Classifying Wixenkind by Blood Purity
The second way British wizarding society classifies itself is by 'Blood Purity'. This classification is more social than scientific, but still warrants mention. Blood purity is a relatively new concept among magicals, although it is a mainstream consideration to contemporary wixen all around the world. Although the history of the blood purity agenda will be discussed in a later chapter, there are four main reasons for its development, although only the first two influence how we evaluate this classification system. All four reasons stem from a need to protect oneself, one's way of life and one's magic.
1. The Protection of Core Affinity
As previously explained, the core affinity of a child is strongly dependent upon the core affinities of the child's parents. Many of the old families - especially those with dark affinities - believe it to be a crime against their magic to procreate in any way that will not result in progeny with their own core type. This significantly restricts who they can procreate with, especially in a society that does not actively inform younger generations about their core affinities and core capacity. For example, they could procreate with a dark cored squib and still have dark cored children, though this rarely happens due to the social stigma surrounding squibs in contemporary wixen society. Equally, if they were to procreate with a grey cored wix - perhaps even a muggleborn - so long as they had a greater core capacity than their grey cored mate, they would still most likely have children with their own affinity.
This desire to protect one's own core affinity has been a common belief among light, grey and dark magicals for generations, but has been on the rise among dark magicals in recent years. This increase seems to be in direct correlation with the increase in persecution against dark magic that has been prevalent and rising in the last two hundred years.
2. The Protection of Family Magic
Family magics such as the parseltongue and metamorphmagus abilities have greatly confused theoreticians. As of yet, we have failed to establish how and when they came into existence, although many believe them to be a gift from Mother Magic, the result of mating with magical creatures at some point in the distant past or simply from the build up of magic throughout generations. As their origins are unknown, they therefore cannot be recreated, and family magics are seen as something to be cherished and protected. Many magicals fear that the merging of their line with new blood will result in the loss of these magics. Although, there is evidence to suggest the opposite may in fact be true, which will be discussed at a later time.
3. The Protection of Family Wealth and Political Power
The oldest of Wizarding Britain's families are some of the most wealthy and politically powerful in our land. Marriages are often seen as a way to increase that wealth and power and the 'Pure Blood Agenda' is for many wixen a tool to maintain their own position at the top of the social ladder. Societies all around the world - both magical and mundane - have class systems and the pureblood agenda is not dissimilar to these. After all, it is rare for a half-blood to become a Lord of our wizengamot and muggleborns find themselves at an even greater disadvantage.
It is even worth remembering that in this system not all purebloods are created equal. Those with greater family wealth and political power sit at the very top of this social pyramid.
4. The Protection of Culture and Religion
This is the most commonly offered explanation given when purebloods are asked why they dislike muggleborns. They blame muggleborns for many of the changes that have happened in the last two hundred years, as light and neutral wixen change our society to mirror the muggle world in an attempt to make muggleborns feel more welcome. The Lords and Ladies of our society see themselves as gatekeepers to our society's culture and religion, honour bound to protect the wixen way of life from social erosion. With their ancient libraries, they perhaps more than most know the horrors that lurk in our histories and are perhaps right to fear the influence of muggle society on our own.
There are of course, more reasons for why the pure blood agenda has taken such a foothold in our society, which will be addressed in a later chapter 'The History of the Blood Purity Agenda'. With these four reasons in mind, it is easier to understand how pureblood supremacy exists in our world, however the purity of your blood is not a valid scientific measure to use when classifying wixen. as to date no scientific evidence has been found to suggest that having pure blood will:
- Ensure your offspring's core affinity.
- Ensure your offspring's core capacity.
- Guarantee the continuation of family magics.
Therefore it is important to remember when considering this classification system that it is purely social in nature. This system is highly subjective and each individual who considers it important may follow their own preconceived notions of what each category in this system means. This makes it very difficult to actually evaluate the system with anything resembling a scientific approach.
There are 4 main categories in this system: Muggle and Squib, Muggleborn, Half-Blood and Pureblood.
Muggles and Squibs
By many who follow the pureblood ideology, muggles are seen as little more than animals. They are certainly seen as something completely other to wixenkind and so the act of mating with them, is seen as abhorent and will often see a wix disowned by their pureblood family. Equally, despite evidence to the contrary, squibs are seen as little better than muggles. Their ancestry is considered revoked as soon as it is learned that they are a squib.
Muggleborns
Muggleborns by this system are considered any magical born of either muggle or squib parents. Elsewhere in the world, muggleborns are considered a gift from Mother Magic. This is not the case in Magical Britain. In Magical Britain, pureblood supremisists believe that muggleborns have a lower core capacity than their pureblood compatriots. This is fundamentally untrue and evidence actually seems to suggest the opposite, although it is difficult to prove this definitively without extensive research which is impossible to fund in today's society, many purebloods preferring to believe that muggleborns have 'stolen magic from another wix.'
It is also a mistake to combine true muggleborns with squib-borns as they have fundamental differences. Squib-borns come with a range of magical core affinities for example, while true muggleborns seem to exclusively have neutral core affinities.
This is is also somewhat foolish as a first generation squib is highly unlikely to have any recent muggle heritage as most squibs are born into pureblood families. Therefore, they are in no way 'muggleborn.' Only where the squib line has continued without resulting in magical offspring for at least one generation while mingling with muggles, will offspring have muggle heritage.
Half-Bloods
Half-blood is a term that covers the widest breadth of wixen society. More than 50% of the average class at Hogwarts is made up of half-bloods. It could refer to a person with:
- a muggle and a muggleborn parent.
- a muggle and a squib-born parent.
- a muggle and a half-blood parent.
- a muggle and a pureblood parent.
- two muggleborn parents.
- a muggleborn and squib-born parent.
- a muggleborn and a half-blood parent.
- a muggleborn and a pureblood parent.
- two squib-born parents.
- a squib-born and a half-blood parent.
- a squib-born and a pureblood parent.
- two half-blood parents where one or more grandparent is a muggle or a squib.
- a half-blood and a pureblood where one grandparent is a muggle or a squib.
Again, depending upon how many generations of squibs have led to the squib-born parent, a half-blood child may not in fact have any muggle heritage at all.
Purebloods
The definition of 'Pureblood' varies from wix to wix. Some define it is "wizards and witches who have no Muggle blood, Muggle-borns, or half-bloods at all in their family trees." While others, define a pureblood as someone without muggle ancestry in the last seven generations and still more choose to define it as anyone without immediate muggle ancestry, i.e. so long as you do not have a muggle grandparent, you are at the very least a first generation pureblood. This highly subjective view of the term, makes it impossible to accurately use the system in any way that truly holds scientific value.