How many Prefects are there?

[finduilasmydarkdreamer]

No: HPFGUIDX 84818

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Robert Jones" 
<jones.r.h.j at w...> wrote:
> Nothing in the plot turns on this question, but I would still like 
> to know the answer: how many Prefects are there?  I mean, is being 
> appointed a Prefect a one-year gig, or do those who are appointed 
> Prefects in their fifth year remain Prefects in their sixth and 
> seventh years?  In other words, at any given time, are there *two* 
> Gryffindor Prefects or *six*?  Maybe someone who knows the British 
> boarding school system can shed some light on this.

I think the answer is most likely to be that there are two prefects 
from each house at Hogwarts per year. I think so because I remember 
Percy, one of the Gryffindor Prefects, leading the first years, 
including Harry, up to Gryffindor Tower after the start of term feast 
in PS/SS. Then, in CoS, the Polyjuiced Harry and Ron (as Crabbe and 
Goyle) and later Draco, too, run into Percy who is patroulling (so it 
seemed to me) the floors leading to the dungeons. 
Even though Percy is probably a person who likes to give orders and 
keep others from breaking rules I can't see any other reason than his 
prefect's duties to make him wander the castle when everyone is told 
to go straight to- and from classes preferably in company of co-
students. He doesn't seem to me like somebody who would try to catch 
the Monster single-handed, so I guess his  task was to prevent 
students from wandering the floors of the castle without a good 
reason. 
Therefore I assume that when one is chosen as a prefect, he will stay 
a prefect unless he acts so irresponsibly and with severe 
consequences (for example endangering others) that he is inacceptable 
and clearly the wrong person for this job. But as I daresay 
Dumbledore has got his reasons for appointing prefects - even in 
Draco's case I hope there's some urge to socialize the boy or to come 
to know how he will handle a certain amount of power given to him 
behind it - I don't think this will be the case very often so that 
usually prefects will be in this position from their fifth- to their 
seventh year.
Additionally, I think when Sirius told Harry in OotP that "Remus got 
the badge" (to 'tame' his bullying Marauder friends), it is likely 
Dumbledore thought he could rather manage that during three terms 
instead of only one.

SnapesRaven alias FinduilasMyDarkDreamer
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SnapesCauldron