High Inquisitor
In Harry's fifth year, the Ministry of Magic passed a series of decrees limiting the rights of the students and the teachers. On 30 August the Ministry passed Educational Decree Number 22, which allowed the Ministry of Magic to appoint a teacher at Hogwarts if the headmaster failed to find a suitable candidate. The Ministry then appointed Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, to the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She began the position the very next day on September 1st [OOTP15]. Professor Dumbledore was opposed to this action, but he did not have the power to stop it.
On September 8th, the Ministry of Magic passed Educational Decree Number 23, which appointed Dolores Umbridge as Hogwarts High Inquisitor. She had the authority to inspect the teaching staff at Hogwarts, with the power to remove them from their posts if deemed necessary. The High Inquisitor also recommended the creation of new decrees:
Educational Decree 24 disbanded all student clubs, teams, societies, and organizations. Such groups could only be reformed with the permission of the High Inquisitor herself. Any students defying the decree were to be expelled [OOTP17].
Educational Decree 25 gave the High Inquisitor total authority over all punishments handed out in the school, with the power to apply her own punishments or alter those made by other teachers [OOTP19].
Educational Decree 26 prevented teachers from giving students any information that was not related to their subjects [OOTP25].
Educational Decree 27 threatened expulsion for any student caught with a copy of The Quibbler [OOTP26].
Educational Decree 28 installed Professor Umbridge as Headmistress of Hogwarts - although Dumbledore's office refused to admit her [OOTP28].
Proposed Educational Decree 29 would have given Argus Filch the power to whip students or string them up the ankles in his office and Peeves would have been evicted. Thankfully this decree was never signed, although this decree was probably what Filch pulled out of Umbridge's desk just before Fred and George's phenomenal exit [OOTP28, 29].
All of the above decrees were rescinded following Professor Dumbledore's return as headmaster of Hogwarts. Hopefully Dolores Umbridge was, in addition to being the first, also the last High Inquisitor of Hogwarts.
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