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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mystaros" data-source="post: 3659610" data-attributes="member: 3921">Umbrage was known in Order of the Phoenix for exceeding or breaking the rules whenever she wanted and for the most petty reasons while she was Inquisitor and acting Headmistress. It was she who abused her power and send the Dementors to Little Whinging. Perhaps it would appear that she was Lawful Evil with Neutral Evil tendencies. In Deathly Hallows, however, her true colors show. After the coup, she is the right-hand woman of Voldemort's hand-picked Minister of Magic, and is in charge of the group that ferrets out and eliminates muggle-born wizards. Even had this all occurred legally, pre-coup, it would have called into question her loyalty to law and order; this inquisition is not lawful by any means, using no real rules or laws of order other than the personal whims and hatreds of those in charge. It is, as some have noted, lifted straight from the Volksgerichtshof or "People's Court" of Nazi Germany, which was little more than a show court, bound by no law other than the Fuehrer's will.Rowling, like Lucas before her (and others) stole from Nazi themes to show how truly, dreadfully evil Voldemort's Order was. Fascists speak much of law and order, but hate it in truth; it is raw, naked power that they desire, and they use and abuse the law to get it. They willingly break the law or change it by fiat as they wish to further their ends. The philosophy is "Power for us, obedience or death for others." That is the essence of Neutral Evil. Chaotic Evil is "Power for ME, bugger all else" while Lawful Evil is "Order is proper, and the laws should work for me, especially if they screw over those guys over there."This, I think, is where the differences between Lucius Malfoy and Umbridge are apparent; Lucius was not let loose after the coup, as Voldemort knew he was not fully his anymore; during his absence he gained respect for law, order, and decorum, however feeble, and realized that the lawless nature of Voldemort's Order was not what he sought. He sought power, but in his mind, what power is there without law and order? Umbridge, on the other hand, luxuriates in the power she is given, which is wholly outside any sort of law.Why did Voldemort not just kill the Malfoys, then? Well, because if things failed... if he lost control of the Ministry... he'd need a backup, and then Malfoy would be his. Plus, he liked toying with Draco and his mother, apparently.Anyway, though he had a will to power and despised muggles and mudbloods, Malfoy was all for law and order, which is not what Voldemort stood for at all. Umbridge desires power, unrestrained, to do as she wishes; she uses the law and the Ministry and a means to power, and respects it only in as much as it is useful to her. When it is not, she happily goes around it or abuses it. Therefore, I feel she is Neutral Evil, as opposed to Lawful Evil. I think Malfoy was Neutral Evil when he was originally a Death Eater, then during the intervening years moved to Lawful Evil, as he discovered the uses and importance of law and order...</blockquote>

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