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harry potter - Why did Sirius Black's family live among Muggles?


Why did Sirius Black's family live among Muggles?


The Black family were generational purebloods -- one of the "official" pureblood families -- and canon has demonstrated that they were vehemently anti-Muggle, aside from Sirius (One might argue Regulus as well, after his change of heart.). Yet they lived among Muggles, seemingly by choice. It's certainly possible number twelve Grimmauld Place was family property received by inheritance, but the Black family surely predates the construction of some row houses in a shabby part of London. I would think?


Why did the Black family choose to remain there? Why didn't they move?


Is there anything in canon that addresses this? Does Sirius explain why his family's home is in a Muggle neighborhood at any point in the series?



They were standing outside number eleven; he looked to the left and saw number ten; to the right, however, was number thirteen.

‘But where’s –?’

‘Think about what you’ve just memorised,’ said Lupin quietly. Harry thought, and no sooner had he reached the part about number twelve, Grimmauld Place, than a battered door emerged out of nowhere between numbers eleven and thirteen, followed swiftly by dirty walls and grimy windows. It was as though an extra house had inflated, pushing those on either side out of its way. Harry gaped at it. The stereo in number eleven thudded on. Apparently the Muggles inside hadn’t felt anything.

Order of the Phoenix - page 58 - Bloomsbury - chapter 4, Number Twelve Grimmauld Place




Answer



It seems to be related to the house itself. On Twitter, J.K. Rowling answered a question about the location of the ancestral home:




Why is 12 Grimmauld place in the middle of a muggle house complex?


A Black ancestor coveted the beautiful house, so “persuaded” the Muggle occupant to leave & put the appropriate spells on it.


@JKRowling on Twitter, 6 Feb 2015



Within a generation or two of the family living there, I imagine tradition and family cachet would have beaten out any anti-Muggle stigma that the neighbourhood carried.


(This may well date back before the Statute of Secrecy, when it was more appropriate for wizards to mingle with the Muggle aristocracy (cf. the Malfoy family).)


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