Science Fiction & Fantasy Asked by Slytherincess on December 23, 2020
In Order of the Phoenix, when Umbridge is headmistress of Hogwarts, she is carried off into the Forbidden Forest by the Centaur herd. Later, she’s in the hospital wing mute, but reacts with agitation to the sound of clip-clopping.
Professor Umbridge left Hogwarts the day before the end of term. It seemed she had crept out of the hospital wing during dinnertime, evidently hoping to depart undetected, but unfortunately for her, she met Peeves on the way, who seized his last chance to do as Fred had instructed, and chased her gleefully from the premises whacking her alternately with a walking stick and a sock full of chalk.
Order of the Phoenix – page 755 – UK Hardcover – chapter 38, The Second War Begins
Did Umbridge technically abandon her post, even though it wasn’t exactly in the way Snape did? By the end of the book, Dumbledore is back as headmaster; it’s unclear to me what Umbridge’s status became after she was taken by the centaurs and when her title would have changed back from Headmistress to Senior Undersecretary. Dumbledore kind of reappointed himself to the position of headmaster. Did Umbridge leave Hogwarts in good standing? Based on what is known from canon, would there be a portrait of Umbridge in the headmaster’s office?
This is going to be partly speculation on my part, so feel free not to accept as the final answer. However, there are a couple of things that lead me to think that Umbridge wouldn't have had a portrait in the Head's office.
The first is that while she's recognised by the Ministry of Magic as the Headmistress of Hogwarts, the castle itself (or, at the very least, the Head's office) doesn't appear to officially recognise her. Once Dumbledore has departed the Head's office seals itself off, and she's unable to re-enter it.
"... The Fat Friar told me -" he dropped his voice conspiratorially, so that Harry, Ron and Hermione had to lean closer to him to hear "- that Umbridge tried to get back into his office last night after they'd searched the castle and grounds for him. Couldn't get past the gargoyle. The Head's office has sealed itself against her." Ernie smirked. "Apparently she had a right little tantrum."
Order of the Phoenix - Chapter 28, Snape's Worst Memory
Then, in Half-Blood Prince:
In silence they ascended the moving spiral staircase and entered the circular office. ... In fact, it looked almost exactly as it had done when he and Dumbledore had left it mere hours previously ... And a new portrait had joined the ranks of the dead headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts: Dumbledore was slumbering in a golden frame over the desk...
Half-Blood Prince - Chapter 29, The Phoenix Lament
Given the events leading up to this - the school being attacked by Death Eaters and a teacher killing the Headmaster - and the timescale involved (probably less than two hours), I think it's unlikely that anybody took the trouble of moving a portrait of Dumbledore into the Head's office. I would guess, though can do no more than that, that the castle itself selects/creates the portraits of the headmasters and headmistresses.
If that is the case, and given that the castle didn't appear to recognise Umbridge as the Headmistress during her brief stint in the position, I doubt there'd be a portrait of her.
There is, also, the small matter of the portraits apparently only being dead headmasters and headmistresses. As of the events of the last book, Umbridge is still alive, so she definitely wouldn't have had a portrait at that point. It seems unlikely that, even after her death, she'd have received one.
Correct answer by Anthony Grist on December 23, 2020
I believe she would not have. For one thing, she was an usurper and not viewed as a real headmistress. For another, Snape was not going to, Harry had to request it. She was so hated she wouldn’t get one ( the reason Snape nearly didn’t was because he was hated by the students.
Answered by Samalot on December 23, 2020
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