Exploring Lineage: Unveiling Hidden Origins in the Wizarding World

Some of the biggest fan theories in the world of Harry Potter are not just specifically character based but bring about the more adult issues of the world in general. Today we are going to be discussing some of the more worldly parallel theories than character-based ones. Bear with me, because these are some long-answered theories.

For those who keep up with the ever-expanding Wizarding World History that seems to continue moving forward as we have now surpassed the year that falls under the epilogue's "19 Years Later", we are well aware that right now, Hermione would be Minister of Magic after succeeding Kingsley in 2019. What many may not realize is that she is only the second Minister ever to be a Muggleborn; she was only second to Nobby Leach who was Minister from 1962 to 1968. It is said that Minister Leach resigned after contracting a mysterious illness. A rumor was started that Abraxas Malfoy (Draco's Grandfather) had something to do with it, which could be highly possible considering that many Purebloods resigned when Minister Leach was elected and the war with Voldemort was in its early stages. That meant that prejudices were running rampant against Muggleborns and some Halfbloods.

In the series, the war with Voldemort is very clearly similar to the American Civil War in 1861 as Purebloods and many Halfbloods want Muggleborns dealt with. In fanfiction, many people bring up the fact that Muggleborns come into the Wizarding World at age 11 and then presume to change thousands of years of tradition. Some fics will bring about that it's because they are not given the materials and lessons to appreciate tradition (some of which because they are labeled as "dark rituals") and others bring about the fact that the Wizarding World is stagnate and still stuck in Medieval Times. Whatever the issue behind it, there is never really any true solution.

However, it does bring the question forward of the canon side to the Wizarding World: how deep does the prejudice run? I will be addressing this question later, as I want to address a theory that I, for one, feel is completely sound.

Are Muggleborns truly "Muggle born"?

This theory is so interesting and starts a deep dive into genetics. Wizard or Muggle, genetics are something that is across the board; we are all human and have the same type of genetic makeup. The Punnett Square can easily be used in the terms of Magical Cores as well as hair or eye colour. In the Wizarding World, no one really understands WHY Squibs are born; which begs the question if any one of the Muggleborn or Muggle-raised ever brought about the learning of the Punnett Square to their fellow Wizardfolk?

I live in America and am unaware of what age the Punnett Square is taught in Britain; but I know that in America, I did not learn it until roughly high school which means I was already well into my teenage years. This makes me wonder if in Britain it is taught around the same time, which means that most of the Muggleborns and Muggle-raised have not had the opportunity to learn about it and cannot educate their fellow Wizards.

So now, we have to take a dual look at why Squibs are born: one thought is it just an extremely recessive gene like green eyes. To explain how recessive becoming a Squib would be, an article from VeryWellHealth dated 1 Jan 2024 states that green eyes are only found in 9% of Americans, and 2% of the entire world. However, there is also the more recent addition of grey eyes which are less than 1% in both America and the world both! That honestly sounds like what the odds of have a Squib are. It also means that the Malfoys are either very lucky or happen to only reproduce with people who also happen to have grey eyes.

The other theory behind Squibs is that it is like being diagnosed with Autism or ADHD and is considered a disability. Considering that it was barely 11 years ago that I had a doctor try to pressure me into getting a test done to see if my child would be Autistic and I could tell by his tone of voice that he would give me "options" if that was the case, the link of being a Squib being a disability is not really far-fetched. Before I go further, though, let me be very clear that I told this doctor off and fired him. Any doctor who believes in termination due to disability in my opinion should be drawn and quartered. (This also happened back when the testing involved included a giant needle to be stuck into your stomach and I don't do well with drawing blood so that wasn't going to happen either. This specific test also had risks for both myself and my child that I wasn't willing to take.)

So, the question is, what happens to the Squibs? Searching shows that normally, they would be shipped off to live in the Muggle world, which posed its own issues; between starting school at 5, when most would wait for a letter to arrive or not at 11 was an issue because it made it difficult for them to start school so late. The other issues too would be that most Squibs seemed to be disowned which means they have no way to get a birth certificate in the Muggle world to help them along as well. However, there are places out there where you can find references to some of the more Pureblooded supporters would "take care of" the Squib child so as not to sully their linage at all.

The integration of the Squibs into the Muggle world, though, is what we want to focus on for this theory as we round back into genetics. Just like I mentioned earlier, the theory that a person's Magical Core is just another genetic makeup that can be tracked with a Punnett Square can also bring about a "Muggleborn" from the descendant of a "Wizardborn Muggle". I found that I really liked that phrasing for Squibs, as it shows that in turn not only can a Muggle bear Wizards, but that Wizards can also bear "Muggles".

When taking into consideration genetics and Squibs being thrown into the Muggle world, it is quite possible that the "gene" for who has a Magical Core or if said Core is strong enough to be able to be a wand-bearer can vary from person to person. Thus, "Muggleborns" are actually "Squib-borns" and come from a long line of Squibs who did not have a stable enough Core to bear a wand.

A perfect example of this is the Grangers. Now, this would mean that there would also have to be a Squib on the female Dr. Granger's side as well considering the evidence I bring. It is known that magical locations are protected by wards that generally have a Muggle Repelling layer in them. However, in book 2 the Grangers are standing in Flourish and Blotts with the Weasleys having a discussion with Arthur. If they were both truly Muggle, this would not be possible as they would not be able to see Diagon Alley; the best case of evidence would be in Fantastic Beasts when Jacob Kawolski has to be physically walked across Hogwarts grounds as the Muggle Repelling Wards had him wanting to run the other way because he could not see the school.

At the Slug Club dinner, Horace asks Hermione if she is related to Hector Dagworth-Granger. She replies in the negative because "my parents are Muggles". What if that's not true? She could very easily be descended from a Squib that was related to Hector, but when they entered the Muggle world they dropped the "Dagworth" from their name; reproducing until they got to Hermione's father and then Hermione, herself. Considering that even Ron mentions he has an uncle who's a Squib but "we don't talk about him" because Squibs were considered a shame upon the family and kept quiet. Therefore, it is quite plausible that Hermione is, in fact, a descendent of Hector Dagworth-Granger. Which also would mean that Muggleborns are not born from Muggles but born from Squibs; their Magical Cores just happened to be strong enough to yield a wand.

As you can see, theories about whether Muggleborns are truly just that or if they come from a line of Squibs is actually very sound and has quite a bit of evidence behind it. This is honestly one of my favourite theories, and I love reading fics that have this in it.

What are your thoughts? Are Muggleborns REALLY “Mugggle born”? Is it fresh magic being sent back into the world? Or can we find the missing Heirs and bring long-dead family lines back to life in the wizarding world amongst hidden origins? Come join our community and tell us your thoughts! Join me tomorrow as we take a look at the opposite side of blood status, and discuss if being a “Muggleborn” leaves you at a disadvantage.