Potions as Magtic (was Re: muggle baiting vs. muggle torture)

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 155304

 
> Random832:
> I'm suggesting that "muggle-baiting" is a specific term, and that
> neither what the twins did nor what DEs do is "muggle-baiting", but
> rather what the DEs do is a more severe crime and we disagree on 
where
> what the twins did falls on any spectrum.
> 
> Do you think it would be somehow less severe if they had come up 
with
> a way to create that effect using purely mundane ingredients? Heck,
> _didn't_ they? It's done with a potion, right? I don't think we've
> been told that muggles can't brew all the same potions wizards can,
> given access to the ingredients, and I've always thought the
> classification "this substance/creature/place is magical, this one's
> not" is a bit questionable - think of flobberworms. And even
> regardless of that, if it's a potion, and muggles brew potions, it
> becomes less "using an ability Dudley doesn't have" and more "using
> knowledge that's being kept from him by a government conspiracy" (if
> even that - do we know there are restrictions on what muggles who 
know
> about magic are allowed to know/see in general? In that case it's
> "using knowledge that Dudley could theoretically have, but hasn't
> bothered to learn")
>
zgirnius:
I would disagree with you that nonmagical people can brew potions. My 
impression is that it requires magic to make potions out of the 
ingredients. I cite no less an authority then Professor Snape in 
support of my opinion:

"As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly 
believe this is magic."

(But it is, seems to be the implication).