"Making an issue out of Azkaban?"
Ever since Sirius escaped, the Ministry of Magic's attention had been focused on capturing Black.
As for how Black escaped, the Aurors had long given up investigating.
Fudge asked, puzzled, "Sebastian, do you mean for the Ministry of Magic to refocus its attention on Azkaban, to find the loopholes that exist within it?"
"Alas… that won't be easy."
"You know, Black was one of the most closely guarded high-security prisoners, with Dementors standing guard outside his door day and night."
"However, according to the Dementors' reactions, they didn't detect anyone leaving Azkaban that night."
"The Aurors also couldn't figure out what went wrong."
"Minister," Sebastian chuckled softly, "there's no need to dwell on what went wrong, nor how he escaped; that's not the most important thing right now."
"To eliminate the impact Black has caused, the best approach is to overshadow it with something even more far-reaching."
"For you, Minister, the most effective way is to do something positive to draw the public's attention."
Positive things?
Azkaban?
How are these two connected?
What positive things could possibly be done in a place like Azkaban…
Fudge looked at Sebastian with a face full of question marks, waiting for him to provide further answers and clarification.
Looking at Fudge, who was both puzzled and expectant, Sebastian secretly chuckled to himself, no longer keeping him in suspense, and went straight to the point.
"Since 1718, Azkaban has officially served as a Wizard prison."
"On the surface, it has successfully become a place for confining Wizard criminals, as Dementors can act as guards, saving time, Galleons, and effort."
"But if you scrutinize it closely, there are actually many unreasonable aspects within it that the previous Ministers of Magic have largely ignored."
"You can reform Azkaban, becoming the first Minister to do so."
Upon hearing this, Fudge's eyes gradually lit up, sparkling with undisguised interest.
Every word Sebastian spoke ignited the desire within him.
Interesting!
The first Minister to reform Azkaban!
This title was practically tailor-made for him.
Of course, this matter had to be handled brilliantly; that way, he would surely be remembered by the world as a brave and innovative leader.
"Sebastian," Fudge's gaze grew more eager, "tell me quickly, what exactly are the unreasonable aspects of Azkaban?"
Sebastian leaned back comfortably on the sofa, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, as if organizing his thoughts.
"The biggest problem lies in Azkaban's single model. The criminals confined here, though their charges vary, are all sent to this cold, dark prison, regardless of the severity of their crimes."
"Lifelong prisoners are mixed with Wizards who have committed only minor offenses, and even those who made unintentional mistakes are sent into this extreme environment."
"For those who committed minor offenses or have short sentences, Azkaban's oppressive environment will only cause their minds to break, even losing the possibility of reintegrating into society."
Fudge frowned and nodded.
Indeed, this one-size-fits-all approach easily led to problems.
In fact, he had heard some complaints about Azkaban, but he hadn't paid much attention to them.
"So, what should be the direction of reform? How should I change this system?" Fudge was impatient to know the answer to the question.
"Minister, the first step in reform is to show some humanitarian care to these less serious offenders."
"Sebastian, do you mean building another independent prison? If so, the cost would be too high, and the Ministry of Magic couldn't afford it."
"No need for such trouble," Sebastian smiled slightly and continued, "Have you heard of labor reform, Minister?"
Labor reform?
Fudge shook his head blankly. Having grown up in the Wizarding World, he had never heard of the concept of labor reform.
"So-called labor reform is to achieve the goal of reforming criminals through labor."
Understood!
This meant making the prisoners work.
Fudge stared at Sebastian, dumbfounded.
Merlin!
How dark-hearted must this guy be to think of making prisoners work?
Truly worthy of Sebastian; he always thinks of things others don't.
"Sebastian," Fudge hesitated, "if that's the case, the prisoners will riot, won't they?"
"Don't rush, Minister. I haven't finished yet." Sebastian waved his hand gently.
"My idea is to exclude lifers and offer the remaining prisoners a choice."
"Either go out to work, or continue to quietly serve their sentences in Azkaban."
"If they choose to work, they would need to work eight hours a day. Of course, the work location would not be in Azkaban, and their meals during work must also be guaranteed."
"To put it more bluntly," Sebastian spoke eloquently, "these prisoners can leave Azkaban during the day to work, and then be sent back to Azkaban to sleep at night."
"As for the content of the work, it could be planting herbs, brewing Potions, or something simpler, just processing Potion ingredients or alchemy materials."
"If they still don't know how, then it's very simple; the Ministry of Magic can provide specialized trainers to train these prisoners."
"This way, when these prisoners are released after serving their sentences, they will all have a skill and relevant work experience, enabling them to better integrate into society and reduce the crime rate."
Fudge leaned slightly forward, his eyes shining.
He could feel that simply helping prisoners re-enter society would bring him immense prestige.
Besides this point, labor reform had many other advantages, such as bringing a considerable amount of Galleons to the Ministry of Magic and improving the Ministry of Magic's financial situation.
To stay away from Dementors, prisoners would certainly be willing to work.
After all, only those who had truly been in Azkaban knew that anywhere outside Azkaban was paradise.
Perhaps, to stay outside longer, prisoners would be willing to work more than eight hours.
Nine-nine-six, or even zero-zero-seven, were all possible.
Heh heh!
Fudge could already foresee the public singing his praises.
However, he wasn't too complacent, as there were still many issues to consider.
For example, how to transport prisoners to and from Azkaban on a large scale;
How to prevent prisoners from slacking off under the guise of working;
How to prevent prisoners from escaping while working, and so on.
Thinking of this, Fudge's face broke into a wide smile: "Sebastian, there are still many problems here."
"You must help all the way!"
...
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