Prefects (was Re: Dumbledore's Tear)

[Richard]

No: HPFGUIDX 78783

<tallulah_sam at h...> wrote:
This is something that has bothered me for a while. Why was Ron ever 
made a prefect?  But why Ron? and then also why Harry? Surely there 
are other more deserving people? ...edited...

Sorry, its rather trivial I know but I honestly dont see why either 
Ron or Harry deserves the badge over somebody like Dean or Seamus?


bboy_mn then wrote:

Keep in mind that we only have a field of 10 people to chose from.
None of them beyond Harry, Ron, and Hermione have distinquished
themselves in any way; they are all ordinary students. If there was
trouble in the castle, like a DE raid, would you prefer to put the
fate of the underclassmen in Ron's hands or Seamus's hands? 

Personally, Ron has a lot more experience, and a proved track record
in crisis; so my vote goes to him. If my kids were underclassmen, I
can think of no one more likely to keep their head in a crisis and to
act for the greater good than the Trio.

More specifically, why Ron or Harry rather than Dean or Seamus? What
have Dean or Seamus ever done? How have they distinquished themselves
in any way? Have they ever shown the ability to take the initiative in
a crisis and do what has to be done? No, I don't think so. 

While Harry and Ron may have bent a few rules, it was always for the
greater good, and they alway took the action that needed to be take
rather than waiting around to be told what to do next.

Some people are Generals and some people are soldiers; Harry, Ron, and
Hermione, whether they like it or not, are fated to be Generals.


to which I reply ...

A point that a good many people forget about leadership is that there 
are times when you have to throw the rules out the window, because at 
such times they actually cause more problems than they prevent.  The 
great art in wise leadership is knowing when to follow the rules, 
when to bend them and when to break them.  In short, I agree with you 
100 percent regarding rules and the need to occasionally ignore 
them.  Still, if we're going to understand prefectship, we have a 
different coin to examine.

Percy was a rules freak, but being (apparently) the best in his class 
on a number of fronts, it would have been hard to NOT make him a 
prefect, and then a Head Boy.  But his greatest liability in my view 
is that he cannot step outside the rules and do what is necessary, as 
opposed to what is demanded by the rules.  He follows Fudge not 
simply out of a desire to advance, but because, being THE Minister of 
Magic, Fudge IS the rules.  What he says is, in a sense, law, even 
though we know he is in part constrained by the Muggle Prime Minister 
and Pariament, as well as the bureaucracy and process of the 
Ministry.  Percy cannot step back from this embodiment of the rules 
and see that Fudge is off his nut, with regard to LV and Harry and DD.

The trio have demonstrated that they TEND to follow the rules, as we 
don't see them routinely partaking in the jinxing of others in the 
halls.  They largely reserve their jinxes for defensive purposes, 
instead of initiating hijinx.  Academically, Ron seems to be the 
least gifted of the three, but I think the observation that none of 
the other three male Gryffindors has demonstrated that they are more 
gifted than Ron leaves Ron the logical academic choice.  Link this 
with his willingness to do what is necessary when it IS necessary, 
and you have a potentially very good prefect and possibly a good 
candidate for Head Boy.  The problem is that we also know he doesn't 
take pressure well.  Crises?  Yes, he'll stand up well.  But not to 
pressure.

Ron waffles, shrinks and collapses under the pressure of being the 
new keeper for the house team, continually losing confidence in 
practice, wilting under the taunts of the Slytherins, etc.  It isn't 
until he makes the paradoxical realization that he can't get any 
worse that he stops caring about the pressure and failure and does so 
well in the last game.

Ron's problem is always confidence.  He gets into trouble when he 
doubts himself.  Hanging with what are apparently the best of the 
class can't help his confidence overly much, but the knowledge and 
skill of the other two has rubbed off onto Ron, some.  He gets in 
extra practice at things working with Harry for the Tournament.  His 
homework is, in a sense, graded twice, once by Hermione and then by 
the assigning teacher.  As a once-upon-a-time teacher, I know that 
the more times a student comes into contact with the RIGHT 
information, the more likely it will stick.  Copying someone else's 
work isn't as good as studying it for one's self, and doing the work 
on one's own, but it is better than what many students do, which is 
not to study much at all, confuse the facts, and rarely if ever try 
to figure out what was really wrong in the first place.  With his two 
best friends, he is getting more chances to see things that are 
right, and it can't be hurting him.

Now, we KNOW that Harry is better at DADA than Hermione, and that 
Hermione deeply impresses others with her abilities.  Hermione is 
likely the best of her year in the school.  Harry impresses even 
adult wizards with his abilities.  But, will Harry want to be Head 
Boy?  He knows that Ron WANTS to be Head Boy, as well as Quidditch 
Captain.  Harry has lot's on his plate, as DD noted.  I think Harry 
will try to get Ron the captaincy at some point, and that with Harry 
being pre-occupied by other problems, and Ron's being continually 
exposed to both Hermione and Harry, he may also find himself Head Boy.

In other words, I'm not surprised that Ron was named prefect (there 
were only five boys to pick from), and not concerned that he would 
not be at least a candidate for Head Boy.

Richard