Hogwarts Should Really Have Been Shut Down Years Ago

All schools have some sort of disciplinary regime that aims to punish unruly students. These usually revolve around giving out detentions or, in serious cases, suspension or expulsion. 

Things get a little more extreme at Hogwarts. Students who receive detention are expected to carry out difficult or labor-intensive tasks for hours on end, and the punishments are doled out completely on professorial whims. Students can even be sent to dangerous, out-of-bounds locations, such as the Forbidden Forest, that are full of murderous creatures. These types of punishments aren't the sort of thing you would expect from a school. Worst of all, anyone who is expelled from Hogwarts is essentially shut out from the entire wizarding world.

One of the main responsibilities of any school is to ensure that their teachers are suitable for the job. This is because they are not only molding young minds, but they must also keep the students safe at all times. The staff at Hogwarts, however, is another story. Despite being one of the greatest wizards to ever live, Dumbledore makes a number of bizarre hiring decisions, especially when it comes to finding someone to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.

He willingly hired a werewolf, who – despite being good – can easily transform into a killing machine if he doesn't take the right potion. He hired an extremely dangerous wizard impersonating Mad-Eye Moody because the school doesn't test for polyjuice. He hired the incompetent Gilderoy Lockhart. Perhaps the worst hire of all was Professor Quirrell – the man literally carrying Voldemort around on the back of his head. 

The sheer amount of children who get seriously hurt – or killed – at Hogwarts makes it bizarre that parents still choose to send their children there. Moaning Myrtle and Cedric Diggory have both been killed on the premises, among others. And Quidditch, the school athletic favorite, when combined with inept professors like Gilderoy Lockhart, can leave you in pretty horrific shape. The problem is so severe the school even has its own hospital wing, which has treated students for all kinds of problems, from broken bones to deadly curses.

Hogwarts is one of the three schools that take part in the Triwizard Tournament. This competition sees students battling against each other as they take on deadly challenges that can range from fighting dragons to navigating mazes filled with lethal traps. Somehow, the competition gets resurrected in the series after having been canceled because too many champions were being killed. Despite the obvious danger, absolutely no parental permission is needed for the students to compete. These students need a signed slip just to go on a day trip to Hogsmeade but can take part in a deadly tournament without their parents even knowing about it.

The castle is home to a wide range of hazards, both natural and artificial, that pose a serious risk to the students. One perfect example is the Whomping Willow. This gigantic tree is able to effectively beat the stuffing out of anyone who comes near it, admirably living up to its name. Then, of course, there’s also the Great Lake, which is filled with merpeople, water demons, and a giant squid. That’s not even to mention things like the Chamber of Secrets. Hogwarts is full of dangerous things just waiting to hurt students or anyone else unlucky enough to encounter them.

While it's obvious that Hogwarts has lots of magical protections that make it an ideal place to keep items safe, its primary purpose is to be an academic institution for teaching young witches and wizards. The well-being of the students should be the most important priority of Hogwarts. It is therefore baffling that Dumbledore would choose to hide dangerous items in the castle, items which he knows dangerous individuals are actively seeking. The headmaster brings magical objects such as the Philosopher’s Stone and Horcruxes to the school, putting everyone inside at risk.