THE HERALD

5 October 2045

AN UPDATED SACRED TWENTY-EIGHT

By Harriet Entwhistle

When the list of twenty-eight families in Great Britain and Ireland without any Muggle ancestry came out in the Pure-Blood Directory in 1931, it didn't change anything. Obviously, some families were upset that they weren't on the list, while others were upset that they were. But the list changed nothing, because people already knew who the pure-bloods were. The entire Wizarding World was familiar with the names, because those 'Sacred Twenty-Eight' families listed (along with some others, such as the Bones, Fortescue, and Potter families) were the wealthiest and most influential people in the Wizarding World.

(Of course, they weren't all wealthy and influential all the time. The Malfoys and the Weasleys, for example, were in a centuries-old back-and-forth of political and economic power: their feud ensured that if one became influential, the other practically disappeared from the political landscape.)

This brings up a question – the Sacred Twenty-Eight families were on the list because they were pure-bloods. So why were they also the families that held the most wealth and power? There should be no connection between a family's influence and the 'purity' of their blood.

The most obvious answer, of course, is simple prejudice. The families in power were pure-bloods, and were often blood supremacists, so obviously they hindered any non-pure-blood family trying to gain wealth and influence.

But the answer is not so simple. There were plenty of Sacred Twenty-Eight families who were not blood supremacists, such as the Weasleys, Abbotts, and Longbottoms. So why did none of these families marry a Muggle, Muggle-born, or half-blood, ever?

There are multiple theories, proposing everything from coincidences to conspiracies. But (relatively) recently, something has been happening in the Wizarding World that indicates a new possibility.

True pure-bloods (those who have centuries of no Muggle ancestry) are dying out. There are less than fifty left alive, and only one family is likely to have any truly pure-blooded children, and that is only because members of that family have married their cousins, aunts, uncles, and siblings. This represents a dramatic shift in the concentration of power in the Wizarding World. Whereas the most influential families used to be pure-bloods, there are so few pure-bloods left that very few true pure-bloods are in positions of great power.

And from this reversal, we can see why the original Sacred Twenty-Eight remained pure-blood for so long, even though not all of them were blood supremacists. We can see it by comparing the original Sacred Twenty-Eight families who were in power for the past few centuries to the families who are in power now.

Everyone knows the names of these currently powerful families: Weasley, Potter, Longbottom, MacMillan, Shacklebolt, Creevey, Corner, and so on. These families came into power after the Second Wizarding War, when the Ministry of Magic was in such disarray that over half the employees needed to be replaced. Many of these empty positions were filled by the heroes of the War: the surviving members of Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix.

Most of these survivors were young – some hadn't even graduated Hogwarts yet. But they had proven themselves to be organized, responsible, incorruptible, and able to lead. While very few of the young heroes were immediately given high positions in the Ministry (and other organizations), most of them rose through the ranks extremely quickly, leading to some of the youngest Department Heads ever seen.

This led to a unique period of cooperation within the Ministry, and between the Ministry and other organizations, since almost all of the most influential people in the Wizarding World were good friends, having fought a War together. But it caused more long-lasting effects, as well. The children of these War Heroes grew up around each other, and most of them ended up marrying each other and/or following their parents into highly-influential positions. They then had children who are growing up around each other, and who will likely end up similarly. This cycle could continue for centuries. And while currently some people from the families marry outside the families, it becomes more rare every year.

Now we can compare these currently powerful families to the Sacred Twenty-Eight. The International Statute of Secrecy was established in 1692. This occurred during a time of great upheaval, as the Muggle World and the Wizarding World separated completely. This upheaval launched several families, some of whom were half-bloods or Muggle-borns, into power. As these families got to know each other, the younger members started marrying each other. Then their children grew up with each other, and ended up marrying each other and continuing into positions of power like their parents. This cycle continued for centuries. Almost three hundred years later, people had completely forgotten that any of these families had ever had Muggle blood, and someone (widely believed to be Cantankerus Nott) wrote a list of families who he believed were truly pure-blood.

Can it happen again? In three hundred years, will the family names Potter and Weasley be known for anti-Muggle prejudice, and refuse to marry anyone not a Lupin or Longbottom? I'd like to think we know better now, and will always know better, even hundreds of years in the future. But if we don't, if history repeats itself, in 2331 someone will publish a new list of Sacred Twenty-Eight families:

Boot

Coote

Creevey

Cresswell

Finch-Fletchley

Finnigan

Goldstein

Higgs

Jones

Jordan

Longbottom

Lupin

MacFusty

MacMillan

Malfoy

McGonagall

Nott

Peakes

Podmore

Potter

Pucey

Robins

Scamander

Shacklebolt

Summerfield

Thomas

Weasley

Wood

You can owl Harriet Entwhistle at The Herald offices with any comments or questions.