Post by Liberty Martin on Aug 13, 2007 12:58:55 GMT -5
Within the world of Harry Potter, the issue of blood status is one that is seen throughout the books. However, here, we're focussing on purebloods only, because the number of them in the Wizarding World is decreasing dramatically. Therefore, the number of characters on this site who are allowed to be of pureblood status is going to be severely limited, because of this decline, to be in keeping with canon.
Why are the purebloods dying out?[/b]
The number of purebloods is declining because most pureblood witches and wizards will only marry another wizard of the same blood status, meaning that the few remaining families are all interconnected by marriage (and therefore limiting the gene pool). Some prominent pureblood families have also died out, thus limiting the pure-blood gene pool further still. The Crouch and Gaunt lines have become extinct during the course of the series, and there are very few known lines left. Two males from the Black line, Phineas and Marius, were blasted off the family tapestry. The Weasleys are the only known pure-blood family with more than one male heir.
Notable pureblood families[/b]
The Black Family
Status: Extinct
Most of the members of 'The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black' were devoted blood purists, and many were involved with the Dark Arts. The Black family home at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London (now home to the Order of the Phoenix), contains many artifacts of dubious origin and/or dangerous ability. The family motto is Toujours Pur (French: "Always Pure"). Blacks who married mixed-blood wizards or otherwise offended the family motto were removed from the family tapestry:
The Crouch Family
Status: Extinct
The Crouch family figures prominently in the plot of 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' (which I'm not going to retell). They are a once-great and respected family of wizards completely destroyed because of Voldemort. Bartemius "Barty" Crouch Senior was the head of the family, a powerful figure in the Ministry of Magic. His son Barty Crouch Junior was one of the Death Eaters who tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom, who was tried by the full in a Ministry court, a trial conducted by his furious father. Mr. Crouch sentenced his son and accomplices to the wizarding prison Azkaban. Crouch Jr.'s mother swapped places with him in Azkaban, and died there, while Crouch Jr. goes free. Eventually, it is revealed that he killed his father (while impersonating Mad-Eye Moody), and is punished by the Dementor's Kiss, ending the bloodline.
The House of Gaunt
Status: Extinct
The last known pure-blood descendants of Hogwarts founder Salazar Slytherin, the Gaunt family had an obsession with blood purity which spurred them to marry their own cousins through the generations, resulting in mental instability. The last members of the Gaunt clan were Marvolo and his children Morfin and Merope.
Merope died shortly after giving birth to Tom Marvolo Riddle, who later became Lord Voldemort. Morfin died in Azkaban having been convicted of killing Voldemort's Muggle father and grandparents.
The Lestrange Family
Status: Alive
The Lestrange family consisted of Rodolphus, his wife Bellatrix (née Black), and his brother Rabastan. Their great grandfather Sir M Lestrange is still alive in a way; he is a ghost who works for the Ministry of Magic, and before that he owned one of the first shops on Diagon Ally. The reason why he did not pass on was due to the fact that he had to remain to watch over the Family treasure, as he did not trust his sons. There is no mention of Rodolphus and Bellatrix having any children. It is also unknown whether Rabastan has a spouse or any children, or if there are any other living adults with the surname Lestrange.
After their torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom, all three Lestranges were tried, convicted, and imprisoned in Azkaban until their escape in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
The Longbottom Family
Status: Alive
Known living members of the Longbottom family include Neville Longbottom, his grandmother Augusta, and his parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom, who are both mentally incapacitated from being tortured with the illegal Cruciatus Curse by Bellatrix Lestrange. Frank and Alice are in a special ward for permanent residents at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Unlike other purebloods, such as the Malfoys, Augusta Longbottom is proud that her grandson is a friend of half-blood Harry Potter, and also admires Muggle-born Hermione Granger for helping Neville out in class. While initially concerned her grandson wasn't living up to his parent's legacy, his willingness to go into battle against death eaters at the Department of Mysteries seemed to give her a new respect for her grandson.
The Longbottoms are not as poor as the Weasleys, and they seem to be considered a more respectable family in pure-blood circles: Cedrella Black was disowned for marrying Septimus Weasley, but her sister Callidora, who married Harfang Longbottom, remains on the Black family tapestry. The Longbottoms were terrified by Neville's lack of juvenile spontaneous magic, believing him to be a Squib because he showed absolutely no signs of magical ability as a young boy.
The Malfoy Family
Status: Alive
The Malfoy family members identified in the series so far are Lucius Malfoy, his wife Narcissa (née Black), their only son Draco, and Lucius' now deceased father Abraxas.
The Malfoys are one of the last pure-blood and most wealthy wizarding families in the Harry Potter story. Abraxas Malfoy died before the series begins and was a friend of Professor Slughorn. The name of Abraxas' wife is unknown. Their son Lucius was a Death Eater during the first and the second wizarding wars. His wife Narcissa was born into the Black family and was the cousin of Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather. Narcissa likely married Malfoy because of both his blood and economic status, the same way her sister Bellatrix did when she married Rodolphus Lestrange. Their son Draco was the first member of the family to be introduced in the series. He is Harry's enemy at Hogwarts, and became a Death Eater at just 16.
The Weasley Family
Status: Alive
The Weasley family was a pure-blood wizarding family, but were considered blood traitors by some other pure-bloods as they did not demonstrate proper respect for and pride in their blood purity. The Weasleys are a relatively poor family compared to some of the more prominent pure-blood wizarding families. Mr. Weasley holds several rather low positions at the Ministry of Magic.
Arthur Weasley's mother was a member of the Black family, and his wife Molly (née Prewett) is related to the Black family via the marriage between Ignatius Prewett and Lucretia Black. Therefore the Weasleys and the Blacks and the Malfoys are distant cousins: the seven Weasley children are Draco Malfoy's third cousins, once removed.
Other known pureblood families
Potter
Prewett
Avery
Bones
Cornfoot
Crabbe
Diggory
Dumbledore
Filch
Flint
Greengrass
Goyle
Lovegood
Nott
Ollivander
Peverell
Click here to see a fuller list of known pureblood families.
What does this mean for my character?
If you were planning to make your character have a pureblood status, they would have to be related to one of the above families, or you will have to present an arguement for them being of a currently 'unknown' pureblood family, due to the decline in the number of pureblooded wizards around. Only about a quarter of a year at Hogwarts would be of pureblooded status (many of these canons), and therefore you need a very good story if you are wanting to make an original character pureblooded.
See also: Keeping to the Canon
Muchos credit goes to this Wikipedia article.
Why are the purebloods dying out?[/b]
The number of purebloods is declining because most pureblood witches and wizards will only marry another wizard of the same blood status, meaning that the few remaining families are all interconnected by marriage (and therefore limiting the gene pool). Some prominent pureblood families have also died out, thus limiting the pure-blood gene pool further still. The Crouch and Gaunt lines have become extinct during the course of the series, and there are very few known lines left. Two males from the Black line, Phineas and Marius, were blasted off the family tapestry. The Weasleys are the only known pure-blood family with more than one male heir.
Notable pureblood families[/b]
The Black Family
Status: Extinct
Most of the members of 'The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black' were devoted blood purists, and many were involved with the Dark Arts. The Black family home at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London (now home to the Order of the Phoenix), contains many artifacts of dubious origin and/or dangerous ability. The family motto is Toujours Pur (French: "Always Pure"). Blacks who married mixed-blood wizards or otherwise offended the family motto were removed from the family tapestry:
- Isla Hitchens (née Black), married Muggle Bob Hitchens
- Phineas Black, Isla's nephew, supported Muggle rights
- Marius Black, Phineas' nephew, was a Squib
- Cedrella Weasley (née Black), Phineas' niece, married "blood traitor" Septimus Weasley
- Alphard Black, Marius' nephew, left his fortunes to his own wayward nephew
- Sirius Black, Alphard's nephew, ran away from home
- Andromeda Tonks (née Black), Alphard's niece, married Muggle-born Ted Tonks
The Crouch Family
Status: Extinct
The Crouch family figures prominently in the plot of 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' (which I'm not going to retell). They are a once-great and respected family of wizards completely destroyed because of Voldemort. Bartemius "Barty" Crouch Senior was the head of the family, a powerful figure in the Ministry of Magic. His son Barty Crouch Junior was one of the Death Eaters who tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom, who was tried by the full in a Ministry court, a trial conducted by his furious father. Mr. Crouch sentenced his son and accomplices to the wizarding prison Azkaban. Crouch Jr.'s mother swapped places with him in Azkaban, and died there, while Crouch Jr. goes free. Eventually, it is revealed that he killed his father (while impersonating Mad-Eye Moody), and is punished by the Dementor's Kiss, ending the bloodline.
The House of Gaunt
Status: Extinct
The last known pure-blood descendants of Hogwarts founder Salazar Slytherin, the Gaunt family had an obsession with blood purity which spurred them to marry their own cousins through the generations, resulting in mental instability. The last members of the Gaunt clan were Marvolo and his children Morfin and Merope.
Merope died shortly after giving birth to Tom Marvolo Riddle, who later became Lord Voldemort. Morfin died in Azkaban having been convicted of killing Voldemort's Muggle father and grandparents.
The Lestrange Family
Status: Alive
The Lestrange family consisted of Rodolphus, his wife Bellatrix (née Black), and his brother Rabastan. Their great grandfather Sir M Lestrange is still alive in a way; he is a ghost who works for the Ministry of Magic, and before that he owned one of the first shops on Diagon Ally. The reason why he did not pass on was due to the fact that he had to remain to watch over the Family treasure, as he did not trust his sons. There is no mention of Rodolphus and Bellatrix having any children. It is also unknown whether Rabastan has a spouse or any children, or if there are any other living adults with the surname Lestrange.
After their torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom, all three Lestranges were tried, convicted, and imprisoned in Azkaban until their escape in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
The Longbottom Family
Status: Alive
Known living members of the Longbottom family include Neville Longbottom, his grandmother Augusta, and his parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom, who are both mentally incapacitated from being tortured with the illegal Cruciatus Curse by Bellatrix Lestrange. Frank and Alice are in a special ward for permanent residents at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Unlike other purebloods, such as the Malfoys, Augusta Longbottom is proud that her grandson is a friend of half-blood Harry Potter, and also admires Muggle-born Hermione Granger for helping Neville out in class. While initially concerned her grandson wasn't living up to his parent's legacy, his willingness to go into battle against death eaters at the Department of Mysteries seemed to give her a new respect for her grandson.
The Longbottoms are not as poor as the Weasleys, and they seem to be considered a more respectable family in pure-blood circles: Cedrella Black was disowned for marrying Septimus Weasley, but her sister Callidora, who married Harfang Longbottom, remains on the Black family tapestry. The Longbottoms were terrified by Neville's lack of juvenile spontaneous magic, believing him to be a Squib because he showed absolutely no signs of magical ability as a young boy.
The Malfoy Family
Status: Alive
The Malfoy family members identified in the series so far are Lucius Malfoy, his wife Narcissa (née Black), their only son Draco, and Lucius' now deceased father Abraxas.
The Malfoys are one of the last pure-blood and most wealthy wizarding families in the Harry Potter story. Abraxas Malfoy died before the series begins and was a friend of Professor Slughorn. The name of Abraxas' wife is unknown. Their son Lucius was a Death Eater during the first and the second wizarding wars. His wife Narcissa was born into the Black family and was the cousin of Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather. Narcissa likely married Malfoy because of both his blood and economic status, the same way her sister Bellatrix did when she married Rodolphus Lestrange. Their son Draco was the first member of the family to be introduced in the series. He is Harry's enemy at Hogwarts, and became a Death Eater at just 16.
The Weasley Family
Status: Alive
The Weasley family was a pure-blood wizarding family, but were considered blood traitors by some other pure-bloods as they did not demonstrate proper respect for and pride in their blood purity. The Weasleys are a relatively poor family compared to some of the more prominent pure-blood wizarding families. Mr. Weasley holds several rather low positions at the Ministry of Magic.
Arthur Weasley's mother was a member of the Black family, and his wife Molly (née Prewett) is related to the Black family via the marriage between Ignatius Prewett and Lucretia Black. Therefore the Weasleys and the Blacks and the Malfoys are distant cousins: the seven Weasley children are Draco Malfoy's third cousins, once removed.
Other known pureblood families
Potter
Prewett
Avery
Bones
Cornfoot
Crabbe
Diggory
Dumbledore
Filch
Flint
Greengrass
Goyle
Lovegood
Nott
Ollivander
Peverell
Click here to see a fuller list of known pureblood families.
What does this mean for my character?
If you were planning to make your character have a pureblood status, they would have to be related to one of the above families, or you will have to present an arguement for them being of a currently 'unknown' pureblood family, due to the decline in the number of pureblooded wizards around. Only about a quarter of a year at Hogwarts would be of pureblooded status (many of these canons), and therefore you need a very good story if you are wanting to make an original character pureblooded.
See also: Keeping to the Canon
Muchos credit goes to this Wikipedia article.
