UNITED STATES 
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 
Washington, D.C. 20549 
FORM N-Q 
 
QUARTERLY SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS OF REGISTERED 
MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES 
 
Investment Company Act file number 811- 21202 
 
John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II 
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter) 
 
601 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210 
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code) 
 
Alfred E. Ouellette, Senior Counsel and Assistant Secretary 
 
601 Congress Street 
 
Boston, Massachusetts 02210 
 
(Name and address of agent for service) 
 
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 617-663-4324 
 
Date of fiscal year end:  July 31                                                                       
 
 
Date of reporting period:  October 31, 2008                                                                      

ITEM 1. SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS




John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II
Securities owned by the Fund on
October 31, 2008 (Unaudited)

  Interest  Maturity  Credit  Par value   
Issuer, description  rate  date  rating (A)  (000)  Value 
Bonds 16.52%          $46,578,297 
(Cost $53,745,475)           
 
Diversified Banks 0.85%          2,400,000 
Lloyds TSB Bank PLC,           
   Sub Note  6.900%  11/29/49  A+  $4,000  2,400,000 
 
Electric Utilities 8.53%          24,055,507 
DPL Capital Trust II (Z)  8.125  09/01/31  BB+  22,150  20,568,202 
Entergy Gulf States, Inc., (Z)           
   1st Mtg Bond  6.200  07/01/33  BBB+  5,000  3,487,305 
 
Multi-Utilities 4.82%          13,578,425 
Dominion Resources Capital Trust I (Z)  7.830  12/01/27  BBB  8,450  8,013,090 
Dominion Resources Capital Trust III (Z)  8.400  01/15/31  BBB  5,000  5,565,335 
 
Gas Utilities 2.32%          6,544,365 
Southern Union Co.,           
   Jr Sub Note, Ser A (7.20% to 11-1-11 then variable)           
   (P) (Z)  7.200  11/01/66  BB  10,550  6,544,365 
 
Issuer        Shares  Value 
Common stocks 1.64%          $4,610,500 
(Cost $4,446,961)           
 
Electric Utilities 0.55%          1,560,875 
American Electric Power Co., Inc.        22,500  734,175 
FPL Group, Inc.        17,500  826,700 
 
Gas Utilities 0.17%          478,500 
ONEOK, Inc.        15,000  478,500 
 
Integrated Oil & Gas 0.31%          869,750 
BP PLC, SADR        17,500  869,750 
 
Integrated Telecommunication Services 0.14%          401,550 
AT&T, Inc.        15,000  401,550 
 
Multi-Utilities 0.26%          719,925 
Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. (Z)        22,500  633,375 
TECO Energy, Inc.        7,500  86,550 
 
Oil & Gas Storage & Transportation 0.21%          579,900 
Spectra Energy Corp.        30,000  579,900 
    Credit       
Issuer, description    rating (A)    Shares  Value 
Preferred Stocks 129.24%          $364,343,095 
(Cost $522,858,658)           
 
Agricultural Products 4.97%          14,000,000 
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., 6.25%, Ser A (B) (S) (Z)  BBB-    160,000  14,000,000 
 
Broadcasting & Cable TV 5.74%          16,190,294 
CBS Corp., 6.75% (Z)    BBB    122,800  1,808,844 
Comcast Corp. , 6.625% (Z)    Baa2    118,500  2,144,850 
Comcast Corp., Ser B , 7.00% (Z)    BBB+    610,000  12,236,600 

Page 1 


John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II
Securities owned by the Fund on
October 31, 2008 (Unaudited)

  Credit     
Issuer, description  rating (A)  Shares  Value 
 
Consumer Finance 6.56%      $18,489,580 
HSBC Finance Corp. , 6.875% (Z)  AA-  310,900  6,547,554 
HSBC Finance Corp. , 6.00% (Z)  AA-  72,200  1,321,982 
HSBC Finance Corp. , 6.36%, Depositary Shares, Ser B (Z)  A  143,200  2,636,312 
HSBC Holdings PLC , 6.20%, Ser A (Z)  A  254,600  4,506,420 
SLM Corp. , 6.97%, Ser A (Z)  BB  64,000  1,344,000 
SLM Corp. , 6.00% (Z)  BBB-  196,800  2,133,312 
 
Diversified Banks 12.13%      34,199,756 
Barclays Bank PLC , 7.10%, Ser 3 (Z)  A+  120,000  1,891,200 
Fleet Capital Trust VIII , 7.20% (Z)  A  332,000  6,308,000 
Republic New York Corp. , 6.25%, Ser HSBC (Z)  A+  45,400  794,046 
Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC , 7.25%, Ser T (Z)  BBB+  26,000  309,140 
Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC , 5.75%, Ser L (Z)  BBB+  450,500  4,730,250 
Santander Finance Preferred SA, Unipersonal , 6.41%, Ser 1 (Z)  A+  205,000  4,450,550 
USB Capital VIII , 6.35%, Ser 1 (Z)  A+  83,000  1,702,330 
Wachovia Corp. , 8.00% (Z)  A-  457,600  8,991,840 
Wachovia Preferred Funding Corp., 7.25%, Ser A (Z)  A-  111,000  1,842,600 
Wells Fargo Capital Trust IV, 7.00% (Z)  AA-  130,000  3,179,800 
 
Diversified Financial Services 14.36%      40,487,720 
ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust V, 5.90% (Z)  A-  397,467  4,948,464 
ABN AMRO Capital Funding Trust VII, 6.08% (Z)  A-  110,000  1,339,800 
BAC Capital Trust II, 7.00% (Z)  A  22,400  451,808 
BAC Capital Trust IV, 5.875% (Z)  A  51,150  892,056 
Citigroup Capital VIII, 6.95% (Z)  A  605,000  10,496,750 
ING Groep NV , 7.050% (Z)  A  775,700  10,596,062 
JPMorgan Chase & Co., 6.15%, Ser E (Z)  A  280,400  11,762,780 
 
Diversified Metals & Mining 0.39%      1,097,550 
Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc. , 6.750%  BB  22,500  1,097,550 
 
Electric Utilities 24.16%      68,101,320 
Duquesne Light Co., 6.50% (Z)  BB  98,450  4,501,016 
Entergy Mississippi, Inc., 7.25% (Z)  A-  102,050  2,345,109 
FPC Capital I, 7.10%, Ser A (Z)  BBB-  632,003  14,055,747 
FPL Group Capital Trust I, 5.875% (Z)  BBB+  225,000  5,118,750 
Georgia Power Capital Trust VII, 5.875% (Z)  BBB+  95,000  2,066,250 
HECO Capital Trust III, 6.50% (Z)  BB+  130,000  2,697,500 
Interstate Power & Light Co., 8.375%, Ser B (Z)  Baa2  699,350  17,658,587 
NSTAR Electric Co., 4.78% (Z)  A-  15,143  1,268,226 
PPL Energy Supply, LLC, 7.00% (Z)  BBB  626,184  15,278,890 
Southern California Edison Co., 6.00%, Ser C (Z)  BBB-  20,000  1,649,376 
Westar Energy, Inc., 6.100% (Z)  BBB  76,900  1,461,869 
 
Gas Utilities 2.03%      5,725,125 
Southwest Gas Capital II, 7.70% (Z)  BB  254,450  5,725,125 
 
Investment Banking & Brokerage 8.78%      24,755,296 
Lehman Brothers Holdings Capital Trust III, 6.375%, Ser K (Z)  D  177,000  1,770 
Lehman Brothers Holdings Capital Trust V, 6.00%, Ser M (Z)  D  46,600  652 

Page 2 


John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II
Securities owned by the Fund on
October 31, 2008 (Unaudited)

  Credit     
Issuer, description  rating (A)  Shares  Value 
 
Investment Banking & Brokerage (continued)       
Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., 5.94%, Depositary Shares, Ser C       
   (Z)  D  145,200  $73 
Merrill Lynch Preferred Capital Trust III, 7.00% (Z)  BBB+  360,400  6,007,868 
Merrill Lynch Preferred Capital Trust IV, 7.12% (Z)  BBB+  172,200  2,894,682 
Merrill Lynch Preferred Capital Trust V, 7.28% (Z)  BBB+  275,000  4,650,250 
Morgan Stanley Capital Trust III, 6.25% (Z)  A-  258,779  3,863,571 
Morgan Stanley Capital Trust IV, 6.25% (Z)  A-  57,000  831,630 
Morgan Stanley Capital Trust V, 5.75% (Z)  A2  314,000  4,144,800 
Morgan Stanley Capital Trust VI , 6.60% (Z)  A-  160,000  2,360,000 
 
Life & Health Insurance 8.75%      24,664,121 
Aegon NV, 6.375% (Z)  A-  355,000  3,550,000 
MetLife, Inc., 6.50%, Ser B (Z)  BBB  744,550  12,225,511 
Phoenix Cos., Inc., 7.45% (Z)  BBB-  226,200  3,551,340 
PLC Capital Trust IV, 7.25% (Z)  BBB+  350,475  4,030,463 
Prudential PLC, 6.50% (Z)  A-  95,807  1,306,807 
 
Movies & Entertainment 5.11%      14,415,754 
Viacom, Inc., 6.85% (Z)  BBB  834,245  14,415,754 
 
Multi-Utilities 11.13%      31,381,622 
Baltimore Gas & Electric Co., 6.99%, Ser 1995 (Z)  Ba1  39,870  4,090,415 
BGE Capital Trust II, 6.20% (Z)  BB+  472,200  8,971,800 
DTE Energy Trust I, 7.80% (Z)  BB+  283,400  6,180,954 
Public Service Electric & Gas Co., 4.18%, Ser B  BB+  4,805  333,803 
South Carolina Electric & Gas Co., 6.52% (Z)  Baa2  15,000  1,243,125 
Xcel Energy, Inc., 7.60% (Z)  BBB-  443,017  10,561,525 
 
Oil & Gas Exploration & Production 7.36%      20,742,822 
Nexen, Inc., 7.35% (Z)  BB+  1,151,100  20,742,822 
 
Real Estate Investment Trusts 4.19%      11,809,230 
Duke Realty Corp., 6.60%, Depositary Shares, Ser L (Z)  BBB-  109,840  1,208,240 
Duke Realty Corp., 6.50%, Depositary Shares, Ser K (Z)  BBB-  110,000  1,203,400 
Duke Realty Corp., 6.625%, Depositary Shares, Ser J (Z)  BBB-  449,400  5,280,450 
Public Storage, Inc., 6.45%, Depositary Shares, Ser X (Z)  BBB  30,000  524,700 
Public Storage, Inc., 7.50%, Depositary Shares, Ser V (Z)  BBB  176,100  3,592,440 
 
Regional Banks 4.45%      12,553,800 
PFGI Capital Corp., 7.75% (B) (Z)  BBB+  686,000  12,553,800 
 
Reinsurance 0.16%      459,225 
RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd., 6.08%, Ser C (Z)  BBB+  32,500  459,225 
 
Specialized Finance 0.63%      1,762,500 
CIT Group, Inc., 6.35%, Ser A (Z)  BBB-  100,000  860,000 
Repsol International Capital Ltd., 7.45%, Ser A (Z)  BB+  47,500  902,500 
 
Thrifts & Mortgage Finance 0.84%      2,365,927 
Sovereign Bancorp, 7.30%, Depositary Shares, Ser C  BB+  5,067  79,552 
Sovereign Capital Trust V, 7.75% (Z)  BB+  136,500  2,286,375 
 
U.S. Government Agency 0.06%      157,500 
Federal National Mortgage Assn., (8.250% to 12-31-10 then       
   variable) (P) (Z)  C  75,000  157,500 

Page 3 


John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II
Securities owned by the Fund on
October 31, 2008 (Unaudited)

  Credit     
Issuer, description  rating (A)  Shares  Value 
Wireless Telecommunication Services 7.44%      $20,983,953 
Telephone & Data Systems, Inc., 6.625% (Z)  BBB-  155,000  2,325,000 
Telephone & Data Systems, Inc., 7.60% (Z)  BBB-  666,834  10,102,535 
United States Cellular Corp., 7.50% (Z)  BBB-  559,243  8,556,418 
                 
Total investments (Cost $581,051,094)† 147.40%      $415,531,892 
Other assets and liabilities, net (47.40%)      ($133,619,699) 
Total net assets 100.00%      $281,912,193 

The percentage shown for each investment category is the total value of that category as a percentage of the net assets applicable to common shareholders.

SADR Sponsored American Depositary Receipt

(A) Credit ratings are unaudited and are rated by Moody’s Investors Service where Standard & Poor’s ratings are not available unless indicated otherwise.

(B) These securities are fair valued in good faith under procedures established by the Board of Trustees. These securities amounted $26,553,800 or 9.42% of the Fund's net assets as of October 31, 2008.

(P) Variable rate obligation. The coupon rate shown represents the rate at period end.

(S) This security is exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. The security may be resold, normally to qualified institutional buyers, in transactions exempt from registration.

(Z) All or a portion of this security is segregated as collateral for the Committed Facility Agreement. Total collateral value at October 31, 2008 was $406,260,862.

† At October 31, 2008, the aggregate cost of investment securities for federal income tax purposes was $581,158,178. Net unrealized depreciation aggregated $165,626,286, of which $1,960,977 related to appreciated investment securities and $167,587,263 related to depreciated investment securities.

The Fund had the following interest rate swap contracts open on October 31, 2008:

  FIXED  VARIABLE       
  PAYMENTS  PAYMENTS       
NOTIONAL  MADE BY  RECEIVED BY  TERMINATION    UNREALIZED 
AMOUNT  FUND  FUND  DATE  COUNTERPARTY  DEPRECIATION 
$63,500,000  4.37%  3-month LIBOR  Nov 2010  Bank of America  ($2,035,075) 
63,500,000  3.79%  3-month LIBOR  Jan 2011  Morgan Stanley  (1,175,060) 
 
Total          ($3,210,135) 

Page 4 


Notes to portfolio of investments

Security valuation

The net asset value of the Fund is determined daily as of the close of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), normally at 4:00 P.M., Eastern Time. Short-term debt investments that have a remaining maturity of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, and thereafter assume a constant amortization to maturity of any discount or premium, which approximates market value. All other securities held by the Fund are valued at the last sale price or official closing price (closing bid price or last evaluated quote if no sale has occurred) as of the close of business on the principal securities exchange (domestic or foreign) on which they trade or, lacking any sales, at the closing bid price. Securities traded only in the over-the-counter market are valued at the last bid price quoted by brokers making markets in the securities at the close of trading. Securities for which there are no such quotations, principally debt securities, are valued based on the evaluated prices provided by an independent pricing service, which utilizes both dealer-supplied and electronic data processing techniques, which take into account factors such as institutional-size trading in similar groups of securities, yield, quality, coupon rate, maturity, type of issue, trading characteristics and other market data.

Other portfolio securities and assets for which market quotations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Trust’s Pricing Committee in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees. Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of trading on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the net asset value of the Fund’s shares are generally determined as of such times. Occasionally, significant events that affect the values of such securities may occur between the times at which such values are generally determined and the close of the NYSE. Upon such an occurrence, these securities will be valued at fair value as determined in good faith under consistently applied procedures established by and under the general supervision of the Board of Trustees.

Valuations change in response to many factors including the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer, the value of the issuer’s assets, general economic conditions, interest rates, investor perceptions and market liquidity.

The Fund adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157 (FAS 157), Fair Value Measurements, effective with the beginning of the Fund’s fiscal year. FAS 157 established a three-tier hierarchy to prioritize the assumptions, referred to as inputs, used in valuation techniques to measure fair value. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three broad levels listed below:

Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.

Level 2 – Prices determined using other significant observable inputs. Observable inputs are inputs that other market participants would use in pricing a security. These may include quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk and others.

Level 3 – Prices determined using significant unobservable inputs. In situations where quoted prices or observable inputs are unavailable, such as when there is little or no market activity for an investment, unobservable inputs may be used. Unobservable inputs reflect the Fund’s own assumptions about the factors that market participants would use in pricing an investment and would be based on the best information available.

The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.


The following is a summary of the inputs used to value the Fund’s net assets as of October 31, 2008:

  Investments in  Other Financial 
Valuation Inputs       Securities  Instruments* 
 
Level 1 – Quoted Prices  $329,313,833  - 
Level 2 – Other Significant Observable Inputs  59,664,259  ($3,210,135) 
Level 3 – Significant Unobservable Inputs  26,553,800  - 
Total  $415,531,892  ($3,210,135) 

* Other financial instruments are derivative instruments not reflected in the Portfolio of Investments, such as futures, forwards and swap contracts, which are valued at the unrealized appreciation/depreciation on the instrument.

The following is a reconciliation of Level 3 assets for which significant unobservable inputs were used to determine fair value:

  Investments in  Other Financial 
  Securities  Instruments 
Balance as of July 31, 2008  -                                             - 
Accrued discounts/premiums  -                                             - 
Realized gain (loss)  -                                             - 
Change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)  ($5,468,555)                                             - 
Net purchases (sales)  -                                             - 
Transfers in and/or out of Level 3  32,022,355                                             - 
Balance as of October 31, 2008  $26,553,800                                             - 

Foreign currency translation

The books and records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. dollars. Investment securities and other assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing exchange rates at period end. Purchases and sales of investment securities, income and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing exchange rates on the respective dates of the transactions.

Net realized and unrealized gains and losses on foreign currency transactions represent net gains and losses between trade and settlement dates on securities transactions, the disposition of forward foreign currency exchange contracts and foreign currencies, and the difference between the amount of net investment income accrued and the U.S. dollar amount actually received. That portion of both realized and unrealized gains and losses on investments that results from fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates is not separately disclosed but is included with net realized and unrealized gain/appreciation and loss/depreciation on investments.

Swap contracts

The Fund may enter into swap transactions in order to hedge the value of the Fund’s portfolio against interest rate fluctuations or to enhance the Fund’s income or to manage the Fund’s exposure to credit or market risk. A swap is an exchange of cash payments between the Fund and another party. Net cash payments are exchanged at specified intervals and are recorded as a realized gain or loss in the Statements of Operations. Cash payments may include upfront cash payments made by or to the fund. The upfront payments are amortized or accreted for financial reporting purposes, with the unamortized/unaccreted portion included in values recorded on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities. The value of the swap is adjusted daily and the change in value, including accruals of periodic amounts of interest to be paid or received, is recorded as


swap contracts at value in Statements of Assets and Liabilities and as unrealized appreciation or depreciation in the Statements of Operations. A liquidation payment received or made upon early termination is recorded as a realized gain or loss in the Statements of Operations. Upfront payments made and/or received by the Fund are recorded as an asset and/or liability on the Statements of Assets and Liabilities and are recorded as a realized gain or loss on the termination date. Swap contracts are subject to risks related to the counterparty’s ability to perform under the contract, and may decline in value if the counterparty’s creditworthiness deteriorates. The risks may arise from unanticipated movement in interest rates. The Fund may also suffer losses if it is unable to terminate outstanding swap contracts or reduce its exposure through offsetting transactions.

Interest rate swaps represent an agreement between two counterparties to exchange cash flows based on the difference in the two interest rates, applied to the notional principal amount for a specified period. The payment flows are usually netted against each other, with the difference being paid by one party to the other. The Fund settles accrued net receivable or payable under the swap contracts on a periodic basis.

Risks and uncertainties Fixed income risk

Fixed income securities are subject to credit and interest rate risk and involve some risk of default in connection with principal and interest payments.

Risk associated with foreign investments

Investing in securities issued by companies whose principal business activities are outside the United States may involve significant risks not present in domestic investments. For example, there is generally less information available about foreign companies, particularly those not subject to the disclosure and reporting requirements of the U.S. securities laws. Foreign issuers are generally not bound by uniform accounting, auditing, and financial reporting requirements and standards of practice comparable to those applicable to domestic issuers. Investments in foreign securities also involve the risk of possible adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, limitation on the removal of funds or other assets of the Fund, political or financial instability or diplomatic and other developments which could affect such investments. Foreign stock markets, while growing in volume and sophistication, are generally not as developed as those in the United States, and securities of some foreign issuers (particularly those located in developing countries) may be less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies. In general, there is less overall governmental supervision and regulation of foreign securities markets, broker-dealers and issuers than in the United States.

Leverage

The Fund utilizes a credit facility to increase its assets available for investment. The Fund has a Committed Facility Agreement (CFA) with a third party commercial bank that allows it to borrow up to an initial limit of $208 million and to invest the borrowings in accordance with its investment practices. Borrowings under the CFA are secured by the assets of the Fund.




ITEM 2. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

(a) Based upon their evaluation of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures as conducted within 90 days of the filing date of this Form N-Q, the registrant's principal executive officer and principal accounting officer have concluded that those disclosure controls and procedures provide reasonable assurance that the material information required to be disclosed by the registrant on this report is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms.

(b) There were no changes in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 3. EXHIBITS.

Separate certifications for the registrant's principal executive officer and principal accounting officer, as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached.


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund II

By: /s/ Keith F. Hartstein
-------------------------------------
Keith F. Hartstein
President and Chief Executive Officer

Date: December 16, 2008

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

By: /s/ Keith F. Hartstein
-------------------------------------
Keith F. Hartstein
President and Chief Executive Officer

Date: December 16, 2008

By: /s/ Charles A. Rizzo
-------------------------------------
Charles A. Rizzo
Chief Financial Officer

Date: December 16, 2008