Guarding the Department of Mysteries

[slgazit]

No: HPFGUIDX 111148

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Neisha Saxena
<neisha_saxena at y...> wrote:
> But, I'm really curious about the Order guarding the
> Department of Mysteries in OTP.  
> 
> When did it start?  How did they know?  And why wasn't
> anyone guarding it the night of Harry's rescue
> mission?

They were already doing it when Ron and Hermione came to GP so
probably started soon after LV came back to power, presumably based on
information that Snape provided.

As for why no one was guarding the night of Harry's rescue mission, my
guess is that they stopped guarding the door after Voldemort found out
that only he or Harry could take the prophecy. There was no point
posting anyone then - Voldemort would not have gone to take it himself
(probably there were security devices tuned to him inside the ministry
- note he never went further than the atrium), and if he had, what was
the point stationing someone who could not possibly stop him anyway -
it'd just get them killed for nothing. As for Harry - that was what
the occlumemcy lessons were about.

Salit