Noticed Something: Draco's Helpers

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 152732

Recently there has been a degree of discussion about who Draco's
mysterious helpers were -

---HBP,Am Ed, HB, PG 324---
Snape: 
"...if you are placing you reliance in assistants like Crabbe and
Goyle--."

Draco: 
"They're not the only ones, I've got other people on my side, better
people!"

- - - end quote - - -

Now, let us travel back in time to just before Katie Bell's attack;
Chapter 12 - Silver and Opals.

---HBP, Am Ed, HB, Pg ---

"Can't the Order control Mundungus?" Harry demanded of the other two
in a furious wispher. "Can't they at least stop him stealing
everything that's not fixed down when he's at headquarters?"

"Shh!" said Hermione desperately, looking around to make sure nobody
was listening; there were a couple of warlocks sitting close by who
were staring at Harry with great interest, and Zabinin was lolling
against a pillar not far away. "Harry, I'd be annoyed too, I know it's
your things he's stealing --"

- - - end quote - - -

"...a couple of warlocks sitting close by who were staring at Harry
with great interest, and Zabinin was lolling against a pillar...",
seems odd that JKR would point these people out at just that moment
unless they were important. This is especially true since this scene
occur just before Katie Bell is attacked by the Cursed Opal Necklace.
If fact, if you leave this information out of the paragraph where
Hermione speaks, it reads just the same. 

Now, it could be JKR just adding 'atmosphere' to the scene, but like I
said, the scene reads just fine without that information.

So, I logically conclude that Draco has both inside and outside help;
Death Eaters, Voldemort supporters (voluntary & involuntary), and
fellow students other than Grabbe and Goyle, who we all know aren't
that bright. 

So, it seems logical that Draco contacted someone on the outside to
prepare for these secondary attacks (necklace, and later, the Mead).
Some one outside the school Imperioused Rosemerta and told her to
follow Draco's orders which he would send to her using an enchanted coin.

But that raises another issue, how is Draco communicating with people
outside the school. Everything is being closely monitored, so it is
unlikely that he is using Owl Post, and it's unlikely that he is
sneaking out of the school to meet someone at the gate, and he
certainly isn't sneaking off of the school grounds. 

The enchanted coin he uses to contact Rosemerta I think is fine to
control her, but that doesn't explain how he is contacting and
engaging the complex assistance of Death Eaters. He certainly must
have some covert means of communications, but what is it? Of course
the books doesn't tell us, so we are completely in the realm of
speculation, but it seems an important deatail, and it seems a
vulnerability in Hogwart's defenses. 

So, what could it be?

Two way mirrors - The implication regarding Harry and Sirius's
communications mirrors seems to be that this is not a common object.
But in my fan fiction I have speculated that this could serve as the
wizard world's equivalent of the 'mobile/cell phone'. I can't imagine
why it isn't a reasonable well known enchantment. Perhaps, it is used
so rarely because there are some limitation on the Charm that we are
not currently aware of.

Patronus - We know the Order communicated using their Patronus, but
again we don't know the limitations of that. Perhaps, it is simply the
appearance of a known Patronus form that alerts the receiver to get
into contact with the sender. I think it is somewhat implied that the
Patronus can carry a short verbal message, but how short or long is
unclear. I speculate that you can not carry on a dialog or
conversation via Partonus; it's more like email than a telephone. 

Both of these would be undetectable and unstoppable, although a
silvery Patronus form rushing out of the castle might be noticed by
someone. Yet, it certainly can't be stopped, which is why the Order
uses it.

Still JKR hasn't given us any hint, at least none that I recognise.
Perhaps, this will be unimportant in the final book, but it does seem
to be a vulnerability in Hogwart's defenses, and even though Draco is
gone, there are, or seem to be, Voldemort sympathizers still at the
school. They would logically need to communicate, especially those who
were helping Draco during HBP. 

It also seems reasonable that Voldemort will plan to attack the school
now that Dumbledore and Snape are gone. If you control the school, you
control the children of the wizard world, and in controlling them, you
control the wizard world. It seems too tempting a target for it not to
be attacked. Of course, Voldemort doesn't always pursue the most
logical course. But it seems difficult to believe he won't see the
strategic advantage of controlling the school. 


Still, the thing that bothers me regarding covert communication is
that JKR doesn't seem to have dropped any hints or clues. So, does
this mean it is unimportant, or that she is saving it for the next
book? Any ideas on what the covert communications might be?

Enquiring minds want to know.

Steve/bboyminn