Special treatment - yes or no

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 146011

 
> Valky: 
> I am not sure how to answer that. I don't understand what authority
> you have that on, Magpie. There *is* a subplot of Slytherins playing
> unfairly in the House cup challenge. 
> 
> The Potions Master - 'Double Potions with the Slytherins.' said Ron.
> 'Snape's Head of Slytherin House, they say he always favours them -
> we'll be able to see if it true.'
> 
> As they climbed the steps out of the Dungeon an hour later, Harry's
> mind was racing and his spirits were low. He'd lost two points for
> Gryffindor in his very first week - *why* did Snape hate him so 
much?

Potioncat:
Harry lost 2 points, and I agree it was unfair. But, although Malfoy 
was praised for his skill, he did not earn points. In fact I don't 
think we ever see Snape give anyone points in any of the books.
I've snipped two other examples of Malfoy trying to trick Harry, 
neither of them resulted in any loss of points.

 >Valky:
> Quidditch - Lee Jordan: 'So - after that obvious and disgusting bit 
of
> cheating-'
> 'Jordan!' growled Professor MacGonagall
> 'I mean, after that open and revolting foul-'
> '*Jordan I'm warning you-'
> 'All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, 
which
> could happen to anyone, I'm sure..."

Potioncat:
If it is cheating, why is McGonagall warning Jordan? I've been on the 
sidelines of many a kids' sporting events, parents are always 
convinced the "other" side is getting away with something.

> Valky:
> Nicholas Flamel - Ron didn't answer; Snape had just awarded 
Hufflepuff
> a penalty because George Weasley had hit a bludger at him. 
> 'You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor Team' 
said
> Malfoy a few minutes later, as Snape awarded Hufflepuff another
> penalty for no reason at all.

Potioncat:
I won't argue this one. In the explanation of these points, I 
wouldn't trust Ron or Snape.

 

> 
> Valky:
> All said, Draco did set out that night with the full intention to 
earn
> Slytherin a lead in the House cup by being a rotten little snitch,
> right? And he managed it. He could have chosen to do something great
> instead, and if he had done then I'd be with you that Slytherin 
should
> have retained their win.

Potioncat:
I'm at a loss here. I thought Draco wanted to get Harry in trouble. 
Does he say his goal is to get the House Cup? In fact, a staff member 
is breaking the law, so the Trio aren't up to good either. (Of 
course, I'm fully behind them in this one.) What great thing could he 
have done? I think the better thing would have been to report the 
dragon to a teacher. 

> Valky:
> There are enough references to the difference between MacGonagall 
and
> Snape. MacGonagall is going to give fair ones to anyone that 
impresses
> her and take fair points from thos who do wrong, end of story. Snape
> OTOH is going to give points as he sees fit and take points only 
from
> rivals. Thats how the story goes. It's pretty obvious that there is
> ill-gotten points in Slytherins Hourglass and undeserved points 
taken
> from Gryffindors.

Potioncat:
Again, we've seen Snape be unfair and cause Harry to lose points. We 
haven't seen Slytherin "get" points unfairly. And DD seems to 
acknowledge their work.
> 
> OOPs, not sure if this is Valky or Magpie:
> Dumbledore says well done Slytherin because all of what they did was
> well done, it achieved the goal of getting the most House Points. 
But
> the great actions of Harry Ron Hermione and Neville beat that hands 
down.


Potioncat:
In fact, the 150 points that the Trio earn counter the 150 points 
that *McGonagall* took from Gryffindor. She took them because the 
kids were out of bounds and she thought they had tricked Malfoy. And 
as she thought they had tricked Neville too, the 50 points from him 
were not fair. She should only have docked him 20 like she had Malfoy.


SS/PS is written from a standard of Gryffindors are the good guys and 
Slytherins are the bad guys. Every Slytherin we meet acts badly. It's 
a standard plot in stories and usually the listener (reader) doesn't 
question it. Lancaster/Yorks, Hatfields/McCoys, This School/That 
School.

So when DD adds the well earned points at the end of SS/PS most of us 
cheered. We'd had how many 100 pages of bad Slytherins, with a page 
or two telling us Snape had been doing an occasional good deed. 

A few books later, we come along and start thinking about everything. 
That's when things get complicated. JKR has written *some* things for 
the fun of it, not so much the morality of it. Given all the Trio had 
been through, the public awarding of points was a real pleasure.

I still maintain that JKR wrote this scene for its effect for that 
moment and that book. It would not have been the right way to do 
things. But, given that Snape is shaking McGonagall's hand and is 
smiling. I don't the reader is to think it was handled in an 
extremely unheard of way. 

Potioncat, who seems to be taking both sides.