[HPforGrownups] Re: The Prefect Question (was Head Boy)

[Kathryn Cawte]

No: HPFGUIDX 70171


 People keep on (on every mailing list I'm on) asking about this. They say
that because Remus was a prefect in the fifth year that James wasn't a
prefect *ever*. Do we know that the school doesn't appoint *more* prefects
in the sixth and/or seventh year? If we stick to just two per house per year
that's a total of 24 plus Head boy and Head girl, which seems rather low to
me for the size that JKR says Hogwarts is. Certainly the school I was at
pretty much the entire of the 7th year were prefects (with the exception of
those like the Twins who shouldn't *ever* be put in a position of authority)
 Why are we assuming that Hogwarts doesn't have 2 per house in the fifth
yeasr and then appoint another 2 in the sixth year and possibly more again
in the seventh year. In which case James could easily have been a 6th year
prefect especially if he suddenly grew up after his best friend tried to
feed Snape to one of his other best friends as a midnight. I haven't seen
anything in canon that would contradict this theory and yet everyone seems
to assume that unless someone resigns then those prefects appointed in the
fifth year are the only ones to be appointed ever.

Also someone complained about Draco being apointed as prefect - Albus may
not have had a choice. We don't know a lot about his classmates but i can't
see Crabbe or Goyle being any better at the job than Draco and they'd be
doing whatever he wanted anyway since he seems to be the leader. While he
may not have wanted to appoint Draco he may have been the best of a bad
bunch. Plus I wouldn't be surprised if the House Heads didn't have the main
role in choosing prefects and then Albus just rubber stamped it.

K