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{{quote|You dare speak his name? YOU FILTHY HALF-BLOOD!|[[Bellatrix Lestrange]] to [[Harry Potter]] after he uses the name [[Tom Riddle|Voldemort]]|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)}}
 
{{quote|You dare speak his name? YOU FILTHY HALF-BLOOD!|[[Bellatrix Lestrange]] to [[Harry Potter]] after he uses the name [[Tom Riddle|Voldemort]]|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)}}
   
Those who believe in the importance of [[blood purity]] consider half-bloods to be inferior because of their [[Muggle]] heritage, though not quite as bad as [[Muggle-born]]s. Often the term "half-blood" in used in a derogatory manner, similar to the epithet "[[Mudblood]]"; [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] and the portrait of [[Walburga Black]] did so on multiple occasions.<ref name="OTP">''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]''</ref>
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Those who believe in the importance of [[blood purity]] consider half-bloods to be inferior because of their [[Muggle]] heritage, though superior to [[Muggle-born]]s. Often the term "half-blood" is used in a derogatory manner, similar to the epithet "[[Mudblood]]"; [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] and the portrait of [[Walburga Black]] did so on multiple occasions.<ref name="OTP">''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]''</ref>
   
 
Some half-bloods expressed prejudice towards those with Muggle heritage, despite having some themselves, and clung to what wizarding heritage they had. Notably, [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] hated Muggles and [[Muggle-born]]s, despite having a Muggle [[Tom Riddle Sr.|father]], and denied his half-muggle heritage, leaving hints that he was a pure-blood instead.<ref name="CS"/> [[Severus Snape]] may be another example; his self-entitled nickname was "[[Severus Snape|Half-Blood Prince]]" because his mother, [[Eileen Prince]], was a pure-blood witch and his father, [[Tobias Snape]], was a Muggle. 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.<ref name="HBP">''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''</ref> In fact, these people, along with some other Death Eaters, pretend to be pure-bloods, hiding their Muggle heritage from anyone else. Ironically, regarding the Prophecy concerning his defeat, Voldemort chose to go after a half-blood [[Harry Potter]] instead of the pure-blood [[Neville Longbottom]].
 
Some half-bloods expressed prejudice towards those with Muggle heritage, despite having some themselves, and clung to what wizarding heritage they had. Notably, [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] hated Muggles and [[Muggle-born]]s, despite having a Muggle [[Tom Riddle Sr.|father]], and denied his half-muggle heritage, leaving hints that he was a pure-blood instead.<ref name="CS"/> [[Severus Snape]] may be another example; his self-entitled nickname was "[[Severus Snape|Half-Blood Prince]]" because his mother, [[Eileen Prince]], was a pure-blood witch and his father, [[Tobias Snape]], was a Muggle. 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.<ref name="HBP">''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''</ref> In fact, these people, along with some other Death Eaters, pretend to be pure-bloods, hiding their Muggle heritage from anyone else. Ironically, regarding the Prophecy concerning his defeat, Voldemort chose to go after a half-blood [[Harry Potter]] instead of the pure-blood [[Neville Longbottom]].

Revision as of 22:57, 3 May 2011

The potters hp

Half-blood Harry Potter is the son of a pure-blood wizard and a Muggle-born witch.

"Most wizards these days are half-blood anyway. If we hadn’t married Muggles we’d’ve died out."
Ron Weasley discussing blood purity[src]

Half-blood is the term commonly given to wizards and witches who have both magical and Muggle heritage. As pure-bloods claim to have no Muggle ancestry whatsoever, those who have and acknowledge their Muggle as well as their wizarding heritage, would be considered half-bloods. By the 1990s, half-bloods were the most common type of magical person, as the wizarding population would have become extinct had they not inter-married with Muggles and Muggle-borns[1].

Due to the dominance of the magic gene, children born to at least one magical parent will almost always be magical themselves, meaning that a non-magical child born to a Muggle and a wizard is a Squib, not a Muggle[2].

Attitude Towards Half-Bloods

Voldemort&Co

Lord Voldemort and his followers.

"You dare speak his name? YOU FILTHY HALF-BLOOD!"
Bellatrix Lestrange to Harry Potter after he uses the name Voldemort[src]

Those who believe in the importance of blood purity consider half-bloods to be inferior because of their Muggle heritage, though superior to Muggle-borns. Often the term "half-blood" is used in a derogatory manner, similar to the epithet "Mudblood"; Bellatrix Lestrange and the portrait of Walburga Black did so on multiple occasions.[3]

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 hated Muggles and Muggle-borns, despite having a Muggle father, and denied his half-muggle heritage, leaving hints that he was a pure-blood instead.[1] Severus Snape may be another example; his self-entitled nickname was "Half-Blood Prince" because his mother, Eileen Prince, was a pure-blood witch and his father, Tobias Snape, was a Muggle. 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.[4] In fact, these people, along with some other Death Eaters, pretend to be pure-bloods, hiding their Muggle heritage from anyone else. Ironically, regarding the Prophecy concerning his defeat, Voldemort chose to go after a half-blood Harry Potter instead of the pure-blood Neville Longbottom.

When the Ministry of Magic fell under Voldemort's control in 1997, Muggle-borns were openly persecuted and pure-bloods were favored above all else. Half-bloods were still accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but were not treated as well as the pure-blood students.[5]

Known Half-Bloods

Snape OOP trailer

Severus Snape

Pure- or Half-Blood Parent & Muggle Parent

Nymphadora Tonks

Nymphadora Tonks

Pure- or Half-Blood Parent & Muggle-Born Parent

Seamus FinnigansG

Seamus Finnigan

Half-Blood Parent & Half-Blood Parent

Two Magical Parents, Known Muggle Ancestry

Unknown Combination of Parental Status

Behind the scenes

  • On J. K. Rowling's draft list of students in Harry Potter's class, which is not considered canon due to several contradictions with the novels, the following students were mentioned as half-bloods[6]:
  • On the draft class list, Hannah Abbott was listed as a Muggle-born[6], 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.[7]
  • 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 Lord Voldemort, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, and Harry Potter.
  • Due to Dean Thomas's father being dead, Dean himself was unable to prove his half-blood heritage during Voldemort's reign. As such, he was regarded as a Muggle-born.

See Also

Notes and references