"Toujours pur" Blacks

[Gordis]

The Blacks are amazing, all of them. They seem so different, but yet they are so much alike: Walburga, Sirius, Regulus, Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa.

They are "Toujours pur" ("always pure").

On the surface this family motto seems to be simply about the blood purity, maintaining it at all costs. But is this so indeed?
The Black family tree tapestry is studded with holes: so many of them have forsaken their family to go marry muggle-borns, half-bloods or blood-traitors, or to go defend Muggle rights. In the end not a single Black of pure blood remains…

But maybe the motto is more than it seems... maybe it refers to qualities of the "Black" hearts?

Because all the Blacks have pure hearts, lion hearts, with not a hint of treachery, duplicity or selfishness in them. I would call them Gryffindor hearts, incongruous as it may seem for Slytherins…

Every single Black is ready to suffer and die for their ideas (be they good or bad), or for their love. Once their love or loyalty is given, they would do anything: leave their family and easy life behind and live in a hovel, fight, kill and die, spend decades in Azkaban, or burn a hole in the tapestry and never see their sons or daughters again… Not a single Black would betray any one for selfish reasons, or back away out of fear or even pity. There would be no Pettigrews among Blacks - ever. You can trust a Black with your life.

Walburga. Here is a Black utterly devoted to the idea of blood purity. The woman has lost both her sons to this idea: she disowned Sirius for his contacts with the "blood traitor" Potters and she lost Regulus who, because of his mother teachings, went and joined Voldemort. He repented, but it was too late to save his life. Walburga must have suffered horribly, as any mother would, but had she felt remorse? Unlikely, judging by the behavior of her portrait… Blacks are unwavering.

Sirius. The only Black in Gryffindor. I have said earlier that all Blacks have Gryffindor lion hearts, but Sirius must have made a conscious choice to forego the blood purity ideas of his family to be sorted in Gryffindor. (I wonder if the Sorting Hat had offered most of the Blacks a choice between their traditional Slytherin and Gryffindor). Seemingly Sirius had never met a woman he could love, so he acted on his own convictions and on friendship: he was loyal to his friends to the last breath.
In fact it is curious that the wizarding community had been convinced that it was Sirius who had betrayed the Potters. For anyone who knew the Black family it must have been obvious that betraying a friend was not a thing a Black would ever do. Blacks are Toujours Pur. I think Dumbledore alone may have understood it fully.

Regulus - an amazing, much underappreciated hero. Little Regulus, good son of his mom Walburga, sorted in Slytherin as expected. He joined the Death Eaters almost automatically - for didn't the Dark Lord fight for the very same ideas so dear to his mother and thus to him? But the reality of Death Eater service made the little boy grow up. He understood that the end does not justify the means: doesn't justify killings and torture. Unlike Snape, Regulus has no selfish reasons to quit: Voldemort never threatened his family or his loved ones. He quit because of his own convictions, fully understanding the consequences - imminent death. He didn't even try to save his life.
Theoretically he could have run far away, changed his identity, he could survive hidden among Muggles somewhere in South America or Australia. He could have gone to Dumbledore asking for protection or started to serve as double agent like Snape… Only he could not, he was no Snape - he was a Black: Toujours pur. Regulus not only left openly, but did his best to pay Voldemort back attempting to destroy his Horcrux.

The three Black sisters: the crazy murderess Bellatrix, Voldemort's right hand; the blood-traitor Andromeda holed up in a humble house with her muggleborn husband; the elegant lady Narcissa, one of the pillars of pureblood society.
Could any sisters have more diverging fates than the Black sisters? Hardly. Yet, they were no different at heart: any one of them was ready to give up everything for love. Bellatrix's whole world was Voldemort, Andromeda's was Ted Tonks and Narcissa's was Lucius and Draco. It was just Fate that determined to whom their love was given and where their loyalties lay.

Had Voldemort been not You-Know-What, but a normal good wizard, Bellatrix would have married him and would have been happily sitting at home and raising a family. As it was, her love led her to Azkaban and to a world of death and torture. Had Ted Tonks been a pureblood Death Eater, Andromeda would have been much like Narcissa if not like Bellatrix and so on. But still all the three sisters would be capable of great sacrifice for their loved ones and no reasons of personal gain, fear, or pity would sway them. They are Blacks, Toujours pur.

Thoughts?

[Nurvingiel]

Originally Posted by Gordis

The Blacks are amazing, all of them. They seem so different, but yet they are so much alike: Walburga, Sirius, Regulus, Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa.

They are "Toujours pur" ("always pure").

On the surface this family motto seems to be simply about the blood purity, maintaining it at all costs. But is this so indeed?
The Black family tree tapestry is studded with holes: so many of them have forsaken their family to go marry muggle-borns, half-bloods or blood-traitors, or to go defend Muggle rights. In the end not a single Black of pure blood remains…

I think it's this here that underlines the meaning of "Toujours pur". I think Rowling is making a point: the idea of racial purity is a steaming load of old rubbish. The idea of the Black family staying pure, as in Pure-blood, is exactly what that is. The Malfoys are another example of a family the supports these ideas.

The fact that there only a few Blacks left underlines the pointlessness and stupidity of this idea. Racism is a big theme in the Harry Potter books. Hermione, Dean Thomas and others are always having to deal with racist gits.

I certainly wouldn't call any of the Blacks cowards (especially Regulus, who I agree is superb) but I don't think that's the meaning of this slogan in the books.

Walburga is Sirius and Regulus's mum, the screaming portrait? Where'd you find out her name?

[Gordis]

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

The idea of the Black family staying pure, as in Pure-blood, is exactly what that is. The Malfoys are another example of a family the supports these ideas.

Yes the Malfoys think exactly the same as Blacks re: the blood purity. If the motto "Toujours pur" were only about that, if it were literal, then it should apply to many pureblood families and Malfoys as well. Yet look how different Malfoys are from Blacks: utterly selfish, treacherous and cowardly. Lots of Death Eaters, including Lucius, have renounced Voldemort at his downfall, pleaded they were Imperius-ed. Only Bellatrix Black and the Lestranges remained faithful.

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

Walburga is Sirius and Regulus's mum, the screaming portrait? Where'd you find out her name?

I am sure she was mentioned by name once or twice. You can read her biography Here

[Nurvingiel]

The Malfoys and the Blacks are very, very different (though, Narcissa Black did marry a Malfoy). But even though they're different, they both support the same idea: maintaining wizard blood purity. Rowling has shown the different people can support the same ideas many times in her books.

[Fool_of_a_Took]

Interesting take on the motto, Gordis. Having read the series many times, I failed to take the Black family motto at more than face value, assuming that this was yet another of J.K's jibes at racism, showing that a family who refuses to marry into those of supposed lower blood status is sure to be torn apart and eventually die out. Your theory puts new meaning into the "Pure" of the "Always Pure" Black family motto- they are pure in that they hold fast to their ideals, no matter what befalls them.

Well done!