Blood purity (Harry Potter)
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Blood purity is a central notion in the fictional Harry Potter cycle. It is used to quantify the number of magically-abled ancestors in a given character's family tree. Some wizards view blood purity as a measure of a wizard's magical ability, displaying prejudice and discrimination towards wizards that are not "pure-blood". Such characters consider a wizard with anything less than fully magical ancestry as inferior to them. Some wizards even go so far as to taunt and criticise other wizards who have less than perfect bloodlines, calling them names such as "mudblood", a derogatory term that suggests dirty blood. To date, the series has not yet shown any consistent relationship between the number of magic users in a person's family tree and that person's magical abilities. Because of this lack of evidence — and the fact that the series largely concerns itself with Harry Potter's quest for answers about his own family — the notion is more thematic device than scientific concept.
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[edit] Categories by blood
The wizarding world is divisible into three main classes by purity: pure-blood, half-blood, and Muggle-born. The author's official explanation for the birth of Muggle-born wizards and witches to Muggle families is that they result from the resurgence of 'dominant resilient genes' in a family. In some cases, such as Colin and Dennis Creevey, a Muggle-born wizard's sibling will also be a Muggle-born wizard, although in other cases, such as Lily and Petunia Evans, the sibling will not be magical. The children of two wizards will almost always inherit the ability to perform magic; those rare children who cannot are called Squibs. In the case of a wizard and a Muggle, although logically the chances of inheriting magic should be just under 50% (if one factors in the chance of Squibs), Rowling has stated that most wizard-muggle offspring will be magical. Actually, it is genetically impossible to account for both Muggle-born wizards and Squibs by the normal Mendelian rules of inheritance (if magic is the result of a dominant gene, Squibs are easy to explain but Muggleborns are not; if the gene is recessive, the reverse is true); however, it can be explained if two genes are involved. (See "Purple Orchids and Muggleborn Wizards: A Theory of Wizard Genetics", a mugglenet.com editorial by T Brightwater) Since Harry acquired the usually genetic trait of Parseltongue from Voldemort, one might argue also that certain genes can be rewritten by the use of magic. Since as yet there is no confirmed evidence of any particular genetic theory in canon, the issue cannot be adequately addressed.
[edit] Pure-blood
Pure-blood wizards claim to have no Muggles whatsoever in their genealogical pedigree, or at least have assured themselves that this is the case over the generations. In response to fan questions, J. K. Rowling has said that to be considered pure-blood, all of one's grandparents must have been wizards. She also mentioned that some of the more severe schools of thought may require several more generations of wizards to be considered pure-blood. She has also said that (if they ever did in the past) true pure-blood wizards do not exist today, and that they merely erase Squibs and Muggles from their family trees. [1]
Notable pure-blood families mentioned in the books include the Black family, the Malfoy family, the Crouch family, the Weasley family and the Longbottom family. The few remaining families are all interconnected by marriage. Over the course of the series, some prominent families have died out, thus limiting the pure-blood gene pool even further. The Crouch, Gaunt, and Black lines have become extinct during the course of the series, and there are very few known lines left (that said, the Black family cannot altogether be written off: two males, Phineas and Marius, were blasted off the Black family tapestry, and it is unknown whether they had any descendants; if by Harry Potter's day they do have male descendants left, then the line would not be extinct - merely unrecognised by the main family due to the "crimes" of their progenitors). Notably, the Weasleys appear to be the only family possessing more children than the requisite heir.
Some of the strongest proponents of blood purity are surprisingly not pure-blood themselves. (A notable example is Tom Marvolo Riddle, a half-blood whose mother was a pure-blood witch of the Gaunt family and whose father was a Muggle of a local squire's family.)
By no means is pure-blood status a guarantee of a person's attitude. The Weasleys and Longbottoms are old pure-blood families, but have no qualms about associating with Muggle-borns; moreover, while Mrs Weasley has no particular liking for Muggles or Muggle culture, this attitude does not seem to affect the family as a whole, and it seems wholly chance that the family even retains its pure-blood designation. The family is even about to celebrate the marriage of their eldest son to Fleur Delacour, a witch of mixed heritage (she is part Veela), whilst there are developing romances between Weasley children and Harry Potter (a half-blood) and Hermione Granger (a muggle-born). Of these, Mrs Weasley and her daughter detested Fleur prior to Bill Weasley's savaging by a werewolf, but this dislike seems to have been based upon Fleur's arrogance rather than her heritage; Mrs Weasley has generally liked Hermione (though she behaved very rudely towards Hermione when she believed rumours that Hermione had romantically betrayed Harry), and considers Harry to be one of her sons. The Longbottom extended family's views of such behavior are unknown. Attitudes do tend to run in families as children are brought up to support their parents' views, but even families that consider Muggle marriage disgraceful and immoral have their black sheep. The Black family seems to have produced one or two such black sheep every generation.
It is strongly implied in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that pure-blood families inbred with each other, somewhat like traditional European nobility (making the wizarding conflict comparable to the First World War, in which the royalty of opposing nations were related to each other, and which toppled most of them from power). It is confirmed that the Blacks and the Gaunts inbred into their own families by marrying their cousins, and it can be assumed that other fanatically pureblood families, such as the Malfoys and Lestranges, did the same. It is notable that, especially in the Gaunt and Black families, individual members have a certain amount of mental instability and emotional problems. This may be due to their upbringing as much as their inbred gene pool. However, while the Blacks are intelligent (although some members seem to have been troubled with madness, such as Walburga, Bellatrix Black-Lestrange, and occasionally even Sirius), the Gaunts have apparently experienced actual mental retardation – most notably in Voldemort's uncle Morfin Gaunt.
Besides passing on the rare gene of Parseltongue, the Gaunts also actually maintained the physical appearance of their ancient ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, with Voldemort's grandfather being shown to resemble Slytherin's monkey-like appearance. The Black family never experienced the drastic decline of the Gaunts. They are often described as aristocratically attractive, especially Bellatrix, Narcissa, and Sirius. This, along with their relative intelligence, implies that while there has been only moderate inbreeding among the Blacks, there has been considerably more inbreeding in the Gaunt family.
A blood traitor is a derogatory term for a pure-blood who fails to maintain the proper prejudices against non-purebloods (i.e., people who enjoy the company of and help Muggles and Muggle-borns). This label has been applied to the Weasley family, Sirius Black, Andromeda Tonks, Merope Gaunt, and strongly to Albus Dumbledore.
[edit] Half-blood
Half-blood wizards are not Muggle-born, but their heritage includes one or more Muggle ancestor(s). Today, half-bloods are the most common kind of wizard (Rowling has stated that of the Hogwarts annual intake, 50% are half-blooded), especially as magical folk would have dwindled to extinction without marrying Muggles. Blood purity fanatics regard half-bloods as inferior wizards, though they think of them as superior to Muggle-born wizards. Many of the most important characters in the books, including Lord Voldemort, Severus Snape, and Harry himself, are half-bloods (although Harry is only a technical half-blood - his mother, though Muggle-born, was nonetheless a witch - whereas Snape and Voldemort are literal half-bloods, the products of witches marrying Muggle men).
[edit] Mixed-species
Some half-bloods are products of unions between human wizards and intelligent magical creatures ("beings" in wizard parlance). Known beings with the capacity to interbreed with humans include goblins, giants and Veela. Rubeus Hagrid and Olympe Maxime are both half-giants, Filius Flitwick is part goblin, and Fleur Delacour is at least one-quarter Veela. Pure-blood supremacists often use the insulting term "half-breed" to describe someone of mixed-species parentage; a term that can be extended (incorrectly) to people such as werewolves and to half-humanoid creatures like centaurs.
[edit] Muggle-born
Muggle-borns are the occasional witches and wizards born to Muggle parents, or at least have Muggle grandparents. According to J.K. Rowling, in order to be considered pure-blood, one's grandparents must be wizards. If both of a wizard's or witch's parents are Muggle-born, it might give that person Muggle-born status. Their magical abilities do not seem to be significantly affected by their parentage — in fact, many Muggle-borns have been among the most powerful witches and wizards of their time.
Blood purity fanatics despise Muggle-borns above all other groups (even more than Muggles themselves), considering them insults to everything wizards stand for, or as Muggles seeking to rise above their station. Pure-blood fanatics use the term "Mudblood" to refer to Muggle-born wizards, which is analogous to foul racial and ethnic slurs found in the real world. The proportion of the wizarding population that is Muggle-born seems to be on the rise as the pure-blood families shrink in size and number (according to Rowling, of the annual Hogwarts intake, 25% are Muggle-born and 25% are pure-bloods), and the number of wizard births among Muggles could conceivably be increasing. Notable Muggle-born characters include Hermione Granger and Harry's mother, Lily Potter (née Evans), both of whom are exceptional witches despite coming from all-Muggle families.
[edit] Between both worlds
Some characters are stuck between both the magical and the Muggle worlds. These are people who have knowledge of, but very little to no ability in, magic.
[edit] Squibs
A Squib is a person of wizarding heritage who lacks magical ability; as Ron Weasley explains, Squibs are, in essence, the opposite of Muggle-born wizards. A Squib is a very rare anomaly; the only known Squibs so far introduced in the series are the Hogwarts caretaker, Argus Filch; Arabella Figg, a neighbour of the Dursleys; an unnamed cousin of Molly Weasley, who works as an accountant; and Sirius Black's great-uncle, Marius Black, who was removed from the Black family tree because he was a Squib. Squibs share much in common with Muggles; unlike Muggles, however, they notice and comprehend the wizarding world. Things that are hidden from Muggles with spells (rather than by the very nature of the hidden thing) seem to be visible to Squibs, as evidenced by Argus Filch being able to work at Hogwarts, which appears only as dangerous old ruins to Muggles (this may be because such illusions do not work on those who know of their existence; Mr and Mrs Granger, both Muggles, were obviously able to enter the Leaky Cauldron, which is normally invisible to non-wizards, under their daughter Hermione's direction, as they were present in Diagon Alley in the second book). This allows them the choice to inhabit the wizarding world or the Muggle world. Many live an unfortunate life, however, as they are never truly able to find acceptance in the world that reared them, but cannot find true contentment in the world they are more suited to inhabit. Some (like Arabella Figg) prefer to function on the border of the magical and non-magical worlds. Squibs like Arabella Figg often appear as strange or "crazy" to the Muggles around them. Harry finds Arabella's relationships with her cats odd when she takes care of him on occasion, but it seems perfectly normal when it is revealed that she grew up in the wizarding world. The Ministry of Magic does not keep records of Squib births, a sign of wizard society's general disregard for them.
Merope Gaunt was at one point referred to by her father Marvolo as a Squib, but her ability to understand Parseltongue, to prepare a love potion, and, most of all, to cast a cauldron-summoning spell (albeit badly) make it clear that she was a witch, and that he was insulting her rather weak magical powers (most likely stunted by his reign of terror over her).
Even though Squibs are unable to do magic, their comprehension of magic appears to allow them wizarding-type relationships with animals. Filch and Mrs Figg both have cats that appear to function as messengers. Filch's relationship with his cat, Mrs Norris, is somewhat of a mystery; Mrs Figg admits in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that she posted one of her cats under a car at Number Four, Privet Drive as a lookout. This cat is seen leaving when Mundungus Disapparates and Mrs Figg later shows up to assist Harry after his battle with the Dementors. In addition, Squibs such as Filch have been seen trying to acquire some measure of magical ability through means like the "Kwikspell" correspondence course, although Rowling has stated that this course never worked for Filch.[2] (It is possible that such a course has had some effectiveness for other Squibs, but no evidence exists in canon on this question.) In either event, Filch is at least capable of using such devices as the Secrecy Sensor seen in Book 6, so Squibs can evidently operate wizarding tools whose magical nature is innate and not dependent upon the magic power of the user.
"Squib" may be derived from "damp squib", ie, a wet firework or, more generally, something with a lot of potential and high expectations that never takes off.
[edit] Muggles who know about magic
Also on the border between the magic and non-magic worlds are Muggles who are aware of wizards and may take some advantage of magic cast by others in their lives. These include Muggles who marry wizards (like Seamus Finnigan's father) and Muggles with a relative who is a wizard (like Hermione's parents, the Dursley family, and the Evans family into which Lily Potter was born). Another notable Muggle who is notified of the existence of the wizarding world due to his leadership role is the British Prime Minister (it can be assumed that all world leaders are likewise notified of the magical communities within their nations).
Blood-purity fanatics have a total disdain for Muggles. During Voldemort's rise to power, his followers frequently murdered Muggles simply for pleasure. The Death Eaters that attacked after the Quidditch World Cup levitated a Muggle groundskeeper and his family and twirled them around in the air for their own amusement.
[edit] Pure-blooded families
[edit] The Black family
Status: Extinct (some disowned members and distaff descendants extant)
Most of the members of the Black family (The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, according to the tapestry) were devoted blood purists. They also had no problem with using the Dark Arts. The Black family home at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London contains many artifacts of dubious origin and/or dangerous abilities, as well as a Black family tree woven into a large decorative tapestry. It is incomplete, because whenever the family produced anyone of whom Walburga Black (and presumably previous family heads) disapproved, she disowned the rejected person and his or her name was burned off the tapestry. This happened to her son Sirius Black, and also to her niece Andromeda Black, who married Muggle-born wizard Ted Tonks. The Blacks have intermarried with several other pure-blood families, including the families of known Dark wizards, or at least malicious folk (Flint, Bulstrode, Malfoy, Crabbe, Rosier, Yaxley, Burke, Lestrange) and also non-Dark families (Potter, Crouch, Longbottom, MacMillan, Prewett). That these last families intermarried with such a sinister clan suggests either that the Blacks' Dark leanings were not necessarily common knowledge, or that this factor was outweighed by the prestige that the House of Black apparently had (presuming that the marriages were not based simply on affection). That Mrs Black did not burn people off the tapestry during the first war for their families' opposition to the Death Eaters indicates that Walburga's concerns had more to do with her own ideas regarding blood purity than with support for or rejection of Voldemort. The last several generations of Blacks all trace their ancestry back to Phineas Nigellus Black and Ursula Black (née Flint). The family motto is Toujours Pur (French: "Always Pure").
The Blacks thought that Voldemort had the right idea about "purifying the wizarding race", but many, such as Sirius' parents, refrained from supporting him once they saw what he was willing to do for power. Regulus Black was a Death Eater, but was apparently murdered when he tried to back out of it. Narcissa Black-Malfoy is married to a Death Eater, and is presumably a Death Eather herself, but is less than happy about what the perils of serving Voldemort have done to her family. Her sister Bellatrix Black-Lestrange, on the other hand, is the Dark Lord's most fanatical follower.
Most of the men in the family are named after stars or constellations, the exceptions being Phineas and Marius. Only three of the fourteen known Black women were named for stars or constellations: Cassiopeia, Bellatrix, and Andromeda.
Note that Walburga Black was a member of the family by birth as well as by marriage, suggesting inbreeding within the Black clan, though Sirius' parents are the only clear case of inbreeding on the tree and are only second cousins. It is reported, however, that all the 'pure-blood' wizarding families are closely related to each other, so other marriages on the tree with purebloods who do not bear the name of Black may also constitute inbreeding.
Seven members of the family are known to have been disowned, one or two in each of the last five generations:
- Isla Hitchens (née Black), who married Muggle Bob Hitchens
- Isla's nephew Phineas Black, who supported Muggle rights
- Phineas' nephew Marius Black, who was a Squib
- Phineas' niece Cedrella Weasley (née Black), who married 'blood traitor' Septimus Weasley
- Marius' nephew Alphard Black, who left his fortunes to his own wayward nephew
- Alphard's aforementioned nephew Sirius Black, who ran away from home
- Alphard's niece Andromeda Tonks (née Black), who married 'Muggle' (in fact Muggle-born) Ted Tonks.
Other notable Blacks include:
- Sirius' Great-great-great-aunt Elladora Black, who started the family tradition of beheading their house-elves when they became too old to carry tea-trays. Sister of Phineas Nigellus Black and Isla Black.
- Araminta Melliflua, a cousin of Walburga Black, who tried to force through a Ministry bill that would make Muggle-hunting legal. As she does not appear on J.K. Rowling's Black family tree, she may be a cousin on the Crabbe side of Walburga's ancestry. It is unclear whether 'Melliflua' is a surname or middle name. 'Melliflua' comes from 'mellifluous', to have a pleasant voice (she tried to sweet-talk the Ministry into allowing Muggle hunting).
- Phineas Nigellus Black, the least popular headmaster in Hogwarts history, who has a portrait in the Headmaster's office as well as at 12 Grimmauld Place. He was in Slytherin House, and despised teaching as much as the students despised him.
Although there are several living family members, including Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black) (escaped supporter of Lord Voldemort and Sirius' cousin), Narcissa Malfoy (née Black) (mother of Draco, wife of Lucius and sister of Bellatrix), and half-blood Nymphadora Tonks (Auror and member of the Order of the Phoenix), all are female or female-line distaff Black descendants and, as such, none of them bear the name of Black. Sirius' brother Regulus Black is dead, very likely murdered on Voldemort's orders when he got cold feet; his death has been confirmed by Rowling herself [3]. The last known surviving bearer of the family name, Sirius Black, was murdered by his cousin Bellatrix in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, though characters such as Nymphadora Tonks, who are descendants of disowned family members, are still alive. As for the disowned males Marius and Phineas, nothing is known of them; however, it is unlikely that any descendant of either bearing the surname Black would be considered a true Black by the surviving female Blacks of the Official Line.
- See Black family tree for more information
[edit] The Malfoy family
Status: Extant
According to Hagrid, there is not one decent member of the Malfoy family. The Malfoys identified in the series so far are Lucius Malfoy, his wife Narcissa (by birth a Black), their son Draco, and Lucius' now deceased father Abraxas HBP.
Draco Malfoy is in the same year at Hogwarts as Harry Potter, but is in Slytherin House. In Goblet of Fire, it is revealed that Draco's father wished to send him instead to Durmstrang, but relented when Draco's mother objected, saying the school was too far away.
Lucius Malfoy is known to be a Death Eater. In Half-Blood Prince, Harry suspects that Draco has been branded with the Dark Mark and thus would be a Death Eater like his father. This is presumed to have been confirmed by the events surrounding Dumbledore's death at the end of Half-Blood Prince.
Other information about the Malfoys:
- Abraxas Malfoy died of dragon pox, which was not uncommon at his age.
- Dobby is the Malfoys' former house-elf, having been freed by Harry Potter at the end of Chamber of Secrets.
- The family home is a mansion in the Wiltshire countryside, and contains numerous Dark objects. Lucius Malfoy hides or sells these objects whenever he suspects the Ministry is about to raid his house.
- In Order of the Phoenix it was stated that Molly Weasley (née Prewett) was related to the Black family by marriage (later verified by Rowling as the marriage between Ignatius Prewett - presumably Molly's uncle - and Lucretia Black). Rowling has also confirmed that Arthur Weasley's mother was a member of the Black family. Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy's mother was also a member of the Black family prior to her marriage. Therefore, the Weasleys and the Malfoys are distant cousins (to be precise: Ronald Weasley is Draco Malfoy's third cousin, once removed).
- If Draco Malfoy were to marry another pureblood, she would almost definitely be a cousin.
About their names:
- "Draco" is Latin for dragon, and is also a constellation, which is in keeping with his mother's family's naming preferences.
- "Lucius" is a name of Latin origin meaning 'light' very close to "Lucifer", the Devil (in Latin, 'the bright one' or 'the one that shines').
- "Narcissa" is the feminine form of Narcissus, a character in Greek mythology who drowned after falling in love with his own reflection (Narcissa Malfoy is said to be quite beautiful). It also refers to the narcissus flower, commonly known as the daffodil.
- "Abraxas" is the name of an ancient Greco/Egyptian Gnostic deity.
- "Malfoy", in Old French, means "bad faith" ("mal" generally means "bad" in Latin; c.f. "malice" or "malevolent"); it is therefore a very appropriate name for people who pretend to be righteous but are secretly in the service of Voldemort.
[edit] The Weasley family
Status: Extant
The Weasleys are a pure-blood family, but are considered by some others to be blood traitors as they do not demonstrate "proper respect" and pride in their purity. They fraternise happily and openly with wizards of diverse heritages as well as Muggles (despite Molly Weasley's passing reference to Kings Cross Station as "swarming with Muggles"). Arthur Weasley is fascinated by Muggles and enjoys his few opportunities to speak with Hermione Granger's parents. Ron and Ginny have developed strong friendships with half-blood and Muggle-born students such as Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Some of the Weasley children are romantically involved with persons not of pure wizard blood: Ginny with Harry (whose mother was Muggle-born) and Bill with Fleur Delacour (whose grandmother was a Veela, and who is therefore not fully human although perhaps fully magical).
The Weasleys were also one of the poorest wizarding families in the series, though this has changed somewhat since Arthur Weasley got a promotion and all of their children except Ron and Ginny (who are still in school) have well-paying jobs and are able to support themselves financially. For many generations, the Weasleys were all males (except the women who married into the family). Ginny Weasley is the first girl to be born into the Weasley clan in several (unspecified) generations.
- See Weasley family for more information.
[edit] The Longbottom family
Status: Extant
The Longbottom family includes Neville Longbottom and his parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom, who are both mentally incapacitated from being tortured by Death Eaters. Neville's parents are kept in a special ward at St. Mungo's for permanent patients. They have lost their memories and most of their mental faculties.
Due to his parents' condition, Neville was raised by his formidable paternal grandmother, whose name is revealed to be Augusta Longbottom in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Mrs Longbottom is a proud and dignified lady who wears long robes (her favourite colour may be green), a fox-fur scarf, a distinctive hat topped with a stuffed vulture, and carries a large red handbag. Neville loves her, but he is a bit scared of her as well. She is Frank Longbottom's mother and she treats both Neville and his parents very unsentimentally, yet is fiercely proud of her son and daughter-in-law's sacrifice. In an episode from The Order of the Phoenix, as Neville leaves his parents' ward his mother Alice gives him a bubblegum wrapper. Mrs Longbottom dismisses it and tells Neville to throw it away, as Alice gives him bubblegum wrappers every time he visits. Neville, however, quietly slips it into his pocket.
The Longbottoms seem very similar to the Weasleys, in that they do not seem prejudiced against mixed-heritage wizards and do not espouse fanatical beliefs in blood purity. Mrs Longbottom is proud that her grandson is a friend of Harry Potter's, although she and everyone else knows Harry is a half-blood. Mrs Longbottom also admires Hermione Granger (Neville tells his grandmother how clever Hermione is) and does not seem to care in the least that Hermione is Muggle-born. However, they are not as poor as the Weasleys, and they seem to be considered a more respectable family in pure-blood circles, or at least they were in the past (Cedrella Black was disowned for marrying Septimus Weasley, but her sister Callidora, who married Harfang Longbottom, remains on the Black family tapestry).
One aspect of the current Longbottom generation (i.e. Neville) that is interesting to note is that his family were terrified by his lack of juvenile spontaneous magic use, believing him to be a Squib. When he was younger, he showed absolutely no signs of magical ability, almost drowning when pushed off Blackpool Pier (the reader is left to presume that his magic should have preserved him from harm), but fortunately for his family he proved his magical worth by surviving a fall from an upper floor window, and eventually received a Hogwarts letter (where, like every wizard and witch in Great Britain and Ireland, he had been registered since birth. One assumes that his family's panic caused them to forget this salient fact). Even while at Hogwarts, Neville was often the worst student at the school, as his spells would often not work or would backfire; he was also shown to have an abysmal memory, which is likely to be connected to his somewhat introverted nature, and he was shown to have low self-confidence and self-esteem. These can likely be traced to his overbearing grandmother, who appears to have impressed upon him the importance of living up to his parents' legacy, and his own sense of inadequacy when compared to the successes of his parents. However, by GoF, Neville was seen to be developing a deep passion for Herbology, encouraged by the false Professor Moody (who wanted Neville to give Harry information about gillyweed relevant to the Triwizard Tournament); he also seems to have been given a confidence boost following a confidential talk with said Professor (who, ironically, was in fact one of those Dark wizards who attacked Neville's parents and drove them insane). By OotP, he was seen to be developing real expertise in Herbology, as well as a devotion to a rare Mimbulus mimbletonia plant, and apparently was once referred to as Professor Sprout's best student. In HBP, his general school performance seems to have improved with the acquisition of a new wand to replace his father's, which Neville used until it was broken in the Department of Mysteries: it has been frequently commented that 'the wand chooses the owner' and that 'you never get such good results with another wizard's wand'.
Other possible Longbottom family members are known only through mention. These are:
- Neville's grandfather, who is deceased. Neville saw him die, though a cause of death has never been given and nothing else about him has been revealed. This grandfather's death is the reason Neville can see thestrals.
- Neville's Uncle Algie, who is mentioned many times and who gives Neville his toad and Mimbulus mimbletonia. However, as of Half-Blood Prince, he has not appeared in person.
- Neville's Aunt Enid, who may be married to Uncle Algie.
- One Harfang Longbottom is known to have married into the blood-purity-conscious House of Black. He married Callidora Black (a granddaughter of Phineas Nigellus Black) and fathered a son and a daughter. It is unknown if this son and daughter bear any close relation to the other Longbottoms mentioned in the series. The tree states that Callidora was born in 1915, and is still alive, but she cannot (barring a name change, or use of a middle name) be Neville's paternal grandmother, whose first name was recently revealed to be Augusta. She could conceivably be his great-grandmother, or even his maternal grandmother in the case of inbreeding, but the fact of her identity remains unknown as she has yet to receive a mention in the books. She may be no close relation to Neville at all.
[edit] The Crouch family
Status: Extinct
The Crouch family figures prominently in the plot of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. They are a perfect example of a once-great and respectable family of wizards completely destroyed because of Voldemort. Bartemius Crouch was the head of the family, a powerful figure in the Ministry of Magic. His son was named after him. Winky the house-elf served the Crouch family until she was sacked.
Immediately following Voldemort's downfall, four Death Eaters tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom. The younger Crouch was one of those Death Eaters. He was tried by the full Wizengamot in a Ministry court, a trial conducted by his furious father. Mr Crouch sentenced his son and accomplices to Azkaban, devastating his wife, who was ill and dying at the time. She convinced her husband to allow her to trade places with her son in the wizard prison. Mrs Crouch and her son drank Polyjuice Potion to take on each other's appearance. She died shortly thereafter in Azkaban, having managed to maintain the deception, and was buried by the dementors outside the walls under her son's appearance and name.
Years later, young Bartemius murdered his father on Voldemort's orders, in part of the complex plot of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
When the younger Crouch, impersonating the famous Auror Alastor Moody, attempted to kill Harry Potter, Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape forced him to reveal himself and tell his true story. Later, when the Minister of Magic went to interrogate Crouch, he feared for his safety and took a Dementor into the room with him. When Crouch was kissed by the Dementor, the Crouch bloodline ended forever. Although Barty Jr.'s body is still technically alive, there is no reason to believe that he will be able to have children.
One Caspar Crouch is known to have married into the House of Black (whose members prided themselves on preserving their "blood purity"). He married Charis Black (a granddaughter of Phineas Nigellus), which union produced a son and two daughters. Given the fact that the family became extinct after the destruction of young Bartemius - implying that there was only a single extant line of the family - it is entirely possible that the son of Caspar and Charis was the elder Bartemius Crouch.
[edit] The House of Gaunt
Status: Extinct
The last known pure-blood descendants of Salazar Slytherin, the Gaunts had an obsession with blood purity which spurred them to marry their own cousins through the generations, resulting in cases of retardation. The last members of the Gaunt clan were Marvolo and his children Morfin and Merope; Marvolo's wife is likely to have been a cousin.
Merope Gaunt is the witch who died shortly after giving birth to Tom Marvolo Riddle, who later styled himself Lord Voldemort. She could not have been more than twenty years old when she died.
Marvolo died of old age and Morfin was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban after being framed by Voldemort for the murder of Voldemort's father and paternal grandparents. Morfin Gaunt is buried in a grim graveyard beside the prison, where other inmates who died within the fortress are buried. As Voldemort is a female-line descendant of this family, Slytherin still has at least one living descendant; however, he does not carry the Gaunt name, which ended with his uncle Morfin's death, and he is a half-blood because his father was a Muggle. However, Voldemort has rejected the name Riddle and is known today among the majority of the wizarding world simply as Lord Voldemort - although most wizards fear to speak his name. It is also known that he is the last surviving known descendant of Slytherin and that he is proud of his magical heritage. As Voldemort is presently immortal, the Slytherin line may survive through him forever. If, however, Voldemort is killed through the destruction of his Horcruxes, the family will vanish forever (assuming that the descendants of Slytherin never, in a thousand years, married anyone other than themselves: which would make them very exceptional, given the example the Black family gives of the rapid proliferation of descent). It is highly unlikely that Voldemort will sire offspring.
- See The House of Gaunt for more information.
[edit] The Lestrange family
Status: Extant
The Lestrange family consists of Rodolphus, his wife Bellatrix (née Black) and his brother Rabastan. There is no mention in the Harry Potter series regarding Rodolphus and Bellatrix having any children, either schooling at Hogwarts or elsewhere. However, in a scene from The Half-Blood Prince, Bellatrix tells her sister Narcissa Malfoy that if she, Bellatrix, had sons she would gladly give them up in service of the Dark Lord (Voldemort), thus indicating that she has no sons; it could also mean that she has no children. When Bellatrix says "sons" it must be taken in context - in the scene her sister Narcissa weeps that her son Draco Malfoy has been given a terrible task by Voldemort. Bellatrix would likely make no distinction between a son or daughter, pressing either into Lord Voldemort's service. And, of course, no children of Bellatrix and Rodolphus are shown on the Black family tapestry, which does indicate the children of all other (non-disowned) daughters of the Black family, so it is safe to assume that they are childless. It is unknown whether Rabastan has a spouse or any children, or if there are any other living adults with the surname Lestrange.
Along with Barty Crouch Jr., the Lestranges tortured Neville Longbottom's parents. They were tried, convicted, and imprisoned at Azkaban for this crime until they escaped, along with the other Death Eaters imprisoned there.
[edit] Other known pure-blood families
Statuses: Varying
There are very few surviving pure-blood families left in Britain. The following families are those pure-blood lines in addition to the ones mentioned above which are known with certainty to be living in England and Scotland, and although several Irish characters appear in the books none of them are known to be pure-bloods.
- The Avery Family
- The Bones Family
- The Borgin Family
- The Bulstrode Family
- The Burke Family
- The Cornfoot family
- The Crabbe Family
- The Flint Family
- The Greengrass Family
- The Goyle Family
- The MacDougal Family
- The MacMillan Family
- The Montague Family
- The Nott Family
- The Parkinson Family
- The Zabini Family
The Potters were a very wealthy pure-blood family, and the last pure-blood scion of that house was James Potter. Although the Potter line survives through James' son Harry, Harry is a half-blood as his mother was a Muggle-born, so his family as a pure-blood line may be considered extinct. (This is similar to Harry's friend and dormmate at school, Dean Thomas, whose family was all pure-blood until his father married his Muggle mother.)
The Prewetts were another pure-blood family that did not support Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Arthur Weasley's wife Molly is a Prewett, and both of her brothers died heroic deaths while fighting Voldemort's supporters. However, as all of the sons of that branch are dead, and as it is unclear whether Molly has any male Prewett cousins, that family may be extinct. Molly has a living male second-cousin, but he is a Squib and his surname is never mentioned.
The MacDougal and Cornfoot families still exist as pure-blood families, as two young heirs of those houses are Ravenclaws in Harry's year. The Yaxley and Gamp families are also pure-blood, but it is unknown whether any members of those families bearing the family name still exist. It is known that one of Voldemort's Death Eaters was a Yaxley - however, this particular Death Eater believed Voldemort to be gone forever and it is unclear if he has returned in the Second War or if he is even alive. No one with the surname of Gamp has been mentioned in the books thus far.
The pure-blood Rosier and Wilkes families could still exist, but the only specifically mentioned sons of those houses, the Death Eaters Wilkes (first name unknown) and Evan Rosier, are dead. The current status of the Burke family, to which Caractacus Burke, a founder of the Borgin and Burkes store, belonged is also uncertain.
[edit] Notable individuals
[edit] Notable pure-bloods
Along with the members of notable pure-blood families, the following individuals are also known to be pure-blood (or are notable enough in their own right to be listed separately here):
- Sirius Black and the rest of the Black family
- Viktor Krum
- Neville Longbottom
- Draco Malfoy
- James Potter
- Ron Weasley and the Weasley family
- Merope Gaunt
- Bartemius Crouch Sr
- Bartemius Crouch Jr
[edit] Notable half-bloods and mixed-species
- Half-bloods
- Harry Potter: Father, James Potter was pure-blood; mother, Lily Evans, Muggle-born.
- Tom Marvolo Riddle: Father, Tom Riddle Sr, was a Muggle; mother, Merope Gaunt, pure-blood.
- Severus Snape: Mother, Eileen Prince, was a witch; father, Tobias Snape, a Muggle.
- Remus Lupin: A half-blood per J. K. Rowling's interview (World Book Day Chat).
- Nymphadora Tonks: Father, Ted Tonks, was Muggle-born; mother, Andromeda Black, pure-blood.
- Seamus Finnigan: Muggle father, pure-blood mother.
- Dean Thomas: Muggle mother, father a pure-blood wizard killed by the Death Eaters.
- Mixed-species
- Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour: Quarter-veela through a grandmother, part-witch.
- Rubeus Hagrid: Hagrid's father was a wizard, while his mother was a giantess.
- Olympe Maxime: Part-giant, part-witch.
- Filius Flitwick: Part-goblin, part-wizard (goblin ancestry is minimal).
[edit] Notable Muggle-borns
- Hermione Granger
- Lily Evans-Potter
- Penelope Clearwater
- Colin Creevey
- Dennis Creevey
- Justin Finch-Fletchley
