mixed marriages

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 124564


 
> Sandy,
> Yes, but what Ron says is "if we [wizards] hadn't married muggles 
> we'd have died out."  Ron is dividing the world into 2 camps -- 
> muggles and wizards. 
snip
> I read it as Ron saying that, at least at some point in the 
history of wizardry, marriage between magical and non-magical people 
was quite common.

Potioncat:
In SS/PS (I think) JKR has Neville saying that his family thought he 
was all Muggle. Even if he had been a Squib, he wouldn't have been a 
Muggle. My guess is that it was the clearest way to handle it at the 
time.

I think JKR has Ron saying Muggle here, to mean Muggles, Part-
Muggles and Muggleborn. Keep in mind, a few things, it is the first 
time she's introduced the bigotry of the WW (except for the question 
Draco asks in Madam Malkins). And it would be difficult to go into a 
lecture about Pureblood, Halfblood, etc. Ron expresses an acceptance 
of mixed marriages, yet his parents are Purebloods. If the 
Weasley/Prewets  have married Muggles or Muggle-born, it was a long 
time ago.

Now, how do the partners in these mixed marriages meet?  I would 
think the most likely way is that a Muggleborn wizard/witch marries 
someone from the old hometown. The wizard is familiar with the 
Muggle world and has been "covering" for years. Or, a Muggleborn 
wizard has more reason to frequent Muggle locations and may meet a 
Muggle that way. Why anyone would wait until after marriage to 
reveal certain facts is beyond me.

JKR said, although I'm not sure I understood her, that Magic 
children might attend Muggle schools before coming to Hogwarts. That 
would mean in some cases, Magic families have contact with Muggle 
neighbors.  It also fits one of the advertisements on her site, a 
warning system that "hides" magic items when the Muggles pay a call. 
(I haven't been on the site for a while, does anyone else remember 
this?) I also recall something about a department that goes into 
magic homes when they revert to muggle status. That must mean that 
some magic families live in Muggle neighborhoods  and have some 
interaction. While other families never see a muggle.

As for Tom Riddle and his witch wife, I always thought she was a 
girl from the villiage who had kept her magical abilities a secret.  
I know, it doesn't fit with the idea of her being Pureblood, but 
it's also hard to know what a Pureblood witch would "see" in Tom 
Riddle, Sr. 
Potioncat