[HPforGrownups] Petunia as squib

[manawydan]

No: HPFGUIDX 50399

   Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 17:58:46 -0800 (PST)
   From: Maria Kirilenko <maria_kirilenko at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Petunia as Squib

>I think that, however alike their magical capabilities, squibs and Muggles
are not the same thing.
>
>The definition of a Muggle, I believe, is someone who has no magical blood
in him and cannot do >magic. A Squib cannot do magic either, but he has
magical blood.

>Again, Lily was called a Muggle-born witch, which made her parents Muggles.
That way, >Petunia can't be a squib - she is a Muggle like her parents.
>
>But I think that since Lily is a witch, there must be something in her
family that made her so, >which in its turn can give Petunia and/or Dudley
and/or Dudley's future offspring a better chance >of being magical too, than
somebody from a completely wizarding family.

I tend to think that the difference between muggle and squib is cultural
rather than genetic - because a squib is brought up in wizard world, they
know the score and can survive there far better than if a muggle were to be
dropped in the deep end.

Though there's a question here about mixed marriages. Hagrid says at one
point that almost all wizards marry muggles, otherwise they would have died
out.

Now I also think that Hagrid is prone to hyperbole so I'd take that remark
with a pinch of salt. But it does strongly suggest that the wizard gene is
widespread in muggle world and that possible wizard children could pop up
anywhere.

But is the non-magical child of a mixed marriage a squib (because of the
magical parent) or a muggle (because of the non-magical one)?

cheers

Ffred

O Benryn wleth hyd Luch Reon
Cymru yn unfryd gerhyd Wrion
Gwret dy Cymry yghymeiri