Random Things You Didn't Know About Wizarding Curses And Potions (15 items)

(#1) Nobody Was Able To Cure Hermione's Curse On Marietta Edgecombe

Hermione demonstrated the use of a powerful curse that no one seems to know of. After all, not even Albus Dumbledore managed to reverse the effects of the jinx placed on the list of names for Dumbledore's Army.

This curse made boils form on Marietta Edgecombe's face to read the word "SNEAK," and Dolores Umbridge failed to remove them despite repeated attempts. As it is, the boils eventually went away but Marietta's scars never did, and she continued to have the word faintly visible on her face since Hermione never gave the counter-curse.
(#9) The Locked Room In The Department Of Mysteries Contains Amortentia

Amortentia is the most powerful love potion that can be made, to the point where just its scent can remind a person of the things they are most attracted to. When Harry and his friends arrive in the Department of Mysteries, they are unable to access a room that is locked at all times. Albus Dumbledore tells Harry that the room contains the most powerful force in the world, which turns out to be love.

As it is, should one enter, there is a fountain of Amortentia that constantly flows in the room. It is this that Ministry officials seek to study and understand, as this fountain is the Amortentia in its purest form, effectively making it the representation of love.
(#3) The Bat-Bogey Hex Can Be Fatal

Ginny Weasley sure can be mean-spirited but is never called out for her attacks on others. She makes light of using the Bat-bogey curse on Zacharias Smith, yet the hex is so intense that it can even have fatal consequences. The curse causes bats to sprout out of the victims' noses that then proceed to viciously hurt them.

The reason why it can be fatal is the fact that the person hit by the hex can't breathe, as a particularly strong variant of the Bat-bogey curse can result in constant bats manifesting, leading to the person choking to their demise.
(#2) Antonin Dolohov Created A Dark Spell Only He Knew How To Cast

Antonin Dolohov certainly made full use of his ability to create spells, as the dark wizard used his powers for nefarious reasons. During the fight in the Department of Mysteries in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dolohov hits Hermione with a spell that knocks her out instantly, and it's feared that she's passed on. Although she recovers, it takes weeks to do so, and Madam Pomfrey has no idea what the cure for her internal injuries is.

In reality, nobody could have known the cure since no one knows what curse Dolohov used. He created this spell for his own use and made it so he uttered it non-verbally, meaning Dolohov was the only person in the world capable of pulling off this deadly spell.
(#11) Harry Potter's Wealth Comes From Sleekeazy's Hair Potion

Harry has his paternal grandfather to thank for setting him up for life financially, as Fleamont Potter became independently rich to the point where his family never needed to work. Fleamont invented a potion known as Sleekeazy's Hair Potion that allowed all kinds of hairstyles to be possible regardless of the types of hair of users. Fleamont eventually sold his company at a vast profit, which continued to sell the potion as their brand.

It's this potion that Ron and Hermione use in Goblet of Fire for the Yule Ball, with Harry being none the wiser that his own grandfather invented it.
(#15) Wizarding Schools Have Had A Potions Championship Since 1407

The Triwizard Tournament isn't the only competition amongst wizarding schools as another one exists in the form of the Wizarding Schools Potions Championship. The known participants are Hogwarts, Russia's Koldovstoretz school, Japan's Mahoutokoro school, and Africa's Uagadou school.

This competition began in the memory of the Potioneer Quintia McQuoid who passed in 1407 from a botched mix of the Cure for Ague potion. As Quintia was very young, she was honored through the wizarding school championship to encourage future Potioneers.