From A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Pure-blood families have long loomed large in the history of magical Britain, not least because of their determination to write themselves into the chronicles. The conceit of blood purity — that magic is strengthened, rather than diminished, by confining it to a hereditary circle — has shaped not only family trees, but the great events of wizarding history.
In the 1930s, the notorious genealogist Cantankerus Nott published his Pure-Blood Directory, enumerating the so-called Sacred Twenty-Eight. While his biases are evident, his catalog nonetheless provides a window into the ruling class of wizarding Britain. By the dawn of the Second Wizarding War, however, many of these illustrious houses had vanished entirely, while others endured only by the narrowest margin.
Of all wizarding families, none were so proud of their lineage — nor so undone by it — as the Gaunts. Direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin, they maintained the ancient Peverell bloodline through generations of inbreeding. Their wealth squandered and their reputation ruined, the Gaunts dwindled to obscurity in a shack near Little Hangleton. The last male heir, Morfin, perished in Azkaban; the last female, Merope, died giving birth to Tom Riddle. With Lord Voldemort’s death in 1998, the Slytherin line was at last extinguished.
Once influential in the Ministry, the Crouches produced both champions of law (Bartemius Sr.) and traitors to it (Bartemius Jr.). Their devotion to rigid discipline and ambition proved their undoing. By the time of Voldemort’s second rise, both father and son were dead, and no heirs remained.
Of French origin, the Rosiers were prominent among Voldemort’s followers. Evan Rosier’s death at the wand of Alastor Moody, along with the loss of other family members in the First War, left the Rosier line effectively broken.
“Toujours Pur,” boasted the Black family motto — “Always Pure.” Yet by the late 20th century, the house was riven by feuds, disinheritances, and the gradual suffocation of its own ideology. With Sirius Black dying heirless, and his brother Regulus lost in service to the Dark Lord, the family’s London seat passed into the keeping of the Order of the Phoenix. Though Black blood survives through the Malfoys, Lestranges, and Tonkses, the house itself has no surviving line.
Renowned for their courage, the Prewetts fought valiantly in the Order of the Phoenix. The deaths of Fabian and Gideon at the hands of Death Eaters ended the main Prewett line. Their sister, Molly, married into the Weasley family, ensuring the blood’s survival if not the name.
Though powerful in reputation, the Lestranges were cut down by their own fanaticism. Bellatrix (née Black) perished at the Battle of Hogwarts without issue, and Rodolphus was left childless. The once-feared name, synonymous with cruelty, ended in silence.
Perhaps the wealthiest of all wizarding families, the Malfoys retained their seat at Wiltshire and their influence in the Ministry. Yet their line balanced upon the narrow shoulders of a single heir, Draco. The family’s survival beyond the war was assured, though its prestige suffered from their support of Voldemort.
The Notts prided themselves on ancient ancestry. Theodore Nott, student of Hogwarts during the Second War, represented the continuation of the line. Their survival was never in question, though their loyalties often were.
The Yaxleys, staunch supporters of Voldemort, produced several Death Eaters of note. Whether their family prospered after the fall of the Dark Lord is uncertain, though heirs were believed to survive.
Feared for their cruelty, Travers wizards served as Death Eaters in both wars. Their survival was tenuous, but the family name did not vanish.
Among the oldest of pure-blood names, the Averys were early supporters of Voldemort. Despite heavy losses, the family continued into the Second War.
Long mocked by other pure-bloods for their poverty and tolerance of Muggle-borns, the Weasleys nonetheless flourished. By the end of the Second War, Arthur and Molly’s seven children ensured the family’s continuation — proof that openness, not exclusivity, best preserves the wizarding world.
A respected family of Aurors and scholars, the Longbottoms endured tragedy in the First War with the torture of Frank and Alice. Yet through their son Neville, hero of the Battle of Hogwarts, the line not only survived but achieved new honor.
An ancient but less publicized family, the Shacklebolts produced Kingsley Shacklebolt, who rose to become Minister for Magic after Voldemort’s defeat. Their endurance testifies to the quiet resilience of certain pure-blood lines.
Little is recorded of the Greengrasses, save that they maintained their neutrality in times of conflict. By the 1990s, the family still held its name and lands, with Astoria Greengrass later marrying Draco Malfoy, thus entwining two great houses.
The Abbotts, ancient allies of the Longbottoms, suffered grievously during the war: Hannah Abbott’s mother was murdered by Death Eaters. Still, the family name endured.
The Macmillans remained active in the Hogwarts community, with Ernie Macmillan a notable member of Dumbledore’s Army. Their survival was never threatened.
A traditionalist family of Slytherins, the Parkinsons endured the war without extinction, though their reputation suffered.
Known for their pure-blood pretensions, the Bulstrodes remained in existence, though their influence was much diminished.
Some of the Sacred Twenty-Eight were already obscure by the mid-20th century:
The House of Ollivander: Renowned wandmakers since Roman times, the Ollivanders are technically pure-blood, though they never joined the ranks of the pure-blood supremacists. Garrick Ollivander was kidnapped during the war but survived.
The House of Fawley: Rarely mentioned by the late 20th century, possibly extinct.
The House of Selwyn: Survived into the Second War, though their role was minor.
The House of Slughorn: Best remembered through Horace Slughorn, who ensured his family’s survival by adapting to every age.
The House of Rowle: Associated with Death Eaters, but not extinguished.
The House of Burke: Of Borgin & Burke’s fame, the family endured though tainted by association with Dark magic.
The House of Flint: Slytherin Quidditch captains abound, proving the line still stood.
The House of Crabbe and The House of Goyle: Both families survived, though their heirs were lost at the Battle of Hogwarts.
Thus, by the turn of the 21st century, the tapestry of pure-blood families was a threadbare thing. Some, like the Gaunts and Blacks, had perished through pride and insularity; others, like the Weasleys and Longbottoms, flourished precisely because of their openness.
The lesson is clear: wizarding culture thrives not through narrow preservation, but through mingling, adaptation, and resilience. The ancient houses, once so certain of their eternal supremacy, proved in truth to be as fragile as parchment left too long in the sun.