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Chapter 910: The Prefects’ Carriage
🕑 Added 2023-11-01 09:17:41 +0000 UTCThe train was gathering still more speed, so that the houses outside the window flashed past and they swayed where they stood.
"What does the Head Boy do?" Harry asked curiously.
"Professor McGonagall told me last night that it’s mainly to maintain order, manage the prefects, participate in the formulation of specific school policies, plan activities, and so on. In fact, there’s not much specific work," said Evan.
In his opinion, most things could be handled by the prefects, and he didn't want to care about trivial matters.
He didn’t have enough time. The status of the Head Boy was more symbolic. When he wanted to do something, it provided a good shelter and a good reason, rather than actually doing specific practical work.
"We can't just stand here forever..." Ginny reminded.
"Yeah, we should find a compartment." Harry nodded hurriedly.
"Well … Harry … Evan, Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said awkwardly.
"Before the start of the term, everyone meet up and by the way, talk about guiding the first-years for a while," said Evan.
Ron wasn’t looking at Harry; he seemed to have become intensely interested in the fingernails on his left hand.
"Prefect carriage?!" Harry said, reacting immediately, "Oh, right. Fine."
“I don’t think we’ll have to stay there all journey,” said Hermione quickly. “Our letters said the prefects just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time."
"I forgot about it if you didn’t tell me, I have to lecture the prefects..." said Evan, and Hermione gave him a disgruntled look.
"Fine, you go, I’ll see you later." Harry said again.
"Well, see you later, Harry, Ginny!" Evan waved.
"You know, it’s a pain having to go down there, I’d rather..." said Ron hesitantly, casting a shifty, anxious look at Harry, as though he had betrayed him, "but we have to … I mean, I’m not enjoying it. I’m not Percy, and I don't care about the prefect or the Head Boy," he finished defiantly.
"I know you’re not," said Harry and he grinned. "Go ahead and remember to support Evan."
But when Evan, Hermione and Ron walked toward the engine end of the train, Harry felt an odd sense of loss. He had never traveled on the Hogwarts Express without Ron.
“Come on,” Ginny told him, “if we get a move on we’ll be able to save them places."
“Right,” said Harry, picking up Hedwig’s cage in one hand and the handle of his trunk in the other.
After separating from Harry and Ginny, the three of them walked straight to the engine end of the train, where the prefects’ carriage was located.
"The main task of the Head Boy is to manage the prefects. Evan, as the youngest Head Boy in centuries, others may raise objections..." Hermione said with concern, reminding him what he should pay attention to later. "It's okay for the others, but Manfred Gleeson (T.N.: I found this name nowhere in the books or the movies. It should be a personage created by the author. But Gleeson is in fact the name of the actor who played Mad-Eye Moody in the movies), the prefect of Slytherin, needs special attention."
"Manfred Gleeson?!" Evan recalled a tall, somewhat sturdy boy.
He had had no contact with this guy before; he only knew that he was the prefect of Slytherin, and was three years older than him.
"Like other Slytherin students, Gleeson is a nasty guy," said Ron. "Do you remember the time when all Slytherin students boycotted Professor Lupin two years ago? He was one of the leaders at the time."
If Cedric Diggory was still there, this year's Head Boy would have been none other than him. After he became a vampire and moved to another school, the most promising person to become the Head Boy was Slytherin seventh year student Manfred Gleeson.
In fact, even Gleeson himself thought so.
Among the students in the seventh year, no one was better than him, and he was the most qualified to be the Head Boy!
Compared with the prefect, the Head Boy was not only a symbol of identity and status, but also represented a great honor. This was the highest position that Hogwarts could give to students. After graduation, he would be highly regarded and given preferential treatment when entering the Ministry of Magic.
Before the news of Cedric’s transfer came out, he’d never thought he would be so lucky.
But after a whole summer vacation, he waited until the beginning of school, eager for the news that he’d become the Head Boy. Then, last night, he learned from others that a fourth-year Gryffindor boy had become the Head Boy. Evan Mason, the young wizard from a Muggle family, who’d made a lot of noise every year.
Gleeson felt exceptionally angry when he thought of this. In his opinion, it was Evan who’d stolen the Head Boy that should have belonged to him through disgraceful means. After Cedric's accident, this position was originally his.
Although he could not go against Dumbledore's wishes, Gleeson did not intend to listen to the orders of a fourteen-year-old wizard.
He even planned to teach Evan a lesson to prove himself. Although he knew Evan was strong, he couldn’t say how strong he was. Actually, Evan’s strength had always been the hottest topic in the school.
But when he thought of the difference in age between them, he had some confidence in himself.
Not to mention, there were those powerful old pure-blood wizard families supporting him.
In these seven years in Slytherin, Gleeson had fully understood the power and influence of these families.
His parents were just ordinary wizards, and if he wanted to develop after graduation, he couldn’t do without their help.
In fact, as a prefect, he even noticed the abnormal behavior of the most powerful students in the House in the last part of the previous term, and then linked to those things that Dumbledore had said, he could be sure that You-Know-Who had really come back!
Gleeson was not opposed to taking refuge with Voldemort, although this kind of thing was crazy enough just to think about it...
Malfoy was as preoccupied as he was. He was the first to know that Evan had become the Head Boy.
Most of the members of the Hogwarts Board of Governors were from pure-blood wizard families. Although they might not necessarily support Voldemort, they had very close ties with other families of pure-blood wizards. The news that Evan had become the Head Boy was first known to the upper wizarding circles.
Malfoy couldn’t tell how he felt. There must be jealousy and anger. Compared with Evan being the Head Boy, his election as a prefect was nothing. Dumbledore was too partial!
