However, I do feel that none of these potions should be taken for extended time periods without proper supervision from a Healer. Their intended effects even in the correct quantities can be addictive and abuse can and does occur. The Draught of Peace is notoriously and ironically finicky to produce to satisfaction. Irreversible sleep is the worst of the side effects from an incorrectly brewed batch. Potions are immeasurably valuable, but should only be used appropriately.

Calming, Peace and Sleeping Draughts share the quality of rendering an individual docile. This is definitely of great benefit in the appropriate situations. Draughts like this were used frequently while I was at home, though never under the intended circumstances. I could not willingly take one of these potions myself, and would find it hard to administer such a potion unless it would certainly prevent worse damage to a person or their peers. Such a situation has luckily never occurred to me.

The essay question instructed that we choose 'one situation in your past', but I hope you will accept my consideration of an event that has had great impact upon me despite occurring before I was born. I would use a Forgetfulness Potion on one of my parents. They don't talk about it, but something terrible happened to them and it hurt them badly. My Auntie says that's the sort of hurt that twists people up inside, until they almost aren't themselves at all any more; then, to stop themselves breaking up into pieces, they have to push some of their hurt onto people. I don't blame them, but maybe a Forgetfulness Potion could have stopped it. It could have made no difference - but then, it could have changed everything. I have a picture of my parents from back then, before I was born. They look happy; they're even smiling. I would give them a Forgetfulness Potion to get rid of the hurt, because I wish I could see their smile on their face, rather than only on paper.

I could have used the Calming Draught that day. My nerves were shot, along with everyone else's. The most my parents offered me was a chunk of chocolate to make me feel better. I would have loved the Calming Draught during that night or the next morning. Perhaps it would have helped me be less scared, or maybe even sleep. Abandoning our campsite we went to stay in a cabin not too far away. I fell asleep on a cot before the sun even went down that day.

The Draught of Peace would have helped me so much as my hormones had really gone awry from the fall. I won't go into the details as it is not pretty. I will just say that certain parts of my body did not perform the way they should have because of the hormonal imbalance. I also burst into tears at the drop of a hat which was very exhausting for me at that time.

I am so very pleased to write that I have recovered really well. I have improved greatly and only have a few problems now. If I had known what my family suffered as I was in a coma I would have loved for them to have had some Calming Draught on hand to take when necessary.

Elixir to Induce Euphoria:

I am currently dealing with a lot of medical issues stemming from hypothyroidism which I'm currently unable to treat. Sometimes I get panic attacks as joint and cartilage pain overcomes my body and causes panic attacks. My significant other is essential in helping me cope in situations such as these, but he cannot always be around to help me. I am unable to cope with the fear and pain sometimes, this Elixir to Induce Euphoria would be invaluable during dark times such as these.

I realize that this situation is ongoing and current, but I have dealt with these struggles for the last 3 years, so I hope it still fits within the parameters of a situation from my past as instructed.

So many threats were made to her and one day she couldn't take anymore so she threw some of his poison right back. Some o the dark magic my mother created during that time was unforgetable. The fear and anger on my fathers face and in his heart was unforgetable. One moment I was a child with a gift and the next, I was the center net of a tennis game being played with dark magic and batted around by rage. Not that you would know what tennis is as it is a muggle game.

But the point is that I don't want to forget the divorce or how my parents share a civil disliking of one another, or fear I belive, I want to forget the violent hatred and evil that they had created. Sometimes I look back at that evil they created and think 'Wow, and what dark potential do I hold being and actual item of the two. I hate that feeling.

My parents were always there for me and I had a younger sister that I loved to play with. I didn't have a lot of friends, but I knew that the ones I had would go through fire for me, as I would for them.

My parents both attended Hogwarts and it was no surprise for them that I would go there too, they expected nothing less. And there lies the problem that may have caused me to take one of the listed potions. Since they expected a lot from me, they were always talking about me going to Hogwarts. They expected me to study every day to prepare me the best they could. They also expected me to get into Gryffindor, which they told me every day.

Because of their expectations and the way they were always talking about it, I've had some nights without sleep in the past, as I was scared I might not get my letter. Or even worse I would get the letter, but not sorted into Gryffindor. Because of that I would have loved to have the Draught of Dreamless Sleep.

I think I would have liked to have used a Draught of Peace. If I had been able to better keep my temper in check, perhaps so many strange things wouldn't have happened around me growing up, and people wouldn't have been so afraid of me. I think that as much as my parents loved me, even they were a little afraid at the things that I could do. Maybe that's why they spent so long trying to "cure" me. Yes, a Draught of Peace might have lead to a happier life growing up.

The potion that I would have most liked to have had in the past is the Draught of Dreamless Sleep. Growing up, my best mate had awful nightmares. She fell ill often and she didn’t like to come out and play very much because she was always tired. I remember her mum saying that all she needed to feel worlds better was a good night’s sleep. Her mum was always telling her that her nightmares weren’t real and that she just needed to stop using her imagination at night, and that only served to make her feel even worse. The harder she tried not to think about the things that frightened her at night, the worse the nightmares got.

As with any sort of magic, there are ethics to be considered in the administration of a potion to someone without their knowledge – especially when that person is a muggle. My best friend was a muggle and so even though the Draught of Dreamless Sleep would have helped her immensely, I would have been hesitant to administer it as I would not have been able to tell her what it was, and just like with our Ministry of Magic, muggle lawmen have rules against giving anyone anything that may alter their perception or impair judgment.

In conclusion, while the Draught of Dreamless sleep might have really helped my mate, I would have been hesitant in using it for moral and ethical reasons. After all, if we fancy ourselves above the law, our society will descend into anarchy.

The Draught of Peace could have helped with emotional, mental, and physiological symptoms of anxiety. It might have helped me conquer my fears of speaking my mind or being the focus of attention. Were I to take this potion in my youth, I may have found that I had something valuable to offer others while growing up. This would have made me into a more confident person with less inhibitions. Also, I might have mastered certain spells sooner.

As it is, I still struggle with these issues. But I now have the mental tools to handle them without a potion, which I'm thankful for.

Having something that would calm me down would also make going to school easier, I never finished college because I because too anxious to go to a classroom. I can always remember the first days of school because I remember the fear of new people and places. To be calm would be a dream come true… even it was temporary.

My aunt and uncle decorated the baby nursery after discovering they were having a baby boy. My uncle even built a baby crib. One cold winter day my aunt woke up with abdominal pain and surrounded in blood. My aunt and uncle rushed to the hospital but it was too late. My cousin passed away. My aunt had a placental abruption. The placenta completely separated from my aunt’s uterus which deprived my poor cousin of oxygen.

My aunt and uncle were devastated. My aunt and uncle grieved for months. She had trouble sleeping, more so than my uncle. My mother had been making them elixirs to help them sleep (Draught of Dreamless Sleep).My aunt lost her appetite and quit her job.   She separated from my uncle and moved in with us. I remember hearing her cry every night. My mom tried convincing her to go to the hospital but my aunt refused. My parents were able to trick her. She was taken back to the hospital and diagnosed with postpartum depression.

My aunt and uncle needed the Elixir to Induce Euphoria. My aunt trapped herself in the darkness of depression. She hasn’t been the same person since. Although married their marriage has been strained. They both gave up on having a baby. Their stillborn pregnancy traumatized them. A Forgetfulness Potion would also be nice but I wouldn’t want to live in a world where my aunt and uncle don’t remember my cousin. If they had taken the Elixir to Induce Euphoria at some point early on after the stillborn pregnancy they might have been able to retain hope, hope in having another child and my aunt’s depression wouldn’t have gotten the best of her. My aunt and uncle wouldn’t have need to take it for a long period of time if the doctors had given it to them after a reasonable amount of time after the tragedy. It would have been best to have treated her depression from an early stage then years after when she would be in a later stage.