Polyjuice Potion
Type: Transformation Potion
Effect: Transforms drinker into another person for about an hour.
Essence: Thick, muddy liquid with a foul taste that changes color based on the person.
Difficulty: Extremely advancedtakes nearly a month, rare ingredients, precise timing.
Time: Chamber of Secrets {Year 2}
Notable Use: Ron & Harry impersonated as Slytherins {Crabbe & Goyle} to gather info about the Chamber.
Felix Felicis
Type: Luck Potion
Effect: Grants temporary, uncanny luck"everything you attempt will succeed".
Essence: Molten gold liquid that glows and bubbles like sunlight.
Difficulty: Exceptionally difficultbrewing takes ~6 months, highly toxic if misbrewed.
Time: Half-Blood Prince {Year 6}
Notable Use: Harry used it to retrieve Slughorns true memory about Horcruxes.
Amortentia
Type: Love Potion
Effect: Produces intense infatuationnot genuine love.
Essence: Pearlescent potion emitting spirals of steam; smells like what you love most.
Difficulty: Very advanced and dangerous; hard to brew correctly.
Time: Half-Blood Prince, Potions class
Notable Use: Mentioned in relation to Merope Gaunt using it to enchant Tom Riddle Sr.
Elixir of Life
Type: Immortality Potion
Effect: Extends life as long as the Philosophers Stone lasts.
Essence: Mysterious and rare; never fully described, but grants immortality.
Difficulty: Cannot be brewed without the Philosophers Stonepractically impossible for wizards.
Time: Over 600 years prior to the series
Notable Use: Flamel and his wife destroyed the Stone to prevent it from falling into dark hands, choosing to let go of immortality.
Love Potion (general)
Type: Love/Attraction Potion
Effect: Induces strong feelings of infatuation or obsession.
Essence: Sweet-smelling pink or purple liquid that induces obsession, not real love.
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate commonly sold at Weasleys Wizard Wheezes; not as complex as Amortentia.
Time: Half-Blood Prince
Notable Use: Romilda gave a love potion-laced chocolate to Harry; Ron ended up eating it and became obsessed with her.
Draught of Living Death
Type: Sleeping Potion
Effect: Induces a deathlike, deep sleep.
Essence: Dark purple, silky potion with a dangerously deep effect.
Difficulty: NEWT-level complexity; even Hermione struggled without the HalfBlood Princes instructions.
Time: Half-Blood Prince, first Potions class
Notable Use: Harry brewed it perfectly in class and won a vial of Felix Felicis as a reward.
Veritaserum
Type: Truth Serum
Effect: Forces truthful answers when questioned.
Essence: Clear, odorless liquid that looks harmless but compels truth.
Difficulty: Extremely difficult to brew.
Time: Goblet of Fire, after the graveyard incident.
Notable Use: Snape threatened to use it on Harry; Dumbledore used it on Barty Crouch Jr. to reveal the truth.
Wolfsbane Potion
Type: Defensive/Remedial
Effect: Allows werewolves to maintain human mind during transformation.
Essence: Pale blue with a foul taste and strong odor; must be consumed daily before a full moon.
Difficulty: Advanced; requires careful timing and rare ingredients.
Time: Prisoner of Azkaban
Notable Use: Snape made it for Lupin to prevent dangerous transformation before full moons.
Skele-Gro
Type: Regenerative Healing
Effect: Regrows bones; painful reputedly.
Essence: Unpleasant and painful to drink; bone-regrowing properties.
Difficulty: Intermediatesimple enough but repulsive in taste.
Time: Chamber of Secrets
Notable Use: Madam Pomfrey gave it to Harry after Lockhart accidentally vanished the bones in his arm.
Pepperup Potion
Type: Medicinal/Cold Remedy
Effect: Cures common cold, causes steam from ears.
Essence: Spicy, reddish brew that clears colds and makes steam shoot from your ears.
Difficulty: Moderately simple; standard healing brew.
Time: Used frequently during cold season
Notable Use: Administered at Hogwarts by Madam Pomfrey to clear sniffles.
Doxycide
Type: Pest Control Potion
Effect: Paralyzes/exterminates Doxies.
Essence: Dark-colored spray used to paralyze Doxies on contact.
Difficulty: Intermediate; uses specialized magical creature ingredients.
Time: Order of the Phoenix, cleaning out 12 Grimmauld Place
Notable Use: Molly Weasley and the kids used to eliminate a Doxy infestation in the curtains.
Shrinking Solution
Type: Altering Potion
Effect: Shrinks small objects or creatures.
Essence: Bright green and acidic; causes objects to shrink rapidly.
Difficulty: Intermediate; standard curriculum brew.
Time: Prisoner of Azkaban, Potions class
Notable Use: Neville accidentally melted his cauldron while attempting it.