Harry Potter: 8 Things Dolores Umbridge Would Have Been Arrested For In The Muggle World

In the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and The Secrets of Dumbledore, fans will get a peek at the backstory of one of the greatest headmaster’s Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy has ever seen. Albus Dumbledore successfully navigated through years of toil and trouble to become a fan-favorite character. However, one other so-called headmaster who was opposingly not loved by many fans was Dolores Umbridge.

Being a part of the Ministry of Magic led Umbridge to other positions such as the head of the Muggle Registration Commission where she enacted hate crimes towards muggles. It was hard for Umbridge to be arrested or convicted of the number of other crimes she committed due to her position of authority, but in some instances, she certainly got what she deserved.

Torture

In Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix, fans got a glimpse of Dolores Umbridge’s horrible punishment of students. When she delivered her first Defence Against The Dark Arts class, after Harry exclaimed that Voldemort had returned, Umbridge sentenced him to detention where she made him use a quill that etched whatever he wrote into his skin.

While Umbridge did not inflict the pain herself, she was well aware of what the quill would do to Harry when he started writing with it. Harry certainly should have told Dumbledore what sort of punishment Umbridge was inflicting, and in any other year, he likely would have, but Dumbledore was distancing himself from Harry in order to try to protect him and help him have a normal year.

Child Abuse

Similar to her punishment of Harry, the rest of Dumbledore’s army also got Umbridge’s special version of detention after they were caught practicing magic, and this included any young children that were part of the secret group. One young boy called Michael, of an undisclosed age but likely a first-year student, was also a victim of Umbridge’s black quill that etched the written words into his hand, an act that certainly puts Umbridge in the running for one of Harry Potter‘s most evil characters.

Again, Umbridge knew exactly what the quill would do to Michael’s hand and subjected him to the punishment anyway, despite him likely being only 11 years old. Instead of reporting Umbridge to the authorities, Fred and George took matters into their own hands and destroyed the other student’s OWL exams, and cast a dragon made of fireworks that ‘ate’ and burned Umbridge as she tried to run away. This seemed like fitting punishment enough for the students of Hogwarts, who celebrated afterward.

Abuse Of Power

Umbridge made quite the first impression when she came to Hogwarts, and quickly rose through the ranks. In Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix, she caused quite the stir when she fired Professor Trelawny and attempted to banish her from the grounds. It was not long before Dumbledore appeared to escort Trelawny back inside as, although Umbridge had the power to dismiss the teachers, she did not have the power to banish them from Hogwarts.

It was hard to report Umbridge for some of her cruel acts, as she was appointed to the position by the Ministry. However, this was a clear abuse of her power, and in this case, it was a power she did not have. This issue was likely not taken any further due to Dumbledore handling the situation quickly in the courtyard of the school. However, even if she was reported, it would be unlikely that the Ministry would agree with Dumbeldore and the students when up against Umbridge herself.

Attempted Murder

In the fifth movie, Hermione lured Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest to reveal “Dumbledore’s weapon,” which Umbridge soon found out didn’t exist. Soon after, the Centaurs showed up and taunted her after she called them “filthy half-breeds.” In defense, she cast a spell that launched a rope out of her wand and wrapped it around one of the Centaur’s necks in an attempt to kill him.

Luckily, he managed to get free with Hermione’s help, but Umbridge certainly cast the spell with the intention to kill. The only reason Umbridge wasn’t arrested was likely because at the moment Umbridge cast the spell, the Centaurs ran towards her and carried her off into the forest. It is likely that Harry and Hermione presumed her to be dead. Also, given that centaurs are half-human, it would raise the question of whether or not the authorities would see them as humans, and, by extension, see her crime as “murder.”

Attempted Torture

In Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix, after Umbridge discovered Dumbledore’s army, she took Harry and the others up to her office and resorted to using the Cruciatus Curse on Harry as torture to get him to talk. Although she didn’t end up going through with it due to Hermione intervening, Umbridge could still have been arrested for being willing to torture Harry using the Cruciatus curse.

One of the main reasons Umbridge wasn’t caught was that she turned the photo of Cornelius Fudge face down so that he did not see her commit the act. Umbridge, being so high up in the Ministry of Magic, knew it was illegal, but she decided to go through with cursing Harry anyway. She, potentially, wasn’t reported for this either, as she was carried away by the Centaurs shortly after, so as far as the main three were concerned, Umbridge was punished and would likely never been seen again.

Hate Crimes

Umbridge has always had a strong hatred towards anyone who wasn’t a pure magical human and, as previously mentioned referred to Centaurs as “filthy half-breeds.” She was also the head of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, where she was in charge of interrogating muggles who she believed ‘stole’ their magic. In reality, this organization was deeply prejudiced towards muggle-borns and believed they didn’t deserve to use magic at all.

Given that the organization was set up by the Ministry, it makes sense that Umbridge was never arrested for hate crimes, as it was easy to disguise these acts as simply doing her job. It’s safe to say that if this wasn’t a government institution, she would likely have served time in prison. 

Property Damage

In Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix, Harry and the rest of Dumbledore’s army used the room of requirement to train for battling Voldemort and the other Death Eaters. Once Umbridge discovered the student’s use of the secret room, she used the  “Bombarda Maxima” spell to blow a hole in the wall.

This would certainly come under property damage, as Umbridge was only an acting Headmaster of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and did not own the school. Given that the ministry wouldn’t take too lightly to students practicing magic for Dumbledore, who escaped their attempted arrest, it makes sense that no one reported Umbridge to the authorities. The ministry would also likely convince the muggle authorities that Umbridge was innocent if Harry and the others went to report her.

Assault

In the fifth movie, once Umbridge discovered Dumbledore’s army practicing magic, she took a number of them to her office where she sat Harry down in order to find out what they were up to. When Harry refused to give up any information, Umbridge slapped him across the face.

This was a clear account of assault and could not even be argued as using reasonable force or in defense, as Harry was not harming Umbridge. While the students could have reported Umbridge, it’s again likely that the authorities wouldn’t believe the students if Umbridge was to deny their claims. Also, with the prophecy and the return of Voldemort looming in the air, getting slapped by Umbridge probably seemed like a minuscule issue in comparison.

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