The Bonds That Unite Us

° Chapter Twenty-Five °

Magical opinion underwent something of a shift after the International Statute of Secrecy became effective in 1692 when the magical community went into voluntary hiding following persecution by Muggles. This was a traumatic time for witches and wizards, and marriages with Muggles dropped to their lowest level ever known, mainly because of fears that intermarriage would lead inevitably to discovery, and, consequently, to a serious infraction of wizarding law."

Harry blinked as Hermione huffed. "This is unbelievable!" She cried. Pansy looked at her with a slight glimmer in her eyes. "I know love, but times are changing."

"No. This is unfair. One day I will out a change in this world." Hermione huffed as Pansy grabbed her, pulling the Gryffindor into her lap. Harry looked at her with a small smile. They already have changed the world but it wasn't in the best way since they were just children. He just continued reading his book with his mind filled with thoughts from Draco.

"Under such conditions of uncertainty, fear, and resentment, the pure-blood doctrine began to gain followers. As a general rule, those who adopted it were also those who had most strenuously opposed the International Statute of Secrecy, advocating instead an outright war on the Muggles. Increasing numbers of wizards now preached that marriage with a Muggle did not merely risk a possible breach of the new Statute, but that it was shameful, unnatural, and would lead to 'contamination' of magical blood.

As Muggle/wizard marriage had been common for centuries, those now self-describing as pure-bloods were unlikely to have any higher proportion of wizarding ancestors than those who did not. To call oneself pure-blood was more accurately a declaration of political or social intent ('I will not marry a Muggle and I consider Muggle/wizard marriage reprehensible') than a statement of biological fact.

Several works of dubious scholarship, published around the early eighteenth century and drawing partly on the writings of Salazar Slytherin himself, refer to supposed indicators of pureblood status, aside from the family tree. The most commonly cited signs were: onset of magical ability before the age of three, early (before aged seven) prowess on a broomstick, dislike or fear of pigs and those who tend them (the pig is often considered a particularly non-magical animal and is notoriously difficult to charm), resistance to common childhood illnesses, outstanding physical attractiveness and an aversion to Muggles observable even in the pure-blood baby, which supposedly shows signs of fear and disgust in their presence."

Draco snapped his fingers, Harry looked up at him. "The pig's thing is weird. I never understood the fear of such innocent animals." The blue-haired male stated. The Gryffindor shrugged as Blaise shook his head. "I am so afraid of them, they can eat anything Drake!"

"You're a child Zabini," Theo stated with a soft sigh. Blaise immediately snapped back, "At least I can-"

"Knock it off, boys," Hermione said breezily yet the two shut their mouths. "Okay, I'm giving you guys parchment. I want you to list every single Pureblood name you know. Then please return them to me after you're done."

Harry smirked and glanced up, Neville nodded towards him. The two started writing down on their parchment.

"Avery, Black, Bulstrode, Burke, Carrow, Crouch, Fawley, Flint, Gaunt, Potter, Lupin, Greengrass, Lestrange
Longbottom, Macmillan, Malfoy, Nott
Ollivander, Parkinson, Prewett, Rosier, Rowle, Selwyn, Shacklebolt, Shafiq, Slughorn, Travers, Weasley, and Yaxley."

"Pansy, here," Harry stated. The Slytherin took his paper and scanned it with a smirk. "You could pass as a Pureblood, if you don't teach your kids this stuff I'm kidnapping them each weekend until they turn eleven." She stated.

Harry rolled his eyes, ignoring everyone as he continued reading. He could sense that Hermione and Blaise were going at something as Ron sat there laughing his head off.