[HPforGrownups] Re: Hogwarts, & the Magic World (was:... students ARE there at Hogwartz?)

[dorothy dankanyin]

No: HPFGUIDX 191575


From: <sigurd at eclipse.net>
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 5:03 PM
> Steve Sez:>
> When discussing 'mudbloods' and 'purebloods', Ron point out that without 
> inter-breeding with muggle and muggle-born, the wizard world would have 
> died out long ago.
>
> Otto:
> I remember that too. I suppose that could very well be true. Somehow there 
> seems something wrong with the statement but I can't get my head around 
> whatever is that is wrong. If it IS true then "magic" is a genetic 
> variation that can be passed along, or arise spontaneously, or skip a 
> generation or any of the variations genetics can do. This begs the 
> question of how many wizards do you have to intermarry with before you 
> turn into a drooling idiot-- or -- on the other hand, produce enough 
> genetic variation just in the wizarding community so that the deleterious 
> effects of close inbreeding can be avoided. An interesting technical 
> question but not really worth the candle to pursue it.

Steve & Otto,
  I think when Ron said that wizards as a group were dying out and needed to 
marry non wizards he probably was thinking of Voldemort destroying so many 
of them in the past.
  As for how many would it take to get the inbred effect, well, just look at 
the Gaunt family.  I know we weren't told how many generations were before 
them, but maybe we were.
  Think peace,
   Dorothy