Prefect

**Prefect** is a role given to a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in their fifth year. They appear throughout the *Harry Potter book series*.

They are chosen by the Headteacher and their Head of House to receive extra authority. Each house has one boy and one girl chosen who are thought to be responsible and academic. They have the role for three years until they graduate unless they are later given the role of Head Boy and Head Girl in their seventh year.

## About

In the summer following their fourth year, the Headteacher and the Head of Houses will pick which of their students entering their fifth year have proven to be responsible. They then send a badge with the supply letters telling them they were Prefects. Prefects have two of their own carriages on the Hogwarts Express and they patrol the corridors on the train and at Hogwarts. They also keep an eye on the school during curfew times. They could award or deduct house points from students but not each other. If the school was in danger, they patrol corridors, and guarded the other students.

Prefects took first year students to their House common room when the Start-of-Term Feast was over.

### Badge

The badges have the colour of each house and the emblem. The letter "P" is placed on the emblem. The badge for Gryffindor Prefects has the picture of a lion. Percy Weasley's badge was once changed by Fred and George Weasley to read "Pinhead" instead. In 1943, the badge was silver.

## History

The Weasley family were notable for being a family that had four Prefects. Bill, Charlie and Percy Weasley had the role. Percy took pride in it and bragged about it, showing off the badge and kept telling everyone he was a Prefect. Fred and George thought Prefects were prats and were too happy breaking the rules instead of earning the badge.

In April to May 1993, Prefects had to patrol corridors in pairs searching for answers about the Chamber of Secrets and keeping students safe. In October, Professor Dumbledore asked Prefects to guard the entrance to the Great Hall when students had to sleep in there because Sirius Black had broken into the school. They were put in charge under the leadership of the Head Boy and Girl.

In the summer of 1995, Harry Potter was unhappy when both Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were made prefects and wondered why he was not picked in place of Ron. Hermione took her role very seriously but Ron was prepared to slack and let people off. However, Draco Malfoy abused the power because he thought it fun to be harsh and take house points from people he hated or bullied.

## Notes and sources

1. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*, Chapter 9
2. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 9
3. ↑ What Jo says about... "The Rules" of Harry Potter's Wizarding World
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 15
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Chapter 9
6. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*, Chapter 7
7. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 12
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 13
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*, Chapter 6
10. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, Chapter 16