[HPforGrownups] Re: HRH and their Prefect badges

[Shaun Hately]

No: HPFGUIDX 72023

On 21 Jul 2003 at 1:22, Random wrote:

> > If he earns it by spectaclar merit, maybe.
> 
> or, as you nor i have any clue as to how the system works, it's quite 
> possible ordinary merit will be quite enough. can anyone with _real_ 
> boarding school experience weigh in? is it normal for people who were 
> passed over in one year to make prefect the next?

Hogwarts is somewhat unusual in this regard. In most schools with a 
prefect system, prefects are drawn only from the final year. As Hogwarts 
is not following that normal system (and it's not a universal, there are 
variants) basically it could be doing anything. Personally speaking, it 
would surprise me if prefects were routinely replaced, but I have heard 
of systems where additional prefects are appointed (my school had such a 
system - most prefects were appointed at the start of the year, but 
there was a second appointment about a third through the year (generally 
the appointment of any House Captains who weren't prefects - it happened 
occasionally, as House Captains were elected after the first batch of 
Prefects were appointed). 

I think the viability of that would very much depend on how many 
students Hogwarts has. If there are only 280 (as suggested in some 
theories) I would personally doubt there'd be any more prefects 
routinely appointed - you'd have too many).

Basically, there's enough variations in the classic system that nothing 
can be ruled out. But *generally* I would say that it'd require 
something unusual for Harry to become a prefect at this point.

Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately | www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       | drednort at alphalink.com.au | ICQ: 6898200 
"You know the very powerful and the very stupid have one
thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the 
facts. They alter the facts to fit the views. Which can be 
uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that 
need altering." The Doctor - Doctor Who: The Face of Evil
Where am I: Frankston, Victoria, Australia