A question about name-calling

[Christina in GA]

No: HPFGUIDX 100859

bamf: What exactly is a half-blood? We have Seamus in >thefirst book say
that he is 'half and half' - that his
>Mum was a witch and didn't tell her husband (Pure
>Muggle) until after they were married.  We know Tom
>Riddle had a similiar situation where one parent was
>Pure Muggle.What exactly is Harry then? Yes, his Mum >was Muggle born, but
she was a witch.  Does that still >make him a Half-blood, as Bellatrix calls
him in OOtP:
>"Shut your mouth!" Bellatrix shrieked. "You dare speak
>his name with your unworthy lips, you dare besmirch it
>with your half-blood's tongue, you dare-"
<snip> (quoted from US Version - OOtP, pg 784)
>Comments and thoughts?

Christina : I have wondered this myself. Lily was muggle born - 2 muggle
parents - but they must have known *something* -

(SS, US version p 53) "....But for my mother and father, oh, no, it was Lily
this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"
(Petunia speaking)

So did her muggle family know something of the wizard world since they were
so happy to have a witch in the family? And what were James' parents? I
don't remember the books saying. But Harry's parents were both wizards so
does it matter? We know that Draco wanted him in Slytherin. The Sorting Hat
told him he would have been a good candidate for Slytherin but Harry said
*Not Slytherin*. The hat saw his courage  -

(SS, p 121, USversion) "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see.
Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes -- and a nice
thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put
you?" Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not Slytherin, not
Slytherin. "Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice "Are you sure? You
could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will
help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that..."

So does Slytherin judge a pureblood wizard by his parents or his entire
family like Mrs. Black did by having the family tree tapestry?

And about Harry's thirst to prove himself .... to whom? To the Dursley's? To
himself? When will he feel he's accomplished that goal?

Christina in GA (USA)