A Late-Blooming Witch / Wizard v2

[CleverBadger]

I don't think it was Merope. She was always a witch, she was able to make the pot move with her wand in the Pensieve memory. Her family just intimidated her to the point where her magic wouldn't work properly.

Also, I'm estimating that she was between 20-25 when she bewitched Tom Riddle Sr. into loving her. This is not, in my opinion, "quite late in life" as JK specified.

So far the people we know who are not able to do magic are:

Vernon: a prime candidate, as I am betting on an attack on Privet Dr. the minute Harry comes of age.
Petunia: JK said she was not a Squib, so this is likely ruled out. Unless Lily was not in fact Muggleborn. Perhaps Petunia was adopted. She doesn't look much like Lily, so this is a possibility. Maybe she was invited to attend Hogwarts but didn't want to.
Dudley: I think he is too young for him to be doing magic "quite late in life"

Filch: What "desperate circumstance" could he be in? I just don't see this happening.
Figgy: If she had any magical powers, wouldn't she have been able to see the dementors? Same goes for Dudley.
Ron's Uncle who is an Accountant: I really like this idea. We know JK was going to introduce this character in GoF, when he and his Muggle wife have a daughter (Mafalda) who is a witch, and quite a gifted one. Perhaps he will be invited to Bill and Fleur's wedding, and we will meet him and he will show some magical ability if there is an attack at this time?

[theSENTRY]

Originally Posted by CleverBadger

I don't think it was Merope. She was always a witch, she was able to make the pot move with her wand in the Pensieve memory. Her family just intimidated her to the point where her magic wouldn't work properly.

Also, I'm estimating that she was between 20-25 when she bewitched Tom Riddle Sr. into loving her. This is not, in my opinion, "quite late in life" as JK specified.

So far the people we know who are not able to do magic are:

Vernon: a prime candidate, as I am betting on an attack on Privet Dr. the minute Harry comes of age.
Petunia: JK said she was not a Squib, so this is likely ruled out. Unless Lily was not in fact Muggleborn. Perhaps Petunia was adopted. She doesn't look much like Lily, so this is a possibility. Maybe she was invited to attend Hogwarts but didn't want to.
Dudley: I think he is too young for him to be doing magic "quite late in life"

Filch: What "desperate circumstance" could he be in? I just don't see this happening.
Figgy: If she had any magical powers, wouldn't she have been able to see the dementors? Same goes for Dudley.
Ron's Uncle who is an Accountant: I really like this idea. We know JK was going to introduce this character in GoF, when he and his Muggle wife have a daughter (Mafalda) who is a witch, and quite a gifted one. Perhaps he will be invited to Bill and Fleur's wedding, and we will meet him and he will show some magical ability if there is an attack at this time?

There's a problem with the last three. You have to ask yourself a question. How would that help move the story? Any of them could show some hidden magic, but why would it be important? Another character, who we already know can perform magic, could be substituted in there stead, and it could serve the story in the same way without the distraction from the main storyline that would take place to explain the sudden change in magical ability. There needs to be a connection that ties to Harry...something that would leave an impact...not because of the magic performed, but because of the revealing of the ability.

[CleverBadger]

Originally Posted by theSENTRY

There's a problem with the last three. You have to ask yourself a question. How would that help move the story? Any of them could show some hidden magic, but why would it be important? Another character, who we already know can perform magic, could be substituted in there stead, and it could serve the story in the same way without the distraction from the main storyline that would take place to explain the sudden change in magical ability. There needs to be a connection that ties to Harry...something that would leave an impact...not because of the magic performed, but because of the revealing of the ability.

I completely agree. I do think it will be Vernon Dursley, but just thought I'd give my two cents on the other possibilities.

I'd like to add an old friend to the list.

Hagrid, now we know that Hagrid uses magic on certain occasions but he is forbidden from doing so. So certainly he has never reached his true potential, maybe he does in book 7

[ComicBookWorm]

Originally Posted by CleverBadger

Petunia: JK said she was not a Squib, so this is likely ruled out. Unless Lily was not in fact Muggleborn. Perhaps Petunia was adopted. She doesn't look much like Lily, so this is a possibility. Maybe she was invited to attend Hogwarts but didn't want to.

JOn her website, JKR said that Petunia has never performed magic, and would never perform magic.

[lexlove1]

I think that it will be someone who has been mentioned in the series, but has not come to the forefront with msgic. My general question is why are we focusing on squibs? uIt could just as well have meant someone who is a full fledged witch/wizard that was just being lazy. That being a possibility, the whole theory just got bigger. For all we know, it could very weel be one of the students at Hogwarts!

[RavenEye]

The canon for Merope's age at the time her father and brother were arrested and for her being a witch:

The House of Gaunt, HBP UK pg 201 'I think you are forgetting,' said Dumbledore, 'that Merope was a witch. I do not believe that her magical powers appeared to their best advantage when she was being terrorised by her father. Once Marvolo and Morfin were safely in Azkaban, once she was alone and free for the first time in her life, then, I am sure, she was able to give full rein to her abilities and to plot her escape from the desperate life she had led for eighteen years.'

I think we can also rule out Mrs Figg and Mr Filch - although they are in the right age range, JKR's website pretty much says neither will do magic:

Extra Stuff - Squibs Neither of these characters can perform magic (Filch’s Kwikspell course never worked)... Incidentally, Arabella Figg never saw the Dementors that attacked Harry and Dudley, but she had enough magical knowledge to identify correctly the sensations they created in the alleyway.

None of this rules out Vernon but I can't think of a situation that would arise requiring him to do magic: not in Harry's presence anyway. I think our supposed Muggle/Squib will need to be connected to the Horcrux hunt plot in some way and I can't see Harry taking Vernon with him.

[theSENTRY]

Originally Posted by RavenEye

None of this rules out Vernon but I can't think of a situation that would arise requiring him to do magic: not in Harry's presence anyway. I think our supposed Muggle/Squib will need to be connected to the Horcrux hunt plot in some way and I can't see Harry taking Vernon with him.

We were also given a pretty good explaination for why children often perform uncontrolled bits of wandless magic by Rowling on her website. The magical ability gets bottled up and builds, then it is unlessed in a fit of high emotion. I think we've seen Vernon about as mad and in rage as he can't several times through out the books, and he has yet to experience this release of magic that comes from not using one's magical ability. I think that might be enough to rule him out.

[LadyofthePensieve]

A Late-Blooming Wizard ? Well, I guess it will be Snape´s papa. Yeah!
A Late-Blooming Witch ? This has to be Mrs Number 7 opposite!!!

[jaan]

ooooh, Hagrid. . . interesting thought, Cagan. This would fit the description of a late-blooming wizard. perhaps the trio will teach him (harry did remind him of 'aguamenti'- foreshadowing?).

Thoughts?

[RavenEye]

Originally Posted by Cagan

I'd like to add an old friend to the list.

Hagrid, now we know that Hagrid uses magic on certain occasions but he is forbidden from doing so. So certainly he has never reached his true potential, maybe he does in book 7

Hagrid doesn't fit the description at all - it was known he was a wizard before 11 and he went on to Hogwarts. Hagrid has done magic on many occasions, and not just in desperate circumstances.

[lexlove1]

We never see Neville do anything extroadinary in school. Maybe this will be his time to shine?!

[weaselkneazle]

I suspect it is Dudley. JKR never mentioned what Dudley saw during his experience with the Dementors. If he was not magical, he would have not seen anything. Also Dumbledore talks of the "abuse" inflicted on his by the Dursleys. Perhaps the abuse was not allowing him to explore his magical potential.

[jaan]

Originally Posted by RavenEye

Hagrid doesn't fit the description at all - it was known he was a wizard before 11 and he went on to Hogwarts. Hagrid has done magic on many occasions, and not just in desperate circumstances.

that depends on how we interpret "late-blooming." A talent is described as late-blooming if it exists menially for a time and then flourishes after one expects. If Hagrid all of a sudden worked on his magic and became a skilled wizard after years of only having minor powers, I think this would definitely classify as a 'late blooming.' Whether or not JKR had that meaning of late-blooming in mind or not, I don't know. But wouldn't that be cool!

[sqizzer]

It was just far too much to read through, apologies if it's been said before...

Here's my two cents:

I was thinking, seens as though the Petunia candidate was squashed by JKR herself, there is a possibility that said suspect could in fact be DUDLEY. Here's why I think this...

How to word it? Of all the muggles and suibs we've met along the way, the only ones that seem to stand a chance of being the lucky one seem to be the Dursleys. Petunia has been declined, and Vernon doesn't even have the potential to make himself a sandwich let alone cast a spell. But DUDLEY has it in his blood, his Aunt was a witch. I thought that this may have something to do with his worst nightmare and what he may have seen when he met the dementors. Maybe his worst memory was that of him inexplicably causing something to happen because of extreme emotion (like when before Harry knew how to control his magic, and what it was), because of the horror it would cause his mum and dad. They have been extremely against magic ever since Harry came into their lives, and although it was never worded as such, surely Dudley's not THAT stupid that he couldn't put it together once Harry found out he was a wizard. And then naturally after that, when Harry was at Hogwarts, the amount of resentment he was shown, and the forbidding of anything magical at Privet Drive. Dudley could know about it, too, but have no choice revealing it if something extreme happens and he tries to defend himself or his family (more likely himself), and so his secret would be revealed. I'm not saying that he's been testing it out in his bedroom for years, but that maybe it happened once and he's been keeping that a secret. And that everybody could find out because it'll accidently happen again.

That's all

[CelestLBeing]

I am thinking the late bloomer is Arabella Figg. JK never said she didn't see the dementors. She said squibs can't see dementors. If Mrs. Figg couldn't see them I think JK would have said that specifically.

[RavenEye]

Originally Posted by CelestLBeing

I am thinking the late bloomer is Arabella Figg. JK never said she didn't see the dementors. She said squibs can't see dementors. If Mrs. Figg couldn't see them I think JK would have said that specifically.

She has:

Extra Stuff, JKR's website Incidentally, Arabella Figg never saw the Dementors that attacked Harry and Dudley, but she had enough magical knowledge to identify correctly the sensations they created in the alleyway.

This might be off base but have we ever seen Trelawney do any actual magic, as opposed to flinching at tea leaves and crystal balls?

[ellie1015]

I think it'll be Dudley. I know JKR has said that its not Petunia (on her website)
http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en...view.cfm?id=37

Aunt Petunia will start exhibiting magical tendencies

No, she won't. Aunt Petunia has never performed magic, nor will she ever be able to do so.

But I haven't ever seen anything about Dudley or Vernon. I like the idea of Dudley doing magic because the Dursleys hate it so much, but also really love Dudley. I'd just love to see Vernons and Petunia's reaction.

Also- the only other choices seem to be Filch and Mrs Figg... Ted Tonks, I believe was a muggle born wizard, not a muggle.

[CelestLBeing]

Originally Posted by RavenEye

She has:


This might be off base but have we ever seen Trelawney do any actual magic, as opposed to flinching at tea leaves and crystal balls?

Thank you for the canon, that's what I get for not checking my facts!

[Olwen]

I'm still kind of hoping that Filch's correspondence school magic course pays off and he's able to pull off one spectacular spell, like having one of his famous horsewhips chase a DE out of Hogwarts. But that's probably just wishful thinking.