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J.K. Rowling’s thoughts
Chemistry was my least favourite subject at school, and I gave it up as soon
as I could. Naturally, when I was trying to decide which subject Harry’s archenemy,
Severus Snape, should teach, it had to be the wizarding equivalent.
This makes it all the stranger that I found Snape’s introduction to his subject
quite compelling (‘I can teach you to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper
death…’), apparently part of me found Potions quite as interesting as Snape
did; and indeed I always enjoyed creating potions in the books, and
researching ingredients for them.
Many of the components of the various draughts and libations that Harry
creates for Snape exist (or were once believed to exist) and have (or were
believed to have) the properties I gave them. Dittany, for instance, really does
have healing properties (it is an anti-inflammatory, although I would not
advise Splinching yourself to test it); a bezoar really is a mass taken from the
intestines of an animal, and it really was once believed that drinking water in
which a bezoar was placed could cure you of poisoning.
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