Half-blood

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

Half-blood is the term commonly given to witches and wizards whose heritage includes at least one Muggle grandparent. Although more correctly used to describe a witch or wizard with one magical parent and one Muggle parent, the term also covers those with either one half-blood parent or those with a Muggle-born parent.

Half-bloods were the most common type of magical folk in the 1990s, as without marriage to muggles the wizarding population would become extinct. They made up 50% of the Wizarding World in the 1990s.

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

Attitude Towards Half-Bloods

Lord Voldemort and his followers.

"You dare speak his name? You filthy Half-Blood!"

— Bellatrix Lestrange to Harry Potter in the Department of Mysteries after he uses the name Voldemort.

Those who believe in the importance of blood purity consider half-bloods inferior for their Muggle heritage, though not as bad as Muggle-borns. They often use the term "half-blood" in a derogatory manner, similar to the epithet "Mudblood"; Bellatrix Lestrange and the portrait of Walburga Black did so on multiple occasions.

Some half-bloods express prejudice towards those with Muggle heritage, despite having some themselves, and cling to what wizarding heritage they have. Notably, Lord Voldemort hated Muggles and Muggle-borns, despite having a Muggle father. 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 reports 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.

When the Ministry of Magic fell under Voldemort's control in 1997, Muggle-borns were openly prosecuted and pure-bloods were favoured. Half-bloods were still accepted at Hogwarts, but not treated as well as the pure-blood students.

Known Half-Bloods

Severus Snape

Magical Parent & Muggle Parent

• Tom Marvolo Riddle - pure-blood mother, Muggle father
• Severus Snape - pure-blood mother, Muggle father
• Dean Thomas - pure-blood father, Muggle mother
• Seamus Finnigan - pure-blood mother, Muggle father

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

Nymphadora Tonks

• Harry Potter - pure-blood father, Muggle-born mother
• Albus Dumbledore - pure-blood father, Muggle-born mother
• Nymphadora Tonks - pure-blood mother, Muggle-born father
• Rose Weasley - pure-blood father, Muggle-born mother
• Hugo Weasley - pure-blood father, Muggle-born mother

Half-Blood Parent & Half-Blood Parent

• Teddy Lupin - half-blood father, half-blood mother

Unknown Combination of Parental Status

• Remus Lupin - at least one magical parent

See Also

• Blood purity
• Muggle-born
• Pure-blood
• Blood traitor