You’ve finally made it into the Potion’s classroom. It’s dark, it’s damp, and Professor Aesop Sharp is staring you down with the kind of intensity that makes you forget every spell you ever learned. Honestly, he’s one of the best characters in Hogwarts Legacy, mostly because he doesn't put up with any nonsense. But before he’s willing to teach you Depulso—the Banishing Charm that is basically essential for puzzles and combat—he’s going to make you run some errands.
Professor Sharp's Assignment 1 is the first real "fetch and brew" hurdle you'll hit. It's not hard, exactly. It’s just specific. If you don't know where to get the ingredients or how to use them properly, you’ll find yourself wandering around Hogsmeade wasting gold you probably should have saved for a better broom.
What Does Sharp Actually Want?
The man wants results. Specifically, he wants you to field-test two specific potions: the Focus Potion, and a combination of the Maxima and Edurus Potions. You can't just brew them and call it a day; you have to actually chug them.
Here is the thing most people mess up: you don't have to be in combat to do this. You can literally stand in the middle of a peaceful field, drink a Focus Potion, and it counts. However, the Maxima and Edurus requirement is a bit more finicky because the game wants you to have the effects of both active at the exact same time.
Sourcing Your Supplies
You have two real paths here. You can be the "rich student" or the "diligent student."
If you have the Galleons, just fly over to J. Pippin's Potions in Hogsmeade. Timothy Pippin will sell you the recipes, or he’ll sell you the finished bottles. Buying the finished potions is faster, but it's a short-term fix. You’re going to need these recipes later anyway. If you're low on cash, go kill some spiders for fangs or look for chests in the Highlands.
- Focus Potion Recipe: 1,200 Galleons
- Maxima Potion Recipe: 500 Galleons
- Edurus Potion Recipe: (You should already have this from the main quest "Welcome to Hogsmeade")
To make them yourself, you're going to need ingredients like Lacewing Flies, Fluxweed Stems, and Dugbog Tongues. Lacewing Flies are everywhere—look for the glowing bushes. Fluxweed is a bit more annoying because you have to grow it on a large potting table in the Room of Requirement.
Tackling the Focus Potion Requirement
The Focus Potion is the green one. It reduces your spell cooldowns, which is incredible when you're fighting a group of Ashwinders and need to spam Confringo. For Professor Sharp's Assignment 1, you just need to drink it once.
Once you consume it, you'll see a little golden bar appearing over your spell diamond. That’s the timer. As long as that bar is there, the quest tracker should update. If it doesn't? You might have encountered a rare UI bug. Just fast travel and try again. It's frustrating to waste a 500-gold potion, but it happens.
The Maxima and Edurus Combo
This is the part that trips up players. Sharp says to use them "simultaneously."
What this actually means is that the buffs need to overlap. Drink the Maxima Potion (the blue one) first. Your spells will now do more damage. Immediately—and I mean immediately—open your tool wheel again and gulp down the Edurus Potion (the rocky one). Your skin will turn to stone.
✨ Don't miss: Winning at Miitopia Rock Paper Scissors: Why It Is Not Just Random Luck
While you are a stone-skinned, high-damage-dealing wizard, the quest objective will tick over. You'll see the notification on the left side of your screen. If you wait too long between drinks, the first one will wear off, and you've just wasted resources. Be quick with that L1/LB button.
Why Depulso is Worth the Hassle
Why are we doing this? For Depulso.
Honestly, Depulso is one of the most underrated spells in the early game. While Accio pulls things toward you, Depulso blasts them away. It is the bread and butter of the "Depulso Puzzle Rooms" found later in the castle. It also lets you shove enemies off cliffs, which is the most efficient way to deal with high-level trolls if you're underleveled.
Returning to Professor Sharp
Once the "Tasks" are checked off in your quest log, head back to the Potions classroom. You can't just talk to him whenever; he’s usually standing by his desk or pacing near the cauldrons.
He’ll give you a bit of a lecture—because he’s Sharp—and then he’ll teach you the wand movement. It's a sort of "upside-down U" shape. Practice it on the dummy, and you’re done.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Trying to brew without the right pots: You cannot grow Fluxweed in small pots. Don't waste your money on seeds until you've bought the Large Potting Table spellcraft from Tomes and Scrolls.
- Drinking in the wrong order: It doesn't strictly matter which you drink first for the Maxima/Edurus task, but Maxima lasts a bit longer, so it gives you a wider window.
- Forgetting to collect: If you brew the potions in the Room of Requirement, make sure you actually pick them up from the station before heading to Sharp.
Actionable Next Steps for Success
To get through this assignment efficiently, start by visiting the Western Highlands to hunt some Dugbogs for their tongues, as those are the hardest ingredient to find for the Focus Potion. Once you have those, head to Hogsmeade and buy the Large Potting Table spellcraft. Setting up your Fluxweed early is a pro move because it takes 15 real-world minutes to grow.
While the weed grows, go clear out a bandit camp or two. This ensures you have the 1,200 Galleons ready for the Focus Potion recipe. By the time you get back to the Room of Requirement, your ingredients will be ready, you can brew everything at once, and you can finish the assignment in one go without having to fly back and forth across the map. After you learn Depulso, immediately head to the library annex to look for the first Depulso Puzzle Room; the rewards there will significantly boost your gear early on.