Nagini's attack on Arthur in OotP

[terri-testing.livejournal.com]

We know that Arthur was an Order member, guarding the door to the DoM (and asleep on the job under an invisibility cloak which didn't hide him from a creature that hunted by heat and scent), when Voldemort's snake attacked him.

What did the Ministry think, and the average Prophet reader?


If Fudge had realized Arthur was there on Dumbledore's orders, surely he'd have sacked him?

In fact, why wasn't Arthur sacked anyway? What business had he to be in the Ministry at all in the middle of the night? Much less loitering suspiciously outside the DoM with an invisibility cloak?

And just what kind of security does the Ministry have, that Order members, Voldemort's slaves and pets, and schoolkids, can come and go after hours as they please? I've never worked anywhere that didn't lock up when everyone left.

In fact, aren't the Aurors based in the building? Shouldn't they have a night shift (what, Dark wizards never operate at night, you tell me?), and therefore a night shift on reception to check people in who have business there?

Finally, if Fudge didn't think the snake was Tom's pet, whose did he think it was and how did he think it got in and escaped?

Thoughts?

Comments

[sharaz-jek.livejournal.com]

Voldemort appears "in the middle of the hall" and Side-Along-Disapparates with Bella, so yes, it is possible (though the arrival of Ministry staff shortly afterwards suggests there may be some sort of alarm set off by teleporting in - though Flooing in or just walking in is apparently fine).

[for-diddled.livejournal.com]

It's odd, though -- Hogwarts is protected by anti-apparition wards, you'd have thought that the centre of wizarding government would have at least the same amount of protection.

[oryx_leucoryx]

Maybe there sometimes is a *need* for people to Apparate in/out of the Ministry, so instead of blocking it they have it available but also have an alarm system.

Doesn't Arthur say he normally Apparates to work? And not just to the vicinity of the Ministry but directly inside, he isn't very familiar with the phone-booth entrance.

So how did the Order members arrive at the Ministry for the battle without triggering alarms? Did they Apparate to outside the building, enter by phone booth and Apparate to the DOM? Or do Kingsley and Tonks have a way of circumventing the alarms?

[condwiramurs.livejournal.com]

Probably Dumbledore hasn't shared the spells with them. /cynicism