Muggles and potions

[hp_lexicon]

No: HPFGUIDX 56146


> silencescreamsatme <silencescreamsatme at y...> wrote:
> Wrote:
> 
> 
> This brings up an interesting question that I've never thought of 
> until now. Because Potions doesn't require wand-work...when you 
get 
> down to it, it's mixing and brewing certain ingredients 
together...do 
> you think a Muggle would be able to make a Potion if given the 
> recipe? 

If you think about the way Magical Beings are portrayed in the 
books, I think the answer can be guessed with some degree of 
certainty.

A Wizard's magic is part of their physical makeup. It's not acquired 
or learned, it simply is. There is something unique about the body 
of a Wizard which, for example, affects the barrier to get to 
Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. A Wizard sees things that Muggles 
can't see. A Wizard doesn't get injured from falls or damage which 
would kill a Muggle (Neville "bounces down the garden walk," thereby 
letting his family know that he has Magical ability). Muggles aren't 
affected by Dementors the way Magical folk are, althought Muggles 
can sense the presence of those horrible creatures.

That same "magical-ness" affects the creation of potions. A Muggle 
could mix the exact same ingredients and not create a potion. They 
don't have that magical-ness, that "aura," if you will, that infuses 
into a collection of otherwise inert ingredients and create a 
magical mixture. Like spells, this apparently required concentration 
of will, which explains why some powerful potions require such 
elaborate preparation. That detailed and meticulous preparation--
cutting daisy roots to exactly the correct length, for example--
focuses the mind and the intention of the Wizard for more powerful 
potions. We don't hear incantations because this is a different form 
of magic and uses different techniques to focus the mind.

Different Wizards will have different levels of Magic when it comes 
to Potions just like they do for other things. Crouch Sr. was 
described as "powerfully magical," for example. This variation of 
power isn't just between one Wizard and another. Each individual 
Wizard has strenghts and weaknesses, which explains why Lupin, while 
certainly no slouch as Defense Against the Dark Arts, was "never 
much of a potion-maker." It also explains why Neville can be 
particularly strong in Herbology and poor at other things. The 
Magical Plants react to the aura of magic which a Wizard projects in 
the area of Herbology. 

That brings up an interesting point. Are magical plants magical to 
Muggles? I'd say no, they aren't. If a Muggle ate Gillyweed, they 
would not experience a magical effect (although it would undoubtedly 
do something to them). They don't have the magical aura that 
activates the magical properties of the plant. On the other hand, If 
a Wizard strong in Herbology ate Gillyweed, they might actually have 
an enhanced effect from it. 

This is speculation, of course, but it fits the facts as given in 
the books.

Steve Vander Ark
The Harry Potter Lexicon