Shrake spine

Shrake spine
Potion ingredient information
Taken from	Shrake
Physical characteristics	Grey in colour
Preparation	Pickled
Used in	Cure for Boils Rat Spleen Mixture

The spines of the Shrake could be used as a potion ingredient. When added to a potion, the mixture had to be stirred gently, as overly vigourous stirring could "overexcite" the spines. Zygmunt Budge used pickled Shrake spine in his version of the Cure for Boils.

History

Shrake spines caught up in seaweed

Shrake spines could sometimes be found tangled in seaweed around the open ocean section of the Magical Creatures Reserve. They were the only one of the ingredients of the Cure for Boils which couldn't be harvested on Hogwarts's grounds; as such the school usually kept quite a large stock of them due to the frequent need to brew the Cure for Boils for students with acne. During the 1986–1987 school year, however, their stocks unluckily ran out and Jacob's sibling had to find some more to help their friend Penny Haywood, who had accidentally jinxed herself with the Pimple Jinx.

Behind the scenes

• It is inconsistent to say that Zygmunt Budge used Shrake spines in his potion recipes, since he lived in the 16th century, and Shrakes were magically created, according to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, by a group of wizard fisherfolk in the early 1800s. However, it is possible that Budge lived for over three hundred years (not an impossible lifespan for a wizard) and composed his Cure for Boils recipe in the later part of his life.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) (Mentioned only) (Official merchandise only, referred to as "Shrake Spikes")
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (First mentioned)
• Wonderbook: Book of Potions (First appearance)
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery