#potioneering

[mariekavanagh]

Do you think deep down Walburga ever had any other dreams besides marrying and having children(not that that’s not already a valid dream ofc) that she simply wasn’t able to fulfill due to her role in the Black family? For example, she could be really good at potions and maybe deep down she had some wishes to do something significant with that(like being a famous potioneer for example) but it just didn’t work out that way. I think it would be an interesting thing to explore, and it could be another similarity between her and Sirius(Sirius’s own dreams are definitely different than that of his family’s lol)

Perhaps she could have once harboured dreams of a future in potion-making. She certainly is a talented potioneer, and she's naturally a very determined, competitive person (Sirius certainly inherited that from her) who would compare her own classroom efforts to that of her peers - usually smugly, as her own was often far better than theirs. In another universe I certainly think she would have enjoyed the praise and prestige of becoming a celebrated potioneer, perhaps creating a particular potion of note. But if she did ever have thoughts about this - and I'm sure Slughorn would have encouraged her at her careers meeting - they surely didn't last long. She always knew that wasn't the path she was meant to follow and, unlike Sirius, she had no trouble accepting or being satisfied with where her future lay.

[mariekavanagh]

What do you think sparked Walburga's love for potioneering?

She'd had a fascination for the brewing of potions right from when she was a small girl. She was always curious about the magic which turned these little vials and jars of often rather grim-looking ingredients into brightly-coloured brews which could perform all manner of tricks and tasks. Her keen interest in potion-making was one of the few notable aspects of her personality which set her apart from her mother - Irma never had the patience to spend hours craning her neck over the rim of a cauldron waiting for a mixture to thicken when she could simply pay a professional to produce whichever potion she required.

Potions was by far Walburga's best subject in school, and though the gushing praise of Professor Slughorn could be irksome (if asked, he would undoubtedly proclaim that her talents were entirely down to his nurturing), she is someone who does smugly enjoy praise, so she had plenty of encouragement to keep up her hard work.

Potion-making was often more than just an interest to Walburga, it had its therapeutic value as well. Though short-tempered and impatient by nature, she found it very easy to lose herself in concentration, descending into almost a trance-like state of calm as she rhythmically counted her stirs. She'd never admit to it, but potioneering is a great form of anger management.

One other factor that definitely plays into her interest in potions is that she sees it as a very wifely pursuit. In the very traditionalist but magical world she inhabits, where cooking and cleaning are jobs for house elves, brewing potions is a skill which, in her view, every self-respecting witch should be proficient in. What sort of a wife and mother would trust lesser quality, mass-produced remedies bought in a shop? Her homemade potions are far superior and effective, and her family will have only the best so long as she has anything to say about it.

[burkeandblops]

Eustace's Potions at St. Mungos.

[notlibatiusborage]

Ensnaring the Senses. Bewitch the Mind. In a skilled(and sadistic) poisoner's hands, the last thing you need be concerned with is death. In fact, it may soon become preferable to the nightmares and the lingering shadows at the corners of your vision.

[notlibatiusborage]

[notlibatiusborage]

[notlibatiusborage]

A sharp knife for potions work is infinitepy safer than a blunt one. For the weilder at least...