LONDON — For Halloween, J.K. Rowling has given fans a glimpse of what makes a wicked witch tick.



The creator of boy wizard Harry Potter published a 1,700-word essay Friday revealing the real-life inspiration behind one of her most memorable villains, the supernatural bureaucrat and Hogwarts teacher Dolores Umbridge.



An ice-cold inquisitor dressed in pastel pink, Umbridge first appeared in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the fifth of seven books in Rowling's multimillion-selling series. She was played by Imelda Staunton in the film adaptations.



In the essay, published on the Pottermore website, Rowling calls Umbridge "one of the characters for whom I feel purest dislike," and says she is as reprehensible as the saga's arch-villain, Lord Voldemort.



Rowling said Umbridge was inspired by a real person, "whom I disliked intensely on sight," who had a "pronounced taste for twee accessories" including frills, bows and undersized handbags. — AP