Special treatment - yes or no/Rules

[ornadv]

No: HPFGUIDX 146153

Magpie:
> Point taking and giving is completely arbitrary and the
> reasons given for their points at the end certainly qualify. I
> (and others) have said that allowing the hall to be decorated in
> Slytherin banners so that they could be taken down and replaced
> a dramatic move to give a surprise to Harry unnecessarily singled
> was out Slytherin and would undoubtedly have annoyed all the kids
> in that house. I think Dumbledore just wanted to make his points a
> surprise which involved a big PSYCH to Slytherin.

>Valky:
>The Trio's goal under the trapdoor has nothing to do with gaining
>points, they set out to do something truly virtuous, with no thought
>of the reward. The juxtaposition of these points against those of
>the house that seeks only the reward therefore is how I see
>Dumbledore's actions in the end of the story. Not as a criticism of
>the Slytherin House, but as the demonstration of an example for all
>of Hogwarts.

Orna:
Well, maybe the Slytherins are annoyed, but that's exactly because 
they are Slytherins. I can't imagine any decent student knowing 
something of what the trio had done, and not feeling they and their 
house should be decently rewarded. 
I mean, points are given for various reasons – so anybody who had 
some innate fairness in themselves would feel that the House Cup 
would belong to the Gryffindors, after they had something like 
nearly saved the PS from VoldeQuirrel. Even if the details about 
Voldemort weren't common knowledge, everybody at school knew they 
had done something very brave and ingenious – the twins brag about 
Ron winning MacGonagall's chess-game, and they know Harry has been 
in hospital wing.
Cedric in the maze acts exactly this way – he refuses to take the 
cup available to him, because he resists this temptation, and feels 
it to be unfair. Harry – the same. So why do we have to accept that 
the Slytherins should expect the House Cup to remain theirs? They 
should offer to give it to the Gryffindors, if they had anything 
like decency in them. (OK, that's exaggerated, but only because we 
got used to expect so little from them).
I think that it is a characteristic DD move – any decent Slytherin 
would feel it was fair what happened, and any Slytherin who felt 
that power and winning was above all other values, would be shocked –
 and rightly so IMO. 

Orna