Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======The Apothecary====== =====Location Information===== * **Type:** Shop ([[Apothecary]]) * **Location:** [[Diagon Alley]], [[London]], [[England]] * **Owner/Residents:** Unknown * **Key Features:** Sells a wide variety of [[potion]] ingredients; has a powerful, unpleasant smell. =====Description and History===== The [[Apothecary]] is a shop located in [[Diagon Alley]] that serves as the primary supplier of [[potion]] ingredients for witches and wizards, including students from [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]. The shop is described as fascinating, though it possesses a horrible smell, which [[Harry Potter]] likened to "a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages." The interior is crowded with its wares. Barrels filled with slimy substances stand on the floor, while the walls are lined with jars containing herbs, dried roots, and brightly coloured powders. Hanging from the ceiling are bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and gnarled claws. Some of the specific ingredients available for purchase include: * [[Silver]] [[Unicorn Horn]]s, which cost twenty-one [[Galleon]]s each. * Tiny, glittering black [[Beetle]] eyes, sold for five [[Knut]]s a scoop. * Other ingredients mentioned on the [[Hogwarts]] first-year list, such as [[Bat]] spleens and [[Eel]] eyes, are also presumed to be sold here. =====Role in the Story===== The [[Apothecary]] is one of the first magical shops [[Harry Potter]] visits, and it plays a key role in his introduction to the wonders of the [[Wizarding World]]. His experience there establishes the strange and sometimes gruesome nature of [[potion]]-making, a core subject at [[Hogwarts]]. The high price of items like the [[Unicorn Horn]] also introduces the concept that rare magical ingredients have significant monetary value. Throughout the series, students from [[Hogwarts]] purchase their school supplies from the [[Apothecary]]. In their second year, [[Hermione Granger]] buys some of the simpler ingredients for the [[Polyjuice Potion]], such as [[Lacewing flies]] and [[Leeches]], from the shop. However, more advanced and restricted ingredients like [[Bicorn]] horn and [[Boomslang]] skin had to be stolen from [[Severus Snape|Snape's]] private stores, highlighting that apothecaries operate as legitimate businesses with potential restrictions on certain goods. =====Known Areas Within===== The shop appears to consist of a single room where all business is conducted. The space is described as being filled from floor to ceiling with barrels, jars, and hanging bundles of [[potion]] ingredients, leaving little room for anything else. No back rooms or storage areas are ever mentioned in the novels. =====Behind the Scenes===== * The word "apothecary" is an archaic term for a pharmacist or chemist who would prepare and sell //materia medica//, or medicinal materials. This historical term perfectly suits the shop's function in the magical world. * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets//, the shop is explicitly named **Slug & Jiggers Apothecary**. This name, while not present in the original novels, was later adopted and used on the Pottermore website (now Wizarding World). (film), (Pottermore)
