OotP Harry not a prefect & his Inner Voice

[ohneill_2001]

No: HPFGUIDX 115104


Del wrote:

> My take is different. I say "let's not assume *anything*". Let's not
> assume that they are better than Harry (in whatever) OR that Harry 
is
> better than them, UNLESS we are expressly told otherwise (Harry *is*
> best at DADA, for example).

Now Cory:

I basically agree with this, at least to a point.  I guess for me 
though, the fact that we haven't been told about certain things leads 
me to assume that they haven't happened if they seem like things that 
we should have been told about.  

For example, we know that Harry has good leadership skills, because 
he led DA.  From a plot standpoint, the formation of DA was one of 
the most important events in OotP, and arguably, the series.  A few 
posts ago you argued that it's possible that Dean or Seamus might 
have done something similar, and we shouldn't assume that they 
haven't just because we haven't been told about it.  I guess my point 
is that if Dean or Seamus had done something of the magnitude of 
forming and leading DA, we should have been told about it, so for the 
present time, I am content to assume that they haven't.  I realize 
that I am open to being proven wrong in future books, but for now I'm 
willing to make that assumption.

> Del replies :
> Not necessarily. JKR could have decided that her story was full 
enough
> without adding in the Prefect subplot, in which case she would have
> given the Prefect badges to some other students, with a nice little
> explanation of why they were better suited for it, and that would 
have
> been all.

Cory again:

Sure she could have, but she didn't.  Having Ron and Hermione as 
prefects enabled her to demonstrate certain things about their 
characters -- Hermione got to show that she has a backbone (standing 
up to the twins when they were feeding their joke candies to the 
first years).  Ron...well I don't know, exactly; he didn't exactly do 
a bang-up job as a prefect.  It did give him his much-needed chance 
in the spotlight, though.

--Cory