[HPforGrownups] Re: Polyjuice workings/Azkaban's location

[Edblanning at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 36882

In a message dated 22/03/02 17:43:29 GMT Standard Time, 
greywolf1 at jazzfree.com writes:


> Dementors are blind, and cannot distinguish between humans. They sensed 
> a human inside the cell, and that was good enough for them (you don't 
> play with your food, nor argue with it, and that's what dementors think 
> of human: we aren't alive, were just the coffee-machine that serves 
> their snacks: feelings). I think that when Mrs. Criuch died, one of the 
> dementors just took her out to the back garden and buried her (or threw 
> her into the sea, or whatever). I don't imagine that many DE receive 
> visits while in Azkaban (Sirius receided one visit in 12 years, and he 
> was important), so no human actually noticed the change.
> 

Yes, dementors are blind. But Crouch Jr specifically states (under 
Veritaserum) that she was careful to take the potion to the end, so he must 
at least believed it was necessary. He should know, having been an inmate. In 
addition, Sirius specifically says that he saw Crouch Jr being buried . Are 
we to think that there are *only* dementors employed at Azkaban? Dementor 
administrators? Dementor Governor? The fact that Crouch Jr is so specific in 
the matter makes me think that there must be the risk of being seen by other 
humans. 

Now, where is Azkaban, you ask. I agree that the North Sea seems a bit 
unlikely. Given where JKR hails from, I would suggest an island somewhere in 
the Bristol Channel would be suitable. Thus it would be in sight of land, 
like Alcatraz (similar name??). How it is hidden from the Muggles is another 
matter, though surely solvable. It could be unplottable, accounting for the 
fact that known islands like Lundy don't have any sign of a penal colony. On 
the other hand, as it would be a danger to shipping, it may be cunningly 
disguised as a sandbank or rocky outcrop.

Someone has suggested that you may be confusing the Isle of Man ( where the 
cats come from) with the Channel Isles. I think perhaps that you were 
thinking of the Isle of Wight, which *is* just off the south coast, but is 
also well inhabited and touristy. the general location would work, though. I 
do think that Azkaban must be invisible to Muggles though, so as I suggested, 
they would only recognise it as an unihabitable shipping hazard.

Eloise


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