Blood-Traitor

> Blood traitor is next to Mudblood in my book.
>
> Pure-blood supremacy and beliefs, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

 File:Weasley family.png  "**Blood traitor**" was a derogatory term commonly used by elite pure-blood wizarding families to describe witches or wizards, especially pure-blood ones, who sympathised with the ***non-magical community*** or willingly associated with ***Muggle-borns***.
Other similar terms included "***Muggle-lover***", "***Mudblood-lover***", "***Dunglicker***", "***Scumsucker***", as well as "***Mudwallower***". All these referred disparagingly to those who were comfortable in the company of Muggles or Muggle-borns, whom prejudiced wizards and witches believed were dirty and inferior. The most well-known 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, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

 File:7427994840 cd441277c9 k.jpg  Among those usually considered to be "blood traitors" were:
Pure-bloods who married Muggle-borns or ***Muggles***, such as ***Andromeda Tonks***. Isolt Sayre was 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 rejected the doctrine of blood purity or openly supported equal rights for Muggle-borns and Muggles. The Weasley family was notorious for this. Sirius Black was also known for this, rejecting his entire family's beliefs.
Pure-bloods or half-bloods who fraternised with Muggle-borns or Muggles. The Weasley family was notorious for this as well, particularly Arthur Weasley, who always had an intense fondness for anything to do with Muggles. Sirius Black was also known for this, befriending many Muggle-born witches and wizards.

## Treatment

Template:Dialogue a-b

Most pure-blood wizards and witches considered themselves to be the elite of the wizarding world, akin to aristocracy. They looked down upon half-bloods, Muggle-borns, and half-breeds, as well as considered the ***Muggle*** world to be inferior to their own. Pure-bloods, as well as even half-bloods, who did not share this view were considered traitors to their own kind, hence the term "blood traitor".

   They were 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 believed that it was a sign of weak magic to enjoy non-magical company, as well as seemed to believe that some of the supposed dirtiness of Muggles and Muggle-borns would rub off on those who associate with them, thus they considered blood traitors to be "filthy" as well.
Some extremists considered blood traitors to be nearly as bad as the Muggle-borns they were 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.

 Sirius Black III | Disowned for not sharing his ***family***'s beliefs in pure-blood supremacy. Later joined the Order of the Phoenix, a blood traitor organisation.

### 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.

### By marriage or association

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

 Gervaise Ollivander
 Astoria Greengrass (possibly)
 Sirius Black | Refused to believe in family's radical beliefs. Sorted into Gryffindor and associated as such with much more muggle-borns and those of impure blood as a result, as opposed to if he would have in Slytherin. Left and ran away from home and was disowned by family.

## See also

* Blood purity
* Pure-blood

## Behind the scenes

* The term likely took inspiration from the real-life slur "race traitor", used towards a person perceived to advocate for practices that aren't in the interest of their own race. During Apartheid, the South African government referred to White anti-Apartheid activists as race traitors.

## Appearances

* *Harry-Potter and The Order-Of-The Phoenix* (film)
* *Harry-Potter and The Deathly Hallows* (film)
* *Harry-Potter and The Deathly Hallows, An Part 001*
* *Pottermore*
* *Wizarding World (website)*

## Notes and references

1. ↑ , Chapter B, scene 4
2. ↑ , Chapter B, scene 11
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 ***The Tales of Beedle the Bard* (real)**
4. ↑ 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.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 *Harry-Potter and The Deathly Hallows (film)*
6. ↑ Neville Longbottom says of the ***Carrows*** in *Harry-Potter and The Deathly Hallows (film)*, Chapter B, page 29: "They don't want to spill too much pure blood, so they'll torture us a bit if we're mouthy but they won't actually kill us." Given this statement, as well as the fact that the Weasleys were only in direct danger after Ron Weasley's help of Harry Potter was revealed to the Death Eaters, it seems that they were hesitant to kill blood traitors unless they were very rebellious.
7. ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Pure-Blood" at *Wizarding World (website)*