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J.K. Rowling writes Harry Potter Halloween tale profiling 'malicious' Dolores Umbridge

J.K. Rowling is serving up a special Halloween dose of Harry Potter for her die-hard fans, this time in the form of a profile of one of the most malicious characters in the Harry Potter universe. The story comes from Pottermore.com, the online home for the world of Harry Potter, which shared her latest story exclusively with TODAY.com.Read previous writings from Rowling shared exclusively with TO
TODAY
Pottermore.com

J.K. Rowling is serving up a special Halloween dose of Harry Potter for her die-hard fans, this time in the form of a profile of one of the most malicious characters in the Harry Potter universe. The story comes from Pottermore.com, the online home for the world of Harry Potter, which shared her latest story exclusively with TODAY.com.

Read previous writings from Rowling shared exclusively with TODAY.com from Pottermore.com, including her profile of a singing sorceress and a Daily Prophet story about Harry Potter's reunion with his friends at the Quidditch World Cup Finals.

TODAY
Today

The story of Dolores Jane Umbridge

Dolores Jane Umbridge was the eldest child and only daughter of Orford Umbridge, a wizard, and Ellen Cracknell, a Muggle, who also had a Squib son. Dolores’s parents were unhappily married, and Dolores secretly despised both of them: Orford for his lack of ambition (he had never been promoted, and worked in the Department of Magical Maintenance at the Ministry of Magic), and her mother, Ellen, for her flightiness, untidiness, and Muggle lineage. Both Orford and his daughter blamed Ellen for Dolores's brother's lack of magical ability, with the result that when Dolores was fifteen, the family split down the middle, Orford and Dolores remaining together, and Ellen vanishing back into the Muggle world with her son. 

To read the complete backstory, visit the "Dolores Jane Umbridge” Moment in Chapter 13 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on www.pottermore.com (registration required). Hint: you will need to double click on the door to enter the office, then click on Umbridge to unlock the new J.K. Rowling writing.