Lily. Was: Prank revisited.

[Renee]

No: HPFGUIDX 99365

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214" <the 
> >> > Renee previously:
> > 
> > Oh, I do understand why she walked away. I'm just not inclined 
to 
> > excuse it. My problem - and maybe I didn't make myself clear in 
my 
> > previous post - is that she's not just Lily Evans in this scene. 
> > She's a prefect. If she really thinks what James does is wrong, 
> it's 
> > her duty as a prefect to put an end to his treatment of Snape. > 

Alla:
> 
> I'll concede, if Lily as a prefect had an affirmative duty to 
> intervene to prevent wrongdoing, the situation takes a slightly 
> different turn.

Renee:

In message 99264 Pippin asked if Lily actually was a prefect in 
canon - a very good question. As I haven't been able to find any 
evidence for this, it could be I presumed too much here (probably 
read too many fanfics that make her a prefect...). And if Lily isn't 
a prefect, her only obligation in this scene is moral and she has 
the right to walk away after Snape's insult. 

Then why do I still don't like her in this scene? Maybe because Lily 
almost laughs when James turns Snape upside down, or maybe because 
she doesn't merely walk away but can't refrain from insulting Snape 
back first? Or maybe she'd also more or less been deified until this 
scene, and I'd expected more of her? 

Alla:
 
> The question is then how much is required of prefects? Are they 
> required to prevent every wrong they see on their way? Are they 
> required to do more than they are capable of handling emotionally?
> 
><snip>
 
> Without doubt, she was probably supposed to notify the teacher, if 
> she could not handle the situation herself. (After all, prefects 
> only help teachers to maintain discipline, right?)

Theoretically, notifying a teacher would probably be the right thing 
to do in a situation like this. The announcement alone might have 
been enough. I do wonder, though, what effect this would have on the 
status of the prefect. 

Renee