Did Umbridge have a Time-Turner? (WAS: High Inquisitor / time)

[Tom Wall]

No: HPFGUIDX 70532

Mtwelovett wrote:
How does Delores Umbridge have the time to be such a busy body in
everyone else's classes and still "do her job" ? 
<snip...>

And Mtwelovett continued with:
In the first five years, I don't recall Harry ever having DADA with
another house (never mind how it is portrayed in the films) If this is
the case in the first 5 years alone, that is 20 classes of students (4
per year -one for each house-) and that is a lot. And then you have to
factor in that they may meet more than once a week, if their course
isn't a double session (which is really two sessions back to back
anyway) so between years 1-5 there are at least 40 sessions of DADA.
<snip excellent reasoning...>

Mtwelovett elaborated:
If you go on the assumption that that is approximately how this is 
set up, and a "break" would be a class period long, like a "study 
hall" or something, then there are only 35 available class slots in a 
week for a teacher anyway. (5 days times seven classes) so without 
having 6th of 7th years even factored into the equation, there is no 
way that Umbridge would have time to play her role as High Inquisitor 
too. 

Tom humbly adds:
Mtwelovett, that was an astounding analysis of Umbridge's logistical 
hindrances in OoP, an amazing comparison with other subjects and with 
rehard to previous years, and very acceptable conclusions regarding 
these difficulties. Your questions mirrored many that I'd had, and 
couldn't answer, and never articulated so well. Of course, as it 
would typically work out, the answer occured to me as I was reading 
through your post.

I understand that the canonical obligations of the DADA professors 
(at least one class per house up through the O.W.L. year, and 
possibly [if lucky,] a reduced-in-size class for sixth & seventh year 
N.E.W.T. students) would seem to make the job harder than, say, any 
class that has regular double-house periods, such as Harry's 
Herbology lessons with the Hufflepuffs, or Potions with the 
Slytherins. (On that note, does Gryffindor ever have a double period 
with the Ravenclaws? None springs to mind...)

Anyways, so, regular DADA duties being extensive enough already, 
Umbridge must also somehow make time to attend every COMC and 
Divination class, at least, all of those for Harry's classes, as well 
as spend (presumably) substantial time communicating with Fudge, 
issuing orders to, say, the Inquisistorial Squad, and keeping up to 
date with all of the misbehavior at the school.

So, every DADA professor has it rough, and Umbridge's obligations are 
more than most. Oh, never mind the horror it must have caused 
whenever the Weasley twins made a scene! How much teaching you think 
she got done when they set off those fireworks, eh? 

So how'd she pull it all off?

Umbridge has a Time-Turner.

She's a high ranking Ministry official, the "Senior Undersecretary to 
the Minister," right? We know from the end of PoA that Time-Turners 
are only available through the Ministry. We see, in OoP, that the 
Department of Mysteries actually has dedicated part of its space to 
the study of Time. And since her position as `High-Inquisitor' is a 
Ministry delegated position, it makes sense that she'd be able to 
make use of just about anything the Ministry could provide to make 
her job (spying on and slowing down Dumbledore, as well as reigning 
in Hogwarts) a heck of a lot easier.

-Tom