Grandparents is from JKR's old site, where she drew a comparison with Nazi ideas of what counted as Jewish.

http://web.archive.org/web/20090224072909/http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=58

http://web.archive.org/web/20090216100620/http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/faq_view.cfm?id=100

 

From those two citations it sounds like purebloods consider someone impure for having any muggles in their family tree at all, and pretend they don't have any whatsoever.
The first citation merely says Harry was considered a halfblood because of his grandparent, not that if it was a great grandparent he would be considered pureblood.
edit: actually rereading it JKR does say "precicely" the same logic, so it could be interpreted to mean they had precicely the same standards as nazis for determining blood purity, but on the first reading it just looked like she meant the same general standards, not precisely the same system.

 

Obviously it depends also on how institutionalized the system is. If the classification is simply something individuals do to make themselves look better, then there's never going to be a "precise" system, but it will be flexible enough to allow for any biases the users have ("blood traitors" etc.). If there is a legislative component to it (like with the Nazis), then it pretty much has to be precise.

Is there any other example of official recognition of blood purity than Durmstrang not accepting muggleborns? Or is even that just hearsay and boasting from Draco, not official policy?

 

Were Luna and Ginny friends before they went to Hogwarts, or is that just fanon?

Is it known whether Ginny played as Seeker or Chaser for the Harpies? Or exactly how many years she plated Quidditch professionally before retiring?

 

It's fanon.

 

Fanon, we only know that they lived not too far away and that they knew each other by the end of their third year. Also, I quickly re-read the scene at the beginning of OotP, and Ron never asks her name, which might or might not be because he knows her.

She left school in june 1999 (assuming she didn't re-do her sixth year). Her first son being born before 8/31/2005, at most she played 5-6 years.

 

There's this from the fourth book, where they mention that Lovegoods live nearby, but nothing on friendship.

Wasn't there some comment on that somewhere else? With Luna on the train, perhaps?

Edit:

Is the best I found. Still, that only implies Ginny knew of Luna's weirdness, and they do not behave like childhood friends would. I think.

Still, I guess it's plausible they at least knew each other, but since it's not stated explicitly, this is heading into fanon territory.

 

Yeah, there's also the fact that she introduced Luna as 'Loony' to Harry and Neville outside her compartment IIRC, showing the usual snark she reserves for those she doesn't particularly care about. A year later in HBP, she stops a few kids from calling her the same and congratulates Harry for taking her to Slughorn's party. So I would guess she didn't know her beyond the weird classmate everyone makes fun of.

 

Which characters used wandless magic in the books and which spells were used?

Can only remember AD but don't know when.

 

Quirrell managed to bind Harry with rope, merely by snapping his fingers (PS, ch17, pg 1)
If you include accidental magic, every wizard in the books.
Tom Riddle managed to use wandless magic by his own will before he went to Hogwarts (some pensieve in bk 6). "Hurt them, if wanted to", ride down to the cave, Billy's rabbit and the rafters...
Harry's mother was capable of controlling her magic, according to Snape's pensieve memories, control her fall from a swig.
I'm fairly certain that the animagus transformation doesn't require a wand, so that might count.
That's all I can remember off the top of my head.

 

Edit - never mind. Just read where Dumbledore says, "He took your blood and rebuilt his living body with it! Your blood in his veins, Harry, Lily's protection inside both of you! He tethered you to life while he lives!"

Yeah. Oops.

 

... I quoted JKR's explicit explanation as to how Harry returned in DH, and it's definitely not the case that the horcrux took the Killing Curse for Harry.

 

Yep, check edit on post below. I caught that in the book after I thought back over what I read.

 

No, I meaned contolled wandless magic explicitly, like Quirrell merely snapping his fingers to bind Harry

 

I know I already asked this (never got an answer), but what exactly do we know about the Riddle family?

 

Is there anywhere in the series that Voldemort actual shows disrespect to Dumbledore. I don't mean "you're ideas are foolish" but rather, "you're a fool."

Off the top of my head, it seems Voldemort greatly respects Dumbledore and his magical ability. He doesn't like him, maybe even loathes him, but he still respects him.

No?

 

In every conversation between Voldemort and Dumbledore I can find Voldemort speaks rather respectfully.
Conversations about DUmbledore on the other hand are different, and Voldemort says things like:
""Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!""

 

It´s clear isn´t it? He is the only one he feared even LV knows he will get bitchslapped if he messes with the old man because AD is such a boss.

Joking aside doesn´t LV very often call him an old fool or is it just in the movies. My memory is kinda fuzzy about it

 

The only instance I could find was in GoF, Chapter 33: