Snapedom

What do we know about magical cores? Fanon certainly explores the issue, but is there anything within canon that addresses just what makes a witch or wizard stronger than their peers? Canon implies that the most powerful wizards are half-bloods, but is there a genuine argument for that beyond a huge series of coincidences?

Would a large magical core be beneficial or detrimental to a Potions Master? I have conflicting feelings about whether being magically powerful would be a help or a hindrance for someone in Severus's vocation. It led me to wonder whether he would have to control the amount of magic he introduced during brewing in order to create potions as precise as his perfectionism demanded.

He's an emotional man and repressing that for his art would contribute to his erratic behavior. He's obviously clever and well-educated ... he prides himself on possessing unflappable emotional control that allows him to be a successful Occlumens yet we continually see him react emotionally in social situations.

Could his emotional explosions have been in part because he struggled to be as unresponsive as possible while he worked with potions as well as when he had to be when he masqueraded for the Dark Lord? It's food for thought and the more I ponder it, the more questions I have about magical cores and emotions powering magic. Opinions?