PTNS-301 Lessons

Skele-Gro is a particular brand of potion manufactured and distributed by Rubens Winikus and Company, Inc., a medicinal potions company founded by potioneer Rubens Winikus in 1913. The specific brewing of the commercialized product Skele-Gro is a secret known only to Rubens Winikus and his constituents; however, there are similar recipes, one of which we will be reviewing today.

One should hope never to have to take Skele-Gro, as it is a horrible tasting and rather painful potion to consume. However, it can be used not only to grow bones when necessary, but also to repair bones that have been crushed beyond any other remedy. In 2014, German Seeker Thorsten Pfeffer was nearly killed attempting the Wronski Feint during the Quidditch World Cup. After falling from his broom, he shattered nearly every bone in his body. A dispensation of Skele-Gro saved him, although he is still under the care of some of the most talented healers in Germany to mend further neurological and psychological damage caused by the severity of the accident.

As mentioned above, this recipe walkthrough is a theoretical example of a complex medicinal potion, as brewing Skele-Gro and any other bone-regenerating potions is a long and tedious process. Listing the harrowing consequences if it isn’t brewed by a skilled potioneer would take far too long: some mistakes will cause a burned esophagus, others will deteriorate bones further, others will cause painful stomach ulcers, and it is said that a potioneer once created a potion that caused the drinker to develop an extra gallbladder. It is still unknown exactly what caused this strange reaction, and it has yet to be replicated. Companies such as Rubens Winikus and Company, Inc. only hire the most skilled potioneers who often brew either larger draughts of the recipes provided or have several potions brewing at the same time, depending on the sensitivity of the potion and how many colleagues are available to watch the brewing process.

Bone-Regenerating Potion

Estimated Brewing Time:
Pewter cauldron: 14 hours, 33 minutes and 43.3 seconds to 15 hours, 51 minutes and 30 seconds
Brass cauldron: 13 hours and 58 minutes to 15 hours and 8 minutes
Copper cauldron: 13 hours, 25 minutes and 51 seconds to 14 hours, 28 minutes and 51 seconds

Ingredients:
5 L of water
5 scarab beetles
10 mL of rose water
3 dried seahorses
4 Doxy eggs
6 tablespoons powdered sulfur
1 Chinese Chomping Cabbage
3 mL of Essence of dittany
4 chamomile flower petals
3 pufferfish
3 jellyfish
10 mL of honeywater
2 griffin claws
1 whole Velnamēle Pepper

Instructions:

Part One:

1. Add 1 L of water and bring the heat to 363 Kelvin (90°C/194°F).
2. Crush three scarab beetles and two dried seahorses with mortar and pestle. Add two and a half tablespoons of the crushed mixture to the cauldron.
3. Add 3 mL of rose water to the cauldron.
4. Stir two times clockwise.
5. Add half a tablespoon of the previously crushed mixture to the cauldron.
6. Bring the heat up to 383 Kelvin (110°C/230°F) for 10 minutes, and then reduce heat again to 363 Kelvin (90°C/194°F).
7. Leave the potion to brew in your cauldron for 60 minutes. (This would be 54 minutes in a brass cauldron and 48 minutes and 36 seconds in a copper cauldron.)

At this point, the potion will appear a navy blue and smell a bit like moldy bread.

Part Two:

1. Add two doxy eggs to the cauldron.
2. Add two tablespoons of powdered sulfur.
3. Bring the heat up to 383 Kelvin (110°C/230°F) for 5 minutes, and then reduce heat again to 363 Kelvin (90°C/194°F).
4. Carefully cut the Chinese Chomping Cabbage width-wise so that each segment is approximately 3 cm in width. Add half of the Chinese Chomping Cabbage to the cauldron. The other half should be stored in a medium-cool, dark place, as it will not be used again for several hours.
5. Stir three times counterclockwise and two times clockwise.
6. Note that at this point, even with the heat on relatively low, the potion should appear rather surprisingly riled up, due to the magical energetic reactions within the potion. This will come and go with relative frequency during the creation of this potion.
7. Add 1 mL of Essence of Dittany.
8. Add the last two scarab beetles and one dried seahorse to the mortar and crush them into a fine mixed powder with the pestle. Add one tablespoon to the cauldron.
9. Add another 500 mL of still water to the cauldron.
10. Bring the heat to 373 Kelvin (100°C/212°F), stir once clockwise, and let the cauldron brew until most of the water or moisture has boiled away. Depending on the cauldron, this typically takes 3 to 5 hours, although it can vary depending on cauldrons even of the same composition and similar volumes.

The potion will vary between a medium blue to a sky, robin’s egg blue-green during this step. It will smell a bit like gurdyroot and emit a yellowish steam.

Part Three:

1. Reduce heat back to 363 Kelvin (90°C/194°F).
2. Add 1 L of still water to the cauldron. 
3. Add 4 mL of rose water to the cauldron and let simmer for 30 seconds.
4. Add 2 mL of Essence of Dittany to the cauldron.
5. Stir once with a non-magical stirring object, such as a wooden spoon to mix the settled dried ingredients with the newly-added liquid.
6. Add two chamomile flower petals, one jellyfish, and one pufferfish to the cauldron.
7. Stir twice counter-clockwise with your wand.
8. Leave the cauldron to brew for 30 minutes. (This would be 27 minutes in a brass cauldron and 24 minutes and 18 seconds in a copper cauldron.)
9. At this point, take the cauldron off of the heat completely and stir thrice clockwise with your wand. Leave the mixture to pre-mature at room temperature for 6 hours, regardless of cauldron type.

The mixture will be a forest green at this point and smell a bit like roasted garlic.

If you have not cleaned your mortar and pestle at this point, it is wise to do so sometime during this step, as you will need it again for Part Four.

Part Four:

1. Add the cauldron back to the heat and bring the temperature back to 363 Kelvin (90°C/194°F).
2. Add 5 mL of honeywater to the cauldron.
3. Gently crush two doxy eggs and two griffin claws in the mortar with the pestle and add the finely crushed mixture to the cauldron.
4. Add the other half of the sliced Chinese Chomping Cabbage to the cauldron.
5. Add 1 L of still water to the cauldron.
6. Stir thrice counter-clockwise with your wand and increase the temperature up to 383 Kelvin (110°C/230°F) for 8 minutes, and then reduce heat again to 363 Kelvin (90°C/194°F).
7. Add two chamomile flower petals to the cauldron.
8. Increase the temperature once again to 383 Kelvin (110°C/230°F) for 3 minutes, and then reduce heat again to 363 Kelvin (90°C/194°F).
9. Stir once clockwise with your wand.
10. Leave the cauldron to brew for 25 minutes. (This would be 22 minutes and 30 seconds in a brass cauldron and 20 minutes and 15 seconds in a copper cauldron.)

At this point, the potion should be a pale green emitting pink steam. It smells a little like sulfur or hard-boiled egg.

Part Five:

1. Stir the potion again with a non-magical stirring device.
2. Add 3 mL of rose water to the cauldron.
3. Add one pufferfish and one jellyfish to the cauldron.
4. Stir the cauldron twice clockwise with your wand.
5. Add 500 mL of still water to the cauldron.
6. Increase the temperature once again to 383 Kelvin (110°C/230°F) for 5 minutes, and then reduce heat again to 363 Kelvin (90°C/194°F).
7. Add 5 mL of honeywater and 1 mL of Essence of Dittany to the cauldron.
8. Leave the cauldron to brew for 20 minutes. (This would be 18 minutes in a brass cauldron and 16 minutes and 12 seconds in a copper cauldron.)
9. Remove the cauldron from heat source and stir with a non-magical stirring implement. Leave the mixture to pre-mature at room temperature for 2 hours.

Part Six:

1. Add the cauldron back to the heat and bring the temperature back to 363 Kelvin (90°C/194°F).
2. Add 1 L of still water to the cauldron.
3. Bring the temperature to 383 Kelvin (110°C/230°F) for 2 minutes, and then reduce heat again to 363 Kelvin (90°C/194°F).
4. Add four tablespoons of powdered sulfur to the cauldron.
5. Add one pufferfish and one jellyfish to the cauldron.
6. Stir twice counter-clockwise. 
7. Add one whole Velnamēle pepper to the cauldron.
8. Bring the temperature to 383 Kelvin (110°C/230°F) for 3 minutes and then remove it entirely from the heat source.

The potion will at this point be a mustard green-yellow and smell a bit like raw onions. It will release a clear smoke continuously even after it cools. Please note: it looks, smells, and tastes nothing like pumpkin juice.

To Store: As soon as safely possible without burning yourself, transfer the potion to a tinted flask or some other vessel. It should be stored at room temperature. As finicky as this potion is to brew, it can last for up to one year before expiring.

To Use: Approximately 44 milliliters should be consumed orally without any additives or taste modifiers. Though the consumer will likely already be bed-ridden, he or she should remain still and not move around too much while the potion is reconstructing and regrowing bones.

Effects: Once consumed, the potion will slowly work to repair bone damage and even rebuild bones that have been removed through magical or non-magical means. This potion typically takes at least twelve hours to repair and regrow bones. Depending on the severity of the injury, it may take far longer. It should be noted, however, that the potion cannot rebuild limbs or parts of the body as a whole, only the skeletal structure. It also cannot repair bodies born with deformities, such as those born with missing bones.

As side effects, the potion can cause soreness, pain and the sensation of splinters as it regrows and repairs bones. It can in some cases lead to dizziness, hallucinations, mild fevers, heartburn and nausea. 

Caution: Skeleton regenerating potions should only be prescribed and administered by licensed healers. It is important to follow the directions listed on labels of any commercially-bought products, as recipes and use can differ slightly depending on the manufacturer. Children under eight and pregnant women should only take under close supervision and in extreme circumstances, as the process is physically taxing and can cause peripheral physical distress.