The secrecy motif/magic & muggles

[Goddlefrood]

No: HPFGUIDX 179993

> Pippin:
> Obviously the Deaf aren't trying to keep their existence a
> secret. But Google returned 28,300 hits for "deaf separatism"
> JKR's wizards aren't unique in their desire to isolate themselves,
> only in their success. 

Goddlefrood:

Um, no actually, if you encase deaf separatism in inverted commas, 
you'll get 99 hits, quite a big difference.

> Pippin: 
> But just in case they didn't, he left the basilisk, which could 
> only be released (as he thought) by a parselmouth. I'm sure he 
> never thought that his descendants would be anything but pure.

Goddlefrood:

As I've asked before, how would a basilisk be able to distinguish 
between a pure-blood, a half-blood or a muggle-born? I shouldn't 
think it could. The stare would be lethal to anyone who came 
across it, unless the wizard gene protected you in some way, 
no, that wouldn't work either because if you are at Hogwarts 
(excepting the squib Finch) you have it. The basilisk was an 
ultimate revenge on all wizards, as far as I'm concerned. 

Salazar may have been mad, of course and thought pure-bloods 
could stare down the basilisk.