Sometimes, a person's loss was for the best all around.
It was certainly for the best all around when Draco Malfoy had lost his prefect badge.
Now, it was Ron Weasley's turn to lose his prefect badge.
Fittingly, while it had been sleaziness that had cost Draco his badge, it would be laziness that would cost Ron his badge.
On Friday, September 8th, 1995, at 7 P.M. Hogwarts time, there was a meeting in the staffroom amongst the remaining staff at Hogwarts. This group was one short due to Umbitch having been removed from Hogwarts earlier that week.
"So," piped up Dumbledore, "Do any of you have any concerns?"
Professor Sprout raised her hand.
"Yes, Pomona?" replied Dumbledore.
"As you all know, Draco Malfoy lost his prefect badge earlier this week," explained Sprout, "I believe that Ron Weasley needs to lose his as well."
"Why?" asked Dumbledore sharply.
"The biggest reason," said Sprout seriously, "Is his laziness. Mr. Weasley has cut my class all three times this week."
"You have to give it time," insisted Dumbledore, "The very reason I selected Mr. Weasley as a prefect is to allow him the opportunity to learn some responsibility."
"The position of prefect isn't a place to learn responsibility, but a place to apply it," said Flitwick firmly, "Students selected for the position of prefect should have already demonstrated this responsibility."
"There have definitely been times when he has failed to turn in his Herbology homework in this past," added Sprout.
"I have also seen him goof off in class," interjected Trelawney.
"This is factual," droned Binns, "He regularly ignores my lectures, choosing to spend my classes looking through his chocolate frog card collection, reading books on Quidditch, or playing chess with Mr. Finnigan."
"This is behavior unbecoming of a prefect," said Hagrid clearly, "A prefect is supposed to set a good example for the other students."
"Does anyone know what Mr. Weasley has been doing when he has been cutting class?" inquired Pomfrey.
"I do," admitted Hooch, "He has been napping on a hideous brown beach towel with polka dots on the Sloping Lawns."
"He doesn't like to do anything," added Flitwick, "When we do pairs work or groupwork in class, he just lets everyone else do all the work while he takes it easy and contributes nothing himself."
"A person this lazy does not cut it as a prefect," said Sprout sharply.
"There are other concerns too," piped up Pince, "Mr. Weasley is irresponsible. Over the years, there have been multiple occasions on which Mr. Weasley has returned library books in poor condition. He has often returned books with covers and pages bent, ripped, torn, crumpled, or covered in substances such as chocolate, juice, and even urine. "
"That's not just irresponsible, which it obviously is, " piped up Twycross, "It also shows a lack of respect for other people's property."
"An excellent point," said Burbage, "If a student can't even take care of library books properly, how can we trust him to handle the things he would need to handle in his prefect duties."
"He has also abused his position," added Vector, "Just this afternoon at lunch, I saw him threaten Euan Abercrombie, a first year, at the Gryffindor table at lunch by asserting his prefect status and telling him he would put him in detention if he didn't give ten galleons. I stepped in and made Mr. Weasley leave so that Mr. Abercrombie could eat in peace."
"Mr. Abercrombie should forgive Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore clearly, "He was only trying to help himself out. He is not well off you know."
"Mr. Weasley is also very messy," added Filch, "On a scale of a zero to one hundred, his table manners are zero. He also creates more work for me by dragging mud all over the place. He often steps in mud and dirt on purpose."
"I think Mr. Weasley should retain his prefect status," said Snape silkily, "He has learned to stand up to Mr. Potter and he, along with Mr. Finnigan, Mr. Malfoy, and Miss Johnson all have a great pulse on what's going on in the Wizarding World at this time."
"The reality of the matter is," said Sprout seriously, "I cannot in good conscience allow a lazy, messy, irresponsible student who abuses the position continue in the role of prefect."
"I cannot condone this either," nodded Flitwick, "I think we need to vote on whether to remove Ron Weasley from the role of prefect."
"Indeed," said Twycross briskly, "Everyone who favors stripping Ron Weasley of his prefect badge should raise his or her right hand. Those against this motion should raise their left hands."
Next nanosecond, Flitwick, Sprout, Hagrid, Pomfrey, Hooch, Pince, Vector, Sinistra, Burbage, Binns, Filch, Trelawney, and Twycross all raised their right hands.
Dumbledore and Snap both raised their left hands.
McGonagall, having been silent throughout all of this, abstained and did not vote.
"So," said Flitwick in a crystal clear voice, "By a vote of 13-2-1, the staff of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has voted to oust Ron Weasley from the position of Gryffindor prefect due to abuse of power within the position and behavior inconsistent with the role, including and especially laziness."
...
As it turned out, they wouldn't even need to take the prefect badge from Ron.
The next day, Ron had returned to the Sloping Lawns for a long relaxation period.
He was using the same hideous brown beach towel with polka dots he had been using that week. He had taken the badge off to relax more comfortably. When he got up to go to dinner, he forgot the badge on the Sloping Lawns. Hooch had recovered it and turned it in to the staff that night.
Ron Weasley was a prefect no more.
Just as Draco Malfoy losing his prefect status was best all around, so too Ron Weasley losing his prefect status was best all around.
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