Explain This Passage

[susanmcgee48176]

No: HPFGUIDX 180634

> Susan McGee wrote:
> <snip>
> > (And a squib of course is a muggle. But a squib differs from some
> muggles because a squib would have been born into family where one
of
> the parents was a witch or a wizard. We KNOW that a squib CAN have
> > two magical parents, because Neville's family was afraid that he
was
> > a squib, and both his parents were magical. The non-squib muggles
> > would be muggles who had two non-magical parents). <nip>
>
> Carol responds:
>
> Actually, that's not quite accurate. A Muggle is a a person with no
> magical powers and no (known) magical ancestors. (Evidently, genes
> from those unknown magical ancestors are sometimes activated in
Muggle
> offspring, producing Muggle-born witches and wizards, but as JKR's
> attempts to explain this phenomenon are all off-page and her
knowledge
> of genetics is apparently limited, I won't go there.)

Of course, genetics in the WW may not be the same as genetics in the
RW, so if we project our RW genetics into the WW, there may be
problems...

Carol continues:
> A Squib, OTOH, has, as you say, either one or two magical parents,
and
> is therefore *not* a Muggle. He or she is a Pure-Blood or Half-Blood
> who somehow fails to develop magical powers. snip.

Susan responds:
Hmmmm....interesting..not sure I totally agree. I think that pure-
blood or half-blood are political constructs, not genetic categories
(see my prior post referencing JKR interview about this)...and there
doesn't seem to be any correlation between intensity magical powers
and being half-blood, pure blood, or muggleborn.so I wouldn't
describe a squib as pure-blood or half blood...so would someone be
considered a squib if one parent was a muggle, and the other parent
was a witch or wizard? Or do both parents have to be magical for a
non-magical person to be considered a Squib (I would guess that this
is the case).

Carol:
(It appears that Squibs, unlike Muggles, can see Hogwarts and
communicate with cats, but they can't see Dementors or cast spells.

Susan responds:
I understood that Mrs. Norris, and Mrs. Figgs' cats were part
Kneazle...and we don't know (really) if Muggles can communicate with
part cat/part Kneazle. So do we really know that the ability to
communicate with part Kneazle/part cat is restricted to Squibs? Could
Muggles also communicate with them? We know that Sirius communicated
with Crookshanks in PoA, but I don't remember other humans
communicating with him. I note in "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find
Them" that Kneazles can make an excellent pet if they take a liking
to a witch or wizard. It sounds as if Kneazles may be like cats in
that sometimes they fiercely bond to one human. We know that the part
cat/part Kneazles bonded to Mrs. Figg, Mr. Filch and Sirius Black --
maybe they could also bond to a muggle?

And there is evidence that Squibs can see dementors.
Order of the Phoenix, hardback, U.S. edition, p. 143.
'"A Squib, eh?' said Fudge, eyeing her closely........'Incidentally,
can Squibs see dementors?' he added, looking left and right along the
bench where he sat. 'Yes, we can!' said Mrs. Figg indignantly.'"
THIS would serve to support the theory that there is a difference
between Squibs and Muggles.

Vis a vis seeing Hogwarts...sounds like you are assuming that because
Mr. Filch lives inside Hogwarts that Squibs have an ability that
Muggles do not...It could be that the protective spells are relaxed
for him, and could be relaxed for Muggles. Have we ever noticed a
Muggle at Hogwarts? We know that Muggles can get into Diagon Alley
(Dr. and Dr. Granger) and can be admitted to St. Mungo's....We know
that at least one Squib (Mrs. Figg) has been inside the Ministry of
Magic...have there been Muggles there?

Hmmm..interesting.....

Susan