AZKABAN

'''Azkaban''' is the fictional wizard prison in the ''Harry Potter'' series of books by J. K. Rowling. Wizards who violate the laws of the British wizarding world are sent there. Only one other such prison; Nurmengard, is known to exist. By the start of the series, Azkaban is guarded by the Dementors, working under the British Ministry of Magic. Generally, only very severe crimes are punished with a term in Azkaban. Many of the prisoners were supporters of Lord Voldemort, though some misunderstandings have resulted in others' imprisonment. Rubeus Hagrid, for example, was sent there in Harry Potter's second year at Hogwarts because of a crime he did not commit.

Contents

Location

Reputation

Role in the series

Known prisoners

In the films

Inspiration

References

External links

Location

According to ''Half-Blood Prince'', Azkaban is located "in the middle of the North Sea"; some fans cite Heligoland, in the North Sea, as the perfect match for the island.
Azkaban is probably not found on Muggle maps, as wizard land is often made hidden or unplottable, or not able to be put on a map, (thereby keeping it secret from Muggles and even sometimes from other wizards) and as a wizard prison, Azkaban would probably be especially well hidden.

Reputation

Azkaban has a justifiably horrible reputation. The mass presence of Dementors renders the inmates incapable of happiness and forces them to relive their worst memories, as they become gradually helpless and very often severely insane. According to Sirius Black, many inmates simply stop eating and eventually die of starvation. As Dementors are extremely difficult even to injure — the only spell effective against them is the Patronus Charm — Azkaban was long considered escape-proof, until Sirius Black escaped (although Barty Crouch Jr. had previously been broken out in secret by his parents); however, Dumbledore claims he could break out of Azkaban if he wished to.
Performing any of the Unforgivable Curses (the Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, or Avada Kedavra—the Killing Curse) on a human is punishable by an automatic life sentence in Azkaban, although several characters throughout the series have performed the curses and not been punished accordingly. Other crimes which merit imprisonment here include assaulting the Ministry (for example, the Death Eaters detained in ''Order of the Phoenix''), being an unregistered Animagus and impersonating an Inferius.

Role in the series

Azkaban has not played a direct part in the series, but lurks in the shadows. In ''Chamber of Secrets'', Rubeus Hagrid is placed under temporary imprisonment there, an experience so traumatic that he refuses to talk about it after being released. Sirius Black becomes the first wizard known to escape (''Prisoner of Azkaban''), although it is later discovered that Bartemius Crouch Jr escaped with the help of his parents while Sirius was still imprisoned (''Goblet of Fire''). Albus Dumbledore once declared in front of the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, that he could easily break out of Azkaban. However, this remark should be seen in the light of who made it – Dumbledore was probably the most powerful wizard alive, and the only wizard Lord Voldemort ever feared. In other words, what is impossible for most wizards would usually be easy for him.
At the present moment Azkaban has been severely compromised; Professor Dumbledore was always vocal in declaring that it was a mistake to guard Voldemort's greatest supporters with those creatures who have the most to gain if Voldemort returned to power. In ''Order of the Phoenix'' he is proven right as the Dementors leave their posts at Azkaban and join ranks with Voldemort. The prison is still in use, but greatly weakened by the revolt of its wardens. Presumably Aurors are the only ones who stand between the convicts and their freedom.
By the start of ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'', there has been another mass breakout at Azkaban, and several Death Eaters (most notably Lucius Malfoy) escaped.
Following Voldemort's ultimate demise, Kingsley Shacklebolt sees to the end of use of Dementors at Azkaban, their use having always been a mark of the underlying corruption of the Ministry^[1].

Known prisoners

Prisoner	Current status	Crime
Avery	Imprisoned (Presumed)	Attacking the Ministry
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 bystanding muggles
Crabbe	Imprisoned (Presumed)	Attacking the Ministry
Bartemius Crouch Jr	Smuggled out by his parents; now soulless, Imprisoned (Presumed)	Torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom
Mrs Crouch	Died while imprisoned, disguised as Bartemius Crouch Jr	Served time in place of her son, Barty Crouch Jr
Antonin Dolohov	Defeated by Filius Flitwick.	Murdering Gideon and Fabian Prewett; re-imprisoned for attacking the Ministry
Mundungus Fletcher	No longer imprisoned, unknown how he escaped or if he was released; fate unknown	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: Murder of the Riddle family, life sentence (falsely accused, framed by Tom Marvolo Riddle)
Rubeus Hagrid	Set free	Charge: Re-opening the Chamber of Secrets (falsely accused, framed by Tom Marvolo Riddle)
Jugson	Imprisoned	Attacking the Ministry
Igor Karkaroff	Set free; now deceased	Membership in the Death Eaters; released in exchange for the names of several other Death Eaters
Bellatrix Lestrange	Killed by Molly Weasley after mass breakout 1996	Torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom
Rabastan Lestrange	Re-imprisoned after mass breakout in 1996	Torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom; re-imprisoned for attacking the Ministry
Rodolphus Lestrange	Re-imprisoned after mass breakout in 1996	Torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom; re-imprisoned for attacking the Ministry
Lucius Malfoy	Escaped from Azkaban in 1997	Attacking the Ministry
Walden Macnair	Imprisoned (Presumed)	Attacking the Ministry
Mulciber	Re-imprisoned after mass breakout in 1996	Captured prior to Karkaroff's trial (possibly for use of the Imperius curse); re-imprisoned for attacking the Ministry
Nott	Imprisoned	Attacking the Ministry
Sturgis Podmore	Free after serving six months	Attempting to break into the Department of Mysteries within the Ministry (actually controlled by a Death Eater's Imperius Curse at the time)
Stan Shunpike	Imprisoned; presumed released in the mass breakout and controlled by the Imperius Curse	Arrested on suspicion of Death Eater activity
Augustus Rookwood	Imprisoned (presumed); defeated by Aberforth Dumbledore	Spying on the Ministry; re-imprisoned for attacking the Ministry
Travers	Presumably released in Mass Breakout (Appears in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at Gringotts)	Captured (and presumably imprisoned) for the murder of the McKinnon family
Percival Dumbledore	Deceased	Imprisoned for attacking Muggles
Dolores Umbridge	Imprisoned	Imprisoned for her crimes against Muggle-borns

In the films

Azkaban is shown briefly in the film version of ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' as a triangular fortress somewhere out at sea.

Inspiration

Prisons are often put on islands because escape is made more difficult. It has been suggested that Azkaban is based on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, as one of the most famous island prisons. Similarities include:

★ They are both located on an island

★ Both were believed escape-proof, until it was proved otherwise (though it is still believed that no one has successfully escaped from Alcatraz and lived; some have escaped and lived, but were re-captured almost immediately.)

★ Both are/were for high offenders, such as those who have committed murder
Phonetically, the name Azkaban might be a conflation of Alcatraz and Baskerville. ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' contains echoes of Conan Doyle's ''The Hound of the Baskervilles''. Both feature escaped convicts (Sirius and Selden) and sinister hounds supposedly portending death. J.K. Rowling's hound is named "the Grim"; Conan Doyle's marshy location is "Grimpen Mire". Both Azkaban and Alcatraz each use the letter "a" three times, the letter "z" once, and consist of three syllables.
Given its location somewhere "in the middle of the North Sea," Azkaban could be related to the environmental regulation treaty signed in 1992 in New York. Entitled "Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas," its acronym is ASCOBANS.
The place may also be inspired partially by Angband, the fortress of Morgoth found in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as Devil's Island, the horrendous French prison (Alcatraz has been called "America's Devil's Island"). Further inspiration may have been found in the infamous Château d'If which (though real) is fictionally represented in ''The Count of Monte Cristo''; a story with some plot elements in common with ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' containing as it does an innocent, framed prisoner who escapes an inescapable prison to exact their revenge.

References

1. http://the-leaky-cauldron.org/2007/7/30/j-k-rowling-web-chat-transcript

External links