Sleeping Draught

• Type: Potion
• Known Makers/Users: Hermione Granger, Barty Crouch Jr. (recommended use), Harry Potter (considered use)
• Effect: Induces a powerful but temporary, dreamless sleep in the drinker.

The Sleeping Draught is a potent potion that causes the person who ingests it to fall asleep very quickly. The resulting slumber is described as being so deep that the victim appears to have been knocked unconscious rather than merely sleeping. The effect is almost instantaneous upon consumption. The physical appearance of the potion, such as its color or consistency, is not described in the novels. It is typically administered by being secretly mixed into a food or drink. While highly effective, it is implied that its use is not completely undetectable. In his sixth year, Harry Potter considered using it on the expert Potions Master Horace Slughorn, but dismissed the idea as “crude,” suspecting Slughorn would easily recognize it. This suggests that a sufficiently skilled wizard or witch, particularly one with a mastery of Potions, could identify the draught before consuming it. It is distinct from the more powerful and dangerous Draught of Living Death, which can induce a sleep so deep it mimics death and can be permanent if brewed incorrectly.

The Sleeping Draught appears or is mentioned in several key instances throughout the series:

• In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Hermione Granger successfully brews a Sleeping Draught in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She uses ingredients stolen from Severus Snape's private stores to create it. She then adds the potion to two chocolate cakes, which are eaten by Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. The two Slytherin students fall into a deep sleep almost immediately, allowing Harry Potter and Ron Weasley to steal some of their hair for the Polyjuice Potion and impersonate them to gather information about the Heir of Slytherin.
• In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch Jr., disguised as Alastor Moody, suggests to Harry that a Sleeping Draught is one possible method for subduing a dragon during the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament.
• In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry briefly contemplates slipping a Sleeping Draught to Dolores Umbridge in her office to prevent her from using the Cruciatus Curse on him for information about Albus Dumbledore's whereabouts.
• In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry considers giving a Sleeping Draught to Horace Slughorn in an attempt to retrieve a critical memory about Tom Riddle and Horcruxes. He decides against it, believing Slughorn's expertise in Potions would lead to the plot being discovered.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the potion used on Crabbe and Goyle is shown, but it is not explicitly named as a Sleeping Draught. Its function and the method of delivery are identical to the novel. (film)
• Sleeping Draughts, or potions with an identical effect, appear frequently in the Harry Potter video games as a consumable item used to bypass or temporarily neutralize enemies and other characters. (video game)