OotP: Family Trees, house elves

[Milz]

No: HPFGUIDX 63059

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "innovan" <innovan at y...> wrote:
> OotP Spoilers
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> Confusing things:
> 
> Bellatrix Lestrange calls Harry a half-blood. Is she stupid? Malfoy 
> has all family trees memorized, you think the rest of the D.E. 
would 
> as well.
> 
Bellatrix Lestrange is making a distinction between pure-bloods and 
Muggle-borns. Since Lily was Muggle-born, Lestrange considers Harry 
a "half-blood". It's similar to the race classifications of the 
1800s. The children of a white plantation master and his black slave 
were still considered black, eventhough they were half white. 

The other thing that's intriguing about the pure-blood thing is was 
James a pure-blood? If all pure-blood families are related, then 
unless all pure-blood magicals with Potter blood were killed or died 
off naturally, then it's quite possible for Harry to have one distant 
Potter-blood relative.

> The Weasleys are not on Sirius Black's family tree because they are 
> "blood traitors". Does this mean they were disowned by their 
families? 
>
It could very well be the case. However, it could very well be that 
only Arthur's branch of the Weasley family is "disowned". AS there 
are "good" Blacks, like Sirius, Andromeda and Tonks, there could 
be "dark" Weasleys.
 
> House Elves are sworn to serve a family line. Are the Weasleys 
denied 
> house elves as part of being disowned by their families?
> 
In PoA, Ron implies they don't have a house-elf because they can't 
afford one, iirc. In GoF, Winky tells Harry at the World Cup that she 
advised Dobby to find and family and settle down. Furthermore, Dobby 
wanted a salary, which turned off any prospective employers. I can 
only assume that house-elves can be inherited, or they can be 
employed once their current master sets them free. 

~Milz