OOP: Umbridge

[Jennifer]

No: HPFGUIDX 62132

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I find myself torn between Umbridge as a pompous, slightly sadistic, 
but non-evil beaurocrat and Umbridge as Death Eater.

Two main points lean towards DE, but they may be easily explained.

1. Dementor attack on Harry.

   Her excuse for ordering the dementor attack is that she wants to 
support Fudge in his quest to discredit Harry. My problem is that it 
doesn't seem well-known or expected that Harry could produce a 
Patronus. So, essentially, she had to know she was sending Dementor's 
to give him a Kiss. To me, having his soul sucked would lead to 
martyrdom and more people believing Harry's story, not to 
discrediting him.
   I don't think Fudge knew of Harry's Patronus in PoA. They all seem 
to question why the Dementors just went away, and Snape takes all the 
credit. No one saw Timeturner!Harry. Also, Lupin uses a question 
about Harry's Patronus as something only Harry would know.

2. Accusations about Sirius.

   If she still thought Sirius was guilty, why would she suspect 
Harry of harboring him? If I was firmly convinced someone had 
betrayed a boy's parents, then escaped from prison and attempted to 
murder him, I certainly wouldn't expect the boy to help him hide. 

   True, Fudge knows that at the end of PoA Harry thinks Sirius is 
innocent, but he implies that Harry and Hermione are under some kind 
of Confundus charm and will come out of it any time. Aren't the DEs 
the only ones who *know* that Sirius is innocent and in contact with 
Harry?

Now, I know these are not enough to prove Umbridge a DE, but it was 
enough to make me start wondering...

Jennifer