J. K. Rowling presents Umbrigde's backstory

[t0ra-chan.livejournal.com]

In time for Halloween JKR gave us another short story (more background info to be honest, it's not like it has a plot). You can read it at Pottermore (if you have an account and can actually remember your user name and password) or you can read it here: J.K. Rowling writes Harry Potter Halloween tale profiling 'malicious' Dolores Umbridge

My personal take on this little story is that it's wholly pointless. It just repeats that Umbridge was always a nasty person with no depth to her and she's worse than blood purists. Nothing really new or insightful is revealed, nor do I believe did anybody care to know this sort of stuff about Umbridge. I also found it very unbelievable that anybody would buy her claims of being a pureblood, considering how small the wizarding community is. And of course she was a Slytherin, because where else could an evil person in HP have come from.

Comments

[jana-ch.livejournal.com]

I go along with the "dark side of Hufflepuff" idea. Dolores is loyal to the Ministry, as is that supposedly contemptible fellow, Percy Weasley, but people forget that the Ministry is the legal government of Wizarding Britain, while the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters are both vigilante organizations. I'm not about to say a government can never be wrong, but one should think long and hard before deciding to undermine or overthrow it by extra-legal means. Faithfulness to one's nation and its government is a legitimate form of loyalty, and belongs within the purview of Hufflepuff House.

P.S. Making Umbridge a Slytherin because "she's evil" shows just how bankrupt JKR's moral imagination has become.