Special treatment of Harry or not WAS:Re: Lessons in the book

[kchuplis]

No: HPFGUIDX 146059

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Ceridwen" <ceridwennight at h...> wrote:
> 
> Ceridwen:
> 
> My other gripe is the cavalier attitude toward detention.  Instead of 
> being ashamed that they broke the rules (in an ordinary manner), 
> they're offended that they are being disciplined.  The hero, his best 
> friends, and the narration, all seem to say that detention is no big 
> deal, it's quite all right to have it, it proves your goodness 
> instead of proving that you were doing less than you could have done 
> to make the most of school.

I don't know about the proving your goodness part, but in general the attitude toward 
detentions seems rather normal to me. Kids, no matter what, will feel 'hard done by' 
when punished, even if they know they have done wrong. (Somehow I find this 
perhaps the bud of adults where "it isn't MY fault" syndrome has bloomed into an 
entire litigious society who sue everyone for everything, but that's a different debate). 

What I found to be the most egregious case of "special treatment" in six books and 
treated *definitely* with a completely misplaced "hard done by" attitude, was Harry's 
detention in HBP for using the sectumsempra curse on Malfoy. Yes, Harry is certainly 
horrified, and definitely sorry; he listens to Snape with NO thought of leaving and 
waits 10 minutes for him to return and punish Harry. However, this is one incident in 
which our hero absolutely lies, deliberately hides evidence (as it were) and then dares 
to complain about the first detention being during the big match. Quite honestly, 
such a ghastly incident seemed to call for more than Saturday detentions the rest of 
the year. Granted he didn't *know* what the curse would do and Malfoy *was* about 
to use an unforgiveable curse, but there is only Harry's word for that. So it seems 
even in this case and with the dreaded Snape as the judge, Harry gets off awfully light 
in my opinion. 

It is maybe my one big disappointment in JKR's handling of character. To be quite 
honest it doesn't fit Harry's past behaviour, especially given how horrified he really 
does seem (rightfully so) with the type of curse he just used (yes, unknowingly) that 
he would even hesitate to just submit quietly to Snape's judgement. After all, he fully 
expected to be thrown in Azkaban for blowing up Aunt Marge and this was certainly 
worse than that, really. I think Harry would have shut up and been thankful that this 
was all that happened. Instead he even says he disagrees with the punishment. This 
scene is the one people should be most up in arms about in regard to special 
treatment and I'm very surprised no one's mentioned it.

kchuplis