Don’t take umbrage: The secret behind the wicked witch of Hogwarts

Just in time for Halloween, J.K. Rowling has given fans a glimpse of what makes a wicked witch tick. The creator of boy wizard Harry Potter published a 1,700-word essay on Friday revealing the real-life inspiration behind one of her most memorable villains, the supernatural bureaucrat and Hogwarts teacher Dolores Umbridge. An ice-cold inquisitor dressed in pastel pink, Umbridge first appeared in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” the fifth of seven books in Rowling’s multimillion-selling series.

The woman in question returned my antipathy with interest. Why we took against each other so instantly, heartily and (on my side, at least) irrationally, I honestly cannot say.

J.K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter series.

Rowling has said she has no plans to write another Harry Potter book, but she has released nuggets of new material on Pottermore, an online store-cum-treasury of magical information. Rowling published several other entries on the site Friday, including a history of Azkaban prison and details of everyone who has held the post of Minister for Magic.

Arts dolores umbridge