Today I will be talking about 3 potions in the Harry Potter Universe. Along with having cool effects and giving the drinker cool powers, they are also very symbolic. Let’s get into it. First, we have polyjuice potion. The polyjuice potion changes a person’s appearance. This potion was taken by Ron and Harry in The Chamber of Secrets to sneak into the Slytherin common room, and was also used by the impostor Mad-eye Moody in The Goblet of Fire. It was also used in The Deathly Hallows by Hermione and the 7 Potters. Polyjuice potion is described as difficult to make, and looking a murky brown. The murky brown symbolizes disguise and mystery, and that the person’s real appearance is actually hidden behind magical concealment. If you’ve ever seen muddy water, it’s dark and hard to see through, which could imply some sort of connection between “hard to see through” and “disguise”.



Next, we have veritaserum. This is a potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth, and is used in Book 4, and also appears in Books 5 and 6. In appearance, this potion is completely opposite to the polyjuice potion. While the polyjuice is muddy brown, veritaserum is completely colorless, just like water. This could symbolize that the person who drinks it will have nothing to hide, and become completely transparent. In the books, veritaserum is described to have a similar effect, making the drinker dazed and confused, and forcing them to tell the truth with them being none the wiser.



And last but not least, we have felix felicis. This potion gives the drinker luck in everything they attempt in a period of time. It was taken by Harry in Book 6 to get a crucial memory from Professor Slughorn. In Slughorn’s potion class, this potion is shown to be “splashing about merrily” yet not spilling a single drop. This symbolizes that the person can do literally anything they want, yet they would not fail under the influence of felix felicis.



These meanings of their appearances aren’t verified by J.K. Rowling, but they are what I have guessed based on the potions and their effects.