Ron as prefect?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 106313

Del wrote:
<snip> I just want to say that I am a tiny bit offended at the way you
dismiss Ron.

His grades might be ordinary, but then so are the grades of all
others, except Hermione, and Harry in DADA, as far as we know. So the
other boys would not have been better choices on that point.
 
No leadership qualities ? I beg to differ. Right from the first book
when Ron directs Harry and Hermione on the giant chess set, we see
that he *can* lead if he has a *reason* to. But the thing is, most of
the time, he doesn't have any reason to lead. As the youngest of the
Weasley brothers, he's used to older brothers deciding for him. And as
Harry and Hermione's friend, both leaders too, he's quite happy to
follow them in a life of fun and adventures. Everybody can't be a
leader at the same time. Ron's leadership abilities (courage,
initiative, strategy, and so on) are latent, but they are most
definitely present in him.
 
And we've never seen Seamus or Dean lead anything or anyone either.
 
Carol responds:
Also there's the simple fact that Ron is Harry's best friend, and both
Dumbledore and McGonagall (who surely had a say in the matter) would
want the Prefect for that year to be loyal to Harry. Seamus comes back
for the fifth year doubting Harry after reading the Daily Prophet's
lies. Ron, for all his faults, would never doubt anything Harry says
concerning Voldemort. And despite an occasional tiff with Harry (who
really doesn't handle confrontation tactfully), he's really devoted to
Harry. And, as the Second Task in GoF shows, the devotion is mutual.

I think there were secondary motives--to help Ron grow and develop the
latent skills Del mentions and maybe to prevent jealousy of Harry and
give Ron something to be proud of that would spur him to further
achievements--but primarily I think that, since Harry was too burdened
with other obligations to take on the responsibilities of a prefect,
it was essential that someone close to him do so. Ron is the
obvious--in fact the only--possibility here.

As for Neville--not prefect material because he has so little
self-confidence and no authority whatever--can't even remember the
passwords. But he'll have his day. Too bad there's so much emphasis on
Quidditch and so little on academics. He could win a medal in
herbology. For now, there's a new wand and a new boggart. (I think
he'll get over his fear of Professor Snape and even come to regard it
as silly given the real terrors that are in store in the next few
books. I hope.)

Carol, imagining Draco with a Professor "Moody" boggart and what would
happen if he "riddikulused" him