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The magic gene is a portion of human DNA that determines whether a person will have magical abilities. Those people born with the gene active are witches and wizards, while those who are not are Muggles or Squibs.

The magic gene is recessive^[1] (1), and any child born to a wizarding family will have some degree of magical ability, or at least magical awareness. Squibs, while unable to use magic, are still able to function within the wizarding world to a limited degree. The descendants of squibs who instead integrate into the Muggle world and marry will usually be Muggles, although the magic gene occasionally resurfaces in later generations and produces a Muggle-born witch or wizard^[2].

Behind the scenes

• J.K. Rowling stated that she had considered having Dudley Dursley have a magical child in the epilogue, and see them off to Hogwarts at Platform 9¾ at the same time as Harry and his family. She decided against this, however, stating that any latent wizarding genes would never survive contact with Uncle Vernon's DNA.^[3]
• According to J.K. Rowling, nobody knows where magic comes from.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Indirectly)
• J. K. Rowling Official Site

Notes and references

External links

• Paper sent to JK Rowling explaining how the wizarding gene could be singular, autosomal, and dominant