How many Prefects are there?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 84857

Robert Jones asked:
> 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.


Kathryn Cawte: 
> Well I think that once a prefect you stay one till you leave school
(barring
> any major trouble) but I think there's a third option. I think it's
entirely
> possible that as well as the two prefects appointed in the fifth
year there
> are more appointed in either the sixth or seventh year - so you
would have
> the six you mentioned plus a few more. I think even going with the
minimum
> size estimates for Hogwarts (approx 300) 24 prefect (possibly plus
head girl
> and boy) is too few.


It wouldn't be necessary to appoint new prefects in sixth and seventh
year if the former fifth-year prefects held onto their positions. That
would still, as you say, be 24 prefects (in most cases the Head Boy
and Girl would be among the 24), but I don't see why that wouldn't be
sufficient. As far as we know, there are only about a dozen teachers.
(I think Rowling's 1,000 students quote is a Flint. There's no
evidence for more than about 40 students per year = 280 students
total. In that case, nearly nine percent of the students would be
prefects. Fortunately they're not all as caught up in their duties as
Percy, or that would be about eight percent too many.)

Carol