Why is Harry considered half-blood?

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 143204

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "scamjunk22" <brahadambal at i...>
wrote:
>
> Hi all,
> 
> ... -- but I have been wondering for a very long time as to why HP
> is said to be half-blood!!! He is not a half-blood ... just because 
> his mom is a muggle-born, does not make him half-blood....  both 
> HIS parents are magic .. so he is a pure blood! 
> Whereas LV's father was a muggle, so LV is half-blood!! no?
> 
> bye for now, 
> scam.

bboyminn:

You have to remember that 'half-blood' is in the eye of the beholder.
Technically Harry is a full-blood, but not a pureblood; though
admittedly that term is never actually used in the books.

Context plays a big part here. Purebloods, or those with a pureblood
mania, would consider Harry a half-blood because they want to
emphasize the IMpurity of Harry's blood. The only other person I know
of who has referred to Harry as a half-blood was Dumbledore, and that
was in the context of making a point about Harry's heritage as
compared to Neville's. 

So, what it gets down to is that there is a technically correct
application of the word 'half-blood'. Seamus, for example, has one
magic parent and one muggle parent, he is a true 'half-blood'. Others,
like the purebloods, use this term in a technically incorrect way to
emphasis that the person in question's blood is not pure. So while the
term has a technically correct definition, it is not always used in a
technically correct way.

The correct definitions are -

Muggle - not magical and no magical ancestors.

Half-Blood - person of mixed parentage.

Full-Blood - person of magical parents, but having direct-line muggle
ancestors

Pureblood - a person who is magical, and allegedly with no muggle
blood anywhere in their direct-line of ancestors.

Keep in mind that 'Pureblood' applies only to the direct line of
ancestors. If your uncle married a muggle, that might be a disgrace,
and it will certainly affect the blood of his children, it doesn't in
anyway affect your own blood. 

Hope that helps.

Steve/bboyminn