How Rare are Muggle-borns? and Analysis of “Purity” in the Order

karenoc1 karenoc1 at yahoo.com
Fri Jul 2 18:29:53 UTC 2004


No: HPFGUIDX 104081

Please forgive this *very* the long post!!!  All of this discussion 
about the halfblood prince has got me thinking about the rarity of 
Muggle-born wizards.  I apologize if this has been discussed before, 
but it seems to me that we have seen very few purely Muggle-born 
wizards throughout the books.  I believe the only ones we can be sure 
of are Hermione and Moaning Myrtle; is it likely that all of the 
students attacked in CoS were Muggle-born?  Here are the attacks: 

Mrs. Norris – cat of a Squib; probably an accidental attack.

Colin Creevey – father is a milkman; don't have enough
information on 
his mother.  Possibly he and Dennis are pure Muggle-borns.

Justin Finch-Fletchley – probably Muggle-born.

Hermione – Muggle-born.

Penelope Clearwater – not enough information.

Moaning Myrtle – Muggle-born student who died when CoS originally 
opened.

So I'm thinking that just as Tom Riddle sought to complete what
he 
considered "Salazar Slytherin's noble work" (Scholastic
Cos 312), 
Harry is the living representation of Dumbledore's philosophy
that 
purity of blood is meaningless.  And Dumbledore has created a 
Hogwarts where Harry has more opportunity to meet and befriend Muggle-
borns and halfbloods.  

This brings me to an analysis of the original Order of the Phoenix; 
how many were purebloods and why?

Alastor Moody – probably pureblood? (Still alive at conclusion of
OoP)

Albus Dumbledore – probably pureblood.  JKR's point is
stronger if 
Dumbledore, who believes that the purity of blood is meaningless, 
*is* a pureblood. (Still alive at conclusion of OoP)

Dedalus Diggle – don't know; possibly a pureblood.  (Still
alive at 
conclusion of OoP)

Marlene McKinnon – don't know.  (Still alive at conclusion of
OoP)

Frank Longbottom – Pureblood; Dumbledore calls Neville a
pureblood on p. 842 of Scholastic OoP, so Frank must be a pureblood.  
(Still alive at conclusion of OoP)

Alice Longbottom – Pureblood; same rationale.  (Still alive at 
conclusion of OoP)

Emmeline Vance – don't know.  (Still alive at conclusion of
OoP)

Remus Lupin – probably pureblood?  Half-breed? (Still alive at 
conclusion of OoP)

Benjy Fenwick – don't know.  (Dead prior to PS/SS – only
found bits 
of him)

Edgar Bones – probably pureblood.  (Dead prior to PS/SS)

Sturgis Podmore – don't know.  (Dead at conclusion of OoP)

Caradoc Dearborn – don't know. (Possibly dead prior to PS/SS
– body never found)

Rubeus Hagrid – Halfblood; half-breed--half-wizard, half-giant.  
(Still alive at conclusion of OoP)

Elphias Doge – don't know.  (Memory block here; is he still
alive at end of OoP?)

Gideon Prewett – Pureblood.  If the Weasley children are all 
purebloods, then Molly Prewett Weasley must have been a pureblood 
before marrying Arthur.  (Dead prior to PS/SS)

Fabian Prewett – Pureblood.  (Dead prior to PS/SS)

Aberforth Dumbledore – probably pureblood; is he a wizard of a
Squib?

Dorcas Meadowes – don't know.  Killed personally by LV;
possibly a halfblood or Muggle-born.  (Dead prior to PS/SS)

Sirius Black – Pureblood.  (Dead at conclusion of OoP)

Peter Pettigrew – probably pureblood; would LV let him be a DE 
otherwise?  (Still alive at conclusion of OoP)

James Potter – Pureblood.  Harry is called a halfblood by
Dumbledore on p. 842 of Scholastic OoP, so James must have been a 
pureblood--assuming Lily was Muggle-born. (Dead prior to PS/SS)

Lily Potter – Muggle-born, as far as we know.  (Dead prior to
PS/SS)

Mundungus Fletcher – don't know.  (Still alive at conclusion
of OoP)

Arabella Figg – Squib.  (Still alive at conclusion of OoP).

I may be wrong, but I believe that it is likely that a number of 
the "don't knows" from above were either halfbloods or
purebloods, 
and that is only with Dumbledore's consistent leadership of
Hogwarts 
that moreMuggle-borns are sought and accepted at the school.  *Or* 
the lack of definitive Muggle-borns could mean that a Muggle-born 
wizard is (and always has been) extremely rare.  Otherwise, we would 
see more of them in the past and present Order.  

The current Order also includes:

Nymphadora Tonks – Halfblood.  (Still alive at conclusion of OoP)

Kingsley Shacklebolt – don't know.  (Still alive at
conclusion of OoP)

Hestia Jones – don't know.  (I believe she is still alive at
the conclusion of OoP)

Arthur Weasley – Pureblood.  (Still alive at conclusion of OoP)

Molly Weasley – Pureblood, for rationality see above.  (Still
alive at conclusion of OoP)

Bill Weasly, Charlie Weasley, Fred and George Weasley –
Purebloods.  (Still alive at conclusion of OoP)

Minerva McGonagall – don't know.  (Still alive at conclusion
of OoP)

Severus Snape – don't know; he is an excellent Occlumens and
could have hidden from LV a halfblood parentage.  (Still alive at 
conclusion of OoP)

So it would have been useful in the past, and considering the 
attitude of Fudge, and still useful in the present to recruit as many 
pureblood wizards as possible into the order.  Who else would be 
better able to dissuade the wizarding populous that purity of blood 
is meaningless?  And how better to overcome any deep-rooted 
prejudices in members of the current order than by making them work 
(and fight) alongside of halfbloods and Muggle-borns?

And what about the DAs?

Harry Potter – Halfblood (Gryffindor)

Hermione Granger – Muggle-born, as noted above (Gryffindor)

Ron Weasley – Pureblood (Gryffindor)

Ginny Weasley – Pureblood (Gryffindor)

[Fred and George Weasley – Purebloods (Gryffindor) –currently
in Order of Phoenix]

Neville Longbottom – Pureblood (Gryffindor)

Dean Thomas – Halfblood (Gryffindor)

Seamus Finnegan – Halfblood (Gryffindor)

Lavender Brown – don't know (Gryffindor)

Parvati Patil – don't know, but I'd guess pureblood
(Gryffindor)

Lee Jordan – don't know (Gryffindor)

Katie Bell – don't know (Gryffindor)

Alicia Spinnet – don't know (Gryffindor)

Angelina Johnson – don't know (Gryffindor)

Colin Creevey – probably Muggle-born (Gryffindor)

Dennis Creevey – probably Muggle-born (Gryffindor)

Padma Patil – don't know
 (Ravenclaw)

Luna Lovegood – don't know (Ravenclaw)

Cho Chang – don't know, but again I'd guess pureblood
(Ravenclaw)

[Marietta Edgecomb – don't know (Ravenclaw) –may not be a
DA anymore]

Anthony Goldstein – don't know (Ravenclaw)

Michael Corner – don't know (Ravenclaw)

Terry Boot – don't know (Ravenclaw)

Zacharias Smith – don't know (Hufflepuff)

Ernie Macmillan – Pureblood (Hufflepuff)

Justin Finch-Fletchley – probably Muggle-born (Hufflepuff)

Hannah Abbott – don't know (Hufflepuff)

Susan Bones – probably pureblood (Hufflepuff)

I wonder how much diversity we'd see if we could fill in the
don't-knows?  Anyway, I thought it might be easier to analyze the 
members if they were all listed here, although it would be much 
easier if I could insert a spreadsheet!  Does anyone have any 
thoughts?

karenoc1





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