Vials

• Type: Magical Container, Potion Storage, Memory Storage
• Owners: Various; notably used by Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Horace Slughorn, and Harry Potter
• Maker: Various magical artisans

Vials are small, typically cylindrical containers used throughout the Wizarding World to store and transport magical liquids and substances. They are most commonly made of glass or crystal and are sealed with a cork or stopper to preserve the contents. Vials come in a variety of sizes, from tiny phials designed to hold a single dose of a powerful potion to larger flasks. They are often labeled by hand with the name of the substance contained within, as seen in the extensive collections belonging to Potions masters like Severus Snape and Horace Slughorn.

The primary function of a vial is to safely contain and preserve the magical properties of its contents. Their non-reactive material, such as glass or crystal, prevents contamination or degradation of potent substances.

• Potions and Ingredients: Vials are indispensable in Potions-making and storage. They are used to hold finished draughts such as Felix Felicis, Polyjuice Potion, and Veritaserum. They are also used to store individual potion ingredients, which may be volatile or rare, like Boomslang skin or Lacewing flies.
• Memories: A particularly significant use for vials is the storage of memories. Wizards can extract silvery, gossamer-like strands of thought or memory from their minds using a wand and store them in crystal vials for later viewing in a Pensieve. Albus Dumbledore kept a large collection of such memories, each carefully labeled, in his office.
• Other Magical Substances: Vials can hold other powerful magical substances. Albus Dumbledore used a flask to collect the Tears of a Phoenix from Fawkes to heal Harry Potter's arm after his encounter with the basilisk. They can also be used for poisons, antidotes, and other concoctions.

Vials appear frequently and play several crucial roles in the narrative.

• In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Hermione Granger steals ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion from vials in Snape's private stores. Later, Dumbledore collects Fawkes's healing tears in a flask to cure Harry.
• In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Snape threatens Harry with Veritaserum from a “tiny crystal phial” to extract the truth about his name coming out of the Goblet of Fire.
• In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, vials are central to the plot. Harry wins a small vial of Felix Felicis from Horace Slughorn, which is described as being the size of a gooseberry and “corked with a leaf of bewitched mint”. Most importantly, Dumbledore uses numerous crystal vials to store memories about Tom Riddle's past, which he shares with Harry via the Pensieve. Slughorn also gives Harry a flask of precious Aragog venom.
• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the most critical vial in the series contains Severus Snape's dying memories. As he dies, Snape conjures a crystal flask and gives its silvery contents to Harry. These memories, when viewed in the Pensieve, reveal Snape's true allegiance and Dumbledore's master plan, providing Harry with the final knowledge needed to defeat Lord Voldemort.

• In the film adaptations, the aesthetic of vials is often highlighted to build the atmosphere of the Wizarding World. The Potions classroom and Snape's office are shown filled with countless glass vials containing colorful liquids and preserved specimens, featuring intricate, hand-written labels that add to the visual richness of the sets. (film)
• The memory vials in the films are depicted as particularly elegant, thin glass tubes with delicate, ornate stoppers, visually representing the ethereal and precious nature of memories. (film)