Squib On The Run (sequel to Squib In The basement)

50. Frightening Fears

Despite Fudge's best efforts, he was not able to expel Harry for using magic, since the rest of the Wizengamot wasn't quite as stupid and reckless as he was. Dumbledore also had a witness who was there that night, which made it pretty much impossible for Fudge to have Harry expelled.
Harry's mood changed drastically when he realised he was not going to be thrown out of Hogwarts.
But his happiness didn't last forever, because it wasn't long before the students all recieved their Hogwarts letters, and Harry discovered that Ron was chosen to be a Prefect, over him.

Cassiopeia found Harry sitting alone in his bedroom after dinner, looking forlorn on the night before he returned to Hogwarts.
"Have you finished packing?" She asked, as she peered into the room.
"No. I've barely started" admitted Harry.
"Well you better get a move on, as there won't be time to do it in the morning. And it will be easier to do it now, while you're alone, because once Ron comes up, you'll both be getting in each others way as you try to pack" replied Cassiopeia.

"I'll finish it in a minute" promised Harry.
"Good. Don't spend too long packing though, as I don't want you sitting alone up here all night, instead of spending your last evening downstairs with us. Me and Sirius want to see as much of you as possible, before you, Ron and Hermione head off back to Hogwarts" smiled Cassiopeia.
"Yeah, of course... Cass, can I ask you something?" Harry said quietly.
"Sure. What's up?" Quizzed Cassiopeia.
"Do you think Ron will make a good Prefect?" Asked Harry.

Cassiopeia shrugged, "I never went to Hogwarts, so I don't know much about Prefects or stuff like that. But I don't think Dumbledore would have picked Ron if he thought he was going to fail.
"Why didn't Dumbledore pick me?" Whispered Harry.
Cassiopeia sighed and headed into the room, taking a seat on the bed beside Harry.
"This has been bothering you ever since the letter arrived, hasn't it?" Questioned Cassiopeia.
"I just don't understand why Dumbledore didn't pick me. I'm better at Ron than everything, so why was Ron chosen over me?" Asked Harry.

"Hey, is that anyway to talk about your best friend" scolded Cassiopeia.
"No, maybe not. But I do get better grades than Ron" insisted Harry.
"Intelligence isn't the only thing that makes a good Prefect" reminded Cassiopeia.
"I know. But I still don't see what Ron has that I don't"
"You're looking at this the wrong way. I don't think it has anything to do with what he has and you don't. It seems to me like Dumbledore chose the male Gryffindor Prefect based on what he thinks is the best thing for that person".

Harry frowned, "I don't follow".
"Look, you've had a difficult few years at Hogwarts and at the end of last term you watched a fellow student die. You've been in the spotlight every single year, and I think after everything you've been through, the last thing you would want is to be the centre of attention again. Your classmates are likely to treat you differently this year, because of what happened to Cedric Diggory. The Daily Prophet has been feeding them stories all summer, that you are a liar and an attention seeker. And a lot of students are going to believe this propaganda, because they have no reason to not trust the paper. So, the last thing you need right now is any more attention. If Dumbledore had made you a Prefect, it would have put you in the centre once again, and I think he wanted to avoid that. You've also got your OWLs coming up, and you really don't want to add Prefect duties to the list of things you have to do this year" explained Cassiopeia.

"Why did he choose Ron? He could have chosen Dean or Seamus. Dumbledore didn't have to choose my best friend" mumbled Harry.
"I think he did. Think about it from Ron's point of view. He's been second to you for 4 years in a row now. I think it was time he was allowed his own chance to shine. As the youngest son in his family, he has a lot to live up to. Everyone else in his family has been a Prefect, except for the twins. So, think how Ron would have felt if he hadn't been picked" replied Cassiopeia.
"He would have felt like he was not as good as the rest of his brothers" sighed Harry.
"Exactly. And you don't have that issue, as you don't have to worry about letting anyone down, since your dad wasn't chosen to be a Prefect and neither was Sirius".