Umbridge

[Sherry]

No: HPFGUIDX 147784

Geoff:
 
> Does Umbridge know so little about the Dementors that she is 
prepared 
> to let them loose on juveniles in order to discredit them without 
> knowing the possible outcome?

Amontillada:

Umbridge's problem may be less what she does or doesn't know, and 
more what she does or doesn't want to recognize! From everything we 
saw of her in OotP, she's so convinced of the inferiority of non-
Wizard magical beings that she actually expects them to go along 
with this characterization. She assumed that she could simply 
say "I'm a Witch, you're just Centaurs," and the centaurs would just 
accept her superiority; and she was utterly shocked when they defied 
that idea.

I'm not saying this well! But she may very well have assumed that 
after the Dementors had attacked Harry, she would be able to send 
them back to Azkaban, and they'd just accept her orders. 
 
Geoff:
> Or, more dangerously, is she so obsessed with the good name of the 
> Ministry, her own position as a result and slapping down Harry 
that 
> she is prepared to see him rendered soulless by a Dementor?

Amontillada:
In a word, YES! In fairness, I don't think she really expected the 
Dementors to steal Harry's soul. As I've said above, she likely 
thought that they would attack him only far enough to discredit him, 
and would then withdraw when she wanted them to. But if they had 
carried through their attack, she would probably have told herself 
that it was somehow unavoidable--even that "Harry brought it on 
himself." 
 
Amontillada, another despiser of Umbridge