potions are magical liquids created by mixing various ingredients in a cauldron according to very specific rules. these mixtures must usually be drunk to give their magical effect. the ingredients in potions range from the mundane to the bizarre and fantastic, and the procedures for creating some potions can be complicated and time-consuming.

students at hogwarts start care of magical creatures in their third year. rhey study the life cycles of various magical creatures, some of which can be rather dangerous. they learn to care for, feed, and manage the creatures, and also learn lore about them and how to use them (or parts of them) for magical purposes.

divination is magic which attempts to foresee future events. many in the wizarding world consider this branch of magic to be imprecise at best. there are several types of divination. the most imprecise is what is commonly known as "fortunetelling".

defence against the dark arts is your basic wizarding defence training against all manner of evil or dark creatures.

arithmancy is a branch of magic that is concerned with the magical properties of numbers; someone who practices arithmancy is called an arithmancer.

this is the study of the history of the wizarding world and traces the development of the ever-widening gap between the muggle and wizarding communities.

transfiguration is magic which changes one object into another. it is possible to change inanimate objects into animate ones and vice versa. some transfiguration spells alter a part of something, such as changing a person's ears from normal into rabbit ears.

astronomy is the study of stars and the moon. children at hogwarts study astronomy in terms of constellations and how it relates back to the magical world.