Azkaban
| Basic Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Location | Unplottable | |
| Affiliations | British Ministry of Magic |
Overview
Azkaban. That name can send a chill down any witch or wizard's spine. We all know how to get there, using any of the Unforgivable Curses on another person, but there are some things most don’t know.
It was built in the 15th century on an island in the North Sea and holds the darkest of our kind. Now, this is not the only fortress out there, but it is the most known. Strangely, it will not come up on any map out there; magical or Muggle alike.
History
Long before it was the prison it is now, Ekrizdis used the building he created to kill Muggle sailors. Once he died, the charms protecting the island faded; which brought it to the attention of the Ministry of Magic. For years it was left alone, due to fear of the island and the darkness that was there.
Ekrizdis, a Dark Wizard, created what Azkaban was before it was a jail. A place for Muggles to be tortured. Alone on the island, he practiced all kinds of Dark Magic; many believed that he was insane. The investigators from the Ministry that saw what was inside, did not wish to speak of any of the vile activities seen other than the fact that the building was full of Dementors.
The small prisons they had already were not working so when Damocles Rowle was Minister he claimed that using Azkaban and the Dementors inhabiting the area would save time and lives. Sometime before 1747 Minister Diggory went to the island only to be met with the horrible things the prisoners were going through because of the creatures guarding them.
He tried to find alternative ways to contain them and get rid of the Dementors, but others got scared they would come to the mainland when out of their food supply. With his death from Dragon Pox, the attempts stalled and the next Minister restored and strengthened the building. Due to the happiness always been gone because of the Dementors most prisoners went insane and in many cases, even died; which is why there is a graveyard built on the island.
Security
Of course, we know that Dementors are the guards, but many lefts to join Voldemort when he rose again in 1995 leaving prisoners, like Death Eaters, to make a massive breakout in 1996-1997. It is believed that like Hogwarts, there are charms to stop wizards and witches from being able to Apparate out of the prison. These charms may not be needed since they get their wand taken upon arrival and have too little strength to be able to.
There were only two people known to ever escape before the Dementors had abandoned the prison. In 1982 Barty Crouch Jr’s father helped him get out, putting his mother in his place with the Polyjuice Potion. The other was Harry Potter’s godfather, Sirius Black. Being an Animagus, he was able to change into his dog form and get out undetected.
According to Remus Lupin, former Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, the prisoners were in such a depressive state that keeping them inside wasn’t even needed. Sirius Black even said that some would refuse to eat because they felt death was better than being in that place. Unlike Muggle prisons visits were highly restricted; only people from the Ministry were allowed to come to see relatives, and if they were on official business.
After the Second Wizarding War, in 1998, Kingsley Shacklebolt was appointed to Minister. He decided that the Dementors were not too trustworthy to be the guards anymore and put Aurors in their place. It is unknown just how many Death Eaters were imprisoned along with any Ministry official that knew and willingly helped with the Muggle-Born Registration Commission.
| Known Inmates | Committed Crime |
|---|---|
| Carlotta Pinkstone | Many violations of the International Statue of Wizarding Secrecy |
| Avery | Death Eater who participated in the Battle of Department of Mysteries |
| Sirius Black | Falsely accused of killing Peter Pettigrew and a dozen Muggles |
| Crabbe | Death Eater who joined in the Battle of Department of Mysteries |
| Barteminus Crouch Jr | Tortured the Longbottoms, and committed patricide |
| Crispin Cronk | Owned illegal pets (sphinxes) |
| Antonin Dolohov | Murdered Fabian and Gideon Prewett, escaped in 1996 only to be put back in for participating in the Battle of Department of Mysteries |
| Percival Dumbledore | Attacked Muggles because of what happened to his daughter, Ariana |
| Morfin Grant | Improper use of magic along with assault on a Ministry official, was later put back in when framed for the murder of the Riddle family |
| Rubeus Hagrid | Accused of re-opening Chamber of Secrets, was later freed |
| Igor Karkaroff | Put in for being a Death Eater, was freed in exchange for information |
| Bellatrix Lestrange | Tortured the Longbottoms until they were insane, broke out in 1996 |
| Lucius Malfoy | Death Eater who helped in the Battle of Department of Mysteries, escaped in 1997 |
| Stan Shunpike | Was held to make it seem like the Ministry was making progress on suspected Death Eaters |
| Unidentified Muggle-borns | Arrested when Voldemort took over, many didn’t survive the horrors of Azkaban |
| Dolores Umbridge | Charged for her crimes against Muggle-borns as the Head of the Muggle-Born Registration Committee |
| Delphini | Murdered Craig Bowker Jr and used a Time-Turner to change the timeline |
Other Prisons
New York Witch’s Penitentiary
An all female prison. In 1926, a witch who was sent there for ‘No-Maj’ smuggling and murder, named Miraforum escaped. A wanted poster was put out for her by the Magical Congress of the United States of America. Another escapee was Eleanora Shanks who was sent there for the murder of a ‘No-Maj.’
Nurmengard
Gellert Grindelwald ordered this prison to be built to hold his enemies and “For the Greater Good” is carved on the entrance. Some wizards tried to break in, but they were killed before even getting inside back in 1926. Just like Azkaban and Hogwarts, there are spells to keep anyone from Apparating, along with high wall around the fortress. It is believed that it could have possibly had a guard like Dementors but it is unknown to be true.
Shockingly, in a twist of events, Grindelwald ended up being a prisoner in one of his own cells. It was most likely, that he was the only person there at the time. Held for thirty-five years, someone(or maybe something) had been bringing him food to survive. In 1998, Voldemort went to Nurmengard and collected the information he needed about the Elder Wand. Before he left, with Grindelwald’s begging, ended the wizard’s suffering of being locked away by killing him. It is unknown if prisoners are still kept there or if it was left to turn to crumble into ruins.
Credits/References
Written by the library team
Base code by Andrew Sutherland, edited by Iselin Merilä and Desmond Gray.