Educational Decree Number Twenty-Eight

• Type: Ministry of Magic Legislation, Magical Proclamation
• Issuer: Ministry of Magic
• Authority: Enacted by Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge

Like the other Educational Decrees issued during the 1995-1996 school year, Educational Decree Number Twenty-Eight manifested as a formal proclamation magically posted on notice boards throughout Hogwarts Castle. It was printed on parchment and set within a wooden frame, bearing the official seal of the Ministry of Magic. The text would have been signed by Cornelius Fudge as Minister for Magic, formally announcing the change in the school's leadership.

The primary and sole provision of Educational Decree Number Twenty-Eight was the appointment of Dolores Umbridge, the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, to the post of Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

• Legal Basis: The Ministry of Magic was able to enact this decree following the sudden departure of Albus Dumbledore. After taking responsibility for the student defence group known as Dumbledore's Army to protect Harry Potter, Dumbledore magically evaded arrest by Ministry officials and fled the school. As he left the Headmaster's post vacant without the Board of Governors approving a successor, the Ministry invoked its authority to install its own candidate.
• Immediate Effects:
  • The decree granted Dolores Umbridge supreme authority over Hogwarts, its staff, and its students, solidifying the Ministry of Magic's control over the school.
  • Umbridge attempted to occupy the Headmaster's office, but the office itself, being loyal to Dumbledore and past legitimate Headmasters, sealed itself against her.
  • As Headmistress, Umbridge sanctioned the creation of the Inquisitorial Squad, a group of favoured students (primarily from Slytherin house) whom she empowered to enforce her rules and dock points from other students, including prefects.
  • Her brief tenure as Headmistress was characterized by increasingly cruel punishments and a complete suppression of any anti-Ministry sentiment.

Educational Decree Number Twenty-Eight was enacted in the spring of 1996, at the height of the Ministry of Magic's smear campaign against Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. The Ministry, led by a paranoid Cornelius Fudge, refused to accept the return of Lord Voldemort and viewed Dumbledore as a political rival seeking to undermine its authority. The decree was a direct consequence of the discovery of Dumbledore's Army. Alerted by the betrayal of member Marietta Edgecombe, Umbridge cornered Harry Potter and brought him before Dumbledore, along with Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge and Aurors Kingsley Shacklebolt and John Dawlish. To prevent Harry's expulsion and the incrimination of the other students, Dumbledore claimed the organization was his own creation and made a spectacular escape. With Dumbledore a fugitive, the Ministry passed this decree to fill the power vacuum and ensure its chosen agent was in absolute control of Hogwarts.

This decree marks the climax of the Ministry of Magic's hostile takeover of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It represents the darkest period of that school year for the students and staff, plunging the school into a state of oppressive misery that, in turn, sparked open rebellion. The student body, led by figures like Fred Weasley and George Weasley, engaged in widespread magical mischief to undermine Umbridge's authority. As Headmistress, Umbridge felt emboldened to use extreme measures. Her attempts to interrogate Harry Potter about Dumbledore's and Sirius Black's whereabouts using illegal methods—first with a failed attempt at Veritaserum and then threatening the Cruciatus Curse—directly led to her downfall. Lured into the Forbidden Forest by Hermione Granger, she was carried off by a herd of angry Centaurs. The decree was nullified at the end of the school year when Lord Voldemort was seen at the Ministry of Magic, forcing Fudge to admit the truth and leading to Dumbledore's full reinstatement as Headmaster.

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the succession of Educational Decrees is shown visually through a montage of plaques being hammered to a wall. While the specific number “Twenty-Eight” is not mentioned, the event it triggers—Umbridge taking over as Headmistress after Dumbledore's flight—is a key sequence in the film. The film also depicts the Headmaster's office physically refusing her entry. (film)