As an avid RPG fan who adores getting immersed in expansive game worlds, I‘ve eagerly anticipated Hogwarts Legacy‘s release for years. Now that I‘ve played it, this immersive open-world game set in the late 1800s Wizarding World exceeds my high expectations.
One of my favorite side quests so far has been "The Polyjuice Plot." In this quest, your character drinks Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as Phineas Nigellus Black—the Hogwarts headmaster from 1892 to 1925.
While masquerading as Phineas, you must uncover the Black family motto to advance the quest. This mysterious motto has a long, shadowy history that the game never fully addresses.
As a long-time Potterhead fascinated by the lore around old pure-blood families, I couldn‘t resist doing a deep dive into the dark meaning and significance behind the phrase "Toujours Pur."
The Notorious Black Family Tree
Before analyzing the family motto specifically, it‘s important to understand the ancient, noble lineage of the Black family.
While Phineas Nigellus directly factors into The Polyjuice Plot quest, the Black ancestry dates back centuries earlier to the Middle Ages. They stand as one of the most well-known pure-blood Wizarding families.
As Sirius Black informed Harry Potter, his family prized being "well-bred" above all else. Over generations, they developed an obsession with blood purity and hatred of Muggles rarely seen in even the most elite circles.
The Blacks frequently practiced dark magic and believed firmly in pure-blood supremacy doctrines. They readily turned their backs on members who showed sympathy towards Muggles or questioned their extremist agenda.
Based on their actions throughout history and the meaning of their motto, we can infer the Blacks likely played a pivotal role in spreading anti-Muggle propaganda and laying the groundwork for wizard fascist movements like the Death Eaters.
Polyjuice Potions Don‘t Replicate Memories
A key detail to note about the Polyjuice Potion is that while it allows you to physically transform into another person, you do not gain any of their memories or innate knowledge.
This concoction only alters your external appearance, voice, and other physical attributes. Your mind remains your own.
So when Scrope quizzes you on the Black family motto, your character legitimately doesn‘t know the answer since you haven‘t suddenly absorbed Phineas‘ memories.
This creates a fun roleplaying opportunity if you choose the wrong motto at first. You can craft humorous dialogue options pretending to have already forgotten due to advanced age as Phineas.
Clues Hinting Towards Toujours Pur
While your character doesn‘t directly know the Black family motto during this quest, various subtle clues hidden early in the game foreshadow what‘s to come.
For example, the first time you enter the Slytherin common room, you can explore and find a tapestry depicting the pure-blood family trees. The Black family tree shows Phineas Nigellus‘ name connected to generations of notoriously prejudiced witches and wizards.
If you inspect it closer, the French phrase Toujours Pur sits underneath—though the translation isn‘t given. It‘s easy to miss this initial reference, but it cleverly hints at the Black motto‘s future significance.
There‘s also a book named Nature‘s Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy by Mr. Cantankerus Nott in the Restricted Section that name drops the "Toujours Pur" motto when detailing the Black family. Once again though, its meaning isn‘t explained.
So Toujours Pur gets seeded early without context. During The Polyjuice Plot when Scrope quizzes you, these subtle clues start clicking together in an excellent "a-ha" moment for the player.
What Does Toujours Pur Actually Mean?
When you correctly choose “It has to do with the purity of blood” after Scrope asks about the motto, he confirms "Toujours Pur" is the Black family creed.
This phrase means "Always Pure" in French. For a family obsessed with blood purity who routinely disowned members for associating with Muggles, it encapsulates their twisted belief system remarkably well.
Buried in subtext, Toujours Pur refers to the Blacks‘ efforts to keep their aristocratic bloodline cleansed of any non-magic folk or mixed heritage. They fanatically breed solely with other "respectable" pure-bloods out of a racist desire to avoid "tainting" their ancestry.
Learning the exact translation of the motto makes the Black family‘s prejudice chillingly clear. They wore their bigotry proudly for generations through Toujours Pur.
How Uncovering This Creed Has Broader Implications
Simply advancing The Polyjuice Plot by repeating Toujours Pur back to Scrope makes for a fun quest. But as a political allegory, this motto discovery represents so much more.
It provides commentary on how extremist ideologies passed down by elite families like the Blacks created simmering tensions that still impact society today.
Their spokesmanship for blood purity prejudice laid cultural groundwork that allowed demagogues like Voldemort to later rise to power.
By believing in concepts like "magic is might" and promoting systemic inequality against Muggle-borns, upper class pure-blood clans directly shaped a climate conducive to hatred.
So Toujours Pur gives interesting social insight through its fictional lens. For devoted fans who know Wizarding World history, learning this creepy simple phrase condenses how discrimination took root and still plagues the magic community.
Casual audiences may just enjoy thefun mystery. But for scholars of Potter lore, it packs an allegorical punch.
Dialogue Options When Speaking to Scrope
As referenced earlier when initially quizzed by Scrope on the Black family motto, you get three dialogue options to potentially choose from:
Option 1: It‘s to do with strength.
If selected, Scrope says this is incorrect. The Blacks had decent magical strength but did not pride themselves on talent or abilities. He allows you another guess at the motto.
Option 2: It‘s to do with my family‘s reign.
Scrope also denies this choice, though admits the Blacks arrogantly took great pride in their influence as an elite wizarding clan. He gives you an additional attempt.
Option 3: It‘s to do with the purity of blood.
Selecting this prompts Scrope to excitedly declare "Toujours Pur! Very good, sir." He then reveals the hidden staircase up to the headmaster‘s office.
So you have some fun roleplaying wiggle room to choose wrongly the first time. But eventually, you must select option 3 to display knowledge of the translated meaning behind Toujours Pur.
Tips for Efficiently Solving the Motto Puzzle
If you want to skip straight past the trial and error, use these tips:
- The Black tapestry in the Slytherin common room lists Toujours Pur under family trees. Search here early on for initial clues.
- Read Nature‘s Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy carefully for direct references to the family motto.
- Before starting the quest, explore the trophy room area you‘ll return to later. There is a statue memorializing headmasters like Phineas that you‘ll need to interact with.
- If playing as a Slytherin, ask the Bloody Baron about the Blacks since he has house affiliation ties.
- You can safely test each dialogue option when conversing with Scrope about the motto. Failing just restarts that section.
Takeaways on the Blacks‘ Troubling Legacy
Reflecting on "The Polyjuice Plot" quest after learning Toujours Pur‘s history makes me appreciate Hogwarts Legacy even more for subtly educating while crafting an intriguing mystery.
Uncovering this dark secret advances your mission while also commenting on prejudice in society. It highlights how extremism spreads insidiously over generations when people stay silent rather than confronting discrimination.
The Blacks may be fictional, but through details like their disturbing family motto, we get reminders that courageously combating systemic inequality requires vigilance both in fantasy realms and real life.
Hogwarts Legacy deserves praise for organically incorporating that vital social commentary into a memorable side quest. Analyzing Toujours Pur sheds light on enduring relevant issues in thought-provoking ways.
Now if you‘ll excuse me, I have a headmaster‘s office to sneak into! Let me know in the comments if you need any other tips on uncovering mysteries in Hogwarts Legacy‘s addictive magical world.
