One Fine Potion by Garrett Greg

Author:Garrett, Greg [Garrett, Greg]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Baylor University Press
Published: 2012-03-26T16:00:00+00:00

“I thought the dementors guard the prisoners at Azkaban,” [the Prime Minister] said cautiously.

“They did,” said Fudge wearily. “But not anymore. They’ve deserted the prison and joined He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I won’t pretend that wasn’t a blow.” 2 3

While they are still under Ministry control, however, Dolores Umbridge sends Dementors after Harry at the opening of Order of the Phoenix to try and discredit him—and if he had not successfully defended himself and Dudley, she would have been responsible for two deaths, or worse. These foul creatures attack the two schoolboys and try to suck their souls, and only Harry’s skillful—and unauthorized—use of the Patronus Charm saves them.

Umbridge’s decision to send a Dementor hit squad is a reprehensible action from anyone, let alone a high-ranking government official, and her willingness to risk the death or destruction of innocents in defense of an institution tells us much about the idea of institutional evil. But then again, Umbridge, who later in Order of the Phoenix is placed as the Ministry’s official representative within Hogwarts, takes it upon herself to do many unpleasant things in her appearances in the books; she issues edicts limiting freedoms, judges the capabilities and loyalties of her fellow teachers, and, when she uncovers supposed disciplinary problems at Hogwarts, tortures her students. When Harry arrives to do his first detention with her—earned for telling the truth about Dumbledore’s return—she seats him and tells him he will be writing I must not tell lies with her special quill—and as he writes, Harry finds those words sliced into the back of his own hand as the red ink flows onto the paper:

Again and again Harry wrote the words on the parchment in what he soon came to realize was not ink, but his own blood. And again and again the words were cut into the back of his hand, healed, and then reappeared the next time he set quill to parchment.

Darkness fell outside Umbridge’s window. Harry did not ask when he would be allowed to stop. . . .

“Come here,” she said, after what seemed like hours.

He stood up. His hand was stinging painfully. When he looked down at it he saw that the cut had healed, but that the skin there was red raw. 24

This torture is not the least Dolores Umbridge is prepared to do to maintain the Ministry. Toward the end of Order of the Phoenix , her fear will lead her to even go so far as to endanger Harry’s sanity by casting an Unforgiveable Curse on him when he won’t give her the answers she believes she needs:

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