Potions in Harry Potter

A variety of Potions are discussed in the fictional Harry Potter series of novels by J.K. Rowling. 
==Potions==
Potions are brewed in a cauldron from magical ingredients. This results in liquids that can be made to have any kind of effect on the drinker from strength enhancement to immunity to flames. According to Snape, with potions one can "bewitch the mind, ensnare the senses and even put a stopper on death". Potion-making skills are not dependent on the maker's overall magic skills, as the potions result from the properties and right proportions of the ingredients.
===Draught of Living Death===
The Draught of Living Death is made by mixing a root of Asphodel and an infusion of Wormwood. It brings upon its drinker a very powerful sleep that can last indefinitely, hence its name. The potion is mentioned by Snape in Harry's very first Potions class in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It again plays an important role as the first potion to be brewed in Professor Slughorn's NEWT Potions class during the sixth year. While attempting to make the potion, Harry finds the instructions that lead to his discovery of the Half-Blood Prince.
===Veritaserum===
Veritaserum has properties similar to a truth drug. Three drops can force the drinker to spill his innermost secrets. It can be resisted through various methods, including occlumency, rendering it inadmissible as legal evidence.
The name comes from the Latin veritas ("truth") plus serum. Characters in the series to use it include Dolores Umbridge (who tries to get Harry to tell her where Sirius Black is, although he refuses to drink the tea into which she pours it) and Albus Dumbledore (who uses it to interrogate Barty Crouch Jr, who was at the time disguised as Alastor Moody).
===Polyjuice Potion===
Polyjuice Potion is used to transform a person into the physical form of another person for one hour. The final ingredient in this potion is a piece (hairs are the most convenient) of the person that the potion-taker will transform into. The potion cannot controllably be used to transform into a non-human animal - that ability can only be learned through hard study of transfigurations and contamination of the Polyjuice Potion may cause partial, uncontrollable animal transformations. The name is a portmanteau of polymorph (indicating shape-change) and juice (indicating that it is indeed a liquid).
The potion has played a part on three occasions:
*Harry, Ron, and Hermione brew this potion in Chamber of Secrets in order to assume the appearances of three Slytherins so they can sneak into the Slytherin Common Room and find out whether Draco Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin.
*Barty Crouch Jr. uses Polyjuice Potion in very large quantities in Goblet of Fire in order to pose as Alastor Moody.
*Draco has his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, use the potion so they can act as his undercover sentries in Half-Blood Prince. Very much to their chagrin, the most effective disguise for a hulking adolescent male student is that of a small preteen girl.
===Wolfsbane Potion===
Wolfsbane Potion is a recently (around 1990) invented potion that, if taken during the week leading up to the full moon, allows werewolves to retain his or her mindset and sanity, when he/she transforms into a werewolf during the full moon. It is described as a foul-tasting potion - sugar makes it useless - and is so difficult to make that Severus Snape was the only member of the Hogwarts staff capable of preparing the potion for Remus Lupin, who required regular doses to control himself when he transformed into a werewolf. The potion was invented by Marcus Belby's Uncle Damocles. Damocles was taught Potions in Hogwarts by Horace Slughorn.
===Felix Felicis===
Felix Felicis is a potion that makes the user incredibly lucky, possibly by increasing their intuition as well as affecting the outside world. It is very complicated to make, requiring at least six months, and is the color of molten gold. This potion was first seen in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, in which Harry won a vial of the brew by winning a contest in Potions class. He later used it to get Professor Slughorn's memories into the Pensieve, and later gave it to Ginny, Ron, and Hermione to aid them at the Battle of Hogwarts. Used in excess, it can be dangerously addictive and sometimes fatally toxic.
===Love Potion===
Love Potions create extreme romantic obsession rather than true love, the latter being impossible to recreate artificially. Love Potions can be added to food or drink and can strengthen the longer they're kept. There is a wide range of them. Fred and George Weasley send them disguised as perfumes and cough potions as part of their Owl order service. The strongest Love Potion in the world is Amortentia, which is first seen in the Half-Blood Prince and has a mother-of-pearl sheen and smells of that which is the most attractive to whoever inhales it.
===Mandrake Restorative Draft===
Mandrake Restorative Draft removes the effects of curses or petrification from the user. It requires the leaves from the Mandrake plant and form the base of many antidotes. Its concoction is one of Professor Lockhart's many claimed skills. This potion is used to unpetrify victims of the Basilisk in Chamber of Secrets.
===Minor potions===
*A potion is used by Harry to get past the flames in Philosopher's Stone to get to the Stone.
*A potion with an unknown name that cures boils. It is the very first potion Snape assigns to Harry's class in year one. 
*Age Potion: Causes the drinker to age, whether the potion only provides the signs of ageing or actually ages the drinker is not clear. A few drops ages the drinker a couple of months. The potion does not work against magical age detectors when these are properly established, e.g. Dumbledore's age line in the Goblet of Fire.
*Babbling Beverage: Causes the drinker to spew nonsense. Mentioned by Snape during year five.
*Confusing Concoction: A potion of unknown effect, possibly disorients the user. Snape apparently fails Harry when he is unable to correctly make it in Prisoner of Azkaban.
*Deflating Draft: Reverses the effects of the Swelling Solution. This is given out by Snape when a Filibuster firework landed in Goyle's cauldron during the second year.
*Draught of Peace: Gives the drinker a feeling of peace and well-being, but if overdone it can put the drinker into a deep or even irreversible sleep. It is a very difficult potion to make. Often used in the lead-up to the OWL and NEWT exams to help over-distressed students.
*An Elixir to Induce Euphoria: This sunshine-yellow potion makes the drinker very happy. This potion was first seen in Half-Blood Prince.
*Forgetfulness Potion: A potion of unknown effect, but judging from the name either interferes with or strengthens memory. This is assigned by Snape as the end of term test in year one.
*Hair Raising Potion: Includes a number of rat tails. Mentioned by Ron during the second year.
*Hiccoughing Solution: Cures hiccups. First seen in the Half-Blood Prince.
*Invigoration Draught: Apparently fortifies and increases the user's constitution. Assigned by Snape during the fifth year.
*Shrinking Solution: Causes the drinker to reverse age. First seen in Prisoner of Azkaban; Professor Snape tests Neville's solution on Trevor; Trevor becomes a tadpole.
*Skele-gro: A potion that grows back bones. It has a burning taste.It may have other effects as Malfoy notes he suspected Hagrid's size was caused by drinking a bottle of the potion as a child. Appeared in Chamber of Secrets.
*Sleeping Draught: Used in Chamber of Secrets to subdue Crabbe and Goyle, so that Harry and Ron can steal their hair and shoes.
*Strengthening Solution: Physically strengthens the drinker. First seen in Order of the Phoenix.
*Swelling Solution: Causes body parts it comes in contact with to swell up. This is assigned by Snape during the second year when Hermione steals ingredients from his stores.
*Wit-Sharpening Potion: Apparently sharpens the user's mind. Consists of beetles, ginger root, and bile, among other i
ngredients. Assigned by Snape in Goblet of Fire.
Category:Harry Potter magical objects