10 Harry Potter Fan Theories Confirmed By JK Rowling

5. Azkaban Was A Prison For Dementors

The Dementors
Warner Bros.

Can you imagine if Dementors were just free to roam around the country, just slipping up behind you, sucking out your soul and heading on to the next poor person out for a nighttime stroll? Solid pass, thanks a bunch. So the fan theory that was an early one to be confirmed, that Azkaban is as much a prison for them as it is for criminals, was an easy one to get behind!

Azkaban is a bloody grim place with a name steeped in history. Rowling wrote on Pottermore that Alcatraz and Abaddon birthed the prison and that it was allowed to exist as a means of keeping the Dementor population in check.

The darkest parts of the Wizard community were the prison's strongest supporters as it suited their goals. They were shot of the Dementors and they had a place to stick their criminals. In a way, it makes perfect sense. The prison was located on an island way out to sea, so there wasn't any chance of Muggles stumbling across it.

There wasn't much of a risk of escape either with thousands of Dementors floating about. What this confirmation really means is that there was a Hell in the world of Harry Potter, it was well known to Wizard-kind and for hundreds of years it was a beacon of success for various governments.

That one is pretty dark, all things considered.

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"