Many characters in Harry Potter went to Azkaban. But, despite their misdeeds, who managed to avoid the wizard prison?
Several characters end up in Azkaban, the wizard jail, throughout the Harry Potter books. Some characters, such as Lucius Malfoy, deserve to spend time in prison. Others, including Rubeus Hagrid, were wrongfully imprisoned.
Even though Azkaban has some of the best security in the wizarding world, figures like Barty Crouch Jr. and the Sirius Black have managed to break through its gates. Several characters also committed crimes for which they should have been imprisoned, yet they managed to dodge any legal consequences and avoid spending time in the Azkaban.
Fenrir Greyback
Greyback was one of series’ most vicious Death Eaters. Unlike most other affected wizards, he seemed to love his werewolf existence, assaulting and purposefully infecting others.
Greyback was the one who infected Remus Lupin, a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Greyback fought alongside Voldemort and attacked Lavender Brown and Bill Weasley during the Second Wizarding War. Although it is unknown what happened to Greyback after the series ended, he should have been in Azkaban long before this moment due to his horrific reputation.
Corban Yaxley
Yaxley only appeared in one of the movies, but his deeds here were enough to warrant him a trip to Azkaban. He was one of Death Eaters who assisted in the takeover of the ministry after the murder of the minister for magic.
The ministry took on a new identity during this time, persecuting muggle-born wizards. When the Golden Trio attempted to flee the church, Yaxley pursued them and splinted Ron. While fans know that Yaxley’s ally, Umbridge, wound up in Azkaban, it’s unclear whether he did, but he surely deserved it.
Draco Malfoy
Draco Malfoy is in tears. Draco did, to some extent, rehabilitate himself, although he still committed several crimes. Draco Malfoy’s worst actions include bullying his peers, becoming a Death Eater, and nearly killing Katie Bell and Ron Weasley.
His family influenced Draco’s behavior, and many of his actions were motivated by fear. Draco was made to the fear for his life during his sixth year, but that does not excuse his misdeeds. Draco deserved to be punished for his acts despite his role as a pawn in Voldemort’s scheme.
Peter Pettigrew
Throughout his life, Peter Pettigrew committed numerous crimes but received no punishment. Peter betrayed his pals to Voldemort, framed Sirius Black for murders he didn’t do, and then pretended to be the Weasley family’s pet rat.
Peter was a key figure in resurrecting Voldemort, and he murdered Cedric Diggory in front of Harry. Even though he dies in the books, his fate in the movies is unknown. Despite Sirius spending years in Azkaban due to Peter’s actions, he went unpunished.
Gilderoy Lockhart
In Harry’s second year at the Hogwarts, Lockhart was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Lockhart spent most of his time as teacher bragging about himself and the great deeds he claimed to have accomplished.
Lockhart, of course, cast memory charms on wizards and claimed credit for their great exploits. He tries to use memory charm on Ron near the end of the second film, but it backfires. Lockhart would have gone to Azkaban for assaulting many other wizards and claiming their accomplishments as his own if he hadn’t lost his memory.
Severus Snape
Severus Snape Catching Harry Prowling Around At Night Snape is one of the series’ most complex characters, and he did a lot of the bad things for the greater good. While he had always been on Dumbledore’s side, some of Snape’s most egregious errors altered the course of the series.
Snape’s animosity towards Harry was unjustified, yet it was reasonable compared to his treatment of Neville. Snape’s assassination of Dumbledore may have been part of a deal between them, but the rest of the wizarding world didn’t learn about it until much later. Snape would have been imprisoned for murder if Voldemort hadn’t taken power. His “agreement” with the man he murdered would undoubtedly have been a weak defense.
Narcissa Malfoy
Narcissa had no choice but to join the Lord Voldemort because to refusing would have resulted in her and her son’s deaths. When she joined the Voldemort’s side at the Battle of the Hogwarts, she was not under imperious curse and the acted of her own free will.
When Narcissa lied to Voldemort about Harry’s fate, she undoubtedly gained Voldemort’s trust, but the fact that she was asked to do so implies she must have won the Dark Lord’s confidence somehow. Draco would have most likely turned Harry over to Voldemort if her life wasn’t in danger. Although her husband had previously served time in Azkaban, the Malfoy family escaped the Battle of Hogwarts and are likely to face little retribution for their crimes.
Blaise Zabini
Blaise is one of the few characters who is almost certainly more important in the movies than in the books. Blaise took over as Draco’s second sidekick after Crabbe was deleted from the finished film and Goyle died in his place.
Blaise attacked the Golden Trio in Room of Requirement with Goyle and Draco. Blaise fought on the side of evil and attempted to kill the Trio, whether out of fear or peer pressure. While he supported Draco, his role in preventing Harry from obtaining the Diadem suggests he was allied with the Death Eaters.
Lord Voldemort
Voldemort was the most famous dark wizard of all time. Therefore it’s odd that he never served time in Azkaban. While the dark wizard grew in strength in his later years, he deserved a place in the prison even while still Tom Riddle.
Countless people were slaughtered by Voldemort, including members of his own family and Harry’s parents. He killed individuals only to maintain his own life while making the Horcruxes, demonstrating how horrible he was. Understandably, he never found himself in Azkaban because of his abilities, but it’s where he belonged.
Harry Potter
Although Harry is the series’ protagonist, a significant aspect of his character is that he isn’t entirely reasonable, especially given that he has a portion of Voldemort living inside him. Although the movies omitted details concerning Unforgivable Curses, they made it apparent that using them was against the law.
Despite this, Harry attempts to cast the Cruelty Curse on Bellatrix after Sirius’ death. Even though his attempts to curse her were futile and his fury was reasonable, he committed a crime. Given what Bellatrix had just done and everything else that was going on at the time (including Fudge’s demise), it’s hardly surprising that Harry didn’t spend time in Azkaban for this. In the eyes of the wizarding law, Harry should have been jailed for the crime, and, oddly, he wasn’t even chastised.
