Polyjuice Question

[Inverarity]

I wonder if Polyjuice would work for turning into a vampire, or if they are technically considered human. I know that if you were to take hair from Lupin while he was in his werewolf state, they would not become a werewolf, but I wonder if vampires would be considered humans in this context.

Given what happened to Hermione, taking hair from a werewolf (in werewolf state) probably would not actually turn you into a werewolf, but it would turn you into something decidedly hairy and wolfen-looking.

Polyjuicing into a vampire wouldn't turn you into a vampire, but you'd probably wind up looking very, very pale, and having fangs.

[Karaley Dargen]

I don't think using hair from a dead person would work – I think it has to live when you take it, and I don't think you can keep it in store forever before using it. Following that thought, I doubt that the Polyjuice potion would work with Vampires at all...

[OliveOil_Med]

So it would seem that everyone is pretty much in agreement about the nature of Polyjuice, that it is only a disguise and that the persons innate abilities (or lack there of) would remain intaked after the potion was taken. And that if you took hairs from a pregnant woman, you would NOT end up pregnant yourself.

But then, what would be the difference between disguises obtained through Polyjuice and ones used through glamours? If glamours produced equal results to Polyjuice, why would anyone even bother with it. What could be some downsides to the use of glamours.

As I have said before, I have always though of glamours as illusions that could only fool the eyes, but I person's sense of hearing, touch, and all the others could tell them the person was not who they were pretending to be.

[TheCursedQuill]

I don't think using hair from a dead person would work – I think it has to live when you take it, and I don't think you can keep it in store forever before using it.

This is exactly what I was thinking as I was reading everyone's response. What if Crouch Jr. kept Moody alive, becuase he had too? I don't think the Polyjuice Potion would work on a dead person, just like it doesn't work with animals. If someone tried, they would either mutilate their body horribly, or they would die in my opinion.

But then, what would be the difference between disguises obtained through Polyjuice and ones used through glamours?

When you use a galmour, your voice wouldn't change and certainly not your eyesight. So I think Polyjuice would be something more believeable because it can do those things. Also, glamour has been described as being heavy and when one wears it, it's like wearing a large winter's coat all the time, and that's just not very comfortable. Glamours are something that you just put on top of yourself to fool everyone else. The PJ potion actually turns into that person.

There's also the point that using a PJ potion, you have to disguise yourself as someone already living, whereas with a glamour you could become a totally new person. So there's good and bad for either or, I suppose. It just depends on what you need the disguise for and what you need it to do.

[Inverarity]

A Glamour might also be more easily dispelled ("Finite Incantatem!") or seen through with something like Moody's glass eye.

[Sapphire at Dawn]

I also imagine that glamours would take strength of mind to hold the illusion in place, and that for many wizards, taking a simple potion would be a lot easier than keeping up the necessary level of concentration required to fool everyone.Therefore I think only someone who was very skillfull and had a lot of magical power could achieve it for any substantial length of time would be someone like Dumbledore. It would be a lot easier in the long run just to take the potion.

Do you think that the Polyjuice Potion would transform someones insides as well? It obviously doesn't transform the brain as when Ron, Hermione and co transformed into Harry, they still kept their own minds, but what would happen if you transformed into someone who was in the advanced stages of cancer and their organs were covered in tumours? Would the person who transformed into them also have the tumours?

[the opaleye]

Do you think that the Polyjuice Potion would transform someones insides as well? It obviously doesn't transform the brain as when Ron, Hermione and co transformed into Harry, they still kept their own minds, but what would happen if you transformed into someone who was in the advanced stages of cancer and their organs were covered in tumours? Would the person who transformed into them also have the tumours?

This is a tough one. I think one of the reasons we decided that you wouldn't become pregnant was because that it would violate Gamp's laws i.e it would create new life. However, with things like tumours... To be honest, I think that you would temporarily have the tumours. Just because the tumours in question are internal does not mean they will not be there. If someone had a tumour say on their neck, which protuded out from the skin, we'd assume that it would be there if you used their hairs in polyjuice potion. I doubt that they would kill you, though, even at advanced stages of tumourous cancer. You would probably just turn back into your normal self if it came to that.

I think that the fact you keep your mind is part of the potions magic. Your brain would have changed due to the fact that it has to fit inside someone elses head and the fact that it has to control someone elses body, but your mind stays yours.

[leahsm2]

This is a tough one. I think one of the reasons we decided that you wouldn't become pregnant was because that it would violate Gamp's laws i.e it would create new life. However, with things like tumours... To be honest, I think that you would temporarily have the tumours. Just because the tumours in question are internal does not mean they will not be there. If someone had a tumour say on their neck, which protuded out from the skin, we'd assume that it would be there if you used their hairs in polyjuice potion. I doubt that they would kill you, though, even at advanced stages of tumourous cancer. You would probably just turn back into your normal self if it came to that.

I think that the fact you keep your mind is part of the potions magic. Your brain would have changed due to the fact that it has to fit inside someone elses head and the fact that it has to control someone elses body, but your mind stays yours.

>.> Why are you allowing some one else's interpretation of Gamp's laws to limit your choices? This is why I hem and haw before I answer these threads. I really find it tiring that people just decide they have all of the answers, and refuse to even entertain other options. Enjoy yourselves, I frankly no longer care.

[Inverarity]

>.> Why are you allowing some one else's interpretation of Gamp's laws to limit your choices? This is why I hem and haw before I answer these threads. I really find it tiring that people just decide they have all of the answers, and refuse to even entertain other options. Enjoy yourselves, I frankly no longer care.

Well, the point of the thread is to toss ideas around and discuss interpretations of canon. Gamp's Law seems to be a pretty strong argument against creating an actual pregnancy, but we've seen a number of interesting opinions about how Polyjuice Potion would work in various exceptional situations. (I'll bet Rowling never thought of most of them!)

And of course, no one's choices are limited -- everything here is an opinion and no one is being told what they can or cannot write. (Of course, if someone does write a story in which Polyjuice Potion makes someone pregnant, they are likely to get readers challenging its canonicity. )

Frankly, I'm not sure where the indignation or dissatisfaction with the discussion comes from.

[the opaleye]

>.> Why are you allowing some one else's interpretation of Gamp's laws to limit your choices? This is why I hem and haw before I answer these threads. I really find it tiring that people just decide they have all of the answers, and refuse to even entertain other options. Enjoy yourselves, I frankly no longer care.

Hm, perhaps I should have phrased it differently. I was just saying that I agreed with the notion that Gamp's Law explained why you wouldn't become pregnant. And from there, I tried to fit my answer to the tumour question around that notion.

And of course, no one's choices are limited -- everything here is an opinion and no one is being told what they can or cannot write. (Of course, if someone does write a story in which Polyjuice Potion makes someone pregnant, they are likely to get readers challenging its canonicity.)

My thoughts exactly. I didn't mean to say that what I thought was the be all and end all. It was just my opinion and I was trying to back it up with justification. Personally, I think Gamp's Law is good evidence since it is canon.

But what do you all think about my theory for tumours and the mind? Do you agree? Disagree? Both? I'm certainly not tired of this topic, it's very interesting and I love seeing how others interpret the theories presented in here.