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- "Most wizards these days are half-blood anyway. If we hadn't married Muggles we'd've died out."
- — Ron Weasley regarding half-blood statistics[src]
Half-blood was the term commonly given to wizards and witches who had known Muggle or Muggle-born parents or grandparents.[1] By the 1990s, half-bloods were the most common type of wizard or witch, as the pure-blood wizarding population would have become extinct had they not inter-married with Muggles and Muggle-borns.[1][2]
Overview[]
It should be noted that any wizard or witch who was neither pure-blood nor Muggle-born was considered half-blood, even if they had two magical parents; they need not have had exactly half-Muggle/half-wizard heritage.
Non-magical children born with at least one magical parent were considered Squibs by the wizarding community rather than Half-bloods or Muggles.[3] Examples include Martha Steward II,[4] Dolores Umbridge's brother,[5] and Gilderoy Lockhart's two sisters.[6] Because of their Muggle parentage, many end up assimilating into the Muggle population as they would have more trouble thriving within the magical community.
Magical children born to a Muggle-born and a Muggle are also considered half-bloods, such as Penny and Beatrice Haywood.
Treatment[]
- "You dare speak his name with your unworthy lips, you dare besmirch it with your half-blood's tongue, you dare... He dared — he dares — he stands there — filthy half-blood — "
- — Prejudice against Harry Potter's half-blood status[src]
Those who believed in the importance of blood purity considered half-bloods to be inferior because of their Muggle heritage, though superior to Muggle-borns. It could be argued that half-bloods in the eyes of those who believed in blood purity bridged the gap between "respectable" and inferior. As such, some families such as the Malfoys allowed them to marry into their pure-blood family and could do so without affecting their family's pure-blood status. In spite of this, this never deterred "respect" from families such as the Blacks, Gaunt and the Lestranges against the Malfoys.[7]
Other more fanatical families such as the Gaunts, Lestranges, and Blacks required all marriages to be those of pure-blood.[7][8] Members of these families were more likely to use "half-blood" in a derogatory manner, similar to the epithet "Mudblood"; Bellatrix Lestrange did so on multiple occasions,[9] and the portrait of Walburga Black often equated half-bloods with Half-breeds.[10]
Some half-bloods expressed prejudice towards those with Muggle heritage, despite having some themselves, and clung to what wizarding heritage they had. Notably Lord Voldemort persecuted Muggles and Muggle-borns, despite the fact that his mother (Merope Gaunt) was a pure-blood witch and his father (Tom Riddle Snr) was a Muggle. He denied his Muggle heritage, instead emphasising his wizard ancestors; his legend-entitled nickname was "Heir of Slytherin" because his most notable wizard ancestor (Salazar Slytherin) was a famous pure-blood champion, which made himself more believable.[11] Severus Snape may have been another example; his self-entitled nickname was "Half-Blood Prince"[12] because his mother (Eileen Prince) was a pure-blood witch and his father (Tobias Snape) was a Muggle.[13]
However, Remus Lupin reported that he never used the nickname openly. This, as well as Snape's membership in the Death Eaters, suggests he may have been ashamed of his Muggle heritage, at least in his early life. In fact, these people, along with some other Death Eaters, pretend to be pure-bloods, hiding their Muggle heritage from anyone else.[14] Ironically (or perhaps because of), regarding the prophecy concerning his defeat, Voldemort chose to go after the half-blood Harry Potter instead of the pure-blood Neville Longbottom.
When the British Ministry of Magic fell under Voldemort's control in 1997, Muggle-borns were openly persecuted and pure-bloods were favoured above all else. Half-bloods were still accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and in the British Ministry of Magic, but were not treated as well as the pure-blood members.[15][16] This was repealed once Lord Voldemort was defeated.
Parentage[]
Magical & Muggle[]
Wizard(s) | Magical/Squib parent | Muggle parent |
---|---|---|
Seamus Finnigan | Mother | Father |
Beatrice Haywood[17] | Mother (Muggle-born)[18] | Father[19] |
Penny Haywood[17] | ||
Gilderoy Lockhart[6] | Mother | Father |
Remus Lupin[20][21] | Lyall Lupin | Hope Howell |
Minerva McGonagall[22] | Isobel Ross | Robert McGonagall |
Malcolm McGonagall | ||
Robert McGonagall Junior | ||
Tom Marvolo Riddle[23] | Merope Gaunt (pure-blood) | Tom Riddle Senior |
Severus Snape[24] | Eileen Prince (pure-blood) | Tobias Snape |
Rionach Steward[25] | Isolt Sayre (pure-blood) | James Steward |
Dean Thomas | Father | Mother |
Sybill Trelawney[26] | Father (pure-blood/half-blood) | Mother |
Celestina Warbeck[27] | Father | Mother |
Dolores Umbridge[28] | Orford Umbridge | Ellen Cracknell |
Bowman Wright | Mother | Father |
Quirinus Quirrell | One Muggle parent, unknown on which side.[29][30] |
Pure/half-blood & Muggle-born[]
Wizard(s) | Pure/half-blood parent | Muggle-born parent |
---|---|---|
Alfred Cattermole | Reginald Cattermole | Mary Cattermole |
Ellie Cattermole | ||
Maisie Cattermole | ||
Cresswell brothers | Mrs Cresswell | Dirk Cresswell |
Albus Dumbledore | Percival Dumbledore | Kendra Dumbledore |
Aberforth Dumbledore | ||
Ariana Dumbledore | ||
Garrick Ollivander[31][32] | Gervaise Ollivander (pure-blood)[32] | Mrs Ollivander[32] |
Harry Potter | James Potter (pure-blood) | Lily Evans |
Nymphadora Tonks | Andromeda Black (pure-blood) | Edward Tonks |
Hugo Granger-Weasley | Ronald Weasley (pure-blood) | Hermione Granger |
Rose Granger-Weasley |
Both half-bloods[]
Wizard(s) | Parents |
---|---|
Edward Lupin | Remus Lupin |
Nymphadora Tonks |
Muggle or Muggle-born grandparent[]
Wizard(s) | Pure-blood parent | Half-blood parent with Muggle or Muggle-born parent |
---|---|---|
Albus Potter | Ginny Weasley | Harry Potter (Muggle-born mother) |
James Sirius Potter | ||
Lily Luna Potter | ||
Delphini | Bellatrix Lestrange | Tom Riddle (Muggle father) |
Unknown status[]
Wizard(s) | Ancestor |
---|---|
Hannah Abbott | At least one known Muggle parent or grandparent |
Susan Bones[33] | |
Millicent Bulstrode[33] | |
Mandy Brocklehurst[33] | |
Michael Corner[33] | |
Tracey Davis[33] | |
Anthony Goldstein[33] | |
Wayne Hopkins[33] | |
Megan Jones[33] | |
Sue Li[33] | |
Mundungus Fletcher | |
Porpentina Goldstein | At least one known No-Maj/Muggle or No-Maj-born/Muggle-born grandparent.[34] |
Queenie Goldstein | |
Constance Pickering | Witch mother,[35] at least one Muggle grandfather.[36] |
Constance Pickering's sister | |
Constance Pickering's brother (II) | |
Aurelius Dumbledore | Half-blood father and Muggle-born paternal grandmother, mother's status unknown.[37] |
Behind the scenes[]
- In the GBC version of the first video game, there is a boy in Slytherin who went to Charm school and is listed as being likely half-blood.[38]
- On the draft class list, Hannah Abbott was listed as a Muggle-born,[33] but in a later interview, Rowling stated that she had always thought of Hannah as a pure-blood. To compromise, she was made a half-blood.[39]
- An interesting fact of note is that despite the ideals that pure-bloods are inherently more powerful wizards, several of the most powerful or particularly adept wizards and witches in the series are in fact half-blood, such as Albus Dumbledore, Tom Riddle, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, and Harry Potter.
- The trio of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger consists of all three types of Wizards. Harry being half-blood, Ron being Pure-blood, and Hermione being Muggle-born.
- Due to the lesser detailed nature of the first three books of the series, some fans became confused on the definition of the term half-blood as the series continued and matured. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets gave the impression that the term was based on the child's parents and not necessarily beyond that lineage. As the series continued and became more detailed, Rowling was finally able to properly describe the full meaning of the term in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.[citation needed]
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Mentioned only)
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard
- Quidditch Through the Ages (Mentioned only)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)
- The Case of Beasts: Explore the Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
- The Archive of Magic: The Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
- Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore - The Complete Screenplay
- Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
- Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore: Movie Magic
- Pottermore
- Wizarding World
- J. K. Rowling's official site
- Harry Potter and Me (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book
- LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
- LEGO Harry Potter
- LEGO Dimensions
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- LEGO Creator: Harry Potter
- Creator: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- LEGO Brickheadz: Harry Potter
- Harry Potter Prequel (Mentioned on Title)
- Harry Potter: The Wand Collection
- J. K. Rowling: A Year in the Life (Mentioned only)
- The Art of Harry Potter Mini Book of Graphic Design
- Harry Potter: The Wand Collection
- LEGO Harry Potter
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Motorbike Escape
- J. K. Rowling: A Year in the Life
- Harry Potter Trading Card Game
- Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
- Harry Potter for Kinect
- Harry Potter: Magical Places from the Films: Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and Beyond
- Harry Potter: The Character Vault
- Harry Potter: The Creature Vault (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
- Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
- Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Harry Potter: Magic Caster Wand
- The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 7 (Mudbloods And Murmurs)
- ↑ FAQ at J. K. Rowling's official site - "The expressions 'pure-blood', 'half-blood' and 'Muggle-born' have been coined by people to whom these distinctions matter, and express their originators' prejudices. As far as somebody like Lucius Malfoy is concerned, for instance, a Muggle-born is as 'bad' as a Muggle. Therefore Harry would be considered only 'half' wizard, because of his mother's grandparents. If you think this is far-fetched, look at some of the real charts the Nazis used to show what constituted 'Aryan' or 'Jewish' blood. I saw one in the Holocaust Museum in Washington when I had already devised the 'pure-blood', 'half-blood' and 'Muggle-born' definitions, and was chilled to see that the Nazis used precisely the same warped logic as the Death Eaters. A single Jewish grandparent 'polluted' the blood, according to their propaganda."
- ↑ Squibs" at J. K. Rowling's official site
- ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" at Wizarding World
- ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Dolores Umbridge" at Wizarding World
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Gilderoy Lockhart" at Wizarding World
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Writing by J. K. Rowling: "The Malfoy Family" at Wizarding World - "From the imposition of the Statute of Secrecy onwards, no Malfoy has married a Muggle or Muggle-born. The family has, however, eschewed the somewhat dangerous practise of inter-marrying within such a small pool of pure-bloods that they become enfeebled or unstable, unlike a small minority of fanatic families such as the Gaunts and Lestranges, and many a half-blood appears on the Malfoy family tree."
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 10 (The House of Gaunt) - Marvolo Gaunt: "Centuries it’s been in our family, that’s how far back we go, and pure-blood all the way!"
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 35 (Beyond the Veil)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 4 (Number Twelve Grimmauld Place)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 17 (The Heir of Slytherin)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 28 (Flight of the Prince)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 33 (The Prince's Tale)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 12 (Silver and Opals) - " "“The Death Eaters can’t all be pure-blood, there aren’t enough pure-blood wizards left,” said Hermione stubbornly. “I expect most of them are half-bloods pretending to be pure. It’s only Muggle-borns they hate, they’d be quite happy to let you and Ron join up.”""
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 29 (The Lost Diadem) - Neville: "They don’t want to spill too much pure blood, so they’ll torture us a bit if we’re mouthy but they won’t actually kill us."
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 13 (The Muggle-Born Registration Commission) - "“No, no, I’m half-blood, I’m half-blood, I tell you! My father was a wizard, he was, look him up, Arkie Alderton, he’s a well-known broomstick designer, look him up, I tell you — get your hands off me, get your hands off —”"
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 3, Side Quest "Penny for Your Thoughts"
- ↑ Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 5 Defence Against the Dark Arts
- ↑ Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 5, Chapter 3 (Detention Before Extension) - History of Magic Lesson "Medieval Assembly of European Wizards"
- ↑ World Book Day webchat, 4 March 2004
- ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Remus Lupin" at Wizarding World
- ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Professor McGonagall" at Wizarding World
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 13 (The Very Secret Diary) - "'Half-blood, sir,' said Riddle. 'Muggle father, witch mother.'"
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 30 (The White Tomb) - "He's just like Voldemort. Pure-blood mother, Muggle father... ashamed of his parentage, trying to make himself feared using the Dark Arts, gave himself an impressive new name — Lord Voldemort — the Half-Blood Prince — how could Dumbledore have missed?"
- ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" at Wizarding World
- ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Sybill Trelawney" at Wizarding World
- ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Celestina Warbeck" at Wizarding World
- ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Dolores Umbridge" at Wizarding World
- ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Professor Quirrell" at Wizarding World
- ↑ Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 2, Side Quest "A special Celebration of Hogwarts Teachers"
- ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Mr Ollivander" at Wizarding World
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Garrick Ollivander fact file at Pottermore
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 33.4 33.5 33.6 33.7 33.8 33.9 Harry Potter and Me
- ↑ See this image of Porpentina Goldstein's MACUSA identification card on display as part of a prop exhibition in Japan. Both of their parents died of Dragon Pox, showing that they were wizards, which means that their Muggle heritage was more distant.
- ↑ Harry Potter: Wizards Unite "Brilliant Event: Christmas Calamity"
- ↑ Harry Potter: Wizards Unite "Brilliant Event: Darkness Risings"
- ↑ Aurelius's biological father Aberforth was a wizard, but his biological grandmother Kendra was Muggle-born, so Aurelius was half-blood. Including this, his mother was possibly a Muggle, though she was from Godric's Hollow at one point which houses mostly Wizardkind.
- ↑ This individual refers to his father, a wizard, but later refers to films. This indicates that while having magical ancestry, he had some contact with the Muggle world. Thus, he was most likely a half-blood.
- ↑ PotterCast 130 transcript