Potions (class)

Potions is a core subject taught at many schools throughout Darkside, including Solaris Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the Ferolia Institute of Sorcery. It teaches students how to make various potions, including antidotes to cure ailments, potions that can affect the drinker in various ways, and many others. They are taught to brew them using a recipe, starting with more basic ones and then growing into more advanced ones.

A standard potion-making kit included plant and creature ingredients, a set of glass or crystal vials and a set of bronze scales to weigh the ingredients.

The Potions teacher is referred to as the Potions Master, who is also the Head of Dragon House; for Solaris Academy, this was Jimmy Wormwood for 35 years before his first retirement, then Romulus Wolfsbane took over for 16 years before Wormwood stepped out of retirement for another 7 years. After the second retirement, a female teacher took over the class, as seen in After the Shadows Fade when Carl is discussing teaching methods with his fellow staff members.

Class Information
At Solaris Academy, Potions is a required subject for Years 1 through 5, and an optional one for Years 6 and 7. Potion recipes are found in many books, including the book trilogy by Thomas Proctor used by students in their classes, but the intricacies of timing, aging, stirring techniques and bottling are more difficult to learn without the help of experienced masters. Certain ingredients can be in the store cupboards, while others have to be bought at an apothecary before school starts. There are some potions, however, that can only be brewed from a book known as Moste Potente Potions, which is in the Restricted Section of the school library.