Fire Protection Potion

• Type: Potion
• Effect: Provides temporary immunity to fire, including magical flames, allowing the drinker to pass through them unharmed.
• Known Characteristics: Described as feeling like “ice flooding the body” upon consumption.

The Fire Protection Potion is a magical concoction that grants the drinker protection from fire. The only canonical appearance of this potion is during the challenges guarding the Philosopher's Stone, where it was presented in a liquid form contained within small glass bottles. Two specific varieties were present, each corresponding to a different type of magical fire:

• One potion, contained in the “smallest bottle” among a selection of seven, granted passage forward through a wall of black fire.
• A second potion, held in a “round bottle,” granted passage backward through a wall of purple fire.

The primary and sole known function of the Fire Protection Potion is to render the consumer completely invulnerable to the effects of fire. Upon ingestion, the potion's magic takes immediate effect, enabling the user to walk directly through otherwise impassable magical flames without suffering any burns or harm. The specific potions brewed by Professor Snape for the Philosopher's Stone's protection were single-dose. Hermione Granger noted that the bottle intended for passage through the black fire contained only enough for one person to make the journey. This suggests that the required dosage is small but precise for the potion to be effective. The protection appears to be complete but is likely temporary, lasting long enough to traverse a specific fiery obstacle.

The Fire Protection Potion plays a crucial role in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It is the central element of the sixth obstacle protecting the Philosopher's Stone, a challenge created by Professor Severus Snape. This obstacle was a test of logic and intellect rather than raw magical power. When Harry Potter and Hermione Granger entered the chamber, they found a table with seven differently shaped bottles and a riddle on a piece of parchment. The riddle provided clues to identify the contents of each bottle: three contained poison, two contained Nettle Wine, one would allow the drinker to move forward through the black fire ahead, and one would allow the drinker to return through the purple fire behind them. Hermione's superior logical reasoning allowed her to solve the puzzle. She identified the smallest bottle as the Fire Protection Potion needed for Harry to advance. After Harry drank it, he was able to pass safely through the black flames into the final chamber to confront Professor Quirrell. Hermione then drank from the round bottle, the other Fire Protection Potion, to travel back through the purple flames to assist the injured Ron Weasley and send for help from Albus Dumbledore. This moment highlighted Hermione's critical contribution to the mission and her unique strengths.

• In the film adaptation, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the potion puzzle chamber created by Snape was omitted entirely from the sequence of enchantments guarding the Stone. (film)
• In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the potion is explicitly named the “Potion of Fire Protection.” (video game)