Blood traitor

> "*Blood traitor is next to Mudblood in my book.*"
> ― Pure-blood supremacy and beliefs[source]
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"**Blood traitor**" is a derogatory term commonly used by elite pure-blood wizarding families to describe witches or wizards who sympathise with the non-magical community or willingly associate with other such sympathisers or with Muggle-borns.

Other similar terms include; "Muggle-lover", "Mudblood-lover", "Dunglicker", "Scumsucker", as well as "Mudwallower". All these refer disparagingly to those who are comfortable in the company of Muggles or Muggle-borns, whom prejudiced wizards and witches believe are dirty and inferior. The most notorious blood-traitor family were the Weasleys.

## Types of blood traitors

> "*My whole family are blood traitors! That's as bad as Muggle-borns to Death Eaters!*"
> ― The Death Eater's opinions on blood traitors[source]
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Among those usually considered to be "blood traitors" are;

Pure-bloods who marry Muggle-borns or Muggles, such as Andromeda Tonks. Isolt Sayre is a famous example of this. Isolt married a Muggle, against the wishes of her blood supremacist aunt, Gormlaith Gaunt.

Pure-bloods or half-bloods who openly reject the doctrine of blood purity or openly support equal rights for Muggle-borns and Muggles. The Weasley family is notorious for this. Sirius Black is also known for this, rejecting his entire family's beliefs.

Pure- or half-bloods who fraternise with Muggle-borns or Muggles. The Weasley family is notorious for this as well, particularity Arthur Weasley, who always had an intense fondness for anything to do with Muggles. Sirius Black is also known for this, befriending many Muggle-born witches and wizards.

## Treatment

**Lucius Malfoy**: "*What’s the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don’t even pay you well for it?*"
**Arthur Weasley**: "*We have a* very *different idea about what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy.*"
— An argument over wizarding beliefs[src]

Most pure-blood wizards and witches consider themselves to be the elite of the wizarding world, akin to aristocracy. They look down upon half-bloods, Muggle-borns, and half-breeds, as well as consider the Muggle world to be inferior to their own. Pure-bloods, as well as even half-bloods, who do not share this view are considered traitors to their own kind, hence the term "blood traitor". They are considered disgraces by pure-blood supremacists such as the Malfoys. Even then-Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge tended to ignore the blood-traitor family Weasleys due to the patriarch Arthur being a well-known Muggle-lover, which Fudge considered to be a telltale sign of one lacking in wizarding pride.

Elitist pure-bloods believe that it is a sign of weak magic to enjoy non-magical company, as well as seem to believe that some of the supposed dirtiness of Muggles and Muggle-borns will rub off on those who associate with them, thus they consider blood traitors to be "filthy" as well.The various terms for blood traitors, such as Dunglicker, Scumsucker, as well as Mudwallower, all make associations with uncleanliness. Marvolo Gaunt also called his daughter a "filthy little blood traitor" for admiring a muggle and Blaise Zabini once declared that he would never so much as touch a "filthy blood traitor" like Ginny Weasley, despite finding her physically attractive.

Some extremists consider blood traitors to be nearly as bad as the Muggle-borns they are prejudiced against. Bellatrix Lestrange, for example, claimed that "*blood traitor is next to Mudblood in [her] book*", as well as her family often disowned and blasted off the family tree any members who could be considered blood traitors. Blood traitors might also be shunned by their families and acquaintances: for example, Bellatrix and her younger sister Narcissa Malfoy stopped seeing their sister Andromeda after she married a Muggle-born wizard, Ted Tonks.

Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters targeted blood traitors during the First and Second Wizarding Wars because they opposed their goals. When they were temporarily in control of the Ministry of Magic in late 1997 and early 1998, they kept blood traitors such as Arthur Weasley under surveillance. However, even most Death Eaters were reluctant to kill pure-bloods, even "traitorous" ones, if it could be avoided. The same situation existed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry while Voldemort was in power.

## Examples

### Anti-purity ideology

The following individuals were considered “blood traitors” for openly opposing the ideology of pure-blood supremacy.

### Pro-Muggle

Some pure-bloods were considered “blood traitors” for not only being unbiased about blood purity and towards Muggles, but for showing outright fondness and admiration for the Muggle world.

 Weasley family | The Weasleys are known for not supporting the notion of blood purity and for associating with Muggles and Muggle-borns. Arthur Weasley was openly fascinated by Muggles.

### By marriage or association

The following individuals were considered “blood traitors” because of their close association with Muggles, Muggle-borns or other blood traitors.

## See also

* Blood purity
* Pure-blood