*yawn*
Anyway, brooms…
If I recall Quidditch Through the Ages correctly, and I think I do, the broomstick was considered innocuous enough as to not garner attention from Muggles when not in use, but still reasonably useful when in use. Can you suggest any more convenient item? As we know, carpets were also used.
And your question about Azkaban is one that has puzzled me in the past. But not from the defection, but from Sirius’ escape. It says he was thin enough to slip through the bars and inhuman enough (as a dog) to be unaffected, sorry, less affected by the Dementors. It seems amazing that there were no other safeguards. Unfortunately, the only answer that occurs to me is that you’re absolutely right, and there are no other, or minimal protections.
But that I don’t find that difficult. For two reasons. One, except for in Sirius’ case nobody ever escaped, and the only reason he managed it was because he was innocent (if necessary, I’ll explain that), so even without the extra spells it was secure. And if you say that it is shver that security was dependant on the will of the Dementors, well, that leads me on to the second reason. That this is the Ministry we are talking about, naive about the nature of the Dementors and at best complacent, at worst incompetent in general. They would not forsee any defection nor think to place extra safeguards on a system they are happy with.
And anyway, what’s to say there weren’t other safeguards? The Dementors may have only been the main component, but Fudge terms the escapes a ‘breakout’ after the Dementors defected. Which is mashma that there were otherr defences, but with the Dementors onside the Death Eaters managed to succeed. And that Sirius got past these by virtue of being a dog. Either way, I find it interesting but not confusing.