After inviting Lucius to his home for dinner, Fudge asked his assistant to arrange a visit to Azkaban Prison.
To be honest, Fudge didn't like Azkaban prison, and it was estimated that no wizard would want to set foot on that island. If he could avoid it, Fudge would never go to that kind of hellhole.
After receiving the news, Scrimgeour, the head of the Auror Office, did not object to Fudge's inspection. He would not object either. To be frank, Fudge was just going through the motions. Especially after Scrimgeour heard some rumors, he found their minister's reason for maintaining peace in the wizarding world funny. This political show seemed a little late.
The notorious Azkaban Prison in the wizarding world is located on a small island in the middle of the North Sea. It is shrouded in storms all year round and the island is often submerged by waves. Only when the ship gets very close can you see a towering fortress standing in the storm. The light from the fortress is difficult to penetrate the rain curtain and be noticed by the outside world.
There are no living creatures here except prisoners. Employees of the Ministry of Magic simply cannot work in such a harsh environment, and no wizard would be willing to stay and work here.
Normally, only a few Aurors would deal with the Azkaban guards, with the Aurors escorting the prisoners and then handing them over to the Dementors.
As for visiting, there is no such thing in Azkaban prison.
Fudge's inspection undoubtedly showed great determination.
On a stormy night, a ship sailed in the wind and waves towards Azkaban Prison in the North Sea.
The space inside the ship was very large. Fudge was standing in the hold illuminated by the warm yellow light, standing absent-mindedly by the window, looking through the glass at the dark night and raging waves outside, not knowing what he was thinking.
In the seat behind Fudge, the two Aurors who were traveling with Fudge were sitting in armchairs, drinking hot tea and reading newspapers to kill time.
As for the driving issue, the ship will automatically sail to Azkaban Prison and is the only way to get to Azkaban Prison.
Everyone knows that there is Azkaban Prison and that it is located somewhere in the North Sea. However, since the location of the prison cannot be marked on the map, very few people actually know the exact location of the prison.
The ship sailed through the storm and approached the fortress of Azkaban Prison, stopping at the port.
Fudge reached out and pressed down his wizard hat as he climbed onto the infamous prison.
At the dock, there was a strong wind and heavy rain, instantly soaking the three people who had just got off the boat.
Fudge regretted that he didn't add an extra thick cloak when he came.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the sky, and the dark night instantly turned into day. Above the fortress, a large number of Dementors were watching over the island.
The coldness seeped into his skin bit by bit, causing Fudge to shiver uncontrollably. In order to maintain his image as a minister, he had to grit his teeth and hold on.
The three of them crossed the dock and came to the entrance of the fort.
The Auror named Dawlish came forward to deal with a Dementor and had some simple communication, indicating that the Minister of Magic was here to inspect Azkaban Prison.
The Dementors actually didn't care about this kind of thing. They could barely understand what the wizard meant. They opened the entrance to the fortress and took the three people to inspect Azkaban prison.
There are actually not many wizards imprisoned in Azkaban Prison. Most of them have only committed some minor crimes and will be imprisoned here for a short period of several months.
If they were not tortured crazy by the Dementors, they would be released. Most wizards who had been in Azkaban prison were afraid to make mistakes again, for fear of being imprisoned in this terrible prison again.
In fact, Azkaban Prison is the place where the Ministry of Magic maintains its authority. Even if Fudge is reluctant to admit it, most wizards are willing to abide by the law because they are afraid of being imprisoned in Azkaban Prison and facing those evil Dementors.
The longest-tenured residents here were the Death Eaters who killed countless people and committed countless heinous crimes when the mysterious man was in power last time. In fact, quite a few Death Eaters were sentenced to life imprisonment.
However, to Fudge's dismay, the Death Eaters themselves were a group of extremely evil guys, and were much less affected by Dementors than ordinary wizards. After staying here for more than ten years, their crimes could not be completely erased. Fortunately, they would still be affected by Dementors.
When Fudge inspected the prisoners, he saw that they were all sitting in their cells, mumbling something to themselves in the dark, and many of them looked unconscious.
There is nothing more comforting than a crazy prisoner, at least they can no longer pose a threat to the wizarding world. Of course, it would be even better if they could die quickly, which is probably the last contribution that group of people can make to the wizarding world.
As Fudge inspected the prisons one by one, he finally came to Blake's cell.
Fudge was extremely shocked by Black's condition. He did not look crazy like the other wizards imprisoned here, but rather "very normal".
This is undoubtedly not good news. Old friend Lucius' wish is likely to be dashed.
"Cornelly Fudge, how come you are here?" Black was also surprised that a wizard appeared in Azkaban prison. He hadn't spoken to anyone for a long time. His voice was hoarse and he spoke very slowly.
"I'm here to inspect Azkaban Prison. This is the responsibility of the Minister of Magic." Fudge glanced at the two Auror guards beside him, and then at the two Dementors standing on both sides of the cell, trying to hide his inner uneasiness.
Those Dementors actually had no effect on Black. You know, every prisoner has a Dementor standing guard at his door.
"Minister of Magic?" Black seemed to be bored with this place. He said in a hoarse voice, "I didn't expect that the Minister of Magic would be willing to come to such a damn place. It's so boring here. By the way, where are the newspapers you haven't finished reading? I want to do the crossword puzzles in the newspaper to kill time. Those crossword puzzles in the Daily Prophet should not have been cancelled!"
Fudge seemed to be greatly insulted, and his originally slightly pale face suddenly became rosy. He didn't want to pay much attention to Black at first, but before leaving, he finally asked the Auror beside him to let Dawlish give him the copy of "Daily Prophet" that he had stuffed into his pocket, and then he handed it to Black through the iron cabinet bars, just to fulfill the other party's small wish.
"I am shocked that Black has not been affected much." After leaving the prison, Fudge turned to the two Aurors beside him and said, "It seems that an inspection is still necessary. Send more prison guards to keep a close eye on Black. If there is any situation, be sure to report to me immediately."
"I understand your concerns. I'm afraid only very evil wizards can ignore the influence of Dementors." Dawlish was also very surprised to see that Black was not affected. He nodded to show that he understood Fudge's concerns. "I'll ask the jailer to send more people to keep a close eye on Black."
However, Fudge didn't know that he was in trouble.
Some things changed after he handed the Daily Prophet to Black. The man who was preparing to do a crossword puzzle in prison now had his eyes wide open, staring at the headline of the newspaper, which was a family photo of the Weasley family winning the Galleon Award and traveling to Egypt, and Black's eyes were fixed on the mouse with a missing toe on the shoulder of a boy in the photo.
"He's not dead, he's in Hogwarts, he's in Hogwarts!" Blake stared at the newspaper and muttered these words softly.
He suddenly raised his head and looked in the direction of the prison entrance, with a bright light in his eyes, as if someone had lit a fire in Blake's eyes.
He knew he had to do something.