How's Harry a halfblood?

[princedice1]

How can Harry be a half-blood, if both parents are magic users. A true half-blood would have one magic and one non-magic user for parents.

[physicssquid]

The definitions are very vague. There are so many possibilities for what someone can be classified as, but only five defined classifications.

1) Muggle - non-magical
2)Squib - non-magical born to magical parents
3)Muggle-born - born to non-magical parents
4)Halfblood - one magical parent, one non-magical
5)Pureblood - both parents magical, and I would assume that also goes for the grandparents too.

The other combinations that are not defined are:
1)both parents magical but non-magical grandparents
2)both parents magical with one magical grandparent and three non-magical grandparents
3)as above, but the other way around
4)both parents magical, one set of grandparents magical, but the other non-magical (like Harry)
5)both parents magical, one grandparent on each side magical but the other non-magical

I could keep going on, because I'm sure for those people who really believe in pureblood supremacy would look down on someone who had only one non-magical ancestor, a long way back in their family.

I don't even know whether someone born to a Squib and a Muggle, who had magic, would be considered Muggle-born or Halfblood, and what about those born to Squibs, who were non-magical would be called Squibs or Muggles.

There are just way too many combinations possible.

[jaffaninja]

Basically, if both your parents are muggles, you are muggle-born. If all of your grandparents are magical, you are a pureblood. Anyone else is a halfblood.

Hope that clears things up.

[Kitty279]

Remember that the magical world is ruled by purebloods. They wouldn't recognise the son of a muggleborn as pureblood in a hurry. I suspect you'd have to have a few generations of magical ancestors before they really recognise you as a pureblood. So, Harry's not a muggleborn any more, as James was a pureblood, but even if both parents are magical, the blood purists wouldn't recognise him as pureblood yet. That's how I see it.

[Chameleon]

Exactly. His mother was a muggleborn, and his father a pureblood, and as Kitty said, that world is ruled by purebloods. I'll suspect that even in that happy future Harry, Hermione and Ron created, the blood still ruled a bit. It can't be erased that easily.