In The Order of the Phoenix, the prim, proper and completely evil Professor Dolores Umbridge got herself captured and dragged off by a herd of Centaurs. But what happened to her after?!
Dolore Umbridge was a psychotic witch who revelled in the superiority of her fabricated magical background. Although of half-blood descent with a Squib for a brother, she pretended to be of pure-blood lineage and took it upon herself to look down on those she felt were “less than”.
While much of her prejudiced was reserved for other witches and wizards, she also harboured ill-will towards magical creatures who she believed to be subordinate to herself—like Centaurs.
So, despite the fact that the Centaurs who inhabited the Forbidden Forest mostly left the students and faculty of Hogwarts alone, Dolores found herself in an altercation with these creatures near the end of The Order of the Phoenix.
But what in Merlin’s Beard happened to her after they took her away? In this article, we’ll look into the events that led to Professor Umbridge entering the Forbidden Forest, being carried off by Centaurs, and what the herd might have done with her next.
How did Professor Umbridge end up in the Forbidden Forest?
At the time of Dolores’ abduction in The Order of the Phoenix, Professor Umbridge had in fact become Headmistress Umbridge. This was the result of members of the Ministry of Magic—like herself—working hard to defame Albus Dumbledore and discredit his assertions that Voldemort had risen again to power.
As the acting Headmistress, she was able to wield power over the student body in horrifying ways. For example, earlier in The Order of the Phoenix she forced Harry to write out “I must not tell lies”, with the letters magically carving themselves into his skin as he wrote out the statement, again and again.
Right before heading to the Forbidden Forest, she was once again threatening to torture Harry—this time with the Cruciatus Curse. In order to stop her, Hermione pretended that they had hidden away a secret weapon in the forest.
Of course, Dolores couldn’t resist the temptation of uncovering this secret weapon, and demanded that the students take her there.
How did Dolores Umbridge get captured by Centaurs?
Accompanying Harry and Hermione into the woods, the small group came upon a herd of Centaurs. Being an obnoxiously prejudiced witch, Umbridge unwisely insulted the herd, telling them that they were “creatures of near-human intelligence” and “’filthy half-breeds”.
The Centaurs got angry, grabbed her and carried her off…
“Over the plunging, many-coloured backs and heads of the centaurs Harry saw Umbridge being borne away through the trees by Bane, still screaming nonstop; her voice grew fainter and fainter until they could no longer hear it over the trampling of hooves surrounding them.”
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
What happened to her after her capture?
It’s unknown what exactly happened to Umbridge after she was taken by the Centaurs, before she was ultimately saved by Albus Dumbledore.
However, despite her rough capture, it’s unlikely that any physical distress or torture befell Umbridge, since she was altogether unharmed upon her release. She was probably just scared senseless in an effort by the Centaurs to prove that they did not exist simply to serve wizardkind.
This seems all the more likely based on what one of the Centaurs said to Hermione when she tried to reason with him after they’d taken Umbridge:
“We are an ancient people who will not stand wizard invasions and insults! We do not recognise your laws, we do not acknowledge your superiority.”
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
To put it simply, they were pissed off and trying to prove a point.
So, with that in mind, it’s likely that Umbridge was probably held captive, bound and not provided with food or comforts of any kind, but was then rescued pretty quickly by Dumbledore.