Magical Potential
Magical potential is a phrase used in the magical community to mean one or more things.
It's first definition is one way of considering or classifying the amount of magic or potential ability of a human to use magic, such as casting spells etc. It is the innate magic inside of a human, the raw, untamed potential without education or application of practise.
The second is the magical potential of a material, such as crystals, artefacts, runes etc. or magical ingredients from magical creatures.
Magical Potential in Humans
All witches and wizards who can wield a wand and successfully cast simple charms - whether at present or in future when they reach their eleventh birthday. Muggles have no magical potential (the more scientific approach might suggest they have no magic genes). It can be argued squibs have latent magical potential, as they are able to access the wizarding world, a view which supports the vision of Kwikspell.
Department of Mysteries Studies
Witches and wizards have magical potential which they use a magic (or other cultural means) to channel into spells. Mortimer Gamp and Lyra Gamp, two unspeakables in the 1950s and 1960s, researched magical potential in subjects. They attempted to find a way to first measure it. They ran a study of magical children, which included William Shufflebottom and siblings and Edwin Glass. Some of the parents were paid to encourage their participation when the research had potential risks.
- 1953 Never Had It So Good, Mortimer Gamp with Edwin Glass
- 1966 Desperate Volunteers, Mortimer Gamp, Lyra Gamp with William Shufflebottom and siblings.
By the late 1960s Mortimer and Lyra had begun to investigate blood magic as a potential marker.
His focus on study in the Department of Mysteries had centered around magical potential, from how it manifested in children to the loss of power when exposed long term to dementors, to whether someone’s magical potential could be entirely robbed and absorbed into another. At the best of times, he had engaged in some suspect method to acquire data, preying on families keen to make financial gain in exchange for their time. His subjects as children had become his colleagues, good friends, and neighbours.
During Voldemort’s occupation of the Ministry, such research had become entirely moral and ethical, and Mortimer had thrived upon the freedom. He had made great progress, but had ultimately been cautious that his findings would be stolen. When the occupation was ended, Mortimer had secreted the work back to Godric’s Hollow as best he could, and where he could, he continued to research.
- Mortimer Gamp in Nine Down
Magical potential can be generally measured with sensitive crystals which respond to a witch or wizard's natural magical aura. When held, the crystals give off either light or harmonic vibration depending on the magical potential of the bearer. Sets of these crystals are found in the Department of Mysteries and also St Mungo's hospital as part of an experimental healing study of an unrelated matter.
Athena Marrowbone uses a set of these crystals to examine Josie Flint on 14 February 2012 [1]. She uses Dragonhide Gloves to handle the crystals so that her own magical energy would not interfere with the test.
Gamp & Gamp's Unauthorised Studies in 2011
Mortimer Gamp continued his work in the Department of Mysteries, eventually becoming Head Unspeakble. Meanwhile, Lyra had ceased working and instead turned her interest in the potential of magical children to tutoring them at their home in Godric's Hollow. This allowed for observational research.
With the assistance of Ira Almasy and associates, the Gamps were able to fulfil a once in a lifetime opportunity to intensively study and examine magical adolescents over the weekend of 12th and 13th February 2011 deep in Level 9's labyrinth laboratories. (See Mischief Unmanaged plot.) The pair used extensive blood magic with magical artefacts (such as glass orbs) in the pursuit of draining magical potential from abducted Hogwarts students with the intention of increasing their own magical potential.
While Mortimer was somewhat successful in transferring some of the collected magical potential to himself, the results were that we could not control his magic. He exhibited uncontrolled wandless magic, and caused physical injury to himself when captured and an attempt to cast a ward splintered his wand and threw him across the room.
Their test subjects, meanwhile, exhibited symptoms of shock from blood loss. They are exhausted and have cuts on the inside of their elbows where blood has been let. Existing measures of magical potential with sensitive crystals indicate a lower level which returns after a few days of rest.
A witch or wizard who had meanwhile absorbed the magic of others would be detected not only in their unusual strength of power (which malfunctions frequently) but also that any handling of such measuring crystals would result in shattering the minerals.
Praecantatio Deliquus in 2011
In late 2011, Praecantatio Deliquus was observed to temporarily suppress or prevent access to the afflicted witch of wizard's magical potential. For more on this refer to Magical Measles and It Came From Outer Space plots.
