Magical Mixture

• Type: Magical Creature Specimen / Teaching Aid
• Owners: Alastor Moody (impersonated by Barty Crouch Jr.)
• Maker: Unknown; presumably prepared by Barty Crouch Jr.

The Magical Mixture is the contents of a glass jar carried by Barty Crouch Jr. while disguised as Professor Alastor Moody. The mixture is described as a murky liquid. Contained within this liquid was a live Hinkypunk, a tiny, one-legged creature that appeared as a feathery, black shape resembling a wisp of smoke.

The primary function of the Magical Mixture was to serve as a practical teaching aid in a Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson.

• Containment: The mixture safely contained a living Hinkypunk, a creature known for luring travelers into bogs. The properties of the murky liquid may have been specifically designed to subdue or sustain the creature for classroom observation.
• Demonstration: Professor Moody (Crouch Jr.) used the jar to show his fourth-year students what a Hinkypunk was, describing its appearance and dangerous nature. This hands-on approach was a hallmark of his teaching style.

This specific Magical Mixture is mentioned only once in the entire series. In the autumn of 1994, Barty Crouch Jr., using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Alastor Moody, brought the jar to his fourth-year Defence Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He presented it as part of his lesson plan, which focused on recognizing and combating various Dark creatures. This lesson was part of his larger, covert mission to guide Harry Potter through the challenges of the Triwizard Tournament.

The Magical Mixture, while a minor object, plays a subtle but important role in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

• Characterization: It helps establish the character of the fake Alastor Moody as an intense, practical, and experienced teacher who believes in exposing students to real dangers, a stark contrast to previous professors like Gilderoy Lockhart.
• Foreshadowing: The introduction of the Hinkypunk in this lesson serves as direct foreshadowing for the third task of the Triwizard Tournament, where Harry Potter later encounters several Hinkypunks in the maze. This demonstrates how Barty Crouch Jr. was actively, if secretly, preparing Harry for the specific obstacles he would face.
• Plot Device: The lesson itself is a key part of Crouch Jr.'s successful infiltration of Hogwarts and his manipulation of the school's curriculum to suit his own ends, all under the guise of being a highly effective, if eccentric, Auror.

The term “Magical Mixture” is generic and is used on only one occasion in the novels. This ambiguity may be intentional, contributing to the mysterious and slightly chaotic collection of objects that the real Alastor Moody was known to possess, a trait his impostor, Barty Crouch Jr., effectively mimicked.