Doesn't Hogwarts seriously put the world in jeopardy? [closed]

Question

Forty kids enter Hogwarts every year. That’s forty potentially powerful wizards from potentially broken homes, abusive families…orphanages. We all know about Voldemort, and I think that’s reason enough to at least vet potential wizards before arming them, but there’s no vetting at all. Malfoy got in no problem, for example.

The most dangerous are the muggle-borns. Those who know about nuclear weapons, tanks, muggle technology.

It would just take one, one unstable muggle-born to spend a few years in Hogwarts and that would be it. S/he could brew up some Polyjuice potion that would disguise them as an MP, Apparate into Number Ten, use an invisible ropes charm on the Prime Minister, force him to drink a bit of Truth Serum to reveal nuclear codes and…done. The world is aflame.

Wizards could not withstand someone with detailed magic and muggle knowledge. No wizarding community could withstand nuclear bombardment. Even if wizarding structures didn’t sustain a scratch, the surrounding land would be irradiated, the plants killed, the rain poisoned. No food, no infrastructure, they would be exhausted from constant spells to keep the radiation sickness away, completely powerless against a followup attack by foot-soldiers (either magical or muggle).

There is no psyche evaluation at all in Hogwarts. Well, maybe the sorting hat which does literally nothing but put the potentially evil people with other potentially evil people for seven years.

It’s insane. How did anyone think it was a good idea? You could say the same about muggle schools I suppose, but let’s be honest, someone with magic could make a killing in the muggle world. Felix Felicis and the stock market. Time turners. Time and time again we see muggle technology used as a base for forward thinking wizards to make something with: cameras, printing presses, steam engines, motor cycles, glasses, plumbing, radio, record-players, microphones.

What about Avada Kedavra and an M16?

Muggles are a threat to wizards, hence why the wizards live in hiding, but the muggle world augmented with magic would crush the wizarding world.

By an obscene amount of luck, everyone in Hogwarts, even the properly evil ones, even the properly mischievous ones, seem to keep it all a secret.

It would just take one person to, at best, expose the wizarding world. At worst, destroy the entire world in an afternoon.

Answer 1

Hogwarts

A student of Hogwarts' cannot do much harm whilst they're at school. There are many counter-measures taken to ensure that their practice of magic is safe whilst at school - including:

• Anti apparition/disapparition measures,
• muggle-repelling charms,
• general distance,
• controlled environments, and
• rules and regulations.

Whilst a Student is outside of the school, they are bound by the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery; which utilises a 'Trace' which detects when an underage wizard uses magic. The offence is then investigated and punished accordingly.

Once the young wizard has grown old enough to graduate is a separate matter, but we do know that to perform a range of magical feats, you actually need a licence; such as:

• Apparition (a licence is required)
• Animagi (MUST be registered to become an Animagus)
• Floo network is controlled and monitored by the MoM

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Sneaking into Number Ten

In addition, in order to accomplish your task of sneaking into Number Ten, you might face the following problems:

• Veritaserum is "strictly controlled" by the MoM (plus it is very difficult to brew).
• Polyjuice Potion is extremely difficult to brew and its ingredients are not easy to come by.
• In order to Apparate successfully to a location, one must use the 3 Ds (Destination, Determination, and Deliberation), it would make it extremely difficult to apparate into a location if you don't know where you're going; see How far can a person Apparate?.

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Psychopaths

There will always be those who go un-checked and develop psychopathic tendencies; even Dumbledore himself suspected Tom Riddle throughout Riddle's school years (and beyond):

“Did you know — then?” asked Harry.

“Did I know that I had just met the most dangerous Dark wizard of all time?” said Dumbledore. “No, I had no idea that he was to grow up to be what he is. However, I was certainly intrigued by him. I returned to Hogwarts intending to keep an eye upon him, something I should have done in any case, given that he was alone and friendless, but which, already, I felt I ought to do for others’ sake as much as his.

^{-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (The Secret Riddle)}

Voldemort (Tom Riddle) still managed to become infatuated with the Dark-Arts, and many other evil tendencies, how could this have been stopped?

Grindelwald was a very brilliant wizard, he was also Dumbledore's greatest friend (and more); and yet he managed to attend school and despite a wonderful education (at Durmstrang) ended up hurting many in his quest to purify the world and take over (believing that "For the greater good" was ok).

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Sorting / Screening

Each student does get sorted into a house. As you mentioned, many students who get sorted into Slytherin do tend to become attracted to the Dark-Arts, but it is not to be said that the house is intrinsically evil; see Is Slytherin Evil?. This is clearly not the fault here.

As mentioned above, Dumbledore pretty much did a "screen" of Tom Riddle's character didn't he? Even deemed him to be noteworthy and a (potential) risk; both to himself and his fellows. But that did nothing to prevent Tom Riddle ultimately becoming the terrorizing Lord Voldemort.

The limitations of screening / sorting is that it happens at a particular time in one's life; things change, people's beliefs and tendencies change (as may their houses; see: Can one's House change?). Do we then screen / sort them every year?

Another limitation is; how do we know that you are going to end up killing/hurting loads of people? the Sorting Hat can determine a witch/wizard's character and personality, but can it determine other things as well (Why wasn't the sorting hat used to prove Harry didn't put his name in the Goblet of Fire?, Could the Sorting Hat Have Told Dumbledore That Harry Was a Horcrux?), but I don't believe it can tell the future of a person's life.

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Does Hogwarts put the world in Jeopardy?

No, it provides an environment for young witches and wizards to hone and control their skills, abilities and emotions to be able to use their powers in a positive manner. As Dumbledore tells Tom Riddle:

“At Hogwarts,” Dumbledore went on, “we teach you not only to use magic, but to control it. You have — inadvertently, I am sure — been using your powers in a way that is neither taught nor tolerated at our school. You are not the first, nor will you be the last, to allow your magic to run away with you. But you should know that Hogwarts can expel students, and the Ministry of Magic — yes, there is a Ministry — will punish lawbreakers still more severely. All new wizards must accept that, in entering our world, they abide by our laws.”

^{-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (The Secret Riddle)}

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We cannot allow the actions of one (rogue) individual determine that the (Wizarding) education system does not work.

• Can it be improved? Definitely.
• Is it putting the world in jeopardy? No

Answer 2

I'm not entirely sure there's an in-universe answer to the question. What follows is speculation based on the actions of Voldemort in the books.

Very few people, bat-guano crazy or not, actually have a desire to destroy the entire world. It doesn't serve a purpose. I make this assumption on the fact that, despite in-universe magic, the world has not been destroyed in the ways you mentioned.

What these evil people DO appear to want to do (again, based on Voldemort's actions) is take over the world. Now, COULD Voldemort use the methods mentioned to completely destroy everything? Yes. He could. But he is much more reasonable and logical. Instead, he seeks to enslave the muggles through their own, already-established government.

So, why don't they reveal the wizarding world? Speculation, but I believe the secrecy serves a purpose - particularly for Voldemort. If he had exposed the fact that magic existed, etc, etc, then the muggles may have erupted into uncontrollable chaos, which definitely doesn't help Voldemort's cause (that is, making serfs/slaves of them). What does help his cause is overturning the government, then exploiting the muggles by controlling everybody upper-class. The muggles see things as fine, no chance of rebellion.

TL;DR: It's easier to enslave muggles by keeping the wizarding world secret, and easier/better to control/enslave muggles (and place wizards at the top of the hierarchy) than it is to destroy everything.