[HPforGrownups] DU treatment of Trelawny

[Magda Grantwich]

No: HPFGUIDX 117763

--- Kathleen Hunt <figgys26cats at yahoo.com> wrote:

> I'm sorry if this has been covered in the past, but I would like to
> know if any of you have a theory on why Umbridge hated and picked
> on 
> Trelawny?  Trelawny mentioned that  Seers have been persecuted for
> years, 
> but why? Was Trelawny considered part human because of her gift? I
> would say no, but I don't understand why DU went after her. 
> Please let me know.


Delores Umbridge is a classic authoritarian fascist: a woman of low
intelligence (albeit strong cunning) and almost no imagination at all
who is suspicious of anything that is not ordained or initiated by
the MoM.  Such things are somehow suspect or dangerous in her
opinion.  She distrusts people who don't have the same priorities and
values she has - Dumbledore because he seems to be a power in his own
right and has little respect for either Fudge or the Ministry.  

(Slight sidetrack: this means that someone like Lucius Malfoy can run
rings around her because if he pays lipservice to her prejudices, she
never questions that person's sincerity.)

Trelawney is a seer, and seeing is dangerous because it's
unpredictable and therefore not easily controlled by the MoM.  The
whole idea of filing prophecies on shelves and putting restrictions
on them to make sure only the subjects can touch them is somekind of
redtape bureacratic small-mindedness that was invented years ago to
contain seeing: "well, we can't stop it from happening, but we can
make darn sure that it's as difficult as possible for anyone to find
out about it!"

So the MoM doesn't encourage seers and seeing, and that's partly it. 
But it's also DU's sadistic nature to derive enjoyment from sending
Trelawney close to a complete mental and emotional collapse from the
sheer bullying enjoyment of it.  Trelawney was a great victim; DU
enjoyed herself very much.  

And the third reason might be that both Hagrid and Trelawney were
regarded by the MoM already as people under Dumbledore's personal
protection as teachers, unlike the others who had demonstrable
competence in their fields.

Magda
 


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