Polyjuice Potion

Instructions on how to make the Polyjuice Potion seen in Moste Potente Potions.^[HP2]

The Polyjuice Potion is a very complicated (and probably illegal) potion that allows the drinker to assume the form of someone else.

Ingredients needed:

1. Fluxweed
2. Horn of bicorn
3. Knotgrass
4. Lacewing flies
5. Leeches
6. Skin of boomslang
7. A small part of the person to be imitated

This potion allows the drinker to assume the appearance of another person. The effect lasts for an hour, but as Bartemius Crouch Jr. showed when impersonating Alastor Moody, repeat doses can be taken indefinitely. In addition to the six standard ingredients, this potion also requires a part of the person you want to assume the appearance of. The fluxweed has to be picked at full moon, and the lacewing flies stewed for 21 days before the potion is made. Most of the ingredients are available in the students' cupboard at Hogwarts, although some of them are only available in Severus Snape's private stores. A piece of the person who is to be imitated (usually hair) is needed for the transformation. When the piece of the person to be imitated is added, the potion changes color (probably to reflect the person being imitated) and seems to become a regular liquid, though this is never stated. The taste is described as "overcooked cabbage" when Harry transforms into Goyle, and it is likely that the taste is different for every person being impersonated.

In the Chamber of Secrets, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger use Polyjuice Potion to imitate Slytherin students, in an attempt to get information about the Chamber from Draco Malfoy. Ron and Harry imitate Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, while Hermione was supposed to imitate Millicent Bulstrode. Unfortunately, the hair that Hermione used, thinking it was Millicent's, turned out to be from her cat, causing her to partially transform into into a cat. The Polyjuice potion cannot be used to fully transform into an animal. Hermione did not transform back after an hour, so she was taken to the Infirmary for treatment. She did not recover until after the holidays.

In the Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch Jr. uses the potion to impersonate Alastor Moody.

Noteworthy is that in the film version of the Chamber of Secrets, Polyjuice Potion does not change the person's voice to reflect that of the person they are changing into. However, Barty Crouch Jr's voice does change to Moody's in the Goblet of Fire film. The reason to alter this effect is due to the different directors for each movie, and possibly to better reflect the books and allow for later events concerning Polyjuice Potion to take place.

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