[HPforGrownups] Re: The Prefect Question & Headship

[Kathryn Cawte]

No: HPFGUIDX 70289


 
I wrote:
> 
> 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? 
 
then bboy_mn argued:
 
Stop and think for a moment. Ron and Hermione are in their 5th year
and are appointed Prefects. Next year they will be in their 6th year,
and they will still be Prefects; SIXTH year prefect, so there is no
point in appointing 6th year prefects, they simply move up from 5th,
and the 6th years move up into 7th year. 
 
Me again -

You misunderstand me. I think it's likely that *extra* prefects are
appointed in the 6th and 7th years. So that when Hermione and Ron become 6th
years they will still be prefects but others (say Dean and Lavender for
example) are also made prefects.
 

> 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. 
 
bboy_mn
There are 6 Prefects living in each housing area (we call them
Dormitories in the USA, but that word doesn't have the same meaning in
the UK). That seems sufficient to supervise the kids living there. I
will add that the kids at Hogwarts seem exceptionally will behaved,
and seem to manage quite well with limited supervision. You could
never get away with that number of prefects in an American School. I'm
sure an American school would require armed secuity guards. 
 
me again-

But if JKR's figures are right (and I'm not getting into whether they are or
not but since she says 1000 students I assume that uis the figure she has in
mind when deciding how many prefects she needs) then that's 6 prefects to
control the approx. 244 other students in their house. Which seems to me to
be on the low side.
 
> Certainly the school I was at pretty much the entire of the 7th year
were prefects ...
 
bboy_mn
I assume you mean formal prefects, but at Hogwarts where the 7th
aren't designated as formal prefects, they are still likely to keep
the younger kids under control. 7th years have their NEWTs coming up,
and it is their last chance to prove themselves academically, so they
aren't going to put up with anything that put their future at risk.
The result; they unofficially help keep the little kids in line.
 
me -

Well we had the same incentive (only A-Levels not NEWTS obviously) but we
still had a darn site more than 8 prefects in the top year of the school,
and my school was smaller than Hogwarts is supposed to be.
 
 K