HRH and their Prefect badges

[greatelderone]

No: HPFGUIDX 71986

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "oh have faith" 
<rshuson80 at y...> wrote:
>Not at all - Dumbledore made his decision for a reason, and who's to 
>say he was wrong? You're assuming it was an error in judgment not 
>to make Harry prefect - maybe it wasn't.

Well even Dumbledore admitted in the end that he was capable of 
making mistakes especially in regards to Harry and he admitted that 
it certainly was a mistake to believe that he couldn't handle the 
prophecy.

> Imagine OOP if Harry *had* 
>been prefect - he already had detention with Umbridge, extra 
>Quidditch practise, 

He got banned in October remember.

>DA meetings, nightmares, achey scars, worries, 
>Occlumency lessons, OWLs to study for

Your point? Hermione also had a lot to do including her SPEW 
activities, helping Harry with the DA(the protean charm and the 
jinxed paper) and her extra classes along with trying to clear 
Harry's name and getting the truth out and she still managed to 
perform her prefect activities.

>prefectly duties (which 
>would mean coming up against the formidable forces of Fred and 
>George)

Both of whom owed him big time for providing the galleons for their 
joke shop. Furthermore the fact that he managed to manage them in the 
DA said lots for his authority over them.

>Dumbledore's a wise man, he made his decision for a 
>reason.

His decision was made because he thought Harry couldn't handle the 
responsibility and he admitted that his belief that Harry couldn't 
handle the extra burdens was a mistake.

 >If Harry won't accept it, he ought to learn some humility. 

I think he has learned enough humility after living with the dursleys 
for tens years and being treated like trash by them.

>And his circumstances haven't really changed - Harry is still going 
>to have a lot to cope with next year, so maybe it's still best for 
>him if he isn't a prefect. 

Yes the circumstances have certainly changed. Dumbledore admitted 
that his decision on not giving him the prefectship and the prophecy 
was because he didn't want to over burden him and at the end he 
admitted that it was a mistake on his part to think Harry couldn't 
handle the responsiblities.

>Besides, I can't see any way of Harry getting given the badge next 
>year after all that wouldn't smack of major favouritism.

It was major favouritism when he didn't give the badge to him since 
he thought he couldn't handle it.

>He's been 
>considered for a prefect's badge once, and rejected. I really doubt 
>that Dumbledore would ever reconsider for anyone except Harry.

However Dumbledore has re-evaluated his treatment of Harry towards 
the end after the fiasco in the MoM where Sirius died.

> I 
>bet there were a few people in Harry's year who were secretly 
>hoping/expecting to be prefect, but none of them got the benefit of 
>a personal explanation of why not, or of a last minute reprieve.

However none of them were thought to be the leading candidate for the 
position of prefect unlike Harry who everyone from Hermione to Ron, 
George and Fred thought was going to get the badge.  

> No 
>special treatment for Harry means no cute!surprise!prefect!badge 
>just because he's Dumbledore's pal. If he earns it by spectaclar 
>merit, maybe.

Like stopping Voldemort from gaining immortality and a corporeal 
body, destroying Slytherin's surprise in the chamber of secrets, 
rescuing Buckbeak and Sirius and getting away from Voldemort along 
with Cedric'sbody. If they aren't spectacular merits I don't know 
what are.

> But he's not done anything extra in OOP to earn it, 
>so circumstances really have not changed since DD's original 
>decision. 

Yes they have! Dumbledore has realized that Harry can indeed handle 
the extra responsibility.

>Besides, how much does Harry really care about being prefect? He's 
>never dreamed of it before, that we know of. He doesn't respect 
>other prefects. 

Like Draco Malfoy who goes around abusing his prefect powers and who 
should never have been allowed into the school.

>He doesn't place much value in respecting the rules 
>or being a good student. 

Neither does Ron in fact it was Ron who encouraged him into dueling 
with Malfoy in SS.

>If Ron and Hermione hadn't been made 
>prefects, I doubt he'd care a bean.

Actually he cared because he thought his father was made prefect and 
he wanted to live up to his father's memory that is until he found 
out his father was a arrogant jerk.

 
>I repeat: it's a better lesson for him to accept it and move on, 
>even if he does feel hard done by, than it is to have it handed to 
>him on a plate because Dumbledore's conscience bugs him.

Except he did move on. There was no mention of his jealousy or 
interest in the prefect position following the arrival at Hogwarts. 

>This is not to say JKR won't hand it to him on a plate, but even if 
>she does, I will stand by my conviction that it's blatant 
>favouritism 

Favouritisim? Giving Ron, the underqualified candidate, the position 
for no reason and not giving Harry the position because he didn't 
want to overburden him was the favouritisim there.

>and is a bad idea for Harry's future maturity.

Future maturity? How is he not mature? The kid managed to live 
through ten years of hell with the Dursleys and has seen his 
schoolmates and friends die which all of been major character 
building experiences for him. 

He certainly didn't throw a tantrum over such minor issues of whether 
he deserved the prefectship or not like Ron who stopped speaking to 
him after Harry was selected for the triwizard tournament.