at a point you wonder why don't they just ask the non magical world to help them with magic Hitler. because it's not like Voldermort is gonna stop once he kills the mixed wizards
DeathToBritain
na Harry fighting the giant ass snake and then Fawkes comes in with the sword? that shit was peak. the build up of the mystery was something I really enjoyed in the book, especially once Hermione gets cursed and you're like oh shit Harry and Ron are gonna have to use their shared brain cell to fix this one
knives are much much worse at defending you than you'd think. I have known people who used to carry knives for self defence (I live in London, so get the jokes in), and have seen what happens when your knife gets turned on you. it is not hard to disarm somebody with a knife and you have now given your attacker a leathal weapon.
I do not wish to tell you how to protect yourself, especially as you have personal reasons for some methods over others. but do consider this
I clean my kitchen and my bathroom because nobody else is gonna do it. if people weren't as alienated and driven to exhaustion, they'd have more pride in their community and give a shit about keeping on top of keeping it clean. is that a foolproof solution that immediately kicks in day 1 of socialism? no. but I think it would be something that would emerge