Hogwarts Potions Master

Potions Master was the title given to the Potions professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They were in charge of teaching their subject to the students of Hogwarts in a classroom in the dungeons, and they owned an office, described as a "water closet", nearby, as well as brewing specialised potions in times of need, such as the Mandrake Restorative Draught and Wolfsbane Potion.Swoopstikes was once Potions Master. Aesop Sharp held the position in the late 19th century. Horace Slughorn held the post from at least 1931 until his retirement in 1981, when Severus Snape took his place. However, Slughorn returned in 1996 when Snape became the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, though Slughorn took Galatea Merrythought's old office while Snape kept the one in the dungeons.
==History==
===Professor Severus Snape===
In the school year of 1981 Professor Slughorn, in an effort to avoid questioning of a certain event he was too ashamed of, decided to resign from both of his positions at the school. In his place the new Headmaster (Albus Dumbledore) hired Severus Snape. Snape was one of Slughorn's ex-pupils and while he attended Hogwarts he proved to be very talented in the art of potion-making. Snape became both Potions master and Head of Slytherin House. After accepting the job Snape took ownership of his predecessor's office and the Potions Classroom. After taking possession of both he proceeded to impress his personality upon the rooms, in a rather gloomy fashion.Professor Snape was a ruthless disciplinarian, with little patience for foolishness, yet effective in his job and well respected by other professors. His deep understanding of potion brewing, as shown by his expert concoction of Wolfsbane Potion in 1993, transformed the knowledge of potions from mere chemistry to an art. Despite his effectiveness his biased liking for his own house, Slytherin, led him to give them undeserved lenience. While at the same time degrading other students (mainly Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom) going as far as to vanish Harry's potion for a slight mistake while bullying Neville constantly.But in 1996, Snape was granted his original, fervent and oft-repeated wish and was made Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, leaving the position of Potions master vacant. Snape taught Defence Against the Dark Arts fairer than he did Potions, suggesting he was biased as a Potions Master as a means to vent out his frustrations of not getting the position he desired.
==Classroom and office==
The Potions Master's classroom was a cold, creepy dungeon, which was beneath the main castle and the basement. It was described as much colder than up in the castle and had pickled animals in glass jars lined up along the walls. Professor Snape's office during his time as the school Potions Master had shadowy walls, which were lined with shelves of large glass jars filled with slimy, revolting things, such as bits of animals and plants, floating in potions of varying colours — much like the Potions Classroom. When Snape occupied it, he locked the office with a spell that none but a wizard could break.
==Classes==
As Potions Master, the incumbent was called upon to teach Potions class to all years, from first to seventh, since Potions was a required subject for all students in their first five years, and a considerable number, including any potential Aurors or Healers, took it for the final two. 
===First year===
Students in their first year were taught the Boil-Cure Potion, called the "Cure for Boils" by Professor Horace Slughorn. This potion consisted of dried Nettles, snake fangs, stewed horned slugs, porcupine quills and Flobberworm Mucus. Unless the cauldron was taken off the fire before adding the porcupine quills, the cauldron would melt and create boils instead of curing them. This happened once in 1991, and Severus Snape, the Potions master at the time, was not pleased at all.
===Second year===
The Potions Master taught the Swelling Solution to his second-year students, whose lessons took place on a Thursday in 1992. The Swelling Solution, as the name implies, caused whatever it touched to swell up in size, and one of the Swelling Solution's ingredients was puffer-fish eyes. In 1992, Draco Malfoy kept flicking some of these eyes at Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, who used a Dr Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Firework to cause a distraction and steal ingredients (for a Polyjuice Potion) from Severus Snape's storeroom by dropping one in Gregory Goyle's cauldron. This incident led Snape to make the daunting threat to expel the one who threw the firework, since, despite a lack of evidence, he knew at once it was Harry. The Wiggenweld Potion was, once again, concocted and revised.
==See also==
*Professor
*Potioneer
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Category:Hogwarts Potions Masters