Amortentia

"Powerful infatuations can be induced by the skillful potioneer, but never yet has anyone managed to create the truly unbreakable, eternal, unconditional attachment that alone can be called Love."

- Hector Dagworth-Granger on love potions.

Amortentia is the most powerful Love Potion in the world. It causes a powerful infatuation or obsession in the drinker. It has a distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen, and steam rises from it in characteristic spirals.

It has a different aroma for everyone who smells it, reminding each person of the things that they find most attractive e.g. Hermione Granger smells fresh cut grass, new parchment, spearmint toothpaste and Ron Weasley's hair. Harry Potter smelled treacle tart, a broomstick, and "something flowery that he thought he might have smelled at the Burrow" (which he later realizes is Ginny Weasley's perfume or shampoo).

"Amortentia doesn't create actual love, of course. That's impossible. But it does cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. For that reason, it is probably the most dangerous potion in this room."

- Horace Slughorn while in Potion class in 1996.

The effects of the potion on a person are described to be near instantaneous; with the person who drank the potion appearing "pale and sickly", and becoming obsessed with the object of their affections, speaking of them as though "hit by a ray of purest sunlight", and becoming excited or dangerously unstable towards others.

Known Uses
"It's the most powerful love potion in the world!"

- Hermione Granger


 * Merope Gaunt, who cherished a burning desire for Tom Riddle Sr., used her re-surfaced magical abilities to create the Amortentia potion, and eventually convinced Tom to take a drink of water spiked with the potion on a hot day riding alone on his horse. This had the desired effect as Tom, now obsessed with Merope, married her and they ran away together. When Merope became pregnant with Tom's baby, Merope, believing Tom would willingly stay for the baby's sake, or unable to continue to enslave him by magical means, stopped giving him the potion.
 * Romilda Vane, a romantic admirer of Harry who sought to make him invite her to Professor Slughorn's Christmas party, gave Harry Gillywater and Chocolate Cauldrons both spiked with potion. Harry was forced to take the latter, though simply abandoned them in his trunk for months until they were thrown out during Harry's search for the Marauder's Map and, believing they were a birthday present, Ron consumed them. Harry promptly took Ron to Professor Slughorn, who gave him an antidote. It is unlikely that the love potion is Amortentia as Hermione implies that it is a Weasley's Wizard Wheezes product.

Etymology
Amor is a Roman god of love, and the word "Amor" in Latin means "Love".

Behind the scenes
It was stated by J.K. Rowling that a large fountain filled with Amortentia could be found in the love room in the Department of Mysteries.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)

Notes and references
Amortentia Амортензия