OotP Harry not a prefect & his Inner Voice

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 115121


Steve bboyminn wrote :
"As far as Dean and Seamus, I'm sorry but I have to say that if they
were outstanding in any way, they would have ...well, you know...
stood out. If Seamus or Dean were academically excellent that
outstanding quality would have rated at least a small casual mention;
Harry would have noticed. If Harry noticed then we would notice. If
they were outstanding in their participation in any extracurricular
activities, then again, they would have stood out and been worthy of
at least a minor casual mention.

We can only work with the information we have. True, Seamus and Dean
could be 'Lord and Master' of one thing or another, but again that
would stand out, and that which stands out gets noticed."

Del replies :
Don't forget that you're talking about someone who doesn't even know
the name of someone he's had a common class with for several years
(Theo Nott). In general terms, we could say that unless someone shines
in something that interests Harry, he simply won't notice them. If
Dean or Seamus were the very compassionate and very active leader of
the wizard equivalent of an Amnesty International club, for example,
chances are that Harry wouldn't know. Especially because apart from
Quidditch, *nothing* seems to be made to stand out. I was actually
surprised to learn that there were other clubs, precisely because
there had never been *any* mention of such things.

bboyminn wrote :
"Given what we know, other than being /somewhat/ less inclined to get
into trouble, have they (Dean and Seamus) ever taken any initiative
and applied it toward an important and productive end? Where were they
when Harry and Ron were on their many adventures? Safe and warm in
their beds that's where. "

Del replies :
And why ? Because they never had the *opportunity* to do anything. As
far as I can remember, we never saw them *refusing* to go on
adventures, but they were never given a chance to do so. Harry is the
hero, and as someone puts it in the books, things always seem to
happen to him. They don't happen to Dean or Seamus. Dean and Seamus
did not *choose* to wait and sit back while Harry and Ron were acting
: they were never given a choice to start with. They never had a
chance to develop the privileged relationship Harry has with DD,
Hagrid, Lupin or even Snape. They were never given an Invisibility
Cloak or the Marauders' Map. And so on. They are not the Boy Who
Lived, things don't happen to them, and so logically they can't *act*.
But that doesn't mean they wouldn't, if they were given a chance to.
That doesn't mean they are not good leaders in their own small way,
good enough to be Prefects.

And by the way : Prefects are *not* war leaders, but rule enforcers. I
can hardly see Harry telling others to follow the rules, when he
himself never did ! That would be plain and simple hypocrisy.

In short : Harry is indeed the perfect choice if one is looking for a
battle leader. But he's not a good choice for a Prefect. And no, IMO,
the two are not the same.

Del