Mudblood

From UnknowableWiki

Mudblood is an extremely bad insult mostly used by self-conscious pure-blood wizards (or half-bloods who deny their Muggle origins). It can be applied to both Muggle-born and half-blood wizards. Mudblood is meant to imply 'dirty blood' for its impurity.

Ron Weasley and James Potter, both pure-bloods, were seen in canon reacting strongly to this swearword—the former, when Draco Malfoy snarled it at Hermione Granger (CS7), the latter, when Severus Snape insulted Lily Evans (OP28).

Severus Snape's calling Lily a Mudblood marks the end of their friendship, which had been strained by Snape's interest in Dark Magic. Though Snape had once alleviated Lily's fears by telling her that being Muggle-born had no affect upon one's ability to do magic, he makes his true beliefs as to the importance of blood purity clear during his time at Hogwarts. Despite Lily's protests, Severus' friendship with Mulciber persists. This and other evidence of Snape's fondness for Dark Magic prove to Lily that her friend is so set in Dark Magic that she can no longer reconcile their allegiances (DH33).

Bellatrix Lestrange is among those who use the word condescendingly; she defensively exclaims to Voldemort that she and her sister Narcissa have not seen their sister Andromeda since she married "the Mudblood"—referring to Ted Tonks (DH1).