"Dear Merlin," muttered Fudge, sitting back in his seat "Imagine if the thing hadn't moved off elsewhere…"
"The Slytherins could have walked right into it," said Harry.
Fudge shook his head before asking "Any other examples?" "Where to begin?" said Harry "In my second year, how long did those attacks Muggleborns go on for before perpetrator was finally stopped?"
on the
Fudge nodded "I heard more on that matter than I did of the Troll. Wasn't it Arthur Weasley's daughter acting under the influence of a dark object?"
"It was," replied Harry "Looking past the obvious question of how no one noticed that she was being possessed, the more serious question is how did such a dark object get into the school in the first place? I mean, I'm no expert, and I do not pretend to be, but surely there must be ways of detecting objects so evil that they can possess the mind of the one holding it?"
"There are a few spells that can be used to detect if an object is dark," replied Fudge "I don't know how to cast them myself, but they are used by Aurors who raid the homes of Dark Wizards."
"And yet those same spells are not used to keep Hogwarts students safe," said Harry "I know that it is highly unlikely for students to bring dark objects to Hogwarts, but Healers in the Muggle world have a saying which is "prevention is half the cure." I'm sure you can see how such a thought can be applied here."
Fudge was nodding with understanding "Yes, I can see what you mean. Stop the thing from even getting into the castle, and you've solved the problem before it can become one. But how would such a feat be accomplished?"
"Well for one," said Harry "when students get off of the express train at Hogsmeade station, they leave their trunks and things on the train, and those things are taken up to the school by, well I presume by the House Elves. How much trouble could it possibly be to have a couple of people spend half an hour walking the length of the train, firing off the detection spell at every trunk in every compartment, just to be safe?"
"Well, I cannot see that being too much of a problem at all," replied the Minister "What's half an hour of a few Aurors' time so that we can all have a little piece of mind?"
"Exactly," said Harry "A small change, but a significant one. It is likely that they will turn up nothing each and every time, but it is far better to be safe than to be sorry."
The Minister was nodding eagerly as he took a golden eagle feather quill, dipped it in some ink and wrote down of a piece of parchment before him Discuss with Amelia about having two Aurors scan the luggage on the Hogwarts Express.
Harry smiled and thought to himself "That's one idea given the green light." Having already discussed his plans with Madam Bones, he already knew that she would agree with the Minister on this matter. Of his proposals, that one was the one he was most certain would get approval from Fudge, as it was a small change that would not cost too much, and yet would still make the Ministry look very good in the eyes of the wizarding public.
Having finished writing the note, the Minister looked up at Harry and asked "Are there any other concerns, Harry?"
"Well, obviously you are no doubt aware of the situation at the school last year," replied Harry "What with that Death Eater who went around disguised as Alastor Moody and who tried to kill me. Well obviously my concern there is how did a man go around the castle for nearly the entire school year and not get caught? I mean, I know that he might have ended up obliviating one or two people, but still…"
"You are concerns about other people infiltrating the school and using Polyjuice potion to avoid detection," Fudge finished for him.
"Exactly," said Harry "I mean if he did it, what is there to stop someone else from doing it? If a parent comes up to the castle in order to take their child away from the school for whatever reason, what attempts are made to ensure that it really is the parent and not some oddball?"
The Minister was nodding at his words and replied "I can see exactly where you are coming from Harry. That business last year was a terrible breach in the security of Hogwarts. I don't know whether or not Dumbledore planted that man inside the castle to serve as part of his elaborate plans, but either way someone like that being inside the castle walls and with access to students is inexcusable and efforts must be made in order to ensure that it cannot happen again."
He was already scribbling furiously on his parchment before he had finished talking.
Harry continued "There are also a few issues with some of the teachers at the school, Minister."
Fudge looked up from his note taking "Oh yes?" "Not so much the quality of the education, you understand," continued Harry "though that does remain an issue in several areas. No, what I'm talking about is, well… it's their personalities, to put it bluntly. There are some members of staff who are very knowledgeable about their particular field to be sure, but just seem to lack the temperament required to pass that on to another adult wizard, far less teach a classroom full of students."
"Are we talking about anyone in particular?" asked the Minister.
"Well, there is Professor Snape for one," replied Harry, making sure to force himself to use Snape's title as it sounded more respectful "He come billowing into the dungeon classroom, waves his wand at the blackboard so that the instructions appear and then tells us to get started. After that he spends the rest of the lesson stalking around the classroom making everyone feel uncomfortable. Then when most of the potions brewed by the class go wrong, he calls us all dunderheads. He never takes the time to explain things or dish out useful advice and if anyone ever asks such a thing he either ignores them or insults them for not already knowing it."
"Good gracious," muttered Fudge "He sounds like an awful teacher."
"He is," replied Harry before leaning over the table to say conspiratorially "Most students hate him. They dread going to potions class because it forces them to spend time in his company. And he doesn't help himself with his awful temper."
The Minister was nodding "Yes… Yes, I remember that little outburst the night Sirius Black escaped from Hogwarts. A most unpleasant man."
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