[HPforGrownups] CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 9, The Woes of Mrs. Weasley - Discussion Questions

[Vinnia]

No: HPFGUIDX 88493

 --- abigailnus <abigailnus at yahoo.com> wrote: >
Chapter 9 - The Woes of Mrs. Weasley
> 
> Discussion Questions:
> 10. We already know why Harry wasn't selected for
> Prefect, but 
> do you feel that Ron was a good choice?  Does he
> truly have 
> latent leadership qualities or did Rowling select
> him simply to 
> make Harry jealous (and because, apart from Harry,
> he's the 
> Gryffindor boy with whom we have the most contact)? 
> What do 
> you feel might have been Dumbledore's reasons for
> selecting Ron 
> as prefect?  Is he perhaps trying to guide Ron in
> the path of his 
> older brothers?  Would another Gryffindor boy have
> made a better 
> choice?

Vinnia:
I don't think Ron is a good choice, because he doesn't
care enough. Look at Percy in PS/SS, he talked to
Hermione about lessons - showing that he's willing to
answer first year students queries. In CoS, Percy
offered Harry advice about elective subjects. I'd say
that if Harry wasn't friend with Ron, but need advice,
Percy would still help. Compare this with Ron, he
called the first year 'midget' He probably did all the
required task, but not more.

But Ron needs to be a prefect for the story, for some
reasons:
1. To maintain peace in fifth year boys dormitory. If
Dean/Seamus was prefect, the scene on the first night
back would have different outcome.
2. Ron needs to become prefect to get a new broom. The
story line need Ron to have the broom to get into the
team, to lead Harry to the scene with Malfoy, and the
quidditch ban 

As for the other boys:
- Seamus: Harry would have a hard time in the dorm
room...at least on the first night. Probably
Dumbledore was aware about Mrs Finnigan's view on the
matter, therefore expect some sort of confrontation to
break out between Seamus and Harry at some point?
Interestingly enough, Seamus' first DA meeting is also
the last DA meeting held that year. Does he has
something to do with Marietta's betrayal?

- Dean: he's Seamus best friend, so same reason as to
why Seamus can't be a prefect.

- Neville: he was not ready to be a prefect. He still
had to grow his confidance at the time.

> 
> 13. Sirius tells us that James wasn't a prefect, and
> yet we know from 
> PS/SS that he was Head Boy.  Several suggestions
> have been made 
> in the attempt to resolve this paradox, among them
> the claim that 
> this is a FLINT, the suggestion that a HB isn't
> necessarily selected 
> from among the prefects, and the suggestion that
> Lupin was 
> stripped of his prefect's badge, which was given to
> James.  Which, 
> if any, do you think is true?  What do you think
> this bodes for Harry's 
> chances of being made Head Boy?

Vinnia:
--start quote--
CoS ch 4:
'Wish I knew what he was up to,' said Fred, frowning.
'He's not himself. His exam results came the day
before you did; twelve O.W.L.s and he hardly gloated
at all.'
<snip>
George: 'Bill got twelve too. If we're not careful,
we'll have another Head Boy in the family.'
--end quote--

So it looks like head boy is chosen by academic
achievement. Harry is not really one of the top
students, is he? Draco is probably one, though. If
Draco is the top male student, would Dumbledore not
let him become head boy because his father is a DE?

The other likely candidate is Ernie McMillan, IMHO.


Vinnia

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