Cauldrons

• Type: Potion-making Equipment, Container
• Owners: Witches and wizards; standard equipment for Hogwarts students.
• Maker: Various magical manufacturers.

A cauldron is a pot, typically made of metal, used for brewing potions and other magical concoctions over a fire. They come in a variety of sizes and materials, with different properties suited for different levels of potion-making. The standard Hogwarts first-year equipment list requires students to purchase a Pewter, size 2 cauldron. Other known materials for cauldrons include brass, copper, silver, and gold. According to advanced potion-making texts, a solid gold cauldron can significantly speed up brewing time, though Professor Slughorn notes its cost is prohibitive for most. Specialty cauldrons are also available for purchase in Diagon Alley. These include models that are self-stirring and collapsible, offering convenience to the user.

The primary function of a cauldron is to serve as the vessel for brewing potions. It is designed to contain and withstand various magical ingredients and the reactions they produce when mixed and heated. The material of the cauldron itself can have a tangible effect on the brewing process. Beyond their use in Potions class, cauldrons are versatile containers. Hogwarts students, including Harry Potter, often use their cauldrons to carry schoolbooks and other supplies. Cauldrons are not limited to brewing standard potions. A particularly large, stone cauldron was essential to the dark magic that restored Lord Voldemort to a physical body. This cauldron held the potion created by Peter Pettigrew, which contained unicorn blood and Nagini's venom before the final ingredients were added.

The use of cauldrons is fundamental to the history of witchcraft and potion-making, making them one of the most basic and essential tools for any magical practitioner. The Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes appears to have some oversight on their production. During Harry's second year, Percy Weasley was consumed with writing a report on standardizing cauldron-bottom thickness, suggesting that there are official regulations in place to ensure their safety and quality. The cauldron also holds symbolic importance in the wizarding world. The famous pub that acts as an entrance to Diagon Alley from the Muggle world is named The Leaky Cauldron, and its sign depicts a cauldron leaking. Students purchase their first cauldrons from Potage's Cauldron Shop in Diagon Alley.

Cauldrons are a recurring element throughout the series, most frequently appearing during Potions lessons and being the source of many classroom incidents.

• In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Neville Longbottom melts his pewter cauldron during his first Potions lesson with Professor Snape. Later in the year, Seamus Finnigan causes his Swelling Solution to explode, dousing the class.
• In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Hermione Granger brews the difficult Polyjuice Potion in a cauldron set up in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
• A cauldron plays a crucial and sinister role in the climax of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Lord Voldemort is reborn from a giant stone cauldron into which Wormtail adds the bone of Tom Riddle Sr., his own sacrificed flesh, and the blood of Harry Potter.
• In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry's success in Potions is highlighted when he brews a perfect Draught of Living Death in a standard school cauldron, earning him a bottle of Felix Felicis from Professor Slughorn.

• The cauldron is one of the most recognizable symbols of witchcraft in Muggle folklore and mythology, an archetype J.K. Rowling integrates directly into her magical world.
• The film adaptations provide visual depictions of various cauldrons, including the self-stirring models seen in Diagon Alley shops and during Potions classes. (film)