Azkaban

On the other side, Gilderoy Lockhart, whom Anduin had sent to Azkaban, was beginning his new life.

He had originally been sentenced to just fifteen years. Though he had committed multiple counts of fraud and "improper use of magic," and the Wizengamot had deemed his case serious, his crimes hardly warranted a heavy sentence.

But somehow, he had been assigned a cell in the wing reserved for the highest-security prisoners. Not only was he given a single cell, its walls had been specially reinforced, and Dementors patrolled the area far more frequently than elsewhere.

This struck Slim, one of Azkaban's guards, as very strange. But the Ministry of Magic had issued the order directly, and there was nothing he could do to question it.

Slim guessed that Lockhart must have offended some powerful figure in the Ministry, and that was why he was being singled out.

After all, the prisoners held here were all vicious criminals, most of them Death Eaters arrested after losing the last Wizard War.

Carrying a new-model Magic Lantern and wearing a magical heater clipped to his belt, Slim made his rounds, checking on the prisoners in each cell.

Despite the harsh conditions at Azkaban, Slim felt warm all over and not the slightest bit damp.

"We really have the Silver Flash Merchant to thank for supplying all this equipment. It's what lets us last so long at Azkaban. Most wizards can only manage three years on duty before they have to be transferred. Who'd have thought I'd be working here for so many years?"

Remembering how he had accompanied Anduin to Azkaban years ago, when Anduin was visiting with Minister Bagnold, Slim let a faint smile cross his lips. Thanks to the young alchemist, they had been able to leave behind the old working conditions