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"However, the other half of the runic array is far more interesting. Tell me, are you familiar with the muggle sciences of psychology or neurology?"

He shook his head. This was getting far out of his depth.

"Muggles lack magic, but they have an astonishing capacity for innovation through mechanical means. Through such means—that is, technology—they have discovered aspects of the human body that wizards, for all our magic, remain largely ignorant of. Take neurology, the science of the human brain. Most purebloods know that the brain exists. Most muggleborn wizards are probably aware that the brain is considered the seat of the mind. However, a number of modern neuroscientists believe that the brain is not a single organ at all, but is rather comprised of three layers, three distinct organs. The basic organ is the reptilian complex, which controls for automatic bodily processes like heartbeat, digestion, and breathing. Wrapped around that is the 'paleomammalian' brain or limbic system, which controls our behavioral instincts, emotions, and subconscious triggers. Finally, the outermost layer is the 'neomammmalian' brain or neocortex, which controls our conscious mind, those things that define us as human. Are you following so far?"

Filius nodded, his darting eyes the only outward sign of his racing thoughts.

"That is how a muggle brain works. A wizard's brain works largely in the same way, only augmented by magic. At the lowest level, magic is infused through automatic bodily processes: this is why we heal faster and live longer than muggles. The limbic system controls for subconscious triggers—such as our 'fight, flight or freeze' response to fear. Among wizards, those reflexes manifest in outbursts of accidental magic. Lastly, the neocortex is the seat of conscious activity, and is it the magical connectors in that layer that regulate controlled magic, with or without a wand."

I paused, and Filius broke in with a question. "But I was under the impression that is it our magical core that determines our ability to do magic?"

"Indeed you're right. Our core powers our magic. However, active magic is intent-based, which is tied to the magical conduits in our brain. That is the difference between a squib and a muggle, for instance. A muggle has neither core nor conduits, while a squib has the neural conduits without the core to power them. That's why squibs can perceive magical creatures, where muggles ordinarily cannot. That's always why the Hogwarts' caretaker Filch is capable of very minor acts of magic, though he is a known squib. The neural conduits of a squib are activated in the presence of ambient magic."

"Remarkable!" He breathed. Indeed, Lockhart's knowledge of mind magic was so encyclopedic as to be truly out of character. Combining his research with my muggle background, and the conclusions I was drawing were quite original.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8324961/6/