OoP- Head Boy

[bluesqueak]

No: HPFGUIDX 70167

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Naama" <naama2486 at y...> wrote:
> In PS Hagrid tells Harry that James and Lily were "Head Boy and 
> Girl in their day" (the Hut-on-the-Rock scene, I think). 
> 
> However, in OoP Sirius tells us James wasn't a Prefect. Lupin was. 
> Then how could James have possibly been Head Boy? Mrs Weasley 
> states clearly in OoP that becoming a Prefect is the first step to 
> becoming Head Boy (she tells Ron so).
> 
> Could Lupin and (late) Sirius have lied about James so as not to 
> make Harry feel worse about not becoming a Prefect? I can't see 
> why they would. On the other hand, I can't see why Hagrid would- 
> he was in Hogwarts when Harry's parents were at school (he's been 
> there ever since becoming gamekeeper, hasn't he?)- if he told 
> Harry his parents were Head Boy and Girl, it must be true.
> 
> Or mustn't it?!
> 
> Can you become Head Boy without having been a Prefect?

Oh, yes.

Rules for who can become Head Boy/Girl depend on the individual 
school. In some the post is selected from the prefects, in others it 
isn't. In some schools the post is appointed by the Headteacher, in 
others it is an elected office voted on by students.

The variety of rules is wide enough that JKR could pick practically 
*any* system, and there would probably be a real-life British school 
that followed that system.

My own school was an all girls school, so rather than Head Boy/Girl 
we had Head Girl/Deputy Head Girl. I made Deputy Head Girl without 
ever having been a prefect. So I have no trouble at all believing 
that it could have happened to James. ;-)

I suspect that the qualities looked for in the Hogwarts Head Boy and 
Girl are also the qualities looked for in a Prefect. Therefore, 
Prefect *is* the first step. You obviously have the right qualities 
for Head Boy/Girl-ship. 

However, the Headteacher is allowed to look outside the ranks of 
Prefects when selecting Head Boy/Girl - people can change a lot 
between 15, when prefects are selected, and 17, when Head Boy and 
Head Girl are selected.

Pip!Squeak