Dolores Umbridge's Secret Past Makes Her Role In Harry Potter Even More Despicable

Summary Umbridge's persecution of Muggle-borns was despicable, given her secret family history.

The evil actions of this Lawful Evil character led to her rightful punishment in Azkaban.

Umbridge's hypocrisy in tormenting Muggle-borns while lying about her own blood status is chilling.

Dolores Umbridge was already the most despised villain of Harry Potter, but her secret past makes her misdeeds even more despicable. Little was said about the Hogwarts High Inquisitor's past in the Harry Potter books or movies, though she mentioned a few tidbits about her supposed family history. Umbridge prided herself on her pure blood and believed that it was this and her own hard work that qualified her to lead the wizarding world. Of course, many of those who claimed to have pure blood in Harry Potter didn't, but Umbridge took this to a different level.

Voldemort was a pretty horrible villain, but when Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix rolled around, Dolores Umbridge secured herself as the most hated character of the franchise. The pure injustice of her actions was enough to make anyone's blood boil, making her fate at the end of Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts all the more satisfying. Of course, Umbridge reappeared in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when she became responsible for a cruel and sometimes fatal Muggle-born registration program. This was horribly ironic since Umbridge herself had a Muggle mother.

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Dolores Umbridge Had A Muggle Mother & Squib Brother

Umbridge Bragged That She Was A Pure-Blood Witch (But It Was All A Lie)

It was never mentioned in Harry Potter since Umbridge ensured the information was kept secret, but the ambitious witch was born to a Muggle mother. According to an entry from J.K. Rowling on Wizarding World, Umbridge's parents were Orford Umbridge and Ellen Cracknell, and she despised both of them. Her mother she hated for the obvious reasons. Ellen's status as a Muggle was deeply embarrassing for Umbridge, who was sorted into Slytherin when she attended Hogwarts. She hated Orford for marrying a Muggle, to begin with, and for his lack of ambition.

Ellen and her son disappeared into the Muggle world, and Umbridge never spoke of or saw either of them again.

To make matters worse, Orford and Ellen's second child was a boy with no magical ability. The Squib, a non-magical child born to magical parents in the world of Harry Potter, was an embarrassment to both Orford and Dolores, who blamed Ellen for his poor status. The shame caused the family to split down the middle. Ellen and her son disappeared into the Muggle world, and Umbridge never spoke of or saw either of them again. If someone in the wizarding world was unlucky enough to discover Umbridge's secret, they were quickly dealt with.

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Umbridge's "Pure Blood" Lie Is Even Worse Than Lord Voldemort's

Many Slytherins Lied About Their Blood Status, But Umbridge Was Even More Despicable

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Dolores Umbridge firmly believed in blood purity in Harry Potter, and in Deathly Hallows, she led a horrific campaign against any witch or wizard with Muggle parentage. Her big family secret made these actions even worse, but such lies weren't uncommon in the wizarding world. By the events of Harry Potter, there were very few pure-blood families left. The wizarding community would have died out if they hadn't begun to marry and have children with Muggles. Still, this didn't stop people like Voldemort from ignoring their Muggle bloodlines.

Voldemort's entire campaign revolved around blood purity, and he promised his followers that he would force Muggles into a place of subservience. Of course, the Dark Lord pretended to be pure blood himself, as was only fitting for the supposed champion of wizardkind. Still, Umbridge took this to a different level. Umbridge didn't target Muggles—her goal was to torment Muggle-borns, falsely imprisoning them for supposedly lying about their status. All the while, that's precisely what she was doing. It's unparalleled hypocrisy.

Umbridge paid her father to remain under the radar and told her colleagues that she was a member of the pure-blood Selwyn family, claiming that this is what the "S" on Slytherin's locket stood for.

What Happened To Dolores Umbridge After Harry Potter

Umbridge Was Held Responsible For Her Crimes (But Was If Enough?)

Umbridge sent dozens of witches and wizards to Azkaban during the Second Wizarding War for lying about their blood status, all the while committing this crime herself. However, throughout Harry Potter, she seemed wholly convinced of her own superiority, as if she believed her own lies. Still, this didn't save her when the time came. Some of the Muggle-borns Umbridge had sent to prison had died there before Harry defeated Lord Voldemort. After, the new regime came crumbling, and the horrible witch was held responsible for their deaths.

As the very definition of a lawful evil character, a legal punishment was the most fitting for Umbridge.

According to Wizarding World, Umbridge was sent to Azkaban herself for her horrible crimes. Of course, the place had been cleared of dementors, and the conditions were made far more humane than they had been before. Therefore, Umbridge didn't suffer the same sort of fate as her Muggle-born victims. Still, as the very definition of a lawful evil character, a legal punishment was the most fitting. Umbridge used the law as a means of harming others while placing herself on a pedestal; the law knocking her off this place of honor in Harry Potter was the best possible ending for her character.