How do you make a muggle?

[corinthum]

No: HPFGUIDX 70646

Missy wondered:

> How many generations does it take for the non magical to be 
> considered muggle?
> 
> And does pureblood mean from the beginning of time, every generation 
> before me has produced a magical child and so I am pureblood?  Or 
> does it mean that for a set number of generations this has happened, 
> so therefore I am to be considered pureblood?


These terms seem to be very relative.  To someone like the Malfoys,
pureblood means that no Muggle or Muggle-born has ever tainted the
family.  Muggle-born wizards are considered the same as Muggles, about
a step below fungus, I think.  I'd say one generation is all they'd
need to consider a non-magical child a muggle.  The rest are all
half-bloods, tolerable but inferior to purebloods.

The rest of the wizarding world doesn't really care about the
distinctions, and therefore no exact lines are drawn.  The terms
pureblood, halfblood, and Muggle-born are used rarely, usually only
when decribing one's family.  The term Squib seems to be used to
clarify a non-magical person's relation to and probable knowledge of
the wizarding world.  However, most wizards don't consider the term
Muggle to be offensive, and therefore it is often used interchangebly
with squib.  The terms Half-blood and Muggle-born seem to be used only
during introductions, and then only when explaining that one or more
parents are not magical (Seamus, Dean, Hermione, and I'm sure others
have done this).  Most people consider those born to a witch and
wizard to be pureblood, regarless of the history behind the families.  

My impression of the wizarding world is that the whole
pureblood/halfblood thing has not always as prominent as it is during
Harry's entrance to the wizarding world.  Here's my take on the conflict.

A very long time ago, when Muggle settlements were still very
primitive, wizards most likely had the upper hand in all aspects of
life.  Muggles, lacking the skills of survival that wizards had, would
probably defer to them, possibly even revere them.

However, Muggle society slowly began to advance.  They began to resent
the power of wizards, and fear the power they held.  They also
eventually learned that wizards were not all-powerful or immortal. 
The small wizarding population began to be outnumbered by a rapidly
growing Muggle population.  It is at this point in time that I believe
Hogwarts was founded.  As the population discrepancy grew, Muggles
began persecuting witches and wizards, backed by a safety in numbers
that had never previously existed.  In fear for the wizarding world,
Slytherin suggested that they refuse to educate any Muggle born
wizards, guaranteeing the safety of the school and students, and
consequently the future of the wizarding world, but was overruled in
favor of equality for all wizards.  The wizarding world, fearing the
growing persecution from Muggles, goes into hiding.

As the centuries pass, Muggles education and tolerance increase.  At
the same time, their belief in the wizarding world decreases and
persecution of witches and wizards vanishes.  During this time, the
wizarding population begins to decline due to their small numbers. 
The safety provided by their seclusion from the Muggle world as well
as the new attitudes of Muggles lessens the distrust wizards have of
Muggles.  They begin to intermarry with Muggles, leading to the
current situation where most of the wizrding world can find some
non-magical blood in their family history.  By Harry's time, very few
completely-non-Muggle families remain.  These families were at one
time very rich and powerful, the ruling nobility of the wizarding
world, but are slowly losing power as more and more Muggles are
integrated into their society, either through marriage or the
appearance of a Muggle-born wizard or witch in the family.

I think the current anti-Muggle-born sentiments stem directly from
Lord Voldemort.  Tom Riddle, we are told, is a very intelligent and
charming young man.  As a result, he is very good at manipulating
people.  His own motives for destroying all things Muggle stem from
some pretty serious childhood issues.  However, he has been able to
take advantage of the current situation to further his needs.  In the
young adult novel "Summer of My German Soldier", one character
decribes Hitler as using a very simple method to create his Nazi
regime.  He started with a truth: The German people are poor; then a
semi-truth: the German people deserve to be rich; then a lie: The Jews
have taken what rightfully belongs to the German people.  Voldemort
most likely used a very similar method, appealing to the pureblood
families who saw their power and influence slowly slipping away, and
playing on their resentment of the Muggles who were indirectly
responsible for this.  We know from Bellatrix Lestrange's reaction to
Harry's comment that she adamantly believes Voldemort to be pureblood,
and probably has no idea as to his real motives.  As the danger from
Voldemort's first reign began to increase, people probably looked for
a scapegoat to blame for the death and destruction, and many settled
on the one being offered so nicely to them: Muggles.  Even after
Voldemort's first defeat, that anger and resentment remained, much
stronger than it had been since the time of Hogwart's founding.

The result is that the wizarding world is itself still trying vainly
to  define the difference between halfblood and pureblood.  As the
idea itself is based on misconceptions (there is no actual difference
in the magical ability between the two), I doubt that definition can
be found. 

I find it a bit ironic that Voldemort himself doesn't seem able to
make the disctinctions between pureblood and half-blood.  He decribes
both himself and Harry as half-bloods, despite the fact that both
Harry's parents were magical and only one of Tom's was.  He even goes
as far as to describe Lilly as a Muggle, which even by the extremist
point of view isn't the case (Malfoy calls Hermione Mudblood
constantly, but has never even considered calling her a Muggle). 
Seems almost as though Riddle is trying to elevate himself in his own
mind.

-Corinth, who didn't really intend this to be a dissertation, sorry.  :)