Muggle-born Witches and Wizards

A Muggle-born is a witch or wizard born to two non-magical parents, known as Muggles. These individuals possess magical abilities despite having no immediate or known magical ancestry. The appearance of magic in such families is thought to occur when a latent magical gene resurfaces, often originating from a distant Squib ancestor who integrated into the Muggle community (Pottermore). The term Muggle-born is a neutral, factual descriptor. However, a highly offensive and derogatory slur, Mudblood, is used by prejudiced wizards, particularly those who subscribe to Pure-blood supremacist ideologies. Ron Weasley explains that the term signifies “dirty blood” and is considered one of the foulest insults in the Wizarding world.

The status of Muggle-borns is a central point of conflict and prejudice within the Wizarding world. Pure-blood supremacists, such as the Malfoy and Black families, believe that magical ability should be confined to established wizarding families. They view Muggle-borns as inferior, unworthy, and often accuse them of having “stolen” magic and their wands. This prejudice reached its peak during the Second Wizarding War under the regime of Lord Voldemort. The Ministry of Magic, controlled by Pius Thicknesse and Death Eaters, institutionalized this discrimination by creating the Muggle-Born Registration Commission.

• Led by Dolores Umbridge, the Commission systematically rounded up Muggle-borns for interrogation.
• They were falsely accused of stealing magic from “real” witches and wizards.
• Those who could not “prove” a magical ancestor were often sentenced to Azkaban without a proper trial.
• Many Muggle-borns, such as Ted Tonks and Dirk Cresswell, were forced into hiding and were hunted by Snatchers.

Conversely, many prominent figures in the wizarding world, including Albus Dumbledore, argued passionately for the equality of Muggle-borns, stating that one's choices, not their ancestry, define them. The fact that exceptionally powerful witches and wizards like Hermione Granger and Lily Evans were Muggle-born served as direct evidence against Pure-blood theories.

Muggle-born children typically display signs of accidental magic during their youth, which are often misunderstood by their Muggle parents. Upon their eleventh birthday, they receive an acceptance letter to a Wizarding school like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Due to their family's unfamiliarity with the Wizarding world, a representative from the school, such as Professor McGonagall, is dispatched to visit the family. This representative explains the existence of magic and the school, and helps the family navigate their entry into this new world, for instance, by assisting with their first visit to Diagon Alley.

• Hermione Granger: One of the most brilliant students of her generation and a crucial member of the trio alongside Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.
• Lily Evans: Harry Potter's mother, an exceptionally gifted witch and a member of the original Order of the Phoenix.
• Ted Tonks: Father of Nymphadora Tonks and husband to Andromeda Tonks. He was murdered during the Second Wizarding War for being a Muggle-born on the run.
• Colin Creevey: A Gryffindor student who was a great admirer of Harry. He was killed during the Battle of Hogwarts.
• Dennis Creevey: Colin's younger brother.
• Justin Finch-Fletchley: A Hufflepuff student from Harry's year who was petrified by the Basilisk.
• Myrtle Warren: The ghost known as Moaning Myrtle, who was killed by the Basilisk in a girls' bathroom in 1943.
• Dirk Cresswell: Head of the Goblin Liaison Office at the Ministry of Magic, who went into hiding and was murdered by Snatchers.

J.K. Rowling has explained that the concept of “blood purity” in the wizarding world was directly inspired by Nazi ideology and its obsession with racial purity. The persecution of Muggle-borns mirrors the historical persecution of various ethnic and social groups in the real world (J.K. Rowling interview). On the Pottermore website, an article titled “The thorny subject of blood status” elaborates on the genetics of magic. It states that Muggle-borns are descended from a Squib who married a Muggle, and the magical gene, which is described as “dominant and resilient,” can lie dormant for generations before reappearing unexpectedly in a descendant (Pottermore).