Felix Felicis
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Felix Felicis (IPA pronunciation: /'filικs fə'lısıs/, /feːliks feːlikis/ Classical Latin: FELIX•FELICIS) is the name of a potion in the fictional book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that grants temporary good luck to the drinker. The name, like many things in the Harry Potter novels, is Latin, and translates to "lucky of lucky," or "happy of happy," or even, "happy of lucky." ("happy", strictly speaking, means "lucky.")
A chapter of Half-Blood Prince is titled "Felix Felicis," and this was one of three chapter titles revealed prior to the book's release; this was possibly done as a kind of red herring, as many people were suspecting it to refer to a character, as "Felix" can also be used as a name.
In chapter 8 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Snape promises his students that he could teach them how to bottle fame and brew glory. Perhaps he was referring to Felix Felicis.
The band Harry and the Potters also released a song named "Felix Felicis" about the events in Half-Blood Prince, containing the lyrics, "Felix Felicis makes me feel invincible".
[edit] The Potion
The potion is extremely difficult to brew, requiring six months of preparation and time to stew properly. In addition, it can all too easily fail, resulting in a potion with dangerous consequences.
The potion looks like molten gold, and when it is put to boil, drops of the potion fly upward, but not a single drop is spilled.
Having too much of the potion is like having "too much of a good thing," and the drinker experiences, as Professor Slughorn describes, "Giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence."[HP6]
Felix Felicis is also banned from all competitive events i.e. elections, sports, contests, exams etc.
The potion's means coincide with Rowling's own personal philosophy. When asked on her website whether or not she believes in fate, Rowling responded, "No, I believe in hard work and luck, and that the first often leads to the second." [1] Rowling feels that Felix best exemplifies this philosophy, as it is the user's confidence in himself that leads to his being "lucky" and the users hard work that leads to a creation of pure luck.
[edit] Half-Blood Prince
In the novel Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Potions professor Horace Slughorn has brewed a cauldron and offers a small bottle, good for twelve hours of luck, to the winner of an in-class Potions-brewing contest. Harry Potter wins the contest with help from the notes in his textbook, which is supposed to have belonged to the Half-Blood Prince previously.
Harry pretends to spike his friend Ron Weasley's cup with the potion before a Quidditch match, resulting in confident playing from Ron, who believes himself to be lucky. (A prime example of the placebo effect, this is also much like the use of the "Magic Feather" in Dumbo.) Harry uses up a quarter of the Felix Felicis to persuade Professor Slughorn to give him the memory concerning Lord Voldemort's knowledge of Horcruxes that he had tampered with. This usage of the potion has many unintended yet beneficial effects, including Ginny and Dean breaking up and Ron and Lavender breaking up.
Before departing with Albus Dumbledore to find a Horcrux, Harry gives the remainder to Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger in order to give them luck when facing Draco Malfoy's scheme. This proves to be fortunate in itself, as they manage to confront several Death Eaters but are not seriously hurt. Afterwards, they directly attribute their survival to the potion.
It seems apparent that Felix Felicis can make one's hopes for the potion work in a very small amount of time. For instance, Harry has the inclination to use the potion to get Ron to break up with Lavender, even though he drank the potion with the intention of getting the memory from Professor Slughorn.
