Punishment for Misconduct at Hogwarts

There are many ways which students can be punished for misbehaviour at Hogwarts school. The first and most obvious one is detention. This involves at least one student and one supervising teacher (usually) and can range from writing lines to venturing into the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid late at night. In practice, teachers often choose the latter option and elect to make students carry out unpleasant tasks during detentions: Ron has been forced to clean both the Trophy Room and the hospital bedpans, Harry has had to help Professor Lockhart with his fan-mail, and Harry, Ron and Neville have all been made to carry out various distasteful potion preparation jobs for Professor Snape.

The Forbidden Forest detention (given to Harry, Draco, Hermione and Neville) was the most dangerous of all, and it was plainly unwise to place the students in this situation. The punishment in question was handed out by Professor McGonagall of all people, who should, frankly, have known better. It seems that almost everybody in a position of power at Hogwarts is prone to fits of unpredictable and foolhardy behaviour.

Detentions aside, students who misbehave in class can be sent straight to their head of house. This usually results in a warning and could consequentially lead also to a detention (or some biscuits).

Lastly, prefects, heads of house and teachers in general may all deduct house points from students who have broken rules or done something which is generally considered inappropriate. This happens an awful lot, and many teachers seem to award or deduct points at the drop of a hat. Given that House Points all contribute towards the final figures which decide the House Cup, the deduction of a lot of points can obviously do some serious damage to any given House’s chances. And since this is a fiercely fought competition, anyone who causes points to be deducted can find themselves recipient of the cold shoulder from fellow pupils of their house.

Punishments at Hogwarts weren’t always so simple, however. In the past, students have been subjected to beatings, suspended from the ceiling, and locked in dungeons. This may not have been the distant past either – Argus Filch for one still keeps his chains in working condition in case the old punishments are revived, although it is not clear whether he has actually used them himself during his tenure as caretaker.

Other staff members, too, have attempted to re-live the assumed glory of the old days. Whilst Ron and Harry may have been delighted with the “bouncing ferret” punishment Professor Moody/Bartemius Crouch handed out to Draco Malfoy, it hardly constitutes a fair and level-headed disciplinary procedure, and was somewhat disproportionate to the crime. Likewise, Professor Umbridge’s revolting charmed quill (which instead of writing on parchment etches the words into the back of the writer’s hand) showed a sadistic streak which, while consistent with the attitudes of the good old days, is obviously totally inappropriate in these more enlightened times.

Undaunted, she also made a move to bring back whipping (much to the delight of Filch of course), and even managed to pronounce it as a punishment for Fred and George Weasley at one stage. Fortunately she was removed from the school before she could carry this particular piece of unpleasantness out.

---

MuggleNet is an unofficial Harry Potter fan site. Please email us if you have any questions or concerns. MuggleNet's original layouts were designed and created by Navy. All subsequent layouts by Dylan Spartz.

© 1999-2009 MuggleNet.com. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy | COPPA Policy | Feedback | Credits
Random Addresses

399 muggles currently online