Madam Edgecombe

Madam Edgecombe was a witch who worked for the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Magical Transportation. She is the mother of the Hogwarts student Marietta Edgecombe. Madam Edgecombe's most significant role in the story occurs during Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when her job security is threatened by Dolores Umbridge. This coercion led her to pressure her daughter into betraying Dumbledore's Army, an act with significant consequences for both the DA and her daughter.

Madam Edgecombe's life before 1995 is not documented in the novels. By the mid-1990s, she held a position at the Ministry of Magic, where she worked in the Floo Network office, which connected and regulated the fireplaces of most wizarding households in Britain. During the 1995-1996 Hogwarts school year, her daughter Marietta, a Ravenclaw student, reluctantly joined Dumbledore's Army at the urging of her friend, Cho Chang. At the same time, Dolores Umbridge, the Ministry-appointed Hogwarts High Inquisitor, was actively seeking to stamp out any student organizations not under her direct control. Discovering that Madam Edgecombe's daughter was a Hogwarts student, Umbridge used her position of power to threaten Madam Edgecombe's job. To save her mother's career, Marietta betrayed the DA to Umbridge. Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge later confirmed this to Albus Dumbledore, stating, “A distressed Madam Edgecombe came to my office this evening… Sobbing, you know. Said her daughter had come to her in a terrible state… Frightened of getting her mother the sack… Told her mother what was afoot.” This betrayal allowed Umbridge and Fudge to confront Dumbledore, leading to Dumbledore's flight from Hogwarts. However, Marietta's treachery activated a powerful jinx Hermione Granger had placed on the DA signing parchment, causing the word “SNEAK” to erupt across her face in a series of purple pimples. Dumbledore noted that attempts to remove the pimples had failed and that they were a fine example of a “clever jinx,” speculating they might fade after a few years. Madam Edgecombe's subsequent fate is not mentioned.

Madam Edgecombe's physical appearance is never described in the books. Her personality can be inferred from her actions. She appears to be a person who is vulnerable to intimidation and coercion from powerful authority figures like Dolores Umbridge. While she was “distressed” and “sobbing” when reporting her daughter's information to Cornelius Fudge, her actions demonstrate that she prioritized her job security over her daughter's loyalty to her peers. This suggests she was not a willing supporter of Umbridge's regime, but rather an ordinary person acting out of fear for her livelihood.

As an employee of the Ministry of Magic, Madam Edgecombe was a qualified witch. Her specific role involved the oversight and regulation of the Floo Network, a complex and vital piece of magical infrastructure, which implies a degree of competence in her field. No other specific magical talents are mentioned.

There is no mention of any notable possessions belonging to Madam Edgecombe in the novels.

• Marietta Edgecombe: Her daughter. The primary dynamic of their relationship seen in the books is one of influence and pressure. Madam Edgecombe's fear of losing her job directly compelled her daughter to betray Dumbledore's Army, causing Marietta significant social ostracism and physical disfigurement from Hermione Granger's jinx.
• Dolores Umbridge: Umbridge was the source of the coercion that defined Madam Edgecombe's role in the story. Umbridge ruthlessly exploited Madam Edgecombe's vulnerability to extract information and further her own control over Hogwarts.
• Cornelius Fudge: As Minister for Magic, Fudge was Madam Edgecombe's ultimate superior. She reported the existence of the DA directly to him, providing him with the justification he sought to remove Albus Dumbledore from Hogwarts.

• Madam: A formal term of address for a woman, derived from the French ma dame, meaning “my lady.” Its use implies a certain level of social standing or formality.
• Edgecombe: A surname of English locational origin. “Edge” can refer to a precipice or a border, perhaps alluding to the precarious situation she found herself in, being on the “edge” of losing her job. “Combe” is an Old English and Celtic word for a 'narrow valley' or 'hollow,' common in place names in southwestern England.

In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the characters of Madam Edgecombe and Marietta Edgecombe are entirely omitted from the plot. The role of the informant is transferred to Cho Chang, who reveals the location of the Room of Requirement to Dolores Umbridge while under the influence of a Truth Potion (Veritaserum). This significantly alters the motivation for the betrayal from familial coercion and fear to magical compulsion. (film)