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]

Why didn't Dumbledore just hid the darn thing, anyway? Like he did the Stone in book 1?

This at least is explicable - it's Ministry policy to keep all prophecies in the DoM and at this point he can hardly requisition it (in any case, even if Voldemort takes it, he'll have to walk into the Ministry and alert them to his return - or at least that's Bella's explanation for why he didn't just turn up in person - and Albus "prophecies don't matter" Dumbledore will have arguably come out ahead).

What isn't explained at all is why the DoM catalogue all these prophecies - are they measuring the success rate (of every prophecy ever made? How can they possibly hope to do this, and what about the ambiguous ones along the lines of "a great empire will fall if you attack Persia"?)? Couldn't they get a better understanding of the mechanics of prophecy by experimenting on Seers?

[madderbrad.livejournal.com]

Yes, I guess I can see the difference; Dumbledore was handed the Stone by the owners, with the prophecy he'd be breaking the law if he just grabbed it. Still, that seems to be a small consideration given the lives lost - and, in Arthur's case, nearly lost - in protecting it. I suppose Fudge's anti-Dumbledore campaign would explain why Dumbledore couldn't protect it more openly too.

I do agree that the whole 'prophecy storage' thing seems like just one huge contrivance for Rowling's story. A small glass globe that only he or Riddle can touch, no-one can use a levitation charm or a pair of tongs or rubber gloves to remove it, yeah, right.

[oryx_leucoryx]

Especially as once it is removed anyone can touch it. And how do the Unspeakables key the prophecy records to people they never met? Magical identification appears to be arbitrary. Would Quirrellmort have been able to remove the prophecy? Diary!Tom? How about Nagini-while-possessed-by-Tom?