Dolores Umbridge is one of the most hated characters to have ever been created in fiction's history. She beats out Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, Peter Pettigrew, Barty Crouch Jr. and even Lord Voldemort. Most everyone who has read "Harry Potter" can agree to the fact that she is utterly horrendous, giving only a little room for forgiveness when she is captured by the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest... only a little. Why, might you ask, is she the most hated character? Well, if you don't already have an idea, it's a little something like this:
1. She insults Albus Dumbledore.
Dolores not only oversteps her boundaries in Hogwarts, she also insults Albus Dumbledore in her vicious climb to headmaster. She threatens him and his power at Hogwarts, and she accuses his actions of being quite erroneous attacks to overthrow Cornelius Fudge as Minister of Magic. Hmm.... Okay, Dolores, you can think what you want, but clearly insulting Albus Dumbledore on Hogwarts grounds didn't grant you much popularity, and we all know how that ended.
2. She physically harms our favorite protagonist.
Umbridge is on a roll, insulting Dumbledore and now hurting Harry Potter. Not only should he have not been in detention in the first place, but she then continues to torture him by making him write lines, actually believing this to be a solid tactic in learning lessons, with a quill that cuts into your skin to write with your own blood. Wow, quite the civil act, Dolores. Thank goodness Harry does eventually give her a taste of her own medicine.
3. She attempts to fire Professor Trelawney.
OK, yes, Trelawney is a little much at times, but she's the Divination professor. She is supposed to be a Seer, so being odd is just part of her common nature. And in fact, she has proven to Dumbledore many times that she can truly make prophecies and that they do in fact come true. She did warn Umbridge that she was in grave danger, and I think the centaur attack was a direct result. Maybe it was fate handing Umbridge what she deserved, but, essentially, Trewlaney warned her. Also, you can't help but feel bad for her in this scene, proving that Umbridge truly has no heart.
4. She drives away two of my personal favorite characters.
Although Fred and George Weasley were led into fame and success with their joke shop, it was quite sad to see them leave Hogwarts. After she kicked them off of the Quidditch team and got them into more trouble than they had ever been in, they decided enough was enough. However, they went out with a bang, literally, and escaped Hogwarts, ending up doing what they did best: joking around.
5. She worked for the Ministry even when Voldemort took over.
Dolores Umbridge isn't even a Death Eater, she is just plain cruel. Even when the Ministry of Magic's slogan changed to "Magic is Might", supporting only purebloods and discriminating muggle-born witches and wizards, Umbridge was right there in the top of the Ministry's officials, holding trials and torturing those who weren't of magical blood. She held nothing back when the Ministry's motives suddenly changed, making her final defeat for the possession of the locket just as rewarding as the death of Voldemort.
6. She didn't believe Harry about Voldemort's return.
Probably the most frustrating thing was her constant denying of Voldemort's return. Harry was already being shot down by the Ministry, and Umbridge's teaching position at Hogwarts made things a million times worse. She gave him detention for telling the truth, humiliated him in front of many students who were already on edge about Harry revealing Voldemort's return, and she did the worst job in preparing the students to fight dark forces that they would be facing within the next year. Thank goodness for Dumbledore's Army or else no student would be in the Final Battle except for Harry.
At least Voldemort had a reason to be cruel and long for immortality; Umbridge just wanted attention. She is by far the most hated character in all of literature, and she is loathed by all of the wizarding world of Harry Potter... and its fans.
