We all know that Umbridge was a bitter and quite evil person in OotP. But is she really? She was wearing Voldemorts Horcrux, that she bought from the sneek thief Mundungus, who stole it from it hiding place in Grimmauld place. So maybe she was nice before she accuired it. Could it have been the horcrux that was influencing her all along, or was she purly an evil person. What do you think?

Nah, I think she's a bad egg inside and out.

Sorry to be not deep or anything, but anyone that weird/hateful/discriminative is a BAAAAD egg.

It has nothing to do with the Horcrux. She was a git since before the Horcruxes were known. That concludes she's evil through & through.

I remember Umbridge getting the locket from Mundungus after Sirius died, so definitely after Harry's fifth year. Given that she was already mean during Harry's fifth year, I conclude that has nothing to do with the locket. The woman's pure evil.

Like others have said, Umbridge didn't get the locket until long after Harry's fifth year, so she was acting on her own free will and her normal personality during that time. We could maybe say that it was mostly under the influence of the locket that she headed the Muggle-born Registration Commission since we don't ever hear of her hating Muggle-borns prior to that, but I doubt it. I really think all that locket did to her was increase her "level," if you will, of cruelty.

However, we cannot say for certain that she was never "good" at some point in her life because we know extremely little about her life before the fifth book. I imagine she might've been somewhat good in her early childhood years, but as she grew up, circumstances and events influenced her to make certain choices to become the evil woman we know her as today. Her obsession with power and with keeping it was probably the main factor, I believe, in her corruption and cruelty.

Definatley not good deep down. :|

Never!

No. No. No. No. No!

I don't think so. She has always seem terrible even deep down. evil witch I don't think she has ever been nice or ever will be. Even before she ever even heard of such a locket, she was cr.uel to Harry. Whenever I watch the Order of the Phoenix, I'm always full of anger because of her and the ministry. She forced Harry to write lines with his own blood? Unbelievable! And she wanted to use the Cruciatis curse on Harry to force out the truth?

I like imaginative ideas, but the answer is no. For the reasons everyone said so far. The locket increased her evilness, but she was already a "bad egg." She is one of those people who seems to worship authority and who is very liberal in how she cruely punishes.

No, she's just really evil! I mean, c'mon, that quill!? Writing with your own blood!? As Dumbledore said, although in a separate situation, 'So crude!'

The horcrux brought out the worst in The Trio, but, in the case of Umbridge, it probably affected her no more than the necklace that you or I wear now. Her prejudices were already evident in regards to Hagrid (giants) and the Centaurs. If someone can "hate children" as Umbridge says, her prejudices run deep. No, she probably wouldn't kill like the death eaters, nevertheless, EVIL to the core.

Ya the necklace didn't really make people hate on non-human species, so I would have to say she was evil from th beginning.

well the horcrux wasn't even available until HBP after Sirius had died because Mundungus only ransacked Grimmauld place after he was dead at the end of OotP, and she was evil to the max in OotP

Didn't she take it off him? No pay?
And nonono, a thousand times NO! She was an evil black hearted woman hag! I'm surprised she wasn't dust green! It was probably all that pink counteracting the green-effect *shudder*

No I believe with all my heart that Umbridge was evil, pure evil till the very depth of her heart. Nothing could excuse her bahaviour and her following all those inhuman methods in Deathly Hallows especially. The woman enjoyed torturing people - she actually lived for that...

I think that she was a nasty person that turned into evil. I highly doubt she was ever good....sadly. She liked torture and horrible things too much to be good in anyway. Wicked character.

I think calling her evil is giving her too much credit. I think she's just empty. Has been and will be.

Nope. You are good, evil, or a shade of gray. You can't be empty unless you have no mind. She was evil. You can't wave that away by simply saying that she is empty.

nahhh she was rotten before the hourcrux!!

shes completely pure evil. cant stand her at all.

Definitely pure evil to the bone She didn't get the locket from Dung before uhm... Book 6 or 7. So yeah, she's evil.

oh. heck. no. There is not a bit of good in her at all. She's too rigid and close minded and prejudice it is gross. I think she did not get enough love as a child or maybe she was born evil...

she was evil b4 buying or rather stealing the horcux

I think the Horcrux just brought out her evil personality even more. I think that even without it she was a very nasty person, quite possibly psychotic or sociopathic.

I think she just had a troubled life. Maybe she's kind of like Elanor Roosevelt, wife of FDR. Growing up her mother called her ugly and told her she wouldn't amount to anything. And besides, Umbridge aquired the locket in Harry's sixth year, not his fifth. Sirius was already dead by the time Mundungus took it from Kreacher.