[HPforGrownups] Hermione's priorities/wizarding genetics

[Rowena Grunnion-Ffitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 26758


--- lake4fam at earthlink.net wrote:
> Catherine:  I think that Hermione's priorities would
> probably be 
> doing homework, and saving the world.

    Now be fair, when the crisis is at hand she will
put aside her homework, temporarily, in order to help
save the world. :D
 
> Rowena G-Ff.:  Have you read the Deryni Chronicles? 

    How did you guess? However Katherine Kurtz' Deryni
'activator gene' is sex linked being found on the X
chromosone and can be passed down intact for
generations. Deryniness is not cumulative, one either
is or one isn't depending on whether one has inherited
the critical gene and it doesn't matter how far back
your full blooded Deryni ancestor was.
   JKR's wizardry seems to work on much the same
principle, though there is no indication of it being a
sex linked trait. It is possible for Muggles to have a
wizardly child, (and I'm sticking to my theory of
spontaneous mutation) and it is possible though much
rarer for Wizards to have a Muggle child or 'Squib'. 
   Remember Ron says most Wizards have mixed blood,
Muggle and Wizard. Now if the key gene is a dominate
the offspring of such a match would have the abilities
of his/her Wizard/Witch parent *but* would be carrying
only one gene instead of two. Now if such a half blood
married another half blood there would be a one in
four chance of them producing a 'Squib', (if I
remember my Mendelian genetics correctly). Since this
is considered shameful and is probably hidden when
possible Squibs may be rather more common than Ron
thinks. 

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