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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