Golpalott's Third Law

"The antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components."

— Golpalott's Third Law

Golpalott's Third Law stated that the antidote to a blended poison couldn't be made by simply combining the antidotes to each individual poison.

Antidote creation

According to the law, the antidote to a blended poison — one created by mixing several poisons — requires more than just the separate antidotes. As Professor Slughorn explained, the potion-maker must identify a single transformative ingredient that, when added to the mix, turns the combined antidotes into a unified potion capable of neutralising the whole poison. This implies that the true antidote is greater than the sum of its parts. While the book Advanced Potion-Making recorded the law, it offered no explanation, and Slughorn even asked students to question its accuracy, suggesting it may not apply to all poisons.

This law dictated the protocol for making antidotes for all poisons. Creating an antidote following this law might be quite difficult — in the Potions class during which Professor Slughorn asked the class to make antidotes according to Golpalott's Third Law, Hermione Granger made an only half-finished antidote that included fifty-two ingredients, one of them being a chunk of her own hair.

Classroom work

At Hogwarts, sixth-year students studying N.E.W.T.-level Potions class learnt to produce antidotes referring to this law, under the instructions of their Potions Master. In the 1996–1997 school year, Hermione "recited this law at top speed", upon being asked about it by Professor Slughorn. While the entire class had trouble with concocting the antidote for the practical portion, Harry Potter daringly used a bezoar as his work, gaining praise from Slughorn.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)

See also

• Counter-ingredient