How can they tell who's a Muggle?

[ssk7882 <skelkins@attbi.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52528

Conquistas wrote:

> I think that other wizards can "feel" the presence of another wizard
> around, because of the magic.  

<snip examples of Harry sensing the invisible Crouch Jr. in the woods 
and the emanating power of an enraged Dumbledore at the end of GoF>

It's an interesting theory.  There are so many examples, though, of 
wizards *not* noticing the presence of other hidden magical people or 
powers.

Harry is rarely noticed in his Invisibility Cloak (except by Mrs. 
Norris, of all people, who does seem to have a good sense for him).

Harry does not notice Dumbledore watching him use the Mirror of 
Erised in PS/SS.

Nobody notices Invisible!Snape in the Shrieking Shack scene in PoA.

Nobody notices anything *magically* unusual about Ginny, while she is 
possessed by Riddle in CoS.

Nobody notices anything magically awry with Quirrell, while he is 
sporting Voldemort beneath his turban.

Ron is surprised (and maliciously pleased) when he learns that Filch 
is a Squib.

Everyone believes that Neville is magically weak, even though all of 
the evidence actually points to him having quite a bit of raw magical 
power.

No one ever notices that Scabbers is a wizard.  Furthermore, the pet 
shop woman suggests that perhaps he is so ill because he is actually 
a *non-magical* rat, and thus at the end of his natural lifespan.


So I don't think that wizards are able to sense magical power.  They 
identify others as Muggles, I would guess, based on nothing more than 
superficial signifiers: manner of dress, for example.


Elkins