harry potter - Why didn't Umbridge succeed in Slytherin?

The new information released about Umbridge on Pottermore on Halloween was interesting in that it demonstrated how insidiously Dolores Umbridge applied her ruthless ambition over the years. From making her half-blood family disappear from public view, to oozing her way through the Ministry and up the ladder of success, basically unfettered -- although no one liked her as a person, despite her saccharine demeanor -- this woman was over and again awarded significant positions of power where she could do tremendous damage to others.

Some might see these as Slytherin traits. Some. < shifty eyes > So I was surprised to read that while Umbridge was a Slytherin student at Hogwarts, she was consistently overlooked for positions of power and prestige within Slytherin itself.

Why didn't Umbridge succeed in Slytherin?

RESOURCE: Pottermore on Dolores Umbridge: Dolores Umbridge entry, fact file (at the end of the page)

Answer

Umbridge's failure to succeed in Slytherin boils down to this: Umbridge is an idiot.

Seriously. Yes, she's half-blood, but Voldemort, another half-blood, managed to become Head Boy while in Slytherin, and Snape, also half-blood, was part of the Slug Club. Umbridge would probably have attended school while Slughorn taught there, and Slughorn was one to recognize talent, even in Muggle-borns (Lily Evans Potter, for instance). Slughorn's only known comment on Umbridge, however, is extremely unfavorable: "Idiotic woman. Never liked her." It is unlikely that he would have passed over Umbridge for leadership positions, blood status or no, had she been truly qualified.

Umbridge's advanced magical abilities are evidently limited to being able to produce a Patronus and to develop a torture quill. Otherwise, she seems very incapable. Her Charms knowledge is, in general, very weak--she is the only Hogwarts professor incapable of removing Fred and George's swamp from the floor--as is her knowledge of magical creatures, or she would never have behaved as she did toward the centaurs. Her time in Slytherin does seem to have taught her how to recognize a fraud (Trelawney), but in general, she lacks magical ability.

Umbridge also does not seem to understand people very well, which is another reason she never rose through the ranks in Slytherin. She is ambitious enough to jockey her way up through the Ministry, but she does so in a very primitive fashion. She can only function in two modes--toadying to her superiors, and crushing her inferiors. That's hardly the mark of a master manipulator. Additionally, a more socially aware teacher probably could have toed the Ministry line without letting the entire class see through her immediately. Umbridge can manage as a Ministry bureaucrat, but as a teacher and as a school administrator, she only manages to incite everyone--even the other teachers!--to revolt.

While we never get to see Umbridge directly interacting with Slughorn, we do get to see her interact with Snape, a fellow Slytherin. Snape may not always get along with the other teachers--he disagrees with Dumbledore at times, and has a permanent Quidditch-related rivalry with McGonagall--but he seems to respect most of them. He does not respect Umbridge at all and hoodwinks her on multiple occasions. Snape's attitude toward Umbridge is probably a good indication of what other Slytherins' attitudes might have been when she was a student.

Umbridge's blood is not the problem. It's her lack of ability.

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...

How do Pokemon trainers collect their winnings?

According to Bulbapedia , Prize money is the money that a Trainer pays out at the end of a battle. So we know that the money comes directly from the trainer that just lost, and not some third-party committee or sponsor. But how is this done? It can be easy seeing the random trainers who challenge you along the way wanting to wager and then, after admitting defeat, sticking to their word and handing over their hard-earned pokebucks. Then there are the likes of Team Rocket and Giovanni, who also give money once they lose. This doesn't seem like something people in a criminal organization would willingly do. From this it appears that trainers have no say in whether or not they cough up the dough after losing, but I can't find anything on how exactly the funds are transferred from loser to winner. So how do Pokemon trainers receive their winnings?

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