Pure-blood supremacy

The Malfoys and the Lestranges were bastions of the pure-blood supremacism philosophy

"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families."

— Draco Malfoy's pure-blood prejudice

Pure-blood supremacy was the belief that wizards and witches whose family has not married any muggles or Muggle-borns are inherently superior to wizards and witches who have. Proponents of this ideology typically regard Muggle-born wizards as impure, unworthy of possessing magical ability, and often actively discriminate against them.

Attitude and beliefs

Lucius Malfoy: "What’s the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don’t even pay you well for it?"

Arthur Weasley: "We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy."

— Intense argument over blood status

A piece of propaganda directed towards Muggle-borns

Pure-blood supremacists consider themselves to be the elite of the wizarding world, akin to royalty. They look down upon Muggles, Muggle-borns, half-bloods, half-breeds, and consider the Muggle world to be inferior to their own. Pure-bloods, and even half-bloods, who do not share this view are considered traitors to their own kind, hence the term "blood traitor." They are considered disgraces by pure-blood supremacists such as the Malfoys.

Elitist pure-bloods believe that it is a sign of weak magic to enjoy non-magical company and seem to believe that some of the supposed dirtiness of Muggles and Muggle-borns will rub off on those who associate with them, thus they consider blood traitors to be "filthy" as well.

Some extremists consider blood traitors to be nearly as bad as the Muggle-borns they are prejudiced against. Bellatrix Lestrange, for example, claimed that "blood traitor is next to Mudblood in [her] book," and her family often disowned and blasted off the family tree any members who could be considered blood traitors. Blood traitors might also be shunned by their families and acquaintances: for example, Bellatrix and her younger sister Narcissa Malfoy stopped seeing their sister Andromeda after she married a Muggle-born wizard, Ted Tonks.

Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters targeted blood traitors during the First and Second Wizarding Wars because they opposed their goals. When they were temporarily in control of the Ministry of Magic in late 1997 and early 1998, they kept blood traitors such as Arthur Weasley under surveillance. However, even most Death Eaters were reluctant to kill pure-bloods, even "traitorous" ones, if it could be avoided. Similarly, although disdaining Half-Bloods and considering them inferior, they recognised that there were not enough Pure Blood families left and so (if only begrudgingly), accepted Half-Bloods in their new world order. The same situation existed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry while Voldemort was in power.

Degrees of prejudice

Pure-blood elitism

"Toujours Pur"

— "Always Pure," the motto of the House of Black

The most extreme of the pure-blood supremacists seek to purge the world of those they consider "impure." They often tolerate half-bloods out of necessity (though still disdain them), but Muggle-borns are persecuted, as well as Muggles are viewed as nothing more than animals. Supremacists have debated amongst themselves whether Muggles and Muggle-borns should be subject to death or slavery, but it is generally agreed the general goal of pure-blood supremacy is a world where Muggles are relegated to a lesser role. At the very least, some amount of Muggles would need to be kept alive if only to keep producing Half-Bloods (who again, are accepted out of necessity).

“Pure-blood elitists”	Reason(s)
House of Black	The Blacks were a very ancient pure-blood family noted for a strain of emotional and physical instability, as well as truculence, caused by the traditional tendency of inbreeding vitally in their strict adherence to blood purity. Many members of the House of Black were disowned for marrying Muggles or Muggle-borns, or for refusing to uphold the family's prejudiced views. Even being a Squib is considered to be impure as well and would be disowned.
	Phineas Nigellus Black was Headmaster of Hogwarts from some point in the late 19th century to 1925. Though not the friendliest of fellows, he expressed little patience with his students (whom he found tedious and self-absorbed) and nevertheless loathed his profession. For these reasons, he was remembered as the school's least popular headmaster, having no qualms whatsoever in using demeaning phrases to refer to others, and disowning his second oldest son Phineas Jr for supporting Muggle rights.
	Araminta Meliflua Black was an activist for Muggle-hunting, she attempted to force passage of a bill at the Ministry that would have legalised it as a sport. A relative of Walburga Black.
House of Gaunt	The Gaunts were a very ancient pure-blood family noted for a vein of mental and physiological instability, as well as violence, caused by the traditional tendency for inbreeding heavily in their crazed adherence to blood purity. Many members of the House of Gaunt were descended from important pure-blood families, including the Slytherins and Peverells, the traits of which, like the ability to speak Parseltongue, they were able to retain over the centuries.
	Gormlaith Gaunt was a Dark Witch who resided on Coomcallee from 1603 to 1645, jinxing any Muggles who wandered near her home. Since murdering her sister Rionach and brother-in-law William Sayre for fraternising with their Muggle neighbours, she raised their daughter Isolt in seclusion, and forbade her of attending Hogwarts due to its pro-Muggle leanings. However, Isolt fled to the New World aboard the Mayflower in 1620, and went on to found Ilvermorny with her Muggle husband James Steward and adopted sons Chadwick and Webster Boot. Tracking her down, Gormlaith attempted to kill the couple and take their daughters with her, but was killed by a poisoned arrow from the Pukwudgie William in the duel that followed.
	Corvinus Gaunt was a juvenile plumber who had a hand in helping install an elaborate plumbing system within Hogwarts, which placed the secrecy of the Chamber of Secrets at risk. Having inherited the right to know where the Chamber's entrance was (a trapdoor with magical tunnels at the site of a girl's bathroom) and how to open it, he concealed the trapdoor behind plumbing fixtures and a sink.
	Marvolo Gaunt was obsessed with being pure-blood and certain of his superiority over those of "lesser" blood status, despite living in poverty: according to Harry Potter, Marvolo considered that his blood purity made him practically royal, and disowned his daughter, Merope, for her little magical ability and her blood treachery.
Malfoy family	The Malfoys were an extremely ancient pure-blood family noted for a command of political influence and respect that flourished with their traditional tendency for courtship with richness and power around them. They are known for their disdain of Muggles and Muggle-borns. While they strongly believe in the concept of blood purity, they did not take it to the interbreeding extremes of the Blacks, Gaunts, and Lestranges, and many a half-blood appears on their family tree.
	Nicholas Malfoy was widely believed to have dispatched many Muggle tenants in the late 1340s, under the guise of the Black Death. However, this was never proven, but it was likely because he escaped censure by the Wizard's Council, and therefore was never punished.
	Brutus Malfoy was editor of the anti-Muggle periodical Warlock at War, which ran during the 1670s. With the persecution of wizards in Muggle supremacy having reached its height, he campaigned to compare blood traitors to Squibs, stating in 1675 that "nothing is a surer sign of weak magic than a weakness for [Muggle] company".
	Septimus Malfoy was Advisor to the Minister for Magic from 1789 to 1798.
Lestrange family	The Lestranges were an ancient pure-blood wizarding family, and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Many Lestranges practise the Dark Arts and believe in the notion of pure-blood supremacy, disdaining Muggles and Muggle-borns. They also have many Death Eater family members.
Greengrass family	The Greengrasses are known to have espoused the philosophy of Pure-blood supremacy.
	Following the horrors of the Second Wizarding War Astoria Greengrass abandoned the beliefs of blood supremacy in favour of a more tolerant world view. She even refused to raise her son to believe that "Muggles [are] scum", even though that created tension with her parents-in-law, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.
Durmstrang Institute	Durmstrang did not allow Muggle Borns to attend, though, unlike most other examples of "Pure-Blood Elitism" listed here, they did not seem to have a violent, murderous, or destructive attitude towards muggle-borns and muggles either (and indeed, some individual students such as Viktor Krum were more tolerant and accepting of Muggle-Borns).
Death Eaters	Possibly the largest and most destructive Muggle haters and blood purity fanatics of their time (if not of all time). Led by Voldemort, who thought that magical blood was pure and special. Under their regime, Muggle-borns were stripped of their wands and reduced to beggars, or alternatively, if unable to prove relations to any wizard in kangaroo courts overseen by Dolores Umbridge, they were subjected to the Dementor's Kiss or else imprisoned in Azkaban. Meanwhile, Muggles were killed indiscriminately and seen as nothing but slaves or cattle. Ironically, however, Voldemort himself is half-blood, his mother being a pure-blood witch and his father a Muggle.
Lord Voldemort
Dolores Umbridge	Umbridge hated Muggles, Muggle-borns, as well as half-breeds and had no problem throwing in with the Death Eater's blood purity obsessed worldview (despite hypocritically being herself a Half-Blood). She was head of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission during Voldemort's control of the Ministry and actively persecuted "Mudbloods," stripping them of their wands. After Voldemort's defeat, she was arrested and sentenced to Azkaban for life for her crimes against Muggle-borns.
Salazar Slytherin	Slytherin did not accept Muggle-borns in his house and subsequently ended his friendship with Godric Gryffindor. He left a Basilisk in a hidden chamber beneath Hogwarts so that it could one day purge the school of Muggle-borns.
Elizabeth Burke	Elizabeth Burke seemed to have hated Muggle-borns, as her portrait at Hogwarts Castle encouraged Slytherins to be "nasty to Mudbloods."

Pure-blood bias

"Your mother was Muggle-born, of course. Couldn't believe it when I found out. Thought she must have been pure-blood, she was so good."

— Horace Slughorn showing bias

Some wizards, while believing somewhat in the inherent superiority of pure-bloods, do not actively discriminate against or show hostility to Muggle-borns and are even fond of them in some cases.

“Pure-blood bias”	Reason(s)
Horace Slughorn	Although Slughorn thought that pure-bloods were normally more magically skilled, he is aware that half-bloods and Muggle-borns have much to offer, and nonetheless had many talented Muggle-borns in his Slug Club, including Lily Evans and Hermione Granger. He even wanted Lily Evans to be in his house of Slytherin.
Cornelius Fudge	Fudge showed great favouritism toward influential pure-bloods such as the Malfoys. However, until 1995, he relied heavily on the counsel of Albus Dumbledore, a supporter of Muggle rights, as well as was very polite to Harry Potter, a half-blood (at least initially). He also had a cordial, if somewhat patronising, relationship with the Muggle Prime Minister and was highly distraught at the gruesome murder of twelve Muggles earlier in his days at the Ministry. However, Fudge allowed the passage of anti-half-breed legislation, ennabled the cruelty of Dolores Umbridge (herself an extreme case of Pure-Blood Supremacy), and his Pro-Pure Blood attitude and policies as Minister were cited as major flaws of his and the reason why his administration ultimately failed.
Severus Snape	During his time at Hogwarts, Severus fell in with a group of future Death Eaters in his desire for power and acceptance. Despite his childhood claim that blood status didn't matter, he began to use the term "Mudblood" to describe Muggle-borns. However, an accidental application of the term during an argument towards Lily Evans ended their friendship. Snape was upset by this, and attempted to atone for using the remark and being prejudiced by becoming a double agent for Albus Dumbledore, however, he was still supportive of actions of many Pure-blood elitists, for example refusing to believe that Hermione Granger had been cursed by her Slytherin classmate to make her teeth grow longer, and saying that he saw no difference. Due to these combinations of actions, he is a somewhat ambiguous case.

• It is unknown if Muriel could be considered biassed, as she once condescendingly referred to Hermione Granger as "the Muggle-born" at her nephew's wedding. However, as Ron pointed out, she was rude to everyone. She also made snide remarks about Fleur Delacour, not because she was a quarter breed, but because she was French. However, whether Muriel was aware of Fleur being a quarter-veela is not revealed.
• According to Rowling when asked about the term given for the magical offspring of one magical and one non-magical parent she said Non-bigots in the wizarding world would say half-blood. Pure blood supremacists would say mudblood.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (In Latin)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (In Latin)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Possibly)

See also

• Blood purity
• Blood traitor
• Pure-blood