Azkaban's location

[GulPlum]

No: HPFGUIDX 36856

"grey_wolf_c" <greywolf1 at j...> wrote:

> While on the subject, the Lexicon places the prison of Azkaban in 
an 
> island in the North sea. However, when I recently re-read PoA, 
Sirius 
> mentions that he was near Privet Drive because "Couldn't pass up 
the 
> opportunity of looking up Harry **before starting his trip North**" 
> (trip towards Hogwarts were he knew he could find Peter)(liberal 
> translation form my own language). 

Perhaps liberal, but nevertheless accurate. :-) "I had only hoped to 
get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north".

> I don't think that Sirius had that 
> much free time that he could cross twice England (from North to 
South 
> and back again) just for the pleasure of Harry's company. I think 
it 
> would fit better that Azkaban was in the Sea SOUTH of England, and 
thus 
> Sirius just had to make a small de-tour to visit Harry. 

<snip>

I've always had the same problem. The Lexicon's placement of Azkaban 
is based on an out-of-canon JKR comment, and I don't see how it can 
fit, for the same reasons Grey Wolf listed. 

> In conclusion: I believe Azkaban is actually in an island south of 
> England (isle of man? my geography, specially the one outside my 
> country, is not very extense)

The Isle of Man is unlikely. It's tiny (but very much inhabited and a 
popular tourist destination), and even the small islands around it 
get a lot of visitors. It would therefore be a poor choice of site 
for a secret prison for dangerous DEs and even more dangerous 
Dementors.

Incidentally, it's not to the South of England. South of Scotland, 
perhaps, but West of England (I assume that like a lot of people, 
Grey Wolf's confusing it with the Channel Islands). :-)

Despite JKR's statement about its location being in the northern 
North Sea, I'd put it somewhere in the English Channel - there are 
plenty of small rocks there which get little (if any) attention, and 
it would make a great deal of sense for Surrey to be en route to 
Hogwarts, rather than for Sirius to travel the length of Britain for 
nothing more than a glimpse of Harry, especially as he knows that 
Harry will shortly be back at Hogwarts... 

Which brings up a different but related matter: why didn't Sirius 
just make a bee-line for The Burrow and attempt to get his paws on 
Wormtail there, rather than wait for him to go back to Hogwarts in 
Ron's pocket?