No prefects from sixth year? Or are there?

[darrin_burnett]

No: HPFGUIDX 70174

There are eight prefects taken, a boy and a girl from each house, in 
fifth year.

But, are there sixth-year prefects as well? What about seventh-year? 

Hermione and Ron seem to be the only students in Gryffindor Tower 
with the ability to discipline Fred and George, which would indicate 
there were no sixth- or seventh-year prefects.

However, Percy was a prefect in his sixth-year, which is CoS. 
Penelope Clearwater, who I think is Percy's same year, was a 
Ravenclaw prefect in CoS. And Diggory had access to the prefects' 
bathroom, and he is at least sixth-year in GoF. (This could be 
explained, however, by a rule that says once you have been a prefect, 
you get the perks for the remaining two years.)

Some explanations: 

* There are sixth- and seventh-year prefects and they just weren't 
around when Hermione was trying to stop Fred and George from testing 
their stuff on first-years. Hermione was overstepping her bounds and 
should have reported them to an older prefect.

* All the OoP sixth-years who were prefects in GoF resigned or were 
sacked. Too many fights in the hallways resulting in ferrets and 
boils and long teeth. D-Dore decides on an overhaul.

* In CoS, there is determined not to be suitable prefect candidates 
from fifth-year Gryffindor males and fifth-year Ravenclaw females. 
Percy and Penelope are then asked to keep their jobs in sixth-year, 
which of course, they are only too happy to do.

* D-Dore, overcome by a strange magic known as plot contrivance, 
overhauls the prefects to include all fifth years because he knows it 
is the most important year because it contains Harry.

Darrin