Azkaban
From Harry Potter Wiki
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| Azkaban | |
|---|---|
| Location information | |
| Location |
Island in the North Sea |
| Permanent Resident(s) |
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| Affiliation |
Ministry of Magic |
| Behind the scenes | |
| First appearance |
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First mentioned) |
| Latest appearance | |
- "They don't need walls and water to keep the prisoners in, not when they're trapped inside their own heads, incapable of a single cheerful thought. Most go mad within weeks."
- —Remus Lupin on Azkaban[src]
Azkaban is a wizarding prison located on an island in the middle of the North Sea. Presumably, this prison is only used by magical Britain, as there are other wizarding prisons elsewhere such as Nurmengard. Using certain charms, the prison is hidden from the muggle world, and is unplottable. It is widely regarded as a horrible place, given that its guards, Dementors, cause great suffering to those in their proximity. Most prisoners eventually go insane, and slowly die away.
Contents |
[edit] Security
[edit] Pre-1998
Azkaban was guarded by Dementors until most of them revolted and joined Lord Voldemort in summer of 1995. A large number of incarcerated Death Eaters, Voldemort's followers, escaped to rejoin their master in 1996 and 1997 respectively because of this.[1]
Prior to the Dementors' revolt, the only persons ever to escape the prison were Sirius Black and Barty Crouch Jr, in 1993 and 1982, respectively. Sirius was able to escape by changing into his Animagus form of a dog[2]; Barty Crouch Jr. was smuggled out by his father, Barty Crouch Sr., and replaced by his dying mother using Polyjuice Potion[3].
There is a graveyard outside the wall of Azkaban where the Dementors bury prisoners who die. Although the prison is set in the middle of the ocean with iron walls protecting it, they were not required to keep the prisoners intact, as Remus Lupin stated, because the prisoners are already trapped in their own heads through the depression caused by the Dementors. As Sirius indicated, most prisoners go insane after a short while, and some even stop eating and prefer to die on the spot.
[edit] After the War
After the end of the Second Wizarding War and Kingsley Shacklebolt’s appointment as Minister for Magic in 1998, Dementors were no longer employed as guards of Azkaban. This is likely because they had proven to be untrustworthy and because the depression and madness their presence causes in prisoners was held to be inhumane. Presumably, other security measures were taken to guard the prisoners.
[edit] Known Azkaban Convicts
- "We have confirmed that ten high-security prisoners, in the early hours of yesterday evening, did escape. And of course, the Muggle Prime Minister has been alerted to the danger. We strongly suspect that the breakout was engineered by a man with personal experience in escaping from Azkaban; notorious mass murderer Sirius Black, cousin of the escapee Bellatrix Lestrange."
- —Cornelius Fudge interview to the Daily Prophet about the Azkaban Mass Breakout of January 1996[src]
| Prisoner | Current status | Crime(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Avery Jr. | Unknown | Participating in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries as a Death Eater. |
| Sirius Black | Escaped (only actual unassisted escape from Azkaban while the Dementors were guarding it); now deceased | Framed: imprisoned without trial after being falsely accused of murdering Peter Pettigrew and a dozen other innocent by-standing Muggles, life sentence; now vindicated |
| Crabbe Sr. | Unknown | Participating in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries as a Death Eater. |
| Bartemius Crouch Jr. | Smuggled out by his parents; later received the Dementor's Kiss | Torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom with the Cruciatus Curse and murdering Bartemius Crouch Sr., life sentence. |
| Crispin Cronk | Deceased | Had pet Sphinxes in his backyard. |
| Mrs. Crouch | Died during imprisonment, disguised as Bartemius Crouch Jr. | Served time in place of her son, Barty Crouch Jr. |
| Antonin Dolohov | Escaped in the January 1996 Mass Breakout; later defeated by Filius Flitwick in battle (either dead or re-imprisoned) | Murdering Gideon and Fabian Prewett, life sentence; re-imprisoned for participating in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries as a Death Eater. |
| Percival Dumbledore | Died during imprisonment | Attacking Muggles without a logical explanation (retaliation for what happened to his daughter Ariana Dumbledore), life sentence. |
| Mundungus Fletcher | No longer imprisoned; unknown how he escaped or if he was released | Impersonating an Inferius during a robbery. |
| Marvolo Gaunt | Released after serving at least one term; now deceased | Assault on Ministry of Magic officials, served six months. |
| Morfin Gaunt | Died in prison while serving what was at least his second term | First term: Improper use of magic on a Muggle and assault on Ministry officials, served three years. Second term: Framed by Tom Marvolo Riddle for murdering the Riddle family, life sentence. |
| Rubeus Hagrid | Released | Framed: Re-opening the Chamber of Secrets, imprisoned as a safety precaution (falsely accused by Tom Marvolo Riddle); released upon proved innocent. |
| Jugson | Unknown | Participating in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries as a Death Eater. |
| Igor Karkaroff | Released; now deceased. | Membership in the Death Eaters; released in exchange for the names of several other Death Eaters. |
| Bellatrix Lestrange | Escaped during the January 1996 Mass Breakout; now deceased | Torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity through the Cruciatus Curse, life sentence. |
| Rabastan Lestrange | Escaped during the January 1996 Mass Breakout; may have been re-imprisoned after the Battle of Hogwarts | Torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity through the Cruciatus Curse, life sentence; re-imprisoned for participating in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries as a Death Eater. |
| Rodolphus Lestrange | Escaped during the January 1996 Mass Breakout; may have been re-imprisoned after the Battle of Hogwarts | Torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity through the Cruciatus Curse, life sentence; re-imprisoned for participating in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries as a Death Eater. |
| Lucius Malfoy | Escaped from Azkaban in 1997; later pardoned | Participating in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries as a Death Eater. |
| Walden Macnair | Escaped from Azkaban in 1997; defeated by Rubeus Hagrid during the Battle of Hogwarts | Participating in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries as a Death Eater. |
| Mulciber | Escaped during the 1996 Mass Breakout; current status unknown | Captured prior to Karkaroff's trial (possibly for use of the Imperius Curse); re-imprisoned for participating in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries as a Death Eater. |
| Nott | Unknown | Participating in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries as a Death Eater. |
| Sturgis Podmore | Released | Attempting to break into the Department of Mysteries within the Ministry (actually controlled by a Death Eater's Imperius Curse at the time), served six months. |
| Stan Shunpike | Escaped during the mass breakout in 1997 and controlled by the Imperius Curse | Arrested on suspicion of Death Eater activity; kept in custody to make it look like the Ministry was making progress. |
| Augustus Rookwood | Escaped during the January 1996 Mass Breakout; defeated by Aberforth Dumbledore during the Battle of Hogwarts | Spying on the Ministry through his job as an Unspeakable, life sentence; re-imprisoned for participating in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries as a Death Eater. |
| Travers | Unknown | Murdering the McKinnon family, life sentence; escaped during the January 1996 Mass Breakout. |
| Dolores Umbridge | Imprisoned | Imprisoned for her crimes against Muggle-borns as head of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission. |
[edit] Etymology
The name Azkaban may be inspired by the famous San Francisco federal prison Alcatraz. It is also located on an island and has had many notorious criminals for inmates, such as Al Capone.
[edit] Behind the scenes
- There is an added scene in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in which the 1996 mass breakout at Azkaban is shown.
- Azkaban is also on an island, but the island cannot be seen in the film Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix due to the stormy sea.
[edit] Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
