Dolores. Fucking. Umbridge.
Seriously, she, Cornelius Fudge, and Rita Skeeter form a triad that I personally find more evil than most of Voldemort's forces. Because, yes, they're racist in god knows how many ways and they torture and murder and maim and slay. But Umbridge, Fudge, and Skeeter? Umbridge I won't even explain, if you can't see her evil you need to get your morality sorted. Fudge is blind, corrupt and refuses to acknowledge something even in the face of overwhelming evidence, costing the lives of many and, tbh, ultimately leading to Voldemort's takeover of the ministry by giving him a whole year to prepare. That much stupidity in someone who's meant to be a guide and a leader is just not good enough and I'd call it evil. Skeeter's a cow who benefits herself by twisting the truth (and outright lying) in order to further her own agenda at the cost of other peoples' good reputations and arguably their entire livelihoods. If she wrote the sort of things she wrote about Harry and Dumbledore about many other people I'm sure many would have found themselves in ridiculous amounts of entirely unmerited trouble. They could lose their job, lose friends, lose partners, anything. And the really awful thing is that people don't even bother to question her; even Harry's closest friends are slightly drawn in by Skeeter's writing in The Goblet Of Fire. Seriously. They are terrible people and should feel terrible.
Seriously, she, Cornelius Fudge, and Rita Skeeter form a triad that I personally find more evil than most of Voldemort's forces. Because, yes, they're racist in god knows how many ways and they torture and murder and maim and slay. But Umbridge, Fudge, and Skeeter? Umbridge I won't even explain, if you can't see her evil you need to get your morality sorted. Fudge is blind, corrupt and refuses to acknowledge something even in the face of overwhelming evidence, costing the lives of many and, tbh, ultimately leading to Voldemort's takeover of the ministry by giving him a whole year to prepare. That much stupidity in someone who's meant to be a guide and a leader is just not good enough and I'd call it evil. Skeeter's a cow who benefits herself by twisting the truth (and outright lying) in order to further her own agenda at the cost of other peoples' good reputations and arguably their entire livelihoods. If she wrote the sort of things she wrote about Harry and Dumbledore about many other people I'm sure many would have found themselves in ridiculous amounts of entirely unmerited trouble. They could lose their job, lose friends, lose partners, anything. And the really awful thing is that people don't even bother to question her; even Harry's closest friends are slightly drawn in by Skeeter's writing in The Goblet Of Fire. Seriously. They are terrible people and should feel terrible.