Potions
Introduction

With the Lights Out, It’s Less Dangerous

hile I am rather flexible when it comes to theory and expression of individuality, I do not afford any leniency when it comes to safety both in and out of class. Many of the ingredients we use in class are highly toxic or irritating when one comes in contact with them, and a simple accident can result in severe damage or even death. As such, misuse of classroom instruments or inability to heed basic safety will result in expulsion from the classroom or more serious repercussions.

• In terms of dress code, please remember to wear sufficient covering and closed-toed shoes. Bare skin is particularly prone to exposure through spills and splashes. Also, please do not wear overly bulky garments, as they can snag on instruments and impede movement. They may also dip into the cauldron and contaminate the potion while you are brewing. Students should remove any long-hanging jewelry and pin hair back if it is long to ensure it does not catch or fall into the cauldron. Jewelry as a whole is discouraged for this reason, although I will certainly understand if a keepsake is kept during labs. Remember to wear dragon-hide gloves as necessary, and always wear your goggles while working with potions.
  
  


• In any event, the most important thing to remember in the event of an accident is not to panic.
  
  


• Wands are crucial tools when stirring potions, but giving students license to use their wands is not an open invitation to any horseplay or to practice new spells or jinxes on one another. Also, please never point your wand directly at yourself or at anyone else during Potions.

Here We Are Now

• Moving into the bulk of the lesson, a potion is defined as a magical mixture that combines both magical and mundane ingredients. Today potions are brewed over a fire or another thermal energy (heat) source in a cauldron.The term “potion” is rather generic, as it represents any magical combination of ingredients that has been brewed to achieve a certain effect. These effects vary drastically, however, from aiding headaches to increasing energy, causing a part of the body to swell, changing eye color or appearance, and even providing strong psychological or poisoning effects. One can even achieve peaceful sleep or emulate true death with a potion. The difficulty in brewing a potion is equally varied, and while some potions can take only twenty minutes to brew, others can take more than twenty-four hours in total.
  
  


• It is important to note that only a witch or wizard should ever ingest or apply a potion, regardless of the circumstances. Muggle exposure to potions causes unusual and often deadly reactions. Before the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy of 1689, certain magical and non-magical communities lived in close proximity and in some cases, magical people even held places of high esteem. Some civilizations even deemed magical beings to be descended from gods.
  
  

At that time, there is evidence that Muggles may have been slightly more tolerant of potions and elixirs. Ancient Muggle and wizard accounts recount cases of shamans and priests creating love potions and similar products for Muggles to use. These potions may have been real “love potions” in some form, or it is possible that they used mundane ingredients that replicated the psychological and chemical effects of magical love potions. Many scholars still debate today whether true magical potions were dispensed prior to the enactment of the Statute. Unfortunately, most ancient civilizations did not provide definite accountings of the ingredients and magic used in many potions, particularly those given to Muggles. This is perhaps unsurprising, as the Muggles would have been none too pleased if they knew that they were being treated any differently from others in the community.

• Subsequent to the Statute of Secrecy, many Muggles continued to take advantage of the popularity of potions, and some sold fraudulent liquid remedies to other Muggles at high prices for their “magical powers”. Some of these potions included vitamin-rich minerals and elements that did boost memory and cognition, while others included ineffective and occasionally harmful ingredients that may have even exacerbated the symptoms they sought to cure. The term “snake oil salesman” still applies to those Muggles who sell goods with false information about their effectiveness, particularly “Cure-All” liquid remedies of no use. This term should, of course, not be confused with a salesman that sells truly useful portions of snakes to use in potions within the magical community.
  
  


• The long separation from magic has caused what little tolerance Muggles had to potions to fade. The human body tends to work in this fashion: it adapts to things it experiences regularity, while growing intolerant to things it has not experienced ever in its lifetime or in quite a few generations. Some think that certain allergies in both magical and non-magical people may be related to this in some fashion.
  
  


• To use another mundane example of how this process works, consider our consumption of lactose, or the predominant sugar in raw milk. This is an example of how the same process can work in reverse, allowing a species to become more tolerant of a substance with frequent exposure. In the time of the ancient Egyptians, humans did not have a tolerance for lactose. They almost never consumed it beyond the age of seven or eight, and therefore human digestive systems were unable to process it. However, today 35% of the world population is said to be able to properly digest lactose. The precise reason for this change is yet unknown, but some surmise it may have to do with increased regularity of consumption causing human digestion to evolve gradually.
  
  


• In contrast, prolonged lack of exposure to magic has ultimately made Muggles less able to handle direct contact with it. Aside from the few instances with Muggles and potions that have gone horribly wrong, this is further evidenced by the exceptions where Muggles have continued to be exposed to magic secondarily. This most frequently occurs in towns, villages, or areas with a moderate magical population, such as the wizarding villages of Godric’s Hollow or Saint-Decatur, and is especially true if the exposure has not lapsed since the separation of our two worlds. Of course, no Muggles are going around guzzling potions or volunteering as target practice for stray spells, but they are subject to the general magical energy that pervades areas where frequent magic use occurs. To be clear, these are the exceptions to the rule of Muggle intolerance to potions, and only slight exceptions, at that!