Shrivelfig

• Type: Magical Plant, Potion Ingredient
• Primary Use: Key ingredient in the Shrinking Solution
• Part Used: The fruit, which must be skinned before use

A Shrivelfig is a magical plant whose fruit is a component in Potions. The primary canonical texts do not provide a detailed physical description, other than that the fruit can be held and requires skinning. According to supplementary materials, the fruit of the Shrivelfig is purple and has a wrinkled or shriveled appearance, consistent with its name (Pottermore). This appearance is also maintained in its depiction in various video games.

The primary magical property of the Shrivelfig is its ability to induce shrinking when correctly prepared and brewed into a potion. It is a key ingredient in the Shrinking Solution. The preparation process, as instructed by Professor Snape, involves skinning the Shrivelfig. It is then combined with other ingredients such as sliced caterpillars, rat spleens, and a dash of leech juice. When brewed correctly, the resulting Shrinking Solution is a bright, acid green potion that causes living organisms to shrink and revert to an earlier stage of development. This effect was demonstrated when a sample of the potion brewed by Hermione Granger successfully turned Neville Longbottom's pet toad, Trevor, into a tadpole.

The Shrivelfig is mentioned exclusively during a third-year Potions lesson in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. When Professor Snape substitutes for Remus Lupin, he dismisses the class's current subject and instead instructs them to brew a Shrinking Solution. During this lesson, Harry Potter and his classmates are told to “skin your Shrivelfig” as one of the steps in the recipe. The potion's successful creation by Hermione Granger serves to highlight her advanced potioneering skill, while Neville Longbottom's struggles underscore his difficulties in the subject. The event also provides another instance of the antagonism between Snape and the Gryffindor students.

• The name “Shrivelfig” is likely a portmanteau of the words “shrivel” and “fig,” alluding both to the potion's shrinking effect and the fruit's possible appearance.
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the scene involving the Shrinking Solution and the Shrivelfig is omitted. Instead, Snape's substitute lesson focuses on werewolves.
• The Shrivelfig appears in the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban video game as a necessary ingredient for the Shrinking Solution. It is also a usable ingredient in other games such as Hogwarts Mystery (video game).
• The official Pottermore/Wizarding World website confirms that the skinned Shrivelfig is a component of the Shrinking Solution and that its fruit is purple (Pottermore).