Missing Prefects

[David L.]

No: HPFGUIDX 135765

Neil wrote:
> 
> Could someone please explain how the prefect system works. In book
> five Ron and Hermione get made prefects and it seems they are the
> only two in Gryffindor. They patrol the train, lead the first years
> to the dorm and it is only Hermione who takes on Fred and George. I
> thought at the time that being a prefect was only for one year.

David L.:
I can't say how the prefect system works in Hogwarts but I can comment on 
how it worked in my school. Prefects were chosen every year out of the pool 
of Forms Fives and Forms Sixes (Upper and Lower). In our case students in 
Forms Five and Six did some of th nomination and the elections of thier 
peers while the majority was done by teachers. Usually prefects that are 
chosen remain prefects until they leave school (at least, for the Form 
Sixes). Form Fives that graduate and return to Form Six loose their prefect 
badge but in some cases they are made prefects again when they return in 
Form Six. So that would mean that Ron and Hermoine would remain prefects 
until they graduate from Hogwarts. It seems that things may be a little 
different in JK's world. It could mean that prefects are only chosen from 
the entering fifth years otherwise if they were chosen from entering Fifth, 
Sixth and Seventh Years there would be a total of 36 prefects with 12 in 
each house. While this may seem a lot given the estimaed number of students 
in the school that number may not be unreasonable. I hope this clears the 
situation somewhat.


Neil:

I understand that these missing prefects are not important to the
story line, but they are treated more like being nonexistant than
missing.


David L.:
Well, the story pretty much centered on Dumbledore and Harry with much of it 
on uncovering Tom's or rather Voldemort's past. So as you said above they 
just were not important to the crux of the storyline. 

David L.