Timeline for How are passwords distributed around Hogwarts?

Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0

8 events

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Apr 8, 2019 at 2:24	comment	added	Alex		@HarryJohnston My main theory was actually only that McGonagall tells the prefects the first password in the beginning of the year, not all the passwords throughout the year.
Apr 5, 2019 at 7:58	comment	added	Harry Johnston		Regarding that first quote from Half-Blood Prince: at this point, Ron is a prefect, and he'd just seen Professor McGonagall - Harry and Ron returned to Hogwarts by Floo, and used her fireplace. So that kills my theory that the Fat Lady tells the prefects, as well as your suggestion that perhaps McGonagall tells the prefects.
Apr 2, 2019 at 10:23	vote	accept	Ongo
Apr 4, 2019 at 20:15
Apr 2, 2019 at 0:36	comment	added	Harry Johnston		Sure, but I think that would only happen under unusual circumstances. (Might have been rather more common while Sir Cadogan was on duty, though.)
Apr 2, 2019 at 0:02	comment	added	Alex		@HarryJohnston Well it's not a huge problem, but if you leave the common room and immediately realize that you forgot something inside you would have to go all the way down to the Great Hall to get the password and then come all the way back up. That's a bit of an annoyance.
Apr 2, 2019 at 0:02	comment	added	Harry Johnston		... note that Harry's reaction to being told that the password changed at midnight strongly implies that this is not normal procedure.
Apr 2, 2019 at 0:01	comment	added	Harry Johnston		I don't think there's a logistical problem. The prefects are given the new password, probably a little in advance most of the time, and it is then passed by word-of-mouth. Even if each student tells only two other students, it wouldn't take long to reach everybody. And if you can't find anyone who knows it, you go looking for a prefect.
Apr 1, 2019 at 23:00	history	answered	Alex	CC BY-SA 4.0