Point inflation

[Freeman, Louise Margaret]

No: HPFGUIDX 167905

I've reread books 1-4 and most of 5 with my kids this year in anticipation of DH.  One thing that 
has struck me is how much point values have inflated over the years. In Book 1, points were 
typically added and substracted in single digits for ordinary things; a major thing like disobeying 
orders and hunting a mountain troll, or successfully rescuing a classmate from the troll, was only 
worth +/- 10 points.  Losing 50 points (albeit X 3, for the Norbert incident) was enough to make 
your whole house hate you.  By book 5, we see Snape taking off 10 points for minor comments 
and "looking to take off a full 50 points before the end of class."  Even Sprout and Hagrid routinely 
hand out 10 point rewards to Herminone for knowing the answers to fairly rountine questions.

Of course, as points get inflated, the house competition itself becomes less important as the 
books progress. It's shown to be a fairly meaningless exercise in OOTP, with the Inquisitorial 
squad emptying the hourglasses of everyone but Slytherin, and it's overshadowed entirely by the 
deaths of Cedric and Dumbledore in GOF and HBP.

Louise