What exactly constitutes "Squibdom"?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 88652

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "sawsan_issa" <sawsan_issa at e...>
wrote:
> Carol wrote:
> <Granted, he sold a wand to "little" Hagrid, but Hagrid must have
> come to the shop accompanied by his wizard father and must have been
> listed in the book that records the birth of magical children or he
> wouldn't have received a letter from Hogwarts.>
> 
> Sawsan here:
> Hagrid does have powers, but after the Chamber of Secrets problem
> during his school year I think they might have stopped him from using
> them. In the Sorceror's stone he uses his umbrella to light a fire and
> he grew a pig tail on Dudley. So he must be a wizard. He just probably
> isn't allowed to use it that much considering his record. He did ask
> Harry not to mention it to anyone. Filch, who is a squib can't do any
> sort of Magic at all apparently, and neither can Mrs. Figg, who is
> another squib. As for squibs and magic, I think that, just as
> severelysigune wrote, they are the exact opposites of muggleborn
wizards.

Carol:
Hm. I wasn't arguing that Hagrid is a squib. Far from it. I was using
him as an example of a person to whom Mr. Ollivander sold a wand even
though he must have known or guessed that he wasn't a fully human
wizard. My point was that Mr. O. probably would not have sold Hagrid a
wand unless he had proof that Hagrid was a magical child (a letter
from Hogwarts) and that he would not have sold one to Filch at all
because he would have sensed that he wasn't magical--or at least not
magical enough to use a wand--and young Filch would not have been able
to present a letter he had never received to convince Mr. Ollivander
otherwise. But, as I also said, he could have bought a used wand in
Knockturn Alley where the salespeople wouldn't have Mr. Ollivander's
scruples. Unfortunately, Filch would no more be able to use the wand
than nonmusical me could play a bagpipe.

As for what Squibs are, they can see Hogwarts and other sights that
are hidden from Muggle eyes and the two we've seen so far seem to
communicate almost telepathically with cats, so they're exactly
witch/wizard-born Muggles. They're somewhere between a completely
non-magical Muggle and a full-fledged witch or wizard.

Carol