MetaFic

I have from time to time dabbled in the theory of magic. I am also doing a similar thing for some original writing where the magic is based on the elements.

I tend to start from this point: Why can Harry& co do magic and Muggles can't? What is it that enables the magical community to be just that, magical? One path my thinking has followed is that it is a similar skill to a sculptor or potter or any other form of 'physical' art: they have the ability to mould the physical at a level we cannot.

I know its not much of a contribution but hopefully it'll start a discussion which will be useful.

Well that's edging on the topic of bloodlines and what makes purebloods purebloods. I do have an idea for such. How do muggleborns pop up and such. I developed this actually in a concept for one of my failed attempts of fanfiction.

There are two factors one is the gene that allows a person to control and manipulate magic, the second part is the magic itself.

The gene to control magic is everywhere, something like one in three people have it, the crutch of the situation is the magic itself, it takes magic to make more magic. As families live and die, muggle and magical ones they generate an innate amount of magic, their experiences, their thoughts, their imagination makes the magic, the raw power of it. Muggles build up this magic of generations until one day a threshold specified by the gene which controls magic is breached and there by a muggleborn is born. The amount of magic to cross the threshold is by this time huge and once activated it will continue on down the line of generations spawning muggleborns as the first muggleborn in that line now has control of that entire power source. This is while first born muggleborns are often the more powerful and the reason their siblings are some times left out actually based on the parents.

Changes in thinking which contradicts precepts in previous generations manipulate how the magic reacts. With a big enough change magic has been known to mutate spawning abilities much like Metamorphmagi and Parslemouths. If for example Petunia and Vernon both had enough magic built up in their bloodline regardless of Lily's inheritance of the family's power, their favoritism for Dudley (and if they had a second son who at time of birth in some cases conception) he would potentially inheirit all the magic that had built or remained in the family line. As a result one side of the family later in life can give birth to muggleborns and one line can't depending on this threshold and how its changed and how it mutates at varying levels.

Pureblood families really are no different except the magical reservoirs that powers their family is HUGE but its also the reason of intermarriage and why having multiple children is most of the time frowned upon. It has the potential to spread the bloodline's power thin. Where as one heir of the power marrying with another singular heir has the potential to spawn a bloodline with enough power to keep producing witches and wizard for a long time. But the cost is the gene that causes magical manipulation has the unfortunate side effect that intermarriage and inbreeding can result in turning it off or it being lost completely. So the older the family the more likely they are to start squibing out. This can make muggleborns quite useful in replenishing diminishing supplies of magic in a bloodline and make muggles also useful alternatives since they can have potentially a high power reservoir of magic but an equally high threshold preventing them from being able to utilize it.

Also the amount of magic in a bloodline determines the potential power in each witch or wizard. The weaker it is, the less powerful of a witch or wizard it produces and the only methods of increasing this innate potential is very difficult to the point that most rarely notice a difference even when taxing themselves in an attempt.

What makes it interesting is the squibing out of bloodlines. While each individual has literally a limitless magic reservoir which their body or spirit or core produces it can only recharge so fast and unless they were to abstain from magic entirely each witch and wizard is drain on the bloodline on the moment of conception and usually uses so much magical power during their life that their return to the bloodlines reservoir is less than what it took to conceive them. Brilliant changes in thinking or truly inspiring thought can have a positive effect on increasing the power of magic, as a person makes more of their magic it changes as I stated above that magic changes to suit the personality of its user and over the course of their life differing more and more from their parents. The more they change it they more when they bare children will it be infused into the bloodline but the more it stays the same and static to the beliefs of their ancestors, the less they can potentially return to their bloodline. There by incredibly dull witted people or people who take what they are told of granted and never improve or think for themselves further increase the tax that conceiving another generation puts on a bloodline's reserves.

If they doesn't make sense tell me. But its the best I can come up with for the reason of changing powers between characters and generations. Like why Voldemort was so powerful and yet the rest of his family were practically squibs that could talk to snakes. His mother had a serious change in thought compared to the rest of her family since Salazar Slytherin. While not powerful in her own right, she returned a great deal of power and changed the magic of the bloodline. Combine that with an old family like the Riddles who potentially have a large reserve but a high threshold as well... You get someone as powerful him.

Any questions, thoughts or other ideas?

Now, based on that, how can Colin and Dennis Cleevley (or how ever you spell their name) be explained? I remember you explained it to me months ago on AIM but I can't remember what you said and I don't feel like hunting through my chat logs at the moment and I think others might benefit with an answer in a public place.

Of course the exception to this rule is the Weasley's. 7 very capable (magically speaking) children including a very powerful witch. One suggestion to cover this is that muggleborns appear in the Weasley/ Prewitt family trees frequently enough to keep the pool fresh but not so often that they are considered half-bloods. or perhaps a focus on dark magic has negative side effects.

Just a few thoughts.

Not so much of an exception as I could see it, I believe one of their relatives was a squib, an uncle was it? The accountant fellow, another reason could be that that bulk of the family's magical power is centered around the women, female Weasleys are powerful and the men just get the left overs. This could be an example of the magic having become changed.

Another possible reason is that while attitudes may not change in the family, they are a rather inventive bunch. Each one uses their mind in a way that's positive, creative and while they are stretching the bloodline thin they aren't as much of a drain due to their ability to think and create. The return may be nearly as high as the cost to produce a magical.

Then again Weasleys were always and odd bunch but we love all the same but yeah.

And unfortunately Omega, I never did save the chat logs for that.

Edit:

And indeed dark magic could have its side effects if its used for dark things but how its used would influence how a person influences the magic within then. In a line like the Blacks they could have possibly used it as a corruption of life, for greed, that could easily cause problems. The less magic is used for things that are against the nature of life it could become less compatible, I guess. If thats the case then it could possibly loose the ability in that line to produce magic bearing children.