The Scar

[Ken Hutchinson]

No: HPFGUIDX 160308

> Carol responds:
> I can see Harry losing the powers that he acquired from Voldemort, but
> why would he lose those he was born with (and we know that he was born
> magical because his name was written down by the Hogwarts quill at the
> moment of his birth)?
> 

Ken:

When you ask why do you mean logically why? Since when did logic apply
to the Potterverse? I don't see that losing all his magical power is
the most likely outcome but in "this sort of story", as the author
likes to say, that kind of ending has precedent. Giving up power or
wealth or ability to gain some end is a common ending. It is the same
sort of ending as a hero who dies to save the world or someone, just
less extreme. There is no logical reason why this would occur in this
story but a logical reason for it could be introduced in book 7 and I
don't see any reason to exclude the possibility. Nor do I expect it to
happen. 

> Carol:

> Also, I don't know where you get the idea that there are plenty of
> Muggle marriages to witches or wizards. I know of three: 

Ok, lets work with those three. How many marriages in the WW do we
know *any* detail of? Is it as many as 30? I doubt it is that many but
let's say it is 30, that implies that 10% of wizards and witches marry
muggles. Statistically speaking neither 3 nor 30 are large numbers on
which to base a conclusion yet if the author intends to give us a true
picture of the typical condition of the WW then we can conclude that
around 10% of WW marriages involve a muggle partner. An intermarriage
rate of 10% is a fairly significant number and not out of line with
what we see between other minority groups and the majorities they live
among. There is nothing I read in HP that would scare me off from
marrying a witch. 

Replying to the thread in general now and not Carol in particular I
don't understand the reaction to a Harry without magic. Would not
Harry losing his magical power be akin to losing sight, hearing, or
limbs in the real world? Do those of you who say Harry without magic
would and could have no purpose or place in either world say the same
about the blind, deaf, and paraplegic? I doubt that many of you do. It
would be quite a tragedy for Harry as it is for real folk who have
faced this kind of loss but humans are resiliant and adaptable and go
on to live fulfilling lives in spite of handicaps. One of our greatest
living astrophysicists, Stephen Hawking, has been reduced to a barley
functioning physical shell by ALS, yet his mind is as brilliant as
ever and comparable to the great minds of history and legend. He still
holds a revered place in the world and contributes to his field at the
highest level. Why would we expect any less from Harry or ourselves?
Harry seems to want to be an auror. If he had no magic he could not be
an auror in the usual sense. He could still work in the auror's office
though in much the same way as muggle police detectives work. A brain
can be more effective than a wand for catching criminals even though
those who can use a wand are required in the actual capture.

Ken