Potions

Potions is regarded as one of the main building blocks of magic due to the sheer power that they possess within the magical world. They have the ability to do nearly anything, and new potions are always being brewed and tested by accomplished potioneers. Since nearly any wizard or witch is trained in how to brew basic potions, there is always a large array of potions available for the wizarding public to purchase in shops for a variety of things.

Professor Snare regards his class as follows:

"Potion making is an exact art of perfection that many of you probably will never fully excel at. Nevertheless, you will be working hard in my class as you need to know how to brew potions in your everyday lives in order to survive in our world. I suppose you all will perform mediocrely with these tasks, but I will push you all reach for potions master levels. Anyone fooling around in my classroom will receive detention for risking the lives of classmates."

Potions can accomplish a large range of things from healing, to sleeping aids, to disillusionment, to even identity changes for impersonations. The limits to potions seems to be the imagination of the potioneer themself. Given how complicated brewing potions is, not every wizard or witch is able to brew every potion that they are taught to perfection. Where potions are concerned, they must be brewed perfectly if they are to work, or the results of consuming a improperly brewed potion is quite grave. Side effects of improperly brewed potions can last for weeks, or months, and in some of the most extreme cases with the more dangerous potions, death.

The career of potions master is arguably the highest regarded profession that the magical world has due to the complexity and scarcity of those recorded as potions masters. It is an elite profession, and most potions masters end up teaching in magic schools and inventing new potions on the side. Only certain potions can be made by a potions master, thus meaning that these potions masters are responsible for keeping stocks of these valuable and highly regulated potions in stock. Among these highly regulated and complicated potions are the truth serum, which the United States Magical Congress has deemed can only be used by Themida under very strict guidelines.

One of the founders of Gerhardt was a renown potions master who managed to become principal of Gerhardt for six years before dying of a brewing accident. To date, he has been the only potions master that has ascended to the position of principal in any magic school.