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There are lots of Muggle technologies in existence which can find and map hidden structures precisely. e.g. ERT (Electrical Resistivity Tomography), BOTDR (Brillouin Optical Time Domain Reflectometry), Underground Radar, Seismic Imaging - MASW (Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves) etc.

Talking about restriction on electricity, I believe the restriction can by lifted by the headmaster. If not, some of the techniques can work without electricity. Sometimes, all you need is ideas, not Muggle devices. e.g. vibration can be created by a wizard and a non-electric device can measure deviations in reflections. All you need is experts in the domain. Lots of hidden sections of pyramids were found even when electricity wasn't in existence.

Talking about International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, it doesn't need to be told that Hogwarts was a wizardry school. It could easily be disguised as a Muggle castle. And, as a last line of defense, there was always memory charm.

Why didn't Dumbledore or the Ministry of Magic ask for Muggle help to search for the Chamber of Secrets?

TheLethalCarrot
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user931
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3 Answers3

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They’d already looked and wouldn’t think Muggles could find it.

It’s very unlikely most wizards at Hogwarts or the Ministry would consider it useful to enlist Muggle help in looking for the Chamber of Secrets, especially as it would be an inherently ‘magical’ thing, so wizards would likely be thought more capable of finding it. If skilled wizards couldn’t find it, it’s unlikely they’d think Muggles could. Hogwarts had been searched for the Chamber of Secrets by many skilled wizards and witches, who were unable to find any evidence of its existence.

“The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course,’ he said. ‘Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible.”
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 9 (The Writing on the Wall)

It’s considered evidence against the Chamber existing that so many Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses couldn’t find it after generations of looking for it.

“Nonsense, O’Flaherty,’ said Professor Binns in an aggravated tone. ‘If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven’t found the thing –”
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 9 (The Writing on the Wall)

These unsuccessful attempts to find the Chamber of Secrets had most people convinced it was a myth. After that, it’s unlikely they’d believe Muggles could find it when skilled wizards couldn’t.

“That will do,’ he said sharply. ‘It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to history, to solid, believable, verifiable fact!”
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 9 (The Writing on the Wall)

Therefore, it would likely seem silly to those in charge to call in Muggles to search for the Chamber.

In addition, most Muggle technology wouldn’t work in Hogwarts.

Also, even if a Muggle search team was asked to search Hogwarts for the Chamber of Secrets, the majority of their equipment would likely fail, as electric devices don’t work inside Hogwarts.

“All those substitutes for magic Muggles use – electricity, and computers and radar, and all those things – they all go haywire around Hogwarts, there’s too much magic in the air.”
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 28 (The Madness of Mr Crouch)

This is because of all the magic in the air at Hogwarts, which can’t simply be removed if they want Muggles to search it. Also, radar, which would likely be one of the most useful Muggle methods of searching for the Chamber, is explicitly stated as something that won’t work in Hogwarts.

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Obsidia
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I'm a scientifically literate layman (I don't work in a scientific field, but I've been interested in science and read a lot about it for decades), and I've never heard of several of those detection techniques -- in fact, even though I know all the words, I can't envision how a couple of them could work.

There is no way a wizard or witch who isn't a specialist in Muggle Studies would even know of the existence of such methods. Ask a wizard to detect something hidden, they'll immediately start thinking of what charms will work best, or whether there's an artifact (like a broom, if you want to fly) that will do the job. It would likely never occur to anyone who wasn't Muggle-born, or even a Muggle-born beyond school age, to use science for such a task.

Comments suggested that the Ministry of Magic might approach the PM and Muggle government, who surely would have experts available who could and would suggest such methods -- but who in the wizarding world would ever suppose that the Muggle government might have a solution for a wholly magical problem?

Zeiss Ikon
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  • This answer pretty much summarize most questions about sci-fi tools to "magically" find or identify anything. – Clockwork Sep 18 '18 at 18:40
  • It's also the stock answer to "why can't my D&D character invent the Molotov cocktail?" and similar -- so decades of RPGs contributes. – Zeiss Ikon Sep 18 '18 at 18:42
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    First thing that comes to mind in that kind of situation, is that scene from Batman Beyond where Terry asks the batcomputer to "analyze this metal". The computer replied "incorrect command", until he asked for a spectrographic analysis. – Clockwork Sep 18 '18 at 18:43
  • This isn't the way governments work. MoM could consult muggle PM. Muggle PMs generally have access to experts who could brief on the available solutions. – user931 Sep 18 '18 at 18:50
  • Except, who in the MoM would ever consider that the Muggle government might have a solution to a clearly magical problem (petrification of students and ghosts)? – Zeiss Ikon Sep 18 '18 at 19:00
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    Who in the MoM would ever consider that the Muggle government might have a solution to anything? In this case, at least, they'd have been right, too: despite the OPs skepticism, the Chamber was certainly magically protected against discovery. If it hadn't been, it would have been found centuries ago by magical means. – Harry Johnston Sep 18 '18 at 19:19
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The castle is already disguised, Muggles can't actually see it. It's mentioned by Hermione in the Goblet of Fire.

Kathryn
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