Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======Potions Master====== =====Introduction===== A **Potions Master** is the title given to the professor who teaches [[Potions]] at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]. The position is highly influential within the school, responsible not only for educating students in the "subtle science and exact art" of potion-making but also for managing the school's apothecary and, traditionally, serving as the [[Head of House]] for [[Slytherin House]]. The two known Potions Masters during the events of the series, [[Severus Snape]] and [[Horace Slughorn]], both played pivotal roles in the [[Second Wizarding War]]. =====Duties and Responsibilities===== The Potions Master has a range of critical responsibilities that extend beyond the classroom. * **Instruction:** The primary duty is teaching [[Potions]] to students from first year through seventh year. This includes creating lesson plans, supervising practical brewing sessions, and grading theoretical essays and exams for both [[O.W.L.s]] and [[N.E.W.T.s]]. * **Apothecary Management:** The Potions Master is in charge of maintaining and stocking the school's supply of potion ingredients. This involves ordering, storing, and securing a vast array of common and rare components, some of which are highly dangerous. The ingredients are stored in the [[Potions classroom]] and the Master's private stores. * **Institutional Brewing:** The Master is often called upon to brew complex potions for the school's needs. Most notably, they supply the [[Hospital Wing]] with remedies. For example, [[Severus Snape]] was tasked with brewing the [[Wolfsbane Potion]] for [[Remus Lupin]] and was responsible for brewing the [[Mandrake]] Restorative Draught to cure those petrified by the [[Basilisk]]. * **Head of House:** Both known Potions Masters also served as Head of [[Slytherin House]]. This role includes responsibilities such as student discipline, attending Heads of House meetings with the [[Headmaster]], and acting as a guardian and advocate for the students in their [[House]]. =====The Potions Classroom and Office===== The [[Potions classroom]] is located in the [[dungeons]] of [[Hogwarts Castle]], contributing to its characteristically cold and gloomy atmosphere, even in warm weather. The room is large enough to accommodate multiple classes and is filled with worktables and [[cauldron]]s. The walls are lined with shelves holding glass jars containing slimy, pickled creatures, herbs, and powdered ingredients in a kaleidoscope of colors. The preserved specimens serve as both teaching aids and a ready supply of ingredients. An office is attached to the classroom, which serves as the Potions Master's personal workspace. Under [[Severus Snape]], it was a dim, unnerving room where he would intimidate students. Under [[Horace Slughorn]], it was a more comfortable space used to host his exclusive [[Slug Club]] meetings. =====Known Potions Masters===== * **[[Severus Snape]]** (c. 1981 – 1996): Snape held the position from shortly after the end of the [[First Wizarding War]] until he finally achieved his long-held ambition of teaching [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]] in 1996. He was a deeply talented and knowledgeable Potions Master, though his teaching style was marked by strictness, terror, and a pronounced bias against any student not in [[Slytherin House]], especially [[Harry Potter]]. He was the author of the advanced potions textbook used by Harry, which belonged to the [[Half-Blood Prince]]. * **[[Horace Slughorn]]** (Dates of first tenure unknown – 1981; 1996 – 1997): Slughorn was a long-serving Potions Master who retired in 1981, being replaced by his former student, [[Severus Snape]]. He was coaxed out of retirement by [[Albus Dumbledore]] to resume his old post in 1996. In contrast to Snape, Slughorn's teaching style was jovial and encouraging, though he was known for his blatant favouritism, collecting talented or well-connected students for his [[Slug Club]]. =====Role in the Story===== The role of Potions Master is central to the narrative of the //Harry Potter// series, primarily through the two characters who hold the post. [[Severus Snape]]'s position allowed him to be a constant antagonist to [[Harry Potter]] while secretly working to protect him on [[Albus Dumbledore]]'s orders. His expertise in [[Potions]] was a recurring demonstration of his powerful magical ability. [[Horace Slughorn]]'s return to the post was engineered by Dumbledore for a single, crucial purpose: for Harry to retrieve Slughorn's untampered memory, which revealed that [[Tom Riddle]] had inquired about [[Horcruxes]]. This information was the key to defeating [[Lord Voldemort]]. Furthermore, the subject of [[Potions]] itself is a vital plot device, providing the heroes with essential tools like the [[Polyjuice Potion]], [[Veritaserum]], and [[Felix Felicis]]. =====Behind the Scenes===== * On the Pottermore website, J.K. Rowling explained that because [[Potions]]-making is associated with dark secrets and has a "murky, ambiguous" nature, it was fitting that a complex and morally ambiguous character like [[Severus Snape]] would be its master. (Pottermore) * In the film adaptations, the [[Potions classroom]] set is depicted as a vast, stone-walled laboratory filled with thousands of jars, intricate glassware, and self-stirring [[cauldron]]s, emphasizing the scientific and mysterious nature of the subject. (film)
