[HPforGrownups] Explain This Passage

[Lesley McKenna]

No: HPFGUIDX 180435

RL wrote:

>>> Voldemort IS a half-blood, witch mother and Muggle father. 
And Neville is a pureblood, whose parents were both magical. 
But Harry is also a pureblood, is he not? Both James and 
Lily were magical. Lily was a Mudblood, but James' magical 
geneology goes back many generations. Surely if being a 
pureblood meant not merely that one's parents were magical 
but that each line was magical for many generations, only a 
small number of inbreeding families could still be purebloods. 
Voldemort and Snape were both half-bloods, both with Muggle 
fathers, but it makes no sense to call Harry a half-blood.

Or does it? What am I missing? <<<


lesley/wrappedinharry:
>From my undertanding of things, I was of the opinion that 'purebloods' like the Malfoys thought any witch or wizard with known Muggles in their family tree were not considered Pureblood.

It is explained to Harry (and I cannot remember where or by whom) that he would not be considered pureblood because his mother's parents were Muggles.

And I am sure it is Hagrid who tells HArry that there is no such thing as a pureblood anymore because there were just not enough of them around and if they hadn't bred with Muggles somewhere in the past, wizards would have died out.

Just recollections I am afraid.

lesley/wrappedinharry