Genetics and Harry Potter (or "a stupid question abou HP)

Cafe Society
21

Squibs can’t see Dementors. Rowling says so on her website. So Mrs. Figg was lying.

As for Petunia, there is something going on with her, but as has already been pointed out, she’s not a Squib. My thought is similiar to smiling bandit’s – she’s a witch, but I don’t think she failed – I think she chose not to go, never got her license to practice magic, and always regretted it.

The same section of the website tells us that Mrs. Figg does a roaring trade in half-Kneazle cats. She’s said that Crookshanks is a half-Kneazle, and probably Mrs. Norris and and Mr. Tibbs (?) are as well. I suspect these are the wizarding world’s equivalent of a seeing-eye dog – a magic-seeing cat.

As for the OP, the genetics are all wonky. Rowling calls magic “a dominant and resilient gene,” but elsewhere then she freely admits that science is not one of her strong suits (along with geography and math).

22

Well, looks like JKR said she was a Muggle and not a Squib, so I don’t think she can be a witch. As to what else it might be, well… who knows?

23

Well, in that case, I guess I gotta stand corrected.

24

Maybe those that flunk Hogwarts are called Muggles cause they are not technically wizards or squibs and they proberly are to few and far between to even coin a proper name?

Just a wild stab in the dark.

25

Regarding Mrs. Norris (and Mr. Tibbles, who was referred to in another post that I’m having difficulty finding), I get the impression that naming cats “Mister or Mrs. So and So” is a convention of sorts in England.

Note the ill-fated Mrs. Chips, AKA Mrs. Chippy, the ill-fated gender-confused kitty of the Shackleton Expedition, who is also referred to here.

And (to push a point too far, perhaps) there was the valiant Sergeant Tibb or Tibbs, later Lieutenant Tibbs (AKA Mrs. Tibbs), the cat cohort of the Sheepdog referred to as The Colonel in Dodie Smith’s novel The 101 Dalmations. (There are some internet references to her, but they are few, far between, and not particularly authoritative.)

The above is certainly not to discount the possibility that Mrs. Norris and/or Mr. Tibbles are animagi or part-kneazles. (Actually, given Rowling’s fondness for playing with names, I am probably talking out of my hat, but there it is.)

26

Also the Magical Mister Mistoffeles, one of Old Possum’s Practical Cats. But then again, he is magical…

Another possibility for magical inheritance would be the pre-natal environment. Do we know of any cases of a wizard father and a non-magical (Squib or Muggle) mother, and if so, were the children magical?

And that quote from Rowling’s website does not say that Squibs can’t see dementors; it just says that Mrs. Figg didn’t see them on that particular occasion. This could just be due to not witnessing the whole incident.

27

I was intrigued by this one from that interview:

“Has Voldemort or Tom Riddle ever cared for or loved anyone?”
“No, never. [Laughter.] If he had, he couldn’t possibly be what he is. You will find out a lot more about that. It is a good question, because it leads us rather neatly to Half Blood Prince, although I repeat for the millionth time that Voldemort is not the half blood prince, which is what a lot of people thought. He is definitely, definitely not.”

So we know some pretty key things about Voldy at this point:

-He, like Harry, is not a pureblood (in fact, he’s even worse off than Harry, who at least had two magical parents instead of just one), which certainly seems pretty strange for the leader of a bunch of racist purebloods, and only really makes any sense in light of his DEEP deep hatred for his muggle father.

-He did various things to himself, in his great fear of death, to prevent his own death. One of these things worked to keep him alive when he was hit with a killing curse, but he apparently isn’t sure which (in Goblet at least, he states that he doesn’t know which it was)

-He has never cared or loved for anyone, and this is somehow KEY to his character (and perhaps the nature of his continued existence) in some way that leads right into the next book.

-Harry and he are linked in some fundamental way, and that link is drawing them ever closer together in mind and power. Harry’s own particularly impressive powers, in fact, may even mostly come from Voldemort.

-Harry, however, also has access to a power, a deep, deep magic, which Voldemort has no access to whatsoever. This is definately very noteworthy, because in all other respects they are very, very similar, especially in degree of power.

-It’s strongly suggested that this power is, or stems from, love.

-In Goblet, Harry is able to come out ahead in a one on one “Priori” struggle with Voldemort, who is, by far, the more experienced (and perhaps even more powerful if powers grow with age) wizard. What is the key factor here on Harry’s side? The ghostly reappearance of his parents, whom he loves more than anything.

There’s definately something pretty big here, though for all we know, the key links are yet another bunch of made up magical rules, devices, and twists that aren’t as Rowling says “guessable.”

Something else: Isn’t it certain that Voldemort, when killed, will become a ghost? After all, he’s taken even more drastic measures than most wizards who fear death, and he certainly fits all the criteria that Nick lays out for becoming a ghost. DID he perhaps, already become a ghost of sorts? Is there a connection here? Was Voldemort actually killed in fact because of the curse, leaving him a ghost, but something about his spells allowed him to gain a vicarious foothold onto life through Harry?

28

IIRC, Rowling indicates somewhere on her website that this is Dean Thomas’s situation–his father never told his muggle mother he was wizard, and then he left the family to avoid endangering them since he was fighting, and was subsequently killed by, deatheaters. So, Dean grew up not knowing of the wizard world and thinking his father had abandoned him like any other deadbeat dad. Again IIRC, Rowling said she had his whole story written but cut it due to length.

29

Apos:

And apparently, according to Dumbledore in OotP, there is a room in the Ministry of Magic where this power is studied. Think that’s where young ministry interns have secret make-out sessions? :slight_smile:

An Harry Potter thought unrelated to the OP: Perhaps the Half-Blood Prince is the offspring of Voldemort and Bellatrix LeStrange, conceived following their escape in OotP?

30

Perhaps not so strange. Remember, Hitler had dark hair and eyes, and probably a Jewish grandmother. Yeah, yeah, I know, Godwin, but I think that Voldemort is a fair comparison to Hitler.

And Humble Servant, IYRC, that’s an interesting data point, since Dean’s only connection to magic would then be via genetics. And I don’t think there’s any indication that his powers are weak or not well-controlled, as are (say) Neville’s (a pureblood). If anything, one would suspect that Dean is a bit above average, or he wouldn’t have been noticed by Hogwarts.

31

There are two possible meaning I can read here.

  1. The social sense. He’s an utter bastard because he’s, essentially, psychotic. Presumably resulting from never once having been given real love or concern. No one ever cared for him, except possibly his mother (and then only briefly) and possibly Dumbledore. And I doubt Dumbledore was that fond. Even if he had not been so magically gifted, he would have become a tyrant, at least in some small bureaucratic corner.

  2. The magical sense. And here we have an intersting idea. As above, but perhaps what really gives him his power is the exact opposite of Harry’s? Perhaps he can’t kill Harry because he has no purchase or grip for it. Perhaps without any sort of human feeling he can’t fond any way to get at someone so loved (in the mystical sense, as per his parent’s final gift) as Harry.

This could neatly explain why Dumbledore was happy at the thought of Voldemorte’s ressurection. Perhaps Voldemorte was wrong about one thing: it wasn’t any spell or device of his own art that saved him from death, but the fact that he was incapable of dying while his complete evil consumed him. Only in making himself human (by absorbing, however small, a portion of Harry’s power, as Harry had taken his) cn he be vanquished. Indeed, it may be that he still cannot die, but might be defeated permanently through regret.

Strangely, this oucld lead to an interesting ending. It is what I’d do, wlthough Rowling has not displayed any such subtlety. It may be that in his own disturbed way, Voldemorte will be deafted simply by coming to love Harry. Harry is just like him, just as skilled and just as aggressive. Voldemorte has already come to respect Harry like no one other than Dumbledore. Harry is Voldemorte equal and opposite, and that could be the only thing Voldemorte can connect with. A rival might suceed where an enemy or servant could never.

32

I don’t have my copy of OotP at hand right now (grumble, grumble, stoopid BOSSES, and their stoopid PROFESSIONALISM grumble grumble), so I’ll have to ask somebody to check me on this memory:

And I guess I might as well spoiler it:

[spoiler]
First night back at Hogwarts. Seamus Finnegan and Harry have a go at each other over Harry’s credibility v The Daily Prophet’s. New Prefect Ron enters the dormitory, gives Seamus a Mod Hat Warning[sup]TM[/sup], then turns to the group at large and essentially asks if anybody else wants a piece.

Dean Thomas says, “Both my parents are Muggles, mate. They don’t know nothing about no Daily Prophet, and I’m not fool enough to tell them.” [paraphrase][/spoiler]
Seems Rowling may have abandoned more than the guy’s backstory, possibly without intending to.

33

I just checked my copy (thank heaven for telecommuting), and Dean’s response, and it refers to the death of Cedric Diggory rather than to the existence of the Daily Prophet. He does say “my parents are muggles,” but does not explicitly use the word “both,” don’t see how that might be significant, though.

34

I checked to be sure–if you click on the coffee cup (extra stuff) on the main page of the official site (jkrowling.com), and then click on “Edits” you get the backstory about Dean Thomas. He grew up with half-brothers and -sisters, so the reference to his parents being muggles may be to his mom and his step-dad.

35

Ah. Nice retcon.

36

Heh. While retcon is something JKR could generally do with a bit of, her site claims that the Dean Thomas backstory was written for inclusion in Chamber of Secrets, and revealed to Chris Columbus for casting purposes at the time of the first movie. If Rowling’s not being disingenuous, then the story would predate the statement in Goblet of Fire.