Draught of Living Death and Book VII Options

[Witherwings]

Rereading book six and came across "Draught of Living Death" - the first potion Slughorn had Harry make. Could this be significant in book VII?

[harry potter guy]

I don't know if I said this before, but you know how everyone says 'No spell can bring the dead back to life,' well, maybe a potion can?

[Dijares]

Rereading book six and came across "Draught of Living Death" - the first potion Slughorn had Harry make. Could this be significant in book VII?

It's possible. Jo definitely likes to have something slipped in and it is used to a larger extent later on. It's very possibly that this can be used in HPDH - perhaps if Harry has to enter the veil? Hmmm, very interesting. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Witherwings]

I don't know if I said this before, but you know how everyone says 'No spell can bring the dead back to life,' well, maybe a potion can?

I don't think the potion can bring the dead back to life but rather give the living the impression of death, or rather being dead. DD has repeatedly told Harry that there is no way to bring back the dead. JK, though a fantasy writer, writes realistic scenarios. She wouldn't have the dead come back to life (except as inferi, which then really isn't back to life but just a zombie) because it would injure how people, specifically her readers (mainly children) look at death - that it is possible to return. I think that, per other posts in other sections of this site, the reality is that death signifies a "new life" to JK. As DD tells Harry in the last book, Voldemort is afraid of darkness, cold, and the unknown aspect of death. DD wasn't afraid (which is why I don't think he was pleading with Severus to keep him alive). I think death will be significant in the last book - I think we'll definitely see that, like Nearly Headless Nick tells Harry in OotP, there are those who die who leave an imprint on the world (ghosts) and there are those who embrace death. Ghosts, according to NHN, were those wizards who were too afraid to die. It will be interesting, even if LV does die, he could leave his imprint on the world and return as a ghost. Don't think JK will do this, but it's a possibility. Anyway, all that being said, I hope Slughorn's role in the book as potions teacher will help Harry to see the value of the Draught of Living Death which may help him to commune with the deceased (it'd tie in nicely with the title too).

This post has been edited by Witherwings: Apr 14 2007, 09:07 PM

[mothermaclean]

Draught of Living Death would be a good idea if harry is a horacrux LV cant kill harry because he will be killing himself wouldnt he wouldnt the potion keep harry in a state of lifelessness to stop him trying to kill LV

[You-Know-Poo]

Isn't the Draught of living Death. if you look at it from a different angle...
The opposite of what Snape can do, put a stopper in death...
So maybe both things will be big next book

[mischief managed]

My little brother has the harry potter 3 game for gameboy advanced... and aas i was checking on the appearances of the four founders... searching for possible horcruxes...iu stumbled upon the druaght of living death..... it states....

"Leticia Somnolens"

Medievil, dates unknow. This spiteful hag was jealous of teh king's daughter and caused her to Language, my dears, language! her finger on a spindle tainted with the 'Draught of Living Death'. A young wizard who had smeared his lips with 'Wiggenweld' potion kissed the princess and brought her out of her tance.


So, with this passage, i merely think that the draught of living death makes someone fall into a sleeping trance, such as snow white.

[David]

It was answered in the first book, chapter 8, during the first potions lesson.

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it s known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

[Witherwings]

My little brother has the harry potter 3 game for gameboy advanced... and aas i was checking on the appearances of the four founders... searching for possible horcruxes...iu stumbled upon the druaght of living death..... it states....

"Leticia Somnolens"

Medievil, dates unknow. This spiteful hag was jealous of teh king's daughter and caused her to Language, my dears, language! her finger on a spindle tainted with the 'Draught of Living Death'. A young wizard who had smeared his lips with 'Wiggenweld' potion kissed the princess and brought her out of her tance.
So, with this passage, i merely think that the draught of living death makes someone fall into a sleeping trance, such as snow white.

So it's Sleeping Beauty is it? One can wonder, though, why there's been mention of this sleeping potion and what happens when one is in such a state. Are they then able to commune with the dead?

Apart from DD (who I don't think used it given his contorted body and blood), who else might have been given such a sleeping potion? What about Regulus Black?

[NeverTooOld]

I think that the Draught of Living Death must be similar to a "Sleeping Beauty potion". I also think it will be significant in terms of destroying the horacrux that is Nagini or surviving her attack.

This is a bit of a stretch, but here it goes.

Trypanosome is a "parasite that infects the blood, is transmitted by bite from an infected animal/insect and causes serious disease as sleeping sickness"
Nagana is an old word defined as "trypanosomic infection of domestic aminals"

Hmmm...sounds like a pet whose bite can cause deep sleep.

Those two things lead me to believe that either (1)Nagini's venom is more than normal snake venom and that it contains the Draught or (2) the Draught might be useful in destroying her.

I know that it is a bit of a stretch, but if Harry must face Nagini, perhaps his knowledge of this potion will then come in to play.

[baty4potter]

I think that the Draught of Living Death must be similar to a "Sleeping Beauty potion". I also think it will be significant in terms of destroying the horacrux that is Nagini or surviving her attack.

This is a bit of a stretch, but here it goes.

Trypanosome is a "parasite that infects the blood, is transmitted by bite from an infected animal/insect and causes serious disease as sleeping sickness"
Nagana is an old word defined as "trypanosomic infection of domestic aminals"

Hmmm...sounds like a pet whose bite can cause deep sleep.

Those two things lead me to believe that either (1)Nagini's venom is more than normal snake venom and that it contains the Draught or (2) the Draught might be useful in destroying her.

I know that it is a bit of a stretch, but if Harry must face Nagini, perhaps his knowledge of this potion will then come in to play.

It could be a stretch, but I think you've given this a lot of thought, and it's as good a thought as anyone else's.

[Hermione@13]

Hmmm...this is really interesting. Maybe this is how Harry will defeat someone? As NTO said, maybe Nagini. Or maybe he uses Nagini's venom to defeat V?

[NeverTooOld]

Thanks Herm12. Since Nagini doesn't have a wand and Harry will probably not have Gryffindor's sword, I've been wondering how her end would play out.

I like the using Nagini to defeat Voldy. That would be interesting also!

[Hermione@13]

Your welcome.

Hey, I just remembered that Nagini is a possible Horcrux, so if he uses it then I think he'll have to get rid of V's soul that's in it, first.