In her writing, J. K. Rowling’s definitely takes her words to heart. Her villains consistently display the evil side in their treatment of inferiors. Voldemort pretty much badgers everyone, even those who are loyal to him. But there’s another villain that makes my skin crawl, Dolores Umbridge. We meet her in Order of the Phoenix.
Umbridge is someone I love to hate. Beneath her pink suits and pasted on smile is a vile woman, who abuses the students under her care, and in general bullies people by abusing her power. If we consider her actions toward those who disagree with her and especially the students of Hogwarts, her real nature comes shining through. A tyrant disguised as a sweet woman makes her villainy more chilling because she turns our expectations upside down. More than likely, all of us know someone whose outward appearance belies her inner self.
Stephen King wrote of her in Entertainment.com, “the gently smiling Dolores Umbridge, with her girlish voice, toad-like face, and clutching, stubby fingers, is the greatest make-believe villain to come along since Hannibal Lecter.” I second that!