Blood purity (Harry Potter)

Blood purity is a concept in the fictional Harry Potter book series. It is a form of class prejudice and also has analogies to racism.

Notable Pure-Blooded Families

The Black family

Status: Extinct

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Most of the members of the Black family were highly devoted to the Dark Arts. The Black family home is 12 Grimmauld Place, which contains many artifacts of dubious origin; there is also a family tree, now highly incomplete. The reason for the incompleteness is that whenever the family produced anyone the elders disapproved of, the rejected one was disowned and burned off the tapestry. This is what happened to Sirius Black, and to Andromeda Black, who married muggle-born Ted Tonks. The Family Tree, called Toujours Pur (French for "Always Pure"), was made on a tapestry, which Mrs Black (Sirius Black's mother) put a permanent sticking charm on, to make sure that Sirius could never throw it away. Sirius Black's mother died circa 1985. She was either very old (especially when you consider that her children were so much younger) or unnaturally aged. Mrs. Black believed in purity of wizard blood and on that basis favoured her younger son, Regulus, who shared that philosophy and even became a Death Eater. Mrs. Black survives only as a horrible, life-sized portrait hanging in the entrance hall on the ground floor of Grimmauld Place. The portrait, hung behind mouldy curtains, shows a screaming, unpleasant-looking old woman in a black cap, drooling, eyes rolling, yellowing skin. She screeches terrible epithets at anyone who disturbs her. Kreacher, a house-elf devoted to the Black family, worshipped her.

Related Topics:
Grimmauld Place - Family tree - Sirius Black - Andromeda Black - Ted Tonks - 1985 - Wizard - Regulus - Death Eater - Kreacher - House-elf

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Other Blacks include:

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• Sirius' Aunt Elladora, who started the family tradition of beheading house-elves when they were too old to carry tea trays,
• Araminta Melliflua, who tried to force through a Ministry bill that would make Muggle-hunting legal
• Uncle Alphard (who was also blasted off the family tree, possibly for leaving Sirius some money in his will)
• Phineas Nigellus, the least popular headmaster in Hogwarts history.

Although there are several living family members, including Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black) (escaped supporter of Lord Voldemort), Narcissa Malfoy (née Black) (mother of Draco and wife of Lucius), and half-blood Nymphadora Tonks (Auror and member of the Order of the Phoenix), all are female or a female-line Black descendant and, as such, none of them bear the name of Black. Regulus Black, Sirius's brother, was murdered on Voldemort's orders when he got cold feet. The last surviving bearer of the family name, Sirius Black, was murdered by his cousin, Bellatrix, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and thus the Black family line has ended.

Related Topics:
Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black) - Lord Voldemort - Narcissa Malfoy (née Black) - Draco - Lucius - Nymphadora Tonks - Auror - Order of the Phoenix - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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The Malfoy family

Status: Extant

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According to Hagrid, there is not one decent member of the Malfoy family. The Malfoys identified in the series are Lucius Malfoy, his wife Narcissa, their son Draco, and his father Abraxas.

Related Topics:
Hagrid - Lucius Malfoy - Narcissa - Draco

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The Malfoys are purebloods and Lucius is a Death Eater. Draco is in the same year as Harry Potter at Hogwarts and is in Slytherin House. In Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Harry suspects that Draco has been branded with the Dark Mark and thus would be a Death Eater like his father. Abraxas Malfoy (Lucius' father and Draco's grandfather) died of dragon pox. Dobby was their former house-elf freed by Harry Potter.

Related Topics:
Death Eater - Harry Potter - Hogwarts - Slytherin House - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - Dobby - House-elf

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In the movies, Draco is played by Tom Felton and Lucius is played by Jason Isaacs.

Related Topics:
Tom Felton - Jason Isaacs

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"Malfoy", in old French, means "bad faith". It is therefore a very appropriate name for people who pretend to be righteous but are secretly in the service of Voldemort.

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The Weasley family

Status: Extant

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The Weasleys are a pure-blood family, but are considered by some others to be blood traitors as they do not demonstrate "proper respect" and pride in their purity. They were also one of the poorest wizarding families in the series, though this may have changed since Arthur Weasley got a promotion.

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:See Weasley family for more information.

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The Longbottom family

Status: Extant

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The Longbottom family includes Neville Longbottom and his parents Frank and Alice Longbottom who are both mentally incapacitated from being tortured by Death Eaters.

Related Topics:
Neville Longbottom - Frank and Alice Longbottom - Death Eaters

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Due to his parents' condition, Neville was raised by his grandmother, whose full name is revealed to be Augusta Longbottom in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Mrs. Longbottom is a forceful, strong woman who wears green robes, a fox-fur scarf, a distinctive hat topped with a stuffed vulture,and carries a large red handbag. Neville loves her, but he is a bit scared of her as well. She is Frank Longbottom's mother and she treats both Neville and his parents very unsentimentally. When Neville's mother Alice gives him a bubblegum wrapper, Gran dismisses it and tells Neville to throw it away. Neville pockets it, however.

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Another member of the family is Neville's grandfather, who is deceased. Neville saw him die, though a cause of death has never been given and nothing else about him has been revealed. This grandfather is the reason he can see the thestrals.

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Neville also has an Uncle Algie, who is mentioned many times and gives Neville his toad and Mimbulus mimbletonia. However, as of book 6 he has not appeared in person.

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The Crouch family

Status: Extinct

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The Crouch family figures prominently in the plot of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Bartemius Crouch was the head of the family. His son was named after him. Winky the house-elf served the family until she was sacked. When Barty Crouch Jr. was kissed by a Dementor, the Crouch bloodline ended forever.

Related Topics:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Bartemius Crouch - His son - Winky - House-elf - Kissed by a Dementor

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Barty Crouch's unnamed wife was a short, wispy witch who had the terrible and sad experience of watching her husband renounce their son and condemn him to Azkaban. She was ill and dying at the time and she convinced her husband to allow her to trade places with her son in the wizard prison. Mother and son drank Polyjuice Potion to take each other's appearance. She died shortly thereafter in Azkaban and was buried by the dementors outside the walls under her son's appearance and name.

Related Topics:
Witch - Azkaban - Polyjuice Potion - Dementors

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The Gaunt Family

Status: Extinct

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The last descendants of Salazar Slytherin, their obsession with blood purity has caused them to often marry their own cousins. Consists of Marvolo Gaunt and his children Morfin and Merope, Marvolo's wife was presumably a first cousin, or at least the last of her own line of the family.

Related Topics:
Salazar Slytherin - Cousins - Marvolo Gaunt - Morfin - Merope

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Merope Gaunt is the witch who died shortly after giving birth to Tom Marvolo Riddle, who later changed his name to Lord Voldemort.

Related Topics:
Tom Marvolo Riddle - Lord Voldemort

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Marvolo died of old age and Morfin rotted in Azkaban after being framed by Voldemort for the murder of Voldemort's father and paternal grandparents. As Voldemort is a female-line descendant of this family, Slytherin's line still exists through him; however, he does not carry the Gaunt name, which ended with his uncle Morfin's death.

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The Lestrange family

Status: Extant

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Consists of Rodolphus Lestrange, his wife Bellatrix Lestrange and his brother Rabastan Lestrange. Along with Barty Crouch Jr., the Lestranges tortured the Longbottoms. They were formerly imprisoned until they escaped along with other Death Eaters.

Related Topics:
Rodolphus Lestrange - Bellatrix Lestrange - Rabastan Lestrange - Barty Crouch Jr. - Longbottoms - Death Eaters

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