Harry Potter and the Maker Movement Metaphor

“Wands away and quills out, please.”

There are plenty of evil characters in Harry Potter — Lord Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange, most of the Slytherin house. And they do plenty of evil things — kill, torture, maim.

But somehow amidst all these evil deeds, none of them has quite earned our hatred like one Professor Dolores Umbridge.

Why? Compared to Voldemort, she seems relatively harmless. She has an unhealthy obsession with pink frills and creepy cat plates, and an irritating habit of coughing “hem, hem” whenever she feels like interrupting someone. How evil can she be?

“There again, progress for progress’s sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering…

“Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices ought to be prohibited.”

— Dolores Umbridge, start-of-term speech

As it turns out, extremely evil. Umbridge doesn’t torture by the laws of fantasy, she hits us where it hurts most — by taking over the classroom.

For many children and teens growing up with Harry Potter, the idea of getting a letter and going to Hogwarts is the most entrancing part. There’s the story of Harry, but there’s also the story we all envision for ourselves going to a magical school.

Prior to Umbridge’s professorship, Hogwarts is a place for makers, doers, and tinkerers. You brew the potions, cast the spells, tend the plants — performing magic is as embedded into the curriculum as it is into your identity as a witch or wizard. Learning magic is fun but even more so it’s empowering, and carrying a wand is a source of great pride.

So when Umbridge forbids students from actually practicing magic in the classroom, she’s taking that power away.

“And your name is?”

“Parvati Patil, and isn’t there a practical bit in our Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.? Aren’t we supposed to show that we can actually do the countercurses and things?”

“As long as you studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions,” said Professor Umbridge dismissively.

“Without ever practicing them before?” said Parvati incredulously. “Are you telling us that the first time we’ll get to do the spells will be during our exam?”

“I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough — ”

“And what good’s theory going to be in the real world?” said Harry loudly.

— The first day of Defense Against the Dark Arts

The thing is, Umbridge isn’t just forbidding magical practice for kicks, she’s a vehicle for the Ministry of Magic. Over the summer they effectively seized control of The Daily Prophet to spread anti-Potter propaganda and flat out lie about the return of Lord Voldemort. They also know how powerful education is, so come September they targeted Hogwarts. From monitoring professors to passing ridiculous rules to flat-out abusing Harry in sadistic detentions, Umbridge and the ministry would do anything to exert their authority.

Of course, they should have realized Hogwarts students would fight back.

When the students form Dumbledore’s Army, they’re taking ownership of their education and their freedom. And at first, Harry is taken aback by the idea that he should be the one to teach. He’s a student, he doesn’t get the highest grades, what official qualifications does he have?

“Last year,” Ron said, almost shouting now, “you fought off You-Know Who again — ”

“Listen to me!” said Harry, almost angrily, because Ron and Hermione were both smirking now. “Just listen to me, all right? It sounds great when you say it like that, but all that stuff was luck — I didn’t know what I was doing half the time, I didn’t plan any of it, I just did whatever I could think of, and I nearly always had help — ”

— Hermione suggests Harry teach them Defense Against the Dark Arts

Harry might not be as experienced or top of their class, but he has the bravery to do whatever it takes (and it helps that he’s the Chosen One). In this time of dire need, they don’t need someone with certifications, they need someone who has the spirit of a maker.

Makers try shit out, they fail, they reach out for help, they figure things out and learn by doing. The Hogwarts curriculum has always been a healthy balance between theory and practice, but when Umbridge banned practice and instilled theory-only, it was time to fight back with some real magic.

The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts

All Student Organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded.

While it may seem ridiculous that the Ministry is frightened by a bunch of teenagers, they have every right to be. When students are determined to learn and have the freedom to come to their own conclusions, they can accomplish great things. They can turn over outdated practices, challenge corrupt authority, demand their rights, even defeat Lord Voldemort.

That’s why when you find yourself in a position to influence others, especially those who have much to learn, you must fight for that freedom. It can be dangerously easy to be like Umbridge and force others to listen to you and follow you blindly. Instead, allow them to be as daring, resourceful, and curious as Dumbledore’s Army and they will emerge as leaders. To me, that’s what the Maker Movement is all about.