How can the Death Eaters ever be a threat to the Wizarding World?

[GrubblyPlank]

I was re-reading the Goblet of Fire today, and when the Supreme Dark Lord was walking around the circle naming off death-eaters, it seemed their were only 50 to 60 death-eaters. How could these people ever be a threat to the wizarding world? There are thousands and thousands of Wizards and witches out there who fight against the Death-Eaters. Is the Dark Lord the only reason they are feared? Please tell me if I got anything wrong in my facts.

Discuss.

[ProteanPiksi]

Probably because they keep recruiting more people. They use the unforgivable curses on anyone who doesn't come willingly, and people are scared of that. They are slowly taking over the wizarding world, killing anyone who crosses their path. Also, those weren't all the Death Eaters in that circle. Some of them were still in Azkaban and some of them have gone into hiding. Voldemort will probably torture the hiding ones into submission and they'll join him as well.

[saurjusa]

I guess that you don't need that many. After all, in the real world, the ratio between honest hardworking people and criminals is also huge, and there's zones of the world with great insecurity.

There aren't that many Aurors either, at least not that have been mentioned. And since DE are allready outlaws they don't care and use frecuently the Unforgivables without remorse. I think Aurors are not supposed to use them unless there's a waver issued by the MoM to use them to capture the DE.

[Ninerings]

They are some pretty powerful wizards who have learned the Dark Arts. Most wizards don't know a whole lot about that subject, so it is scary to them. Not to mention that this was a couple of years before where we are now..... A lot has happened and they could've been recruiting (as seen with Macnair and the Giants).

This is still the early stages of the war.... gaining intelligence and planning. Plus many of the DE's are still working under secrecy. I mean, look at Lucius. It only just came out that he was still working for the Dark Lord and look at what just ONE wizard almost made happen for the him.

Sure they're not a huge threat now... but they have yet to really gain in numbers. They also have the luxury of the reputation they carried with them from the first reign of the Dark Lord. That alone is a way to keep people at bay. Even if they haven't seen things first-hand, they will still live in fear of the stories they have heard.

[RedHeadRiot]

think of it this way. they're using unforgivable curses that most people fear to use, or im sure dont know how to use them at all.

thats like someone with a gun walking into a room full of people. you'd be scared too.

this is a group of people who dont care who they kill, or how savagely. the more they recruit and grow, the higher amount of kills.

frankly, id be afraid too.

[Veritaserum_]

Well, they're all pretty powerful witches and wizards in their own right. Probably more powerful that your average magical person just walking through Diagon Alley. Plus, just their presence threatens you with death unless you fall into line with them. If you think about it, it's kind of like a hostage situation. The Death Eaters are saying do this and that or we'll kill you. I guess it's really like an emotional and mental fight than anything.

[emily105]

The Death Eaters can be a threat to the wizarding world because there could be a chance where one or more of them can get to be as powerful as Voldemort, maybe not in the near future, but possibly within the next ten to twenty years. If this is the case, there could be another war outbreak like this most recent war or like the one when Voldemort first got into major power when Harry was a baby. If this does happen, then more innocent witches and wizards will end up dying just for the sheer entertainment of these Death Eaters.

[simplybecky]

I didn't read all the posts so I don't know if someone already said this. I immediately thought of Hagrid's description of the way things were in the first war. No one was sure of anything - you couldn't be sure who to trust because you didn't know who was on whose side. And even those who you might normally expect to be on your side could be either lying or be controlled by the Imperius curse. The first war sounded pretty scary and the second war is shaping up to be even scarier. With as few DEs as Voldemort has, he still has the upper hand with the fear he's able to instill in the greater wizarding community.

[kell]

to say that is like saying "how can 4 terrorist bombers be a threat to the world?". others will be brainwashed by these people and eventually an army of them will exist, that's how.

[internet45]

I would have to say that they where the ones most important to him. He didn't want all of them there. What use will that be. To him it's just Harry Potter. Now that he's at full power and then some he thinks what can Harry Potter do to him. And he just wanted someone to see Harry Potter go down.

[Fawkesified]

I don't think there are thousands and thousands of wizards, in Britain anyway. For me the wizarding community has always been extremely minute. With only 1000 magical kids at school, there can't be more than 20000 wizards altogether (just pulling a random figure out of thin air). Besides, the Death Eaters were not Voldemorts only servants, there were the giants, the dementors the people under the Imperius curse, people like the Blacks who agreed with Voldemort but did not actively show support, etc etc.

[hayze]

I think there are possibly a lot more Death Eaters than those in the circle, I reckon they are the major Death Eaters that do some of Voldemort's personal dirty work. There are probabaly loads of others, prehaps yet to be recruited that are lower down in the pecking order, like Regulus Black if he wasn't important enough to be killed by Voldemort himself then he probabaly wasn't one of those in the circle at the time. In the last war I think a lot of wizards rallied under Voldemort's banner, who were mostly purebloods and also there was probabably many under the imperius curse as well. So I think it's just a matter of time until he builds up these numbers again.

Also there isn't that many wizards to fight them, only Aurors are trained to combat the dark arts, and McGonagall says that there has been no one taken on for training in years. So the threat is very scary for most wizards if you consider this.

[Dragonious]

Once Voldemort is back to full power he'll have an army of servents : Death- Eaters, Giants, Dementors, Possible other dark creatures (Werewolves, Vampires, maybe even some zombies?), People under the Imperius Curse, people who support him like the Black family, Rich People (Malfoys), Spys/ Informers here and there. This all adds up. And while there are enough wizards and whitches that could outnumber him most of them would not want to and most of them are not qualified with the exeption of: Aurors + Ministry Officials, Members of the Order, Dumbledore Amy (Members) and self independent wizards and witches.

[saurjusa]

Originally Posted by simplybecky

- you couldn't be sure who to trust because you didn't know who was on whose side.

I guess this is one of the most terrifying things. You can't know who the bad guys are. Thery're among you and could come forward any time, or behave like they are little angels until BAHM!! your dead!

[DracoLuverTF]

Cause these death eaters have been trained by lord V-Voldemort - oh shut up!! (lol) - himself and he has more powers than 90% of the wizards. Voldemort has the most power than any other wizard next to Dumbledore. HE has all that power and he passed it on to his death eaters. The death eaters have more power than 88% of the wizards.

The you have no clue who they are. They could be standing next to you helping you with your homework being thiss great person and you'd never know.

[justanothername]

One of the main ways they cause people to be fearful is with their anonymity. No one knows who they are and people fear what they don't know.

Hmm, several people have already said that, ah well....

[Nephel]

The Death Eaters aren't some random wizards who had a bit of a grudge; Voldemort will have approved of them personally to join his ranks, and so I imagine each one of them is powerful enough to face any wizard ( except Dumbledore!).

[Zorro]

Ahhh, I am sure I read something in one of the books about this exact thing... I just can't find it. Didn't is say somewhere that the DE's were as evil as Voldemort and that some were almost as powerful as him; and that that is why they are feared by the wizarding community? Ohh, I wish I could find it in the books...

Anyway, I think there are many answers to this question. For one, the Death Eaters also have a long, cruel history. They have many evil deeds behind their names, from torturing the Longbottoms, murdering muggles and wizards that got in their way, and doing all of these terrible things with a great amount of pleasure. That alone should be cause for them to be feared.

People like the DE's are not hampered with guilty consciences or the urge to do things fairly or justly. They don't care if they kill the innocent along with those they are trying to kill. This gives the good side a disadvantage. Whereas they are governed by morality, the bad side does not have this type of restriction. They view this morality as a weakness that can be exploited (think of the reason Harry went to the ministry). They are also powerful witches and wizards.
I think that the idea of facing a remorseless enemy is terrifying. Who would want to face an enemy that was not restricted by normal humane feelings, and who is prepared to do and kill anyone to get what they want. Just knowing that these (then faceless people) were working for Voldemort must have been frightening.

[RemusLupinFan]

To me, the most threatening thing about the Death Eaters is that they are fanatics- they believe in pureblood supremacy and the inferiority of Muggles. Fanatics, no matter what they believe, are always dangerous because they are willing to go to any lengths to carry out and convert others to their beliefs. I'd have to agree that the prospect of Voldemort's followers recruiting more people for his cause is very threatening, as is the idea that the Death Eaters possess terrible methods of persuasion, such as the Unforgivables. Voldemort and his Death Eaters use fear tactics in their dealings, whether it be recruiting new followers or discouraging others from opposing them. Therefore, while the number of Death Eaters Voldemort has employed in his service may not be enough to physically take over the wizarding world, they are enough to have a significant negative impact in the magical community.

[Janeway_74656]

there were probably many other minor death eaters, the ones in GOF were probably just some of the major ones.