Half-blood is the term commonly given to wizards and witches who had known Muggle or Muggle-born parents or grandparents. 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.
Overview[]
It should be noted that any wizard or witch who is neither pure-blood nor Muggle-born is considered half-blood, even if they have two magical parents; they need not have exactly half-Muggle/half-wizard heritage.
Non-magical children born with at least one magical parent are considered Squibs by the wizarding community rather than Half-bloods or Muggles. Examples include Martha Steward II, Dolores Umbridge's brother, and Gilderoy Lockhart's two sisters. 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 considered half-bloods, such as Penny and Beatrice Haywood.
Treatment[]
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. It could be argued that half-bloods in the eyes of those who believe 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, Gaunts and the Lestranges against the Malfoys.
Other more fanatical families such as the Gaunts, Lestranges, and Blacks require all marriages to be those of pure-blood. Members of these families are more likely to use "half-blood" in a derogatory manner, similar to the epithet "Mudblood"; Bellatrix Lestrange did so on multiple occasions, and the portrait of Walburga Black often equated half-bloods with Half-breeds.
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. 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. In fact, these people, along with some other Death Eaters, pretend to be pure-bloods, hiding their Muggle heritage from anyone else. 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 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.
Parentage[]
Magical/Squib & Muggle[]
| Wzard(s) | Magical/Squib parent | Muggle parent |
|---|---|---|
| Seamus Finnigan | Mairead Grimes (half-blood) | Torin Finnigan |
| Beatrice Haywood | Miranda MacRannall (Muggle-born) | Oscar Haywood |
| Penny Haywood | ||
| Gilderoy Lockhart | Marianne Feistel (half-blood) | Robert Lockhart |
| Remus John Lupin | Lyall Lupin (pure-blood) | Hope Howell |
| Mafalda Prewett | Ernest Prewett (Squib) | Eleanor Tendler |
| Minerva McGonagall | Isobel Ross (pure-blood) | Robert McGonagall |
| Malcom McGonagall | ||
| Robert McGonagall Jnr | ||
| Tom Marvolo Riddle | Merope Gaunt (pure-blood) | Tom Riddle Senior |
| Severus Snape | Eileen Snape (pure-blood) | Tobias Snape |
| Rionach Steward | Isolt Sayre (pure-blood) | James Steward |
| Dean Thomas | Finn Thomas (pure-blood) | Jane Melville |
| Sybill Patricia Trelawney | Patricia Tiernan (half-blood) | Curtis Trelawney |
| Celestina Warbeck | Augustine Warbeck (pure-blood) | Claire Wertheim |
| Dolores Jane Umbridge | Orford Umbridge (pure-blood) | Ellen Cracknell |
| Bowman Wright | Gail Drumein (pure-blood) | Halian Wright |
Pure/half-blood & Muggle-born[]
| Wizard(s) | Pure/half-blood parent | Muggle-born parent |
|---|---|---|
| Alfred Cattermole | Reginald Cattermole (half-blood) | Mary Hicks |
| Ellie Cattermole | ||
| Maisie Cattermole | ||
| Jason Cavalier | Rhiannon Gaunt (pure-blood) | Sebastian Cavalier |
| Selene Cavalier | ||
| Andrius Cresswell | Fernande Rollins (pure-blood) | Dirk Cresswell |
| Rodion Cresswell | ||
| Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore | Percival Dumbledore (pure-blood) | Kendra Findlay |
| Aberforth Dumbledore | ||
| Ariana Dumbledore | ||
| Anthony Goldstein | Steven Goldstein (half-blood) | Lenora Rutherford |
| Michael Goldstein | ||
| Garrick Ollivander | Gervaise Ollivander (pure-blood) | Mabel Burnett |
| Aria Diane Potter | James Potter (pure-blood) | Lily Evans |
| Emmeline Potter | ||
| Harry James Potter | ||
| Olivia Jane Potter | ||
| 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 | |
| Maeve Goldstein | Michael Goldstein Olivia Potter |
| Joshua Goldstein |
Muggle or Muggle-born grandparent[]
| Wizard(s) | Pure-blood parent | Parent with Muggle or Muggle-born parent |
|---|---|---|
| James Potter | Ginny Weasley | Harry Potter (Muggle-born mother) |
| Albus Potter | ||
| Lily Potter | ||
| Delphini Riddle | Bellatrix Black | Tom Riddle (Muggle father) |
| Mattheo Riddle | Cascade Tremblay |
See also[]
- Blood purity
- Blood traitor
- Mudblood
- Muggle-born
- Pure-blood