wishes for her child, the issue is between Petunia and Lily, should
Harry suffer for that? The argument that the Dursleys were parents
exercising a fair right reassigns Lily and her wishes to nobody and
nothing.



Irene:
> 2. Would a school official take any other child
> shopping?
Yes, Dumbledore offered to take Tom shopping but Tom refused.


> Irene:
> 3. Tea with Hagrid. It looks in fact that Hagrid is running his 
> own little club, just like Slughorn. Only the favours he asks in 
> return are much more serious than a box of pineapple sweets: 
> could you get rid of this illegal dragon for me, kids?
> Could you  help me to prepare for the trial? Could you look after
> my giant brother?

Valky:
That's another argument that reassigns truth to nothing. Hagrid is a
lonely outcast, how does his emotional needs for companionship become
some ploy of extra privilege. It's not like other students were likely
to take him up on his offer of tea.


> Irene:
> 4. Broomstick incident, of course. Instead of punishment, Harry 
> is rewarded with his own broom and place on the team.

Valky:
Bingo! It's wierd, but I don't think this one has anything to do with
it being Harry. IMO This one is definitely evidence of what
MacGonagall was willing to do in her competitive rivalry with Snape.
If it had been Neville or Seamus, she would have found a way to bypass
the rules, she wanted to win. I agree that this was favouritism but I
think there is some evidence of Harry just getting lucky in being the
one who recieves it.



> Irene:
> 5. Dumbledore finds Harry in front of the mirror - out after 
> curfew, third night in the row, no punishment.

Valky:
Draco points a wand at Dumbledore's heart and Dumbledore tries to save
Draco's life in return. Tom Riddle is out of bed looking at the person
he murdered, Dumbledore suspects the foul play has something to do
with Tom, but is kindly and gentle in his approach anyway. A roomful
of Aurors has to attack Dumbledore in unison before he dishes out
anything that even resembles punishment. The reason to this one is
Dumbledore, not Harry.


Irene:
> 6. Dumbledore returns the cloak that was confiscated after some
> rule-breaking. I don't count the fact that he gave Harry the cloak 
> in the first place, that was indeed just returning the 
> property, would've done it for any student. But "just
> in case"  business? Teacher's pet. :-)

Valky:
Aren't we later told that Dumbledore alone knew the danger Harry was
in all his life. In HBP we're finally shown that Dumbledore expects
Harry to use the Cloak for his protection. This is not favouritism,
this is a measure of practicality, while Harry has the invisibility
cloak he is equipped with protection that Dumbledore knows he needs.


> 
> CoS:
> 
> 7. McGonagall does not take points for flying car. If Ron and 
> Harry consider themselves lucky, I won't argue with them. Minerva
> obviously cares about the House cup.

Valky:
Bingo. MacGonagall definitely cares about her rivalry with Snape for
the House Cup, but she also does draw a line in the sand that she will
not cross to gain or retain them, ie she took 150 points from
Gryffindor for the Norbert incident. If House Points were right to be
taken MacGonagall will have taken them, perhaps she didn't because the
crime happened essentially outside Hogwarts.



> Irene:
> 8. Gryffindor's ghost conspires to get Harry out of
> detention.

Valky:
And he invites Harry to his 400th deathday party, and he tells Harry
in HBP that other ghosts gather around him to hear his stories of
Harry Potter. Yes, Nick is a fan of Harry's, no question. 


> Irene:
> 9. Harry lies about finding Mrs. Norris. Dumbledore seems to know
> it (a bit of legilimency), but lets him to get away
> with it.

Valky:
So what, he has done the same to Tom Riddle in the past, Bertha
Jorkins, Slughorn. Everyone who lies to Dumbledore gets a chance to
tell the truth without pressure, it's enough for Dumbledore to know
that the person lied to him.


> Irene:
> 10. Harry and Ron break emergency rules, walking the corridors 
> without a teacher. But since they come up with a noble story, 
> McGonagall does not punish them.

Valky:
Does this happen after Hermione is petrified or/and Ginny is captured?
Because if it does, can you really fault MacGonagall for her
compassion toward those who are suffering in these circumstances. 


> Irene:
> PoA:
> 
> 11. Fudge gives Harry some serious celebrity
> treatment.

Valky:
Fudge. *rolls eyes* No comment.


> Irene:
> 12. Another Hogwarts official (who just happens to be
> a Gryffindor) invites Harry for a cup of tea.

Valky:
You mean Lupin? He's virtually an Uncle, I don't see the problem.


> Irene:
> 13. Madame Hooch is asked to supervise the trainings,
> because McGonagall doesn't want to reduce team's
> chances of winning.

Valky:
LOL this is MacGonagall's love of Gryffindor winning again, there's
plenty of evidence of it. I think also that the trainings are asked to
be supervised by a teacher because WW official intelligence says that
someone is trying to *kill Harry*.  Hogwarts would be as protective of
any other student who was targeted for murder, for example the
muggleborns in COS.


> Irene:
> 14. That's a big one: the very same Professor, who
> just happens to be a Gryffindor, covers a huge
> rule-breaking episode (never mind madly
> security-breaking), and Harry gets off without any
> punishment.

Valky:
Hmm well that Professor obviously has some confusion going on about
his own guilt. Harry followed Lupin's *own* directions (Marauders Map)
in this major case of rule-breaking, and Lupin wasn't telling
Dumbledore about any of the whole she-bang of these rule-breaking
dirty little secrets he was keeping. Lupin wasn't playing favourites,
he was confused and disorientated and long term traumatised by the
death of his friends by a traitor who was also his friend, and still
trying to decide the right course of action to deal with all of it.



> Irene:
> 15. Out of bounds, after curfew, nearly got Ron
> killed, but nevermind - the Headmaster has a special
> task for Harry and Hermione.

Valky:
Again, it's Dumbledore. Snape wanted them punished, naturally, but he
also wanted the sadistic pleasure of watching Lupin and Sirius have
their souls sucked out, so lets not rely too heavily on *his* moral
compass there. <g>

Dumbledore just is this way. Remember the big picture, Draco and his
father had a good Hippogryff sentenced to death out of pure spite for
Hagrid and Dumbledore, Sirius was innocent and was about to get his
soul sucked. Again Dumbledore is not playing favourites, he is just
measuring a practicality.


> 
> GoF:
> 
> Letting Harry into the tournament is not exactly a
> special treatment, as any student would have had to
> compete under the binding magical contract. However,
> taking his word that he didn't ask an older student to
> put his name in, might well be.

Valky:
Dumbledore didn't detect a lie this time. To say that it doesn't
matter that he could detect Harry lying is a double standard on the
case in COS.



> Irene:
> 16. The Headmaster accepts Hogsmeade permission from
> someone who is not Harry's parent or guardian,
> nevermind being a convicted criminal at the time.

Valky:
Technically he is the appointed Guardian by Harry's parents request.
James and Lily have had their wishes disrespected enough by now don't
you think.


> 
> 17. Hagrid shows Harry the dragons.

Valky:
And he shows Olympe, and Karkaroff shows Krum. I vaguely recall
somebody saying cheating was a tradition in the Triwizard.


> Irene: 
> 18. Harry goes into Dumbledore's pensieve - no
> punishment.

Valky:
Dumbledore!

> Irene:
> OoTP:
> 
> 19. Would the school try to get any of the students
> acquitted in a stitch-up trial like this? Probably
> yes. Would they go to such lengths, up to producing
> false witnesses? Probably not.

Valky:
Why not. If the Ministry was doing the same, then yes Dumbledore would
do anything to protect his student from the Kangaroo Court Justice.

> Irene:
> HBP:
> 
> I can't be bothered to go through the details in this
> one, Dumbledore has practically adopted Harry in this
> book.

Valky:
Huh? So it doesn't matter that Harry's protection runs out the next
year and he faces certain death? Why do you think Dumbledore wouldn't
have done this for Cedric had he known that Cedric was to face
Voldemort too? Dumbledore would do this for anyone. Take Draco for
example if you need, he quite literally offers to adopt Draco's whole
family to protect him. 

Valky