Harry Potter: The Real Reason Why Dumbledore Made Ron A Prefect

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore makes a questionable choice by assigning Ron as a Prefect instead of Harry; here’s the real reason why. Order of the Phoenix is one of the more chaotic movies in the Harry Potter series simply because so much content has to be axed from the 766-page novel. There’s simply no way that a two-and-a-half-hour movie can fully cover everything that J.K. Rowling chooses to reveal in the 5th book, leading to several plot holes and a lot left unexplained. The source material is also a complex one within the scope of the series as a whole. So much of Harry’s struggle is internal, and the time period is transitionary between Cedric’s death and before Voldemort goes out in the open.

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The 5th film contains one of the most tragic character deaths and near misses, like Arthur Weasley’s snake attack and Sirius’s demise. Before the battle at the Ministry, Harry is set up for a tough year at Hogwarts. No one believes that Voldemort killed Cedric or has even returned at all, and Dumbledore is avoiding him. Dumbledore seems to make strange choices throughout Order of the Phoenix, and one of the oddest ones is making Ron a Prefect, alongside Hermione. Hermione’s miniature promotion makes sense, but Ron’s certainly doesn’t, given that other boys in the Gryffindor house are more qualified. So, out of all of Dumbledore’s bizarre choices, why did he make this one?

Dumbledore makes Ron a Prefect because he knows about his aspirations revealed by the Mirror of Erised. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Ron sees himself in the Mirror of Erised as Head Boy, like his brothers Bill and Percy, Captain of the Quidditch team, and standing out among his brothers. Dumbledore knows that Ron feels overshadowed by his brother’s accomplishments, and Harry’s best friend really let his insecurities show during Goblet of Fire. Truthfully, Ron seems like a poor choice for the job. He isn’t a model student, he isn’t particularly gifted among his peers, and he’s known for breaking the rules. However, Dumbledore might’ve noticed Ron’s difficulty with his self-esteem the prior year and hoped to provide some consolation for all he’s done. Dumbledore does the unexpected quite often, but after looking at what Ron has always wanted and how the Headmaster feels about the trio, in particular, it’s not really an odd choice at all.

Harry’s discontent with Ron being chosen as a Prefect over him is much more palpable in the books. Dumbledore says to Harry that he chooses Ron because he doesn’t think that Harry is a good fit. The Headmaster has huge plans for Harry, starting in Order of the Phoenix. Making Harry Prefect would just be a distraction from those plans. As well, the Boy Who Lived goes into his 5th year with little to no respect from his fellow classmates. Chances are most people would not listen to Harry at the time, much less heed any type of instruction. Dumbledore knows that the young Gryffindor is having it the roughest out of anyone and felt it’s best not to add more to his plate.

Dumbledore’s decision to make Ron a Prefect in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix isn’t all that strange if one considers Ron Weasley as an admirable character and his personal aspirations. In addition, Dumbledore arguably cares for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry Potter fans will surely encounter more of Dumbledore’s seemingly odd and controversial choices as Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore looms ever closer in the distance.

Key Release Dates
  • Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)Release date: Apr 15, 2022
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