Bubotubers

• Type: Magical Plant
• Properties: Produces a viscous pus with both curative and dangerous properties.
• Cultivator: Primarily cultivated at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under Professor Sprout.
• Habitat: Grown in the Hogwarts greenhouses, suggesting a need for a controlled, soil-based environment.

A Bubotuber is a magical plant that resembles a thick, black, giant slug. It protrudes vertically from the earth and is observed to squirm slightly, indicating it is alive. The plant's most notable feature is the series of large, shiny swellings or pustules that cover its body. When these pustules are squeezed, they burst and release a thick, greenish-yellow pus. This substance has a very strong and distinctive smell, described as being like petrol.

The primary value of a Bubotuber lies in its pus, which has potent magical properties. However, it must be handled with extreme care.

• Curative Properties: When correctly diluted, Bubotuber pus is an excellent remedy for severe or stubborn forms of acne. It is considered a standard and effective treatment in the wizarding world. Hermione Granger suggests it as a proper alternative after Eloise Midgen attempts to curse her own acne off, with disastrous results.
• Harmful Properties: In its raw, undiluted state, the pus is highly corrosive to skin. Direct contact causes large, painful, yellow boils and sores to erupt on the affected area. Due to this danger, handling Bubotubers or their raw pus requires protective wear, such as dragon-hide gloves.
• Collection: The pus is harvested by squeezing the pustules on the plant until they rupture, releasing the contents. Students at Hogwarts learn this technique in fourth-year Herbology class.

Bubotubers are first introduced in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire during a fourth-year Herbology lesson taught by Professor Sprout. Harry Potter and his classmates are taught how to safely extract the pus for use in potions or remedies. The dangerous properties of the undiluted pus are demonstrated when Hermione Granger becomes a target of hate mail following a slanderous article about her by Rita Skeeter. An angry reader sends her a letter laced with undiluted Bubotuber pus, which causes her hands to break out in painful sores, requiring treatment from Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing. Though her hands are scarred for a time, she later confirms that the treatment, likely a diluted form of the pus, is working effectively.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Bubotubers are shown during the Herbology class scene, appearing visually consistent with their description in the novel (film).
• In the video game Hogwarts Legacy, Bubotubers are reimagined as combat plants. They can be thrown and will wriggle towards nearby enemies before exploding and spewing venomous pus (video game).