Were All Hogwarts Ghosts Once Wizards? (WAS: Canon Wizard Cards?)

[erisedstraeh2002]

First Ali wrote:

> Perhaps Bowman Wright was the son of Sir Nearly Headless Nick - and 
> Nick was beheaded for his fling with a witch?

Then I responded:

> But the card says that Wright was the son of a Muggle father, so 
> that would mean Nick was a Muggle...I always assumed the Hogwarts 
> ghosts were once wizards, but perhaps that is an incorrect 
> assumption?? 

Now me again:

This discussion has peaked my interest in whether or not all of the 
Hogwarts ghosts were once witches or wizards.  This really isn't 
specified in canon; one presumes Professor Binns was once a wizard, 
since he taught at Hogwarts before he died, but even that conclusion 
is someone speculative, since he teaches History of Magic rather than 
a wizarding art (such as Potions or Transfiguration).

There is this interesting interchange from a February 2000 Scholastic 
interview:

Q: "What makes some witches/wizards become ghosts after they die and 
some not?"

JKR:  "You don't really find that out until Book VII, but I can say 
that the happiest people do not become ghosts. As you might guess, 
Moaning Myrtle!"

and the link:
http://www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/author/transcript1.htm

The questioner presumes that all ghosts in JKR's world were once 
witches or wizards, and JKR does not correct him/her.  Once again, 
this is not a conclusive determination - I guess we'll have to wait 
until Book VII to find out for sure :(

Rhiannon the Raven-Slyth noted:

> And yet, Nick WAS Petrified in CoS. Of course, we aren't sure if 
> the basilisk could Petrify anyone and just happened to come across 
> the muggle-borns, but certainly Nick's Petrification /could/ 
> support the theory that he was at least muggle-born if not a muggle 
> proper.

Me again:

I was under the impression that Nick just got in the way - that the 
Basilisk was aiming for Justin, but hit Nick by accident.  The 
Basilisk's goal was to kill, so since Nick was already dead, 
presumably the Basilisk wouldn't have bothered with him.  Nick also 
isn't mentioned by Riddle when he tells Harry in the Chamber: "She 
[Ginny] set the serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods, and the 
Squib's cat" (CoS, Ch. 17).  The four Mudbloods are Colin, Justin, 
Penelope and Hermione.  While even Mrs. Norris is mentioned, Nick is 
not.  So I don't believe Nick was a deliberate target.

~Phyllis