highsorcerer wrote:Mrs. Lestrange takes the cake. Umbridge was a horrible woman, but her mistake was thinking the ends justify the means. She used horrible means to try and swing Hogwarts into lock-step with the MoM (and in particular, her attempts to discredit Harry Potter), but she apparently was always trying to squash what she thought was an attempt to divide the wizarding world.
Bellatrix, however, is totally evil. Not only was she responsible for Frank and Alice Longbottom, she tried to inflict the same fate on Neville, killed Sirius, and wanted to deal out more pain and death to Harry. It was nice to see that after she underestimated Harry and treated him like a child, Harry was able to get under her skin, both by taunting her about failing Voldemort's mission (I'm sure Harry throughly enjoyed thinking about what was likely to happen to her once she had to admit failure to him), and then hitting her with the Crucious Curse. I rather think she was shocked when she realized she wasn't dealing with a child or student, but a full-fledged wizard. She underestimated him tremendously.
In the end, it would be nice to see Neville get to take her down. I think he's earned the right to do it due to the blood connection (what she did to his parents). Just like Harry will take down the big guy, not only for what he did to his parents, but because it's right.
Wow, Highsorcerer, you took the words right out of my mouth!
I only have a little to add to that. I totally agree about Umbridge, and I, too, voted for Bellatrix as my least fave for all the reasons you mentioned. Kreacher annoyed me, but then House Elves have been manipulated before, and honestly, he seemed to hate Sirius as much as everyone else in Sirius's family hated Sirius (that's just sad, and a whole other topic entirely!
).
Certain other characters annoyed me (like Cho, for instance), and like you said (and I agree) Highsorcerer, even as much as Umbridge repulsed (with that horrible detention punishment!
) and annoyed me (her little coughs, changing rules at the Ministry, acting all simpering, and totally trashing the professors and students, thinking entirely *too* much of herself, etc.), she wasn't out and out evil and heartless like ol' Bella.
Like you said, Highsorcerer, "she takes the cake" . . . I hope, like you said, Neville gets to do her in with Harry watching, admiringly, on!
) . . . I can't list everyone, so there will be an 'other' choice, but feel free to elaborate on your least favorite on this thread especially if I did not list them! 
...much as I wanted to strangle her 
, she kept you reading with what outrageous/horrible thing she'd do next!