Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter franchise may be one of the most famous fictional places ever to exist, but contrary to Hagrid's initial claims, it is not the safest place in the world. Hogwarts has been home to witches and wizards for centuries. But, while Hogwarts may have always had a little danger to it, the castle shows its true colors as one of the most dangerous places in the wizarding world when Harry Potter begins his education. Harry's arrival at Hogwarts matches with the Sorcerer's Stone being kept guarded in the castle and Voldemort's first revealed return and evidence of his survival.
Throughout the main series, Hogwarts has been the center setting of the story, with numerous life-or-death occurrences happening every year. Students are nearly always at risk due to Death Eaters or other vile beings passing through the castle. Students are not even safe with the teaching staff, as many Hogwarts professors have proven they are villains willing to harm or kill the students. Hogwarts was even the primary setting for the showdown between Harry and Voldemort, resulting in various deaths and the destruction of different parts of the castle. While Hogwarts may be one of the best places to be, there are numerous reasons why it is not the safest.
10 Voldemort Has Gotten Inside Multiple Times
Is Hogwarts truly safe if one of history's most dangerous and evil wizards can continually get inside? Voldemort makes his first arrival in Hogwarts in the series as being on the back of Professor Quirrell's head. This was clearly not a loophole that anyone was anticipating.
Yet, even if Dumbledore or Snape suspected Quirrell's allegiance to Voldemort, they never removed him from the castle. Harry first met Voldemort at the conclusion of that school year. Voldemort's younger ghost appeared the following year, and during the Battle of Hogwarts, Voldemort made a final appearance at the castle.
9 Hiding Dangerous Artifacts
Hiding the Sorcerer's Stone on school grounds was probably not the most brilliant move. Even if Dumbledore wanted the stone close by in case someone attempted to steal it, he likely expected Voldemort to make a move.
So, why would he invite a dangerous artifact to be hidden in a school housing students if he did not have any plans for Voldemort to reach it anyway? Although there were traps before reaching the stone, every obstacle was easily beaten by three first-year students, so it must have been far easier for an experienced dark wizard to get through each obstacle.
8 The Forbidden Forest
Knowing many underage students were in the castle, it was ironic to have the Forbidden Forest right on the grounds. In the end, the Forbidden Forest ended up housing those safer than some professors who worked at Hogwarts. Granted, it was not the safest thing to have hundreds of hungry Acromantula roaming the forest, especially after they tried to kill and eat Harry and Ron.
7 Chamber of Secrets
Although many believed the Chamber of Secrets was only a myth, Dumbledore knew the truth. He and other professors knew that the Chamber of Secrets was real and that a student had gotten inside, eventually resulting in Moaning Myrtle's death. Although Hogwarts was allowed to remain open after Tom Riddle stopped the attacks, blaming Hagrid and Aragog for the attacks, no one ever attempted to dig deeper into what occurred. Due to that, the giant Basilisk that lived inside it could petrify the students at its master's command.
6 The Password Protected Dorms
Even though Sirius Black ended up being innocent, it still says something about the safety of the student dorms if anyone can access the dormitory just by having the correct password. The Gryffindor dorms were locked by their password, and when Neville lost his cheat sheet of passwords, Sirius could read off the list and be let in by the portrait.
Had Sirius been guilty, it would have proven to be a horrible system had someone been able to discover the password if the picture did not acknowledge that the person attempting to enter the space should not be there.
5 Hosting Deadly Tournaments
Even though no one under 17 is supposed to enter, that does not mean that the Triwizard Tournament is not dangerous to host. The events include life-risking activities, and in the end, all it took was a portkey to remove Harry and Cedric from the Maze. Even though apparating from Hogwarts was supposed to be impossible, the duo is still quickly whisked away by a portkey from the competition to a graveyard.
There should have been precautions to protect the students as much as possible, even if the events were life-threatening.
4 Hiring Evil Teachers
It is nearly impossible for Hogwarts to be home to decent Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. Professor Quirrell not only siding with Voldemort but housing the Dark Lord on the back of his head proved that he had a dark side. While Gilderoy Lockhart was not evil at his core, his selfishness made him willing to place his students in danger, especially when he showed his wish to erase Harry and Ron's memories of him being a fraud. Barty Crouch Jr posing as Mad-Eye Moody had a Death Eater in a Professor position who taught the students unforgivable curses. Dolores Umbridge was a dictator in her own right and perhaps one of the most evil people in the series.
The Carrows practiced unforgivable curses on first-year students and encouraged others to do the same. However, every year, Snape also remained on the list of one of the worst Professors in school. Regardless of which side of the war he was on, Snape was a bully to everyone. He ridiculed and humiliated Hermione, clearly favored Slytherin, bullied Neville senselessly, and took advantage of Harry's vulnerable memories.
3 Students Die/Nearly Die Every Year
How often can a student nearly die before a school shuts down? Chamber of Secrets features multiple students who become petrified and Ginny's possession over the year. Order of the Phoenix shows Umbridge torturing students for sport in detention. Draco's actions result in Katie Bell being cursed in Half-Blood Prince.
In Deathly Hallows, the war takes many lives. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are at risk every year for their actions in trying to keep their classmates and the rest of the wizarding world safe from Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
2 The Death Eaters Infiltrate the Castle
When Draco becomes a Death Eater, part of his job is to fix the two-way Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement. When Draco finally fixes it, the Death Eaters use it to enter the castle, putting everyone at risk. Although the main goal is to kill Dumbledore, Death Eaters running rampant in Hogwarts is not a good sign for anyone. The Death Eaters remain in charge throughout Deathly Hallows, and their reach even has them in control of the Ministry of Magic.
1 The Battle of Hogwarts
Is there any better way to prove a place is unsafe than remembering that a significant war occurred there? Hogwarts may have been home to many, but it was also the battleground for the final fight between Harry and Voldemort. Voldemort and the Death Eaters attacked the castle, partially demolishing it and taking many lives. Although younger students were told to hide elsewhere, a raging war was still happening everywhere, and the odds are that not everyone stayed in safer places.
Comments
Post a Comment