Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======The Role of a Prefect====== =====Role Information===== * **Type:** Position of Student Authority * **Appointer(s):** [[Headmaster]] (on the recommendation of a [[Head of House]]) * **Term of Office:** Two years, beginning in the student's fifth year at [[Hogwarts]]. =====Selection and Responsibilities===== A **Prefect** at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] is a student entrusted with special authority and responsibilities. Each year, one male and one female student from each of the four [[Hogwarts Houses|Houses]] are chosen from the incoming fifth-year class to serve. The selection is ultimately made by the [[Headmaster]], though the recommendations of the [[Heads of House]] carry significant weight. For example, [[Minerva McGonagall]] stated she would be recommending candidates to [[Albus Dumbledore]] for [[Gryffindor]] house. Prefects are expected to serve as role models for other students and to enforce school rules. Their primary duties include: * Patrolling the corridors of the [[Hogwarts Express]] during the journey to and from [[Hogwarts]]. * Guiding the first-year students from the [[Great Hall]] to their respective [[Common Room|House common rooms]] after the [[Sorting Ceremony]]. * Patrolling the school's corridors at designated times, including at night, to ensure students are not out of bed after hours. * Maintaining order and discipline among younger students. Prefects have the authority to dock [[House Points]] from students in any house (except from other prefects). =====Privileges===== In recognition of their status and to aid in their duties, prefects are granted several exclusive privileges: * **[[Prefects' Bathroom]]:** Prefects have sole access to a special, luxurious bathroom located on the fifth floor, behind a portrait of Boris the Bewildered. The password is required for entry (it was "pine fresh" during Harry's fourth year). This bathroom features a large, swimming-pool-sized bathtub with numerous enchanted taps that produce different types of magical bubble bath. * **Authority:** They hold a position of leadership and authority over the general student body, which is a significant mark of honor and trust from the [[Hogwarts]] staff. * **The Prefect Badge:** Prefects are distinguished by a silver badge, featuring the letter 'P' over their [[Hogwarts Houses|House]] crest, which they are expected to wear on their robes. For instance, the [[Gryffindor]] badge is scarlet and gold, while the [[Slytherin]] badge is green and silver. =====Known Prefects===== The following is a list of known characters who served as prefects, organized by their approximate time at [[Hogwarts]]. * //Pre-1980s// * [[Albus Dumbledore]] ([[Gryffindor]]) * [[Remus Lupin]] ([[Gryffindor]]) * [[Lily Evans]] ([[Gryffindor]]) * //1980s – Early 1990s// * [[Bill Weasley]] ([[Gryffindor]]) * [[Charlie Weasley]] ([[Gryffindor]]) * [[Percy Weasley]] ([[Gryffindor]]) * [[Penelope Clearwater]] ([[Ravenclaw]]) * [[Cedric Diggory]] ([[Hufflepuff]]) * //Harry Potter's Year (Appointed 1995)// * **Gryffindor:** [[Ron Weasley]] and [[Hermione Granger]] * **Hufflepuff:** [[Ernie Macmillan]] and [[Hannah Abbott]] * **Ravenclaw:** [[Anthony Goldstein]] and [[Padma Patil]] * **Slytherin:** [[Draco Malfoy]] and [[Pansy Parkinson]] =====Role in the Story===== The position of prefect serves as a significant element of character development and plot throughout the series. [[Percy Weasley]]'s pride in being a prefect illustrates his ambitious and rule-abiding nature, which later contributes to his estrangement from his family. In //[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]//, [[Ron Weasley]]'s unexpected appointment as prefect over [[Harry Potter]] is a crucial moment. It serves to boost Ron's self-esteem, allowing him to step out of Harry's shadow, while also forcing Harry to grapple with feelings of being overlooked by [[Albus Dumbledore]]. [[Hermione Granger]]'s selection was widely expected and fits her diligent, intelligent, and responsible personality perfectly. In contrast, [[Draco Malfoy]] uses his prefect status not to maintain order, but as a tool to bully and antagonize Harry and his friends, highlighting the potential for abuse of power. The backstory of the [[Marauders]] reveals that Dumbledore appointed [[Remus Lupin]] as a prefect in the hope that he could exert a positive influence on his friends, [[James Potter]] and [[Sirius Black]]. =====Behind the Scenes===== * It is a common misconception, partly due to the film adaptations, that [[James Potter]] was a prefect. The novels state clearly that [[Remus Lupin]] was the [[Gryffindor]] prefect from their year. [[James Potter]] was, however, made [[Head Boy]] in their seventh year. * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, [[Albus Dumbledore]] tells Harry he did not make him a prefect because he felt Harry already had "enough responsibility to be going on with." This is a simplification of the book's narrative, where Dumbledore was deliberately distancing himself from Harry. * [[J.K. Rowling]] has stated that she made [[Ron Weasley]] a prefect because he needed the confidence boost and to show his maturation as a character. (J.K. Rowling interview)
