Professor Kazimeriz wandered the class at a turtle's pace, spot-checking his pupils' work. It seemed that most of them were understanding the concept and using the opportunity to really internalize what the ingredients did, which of course was the goal of this part of the lesson. He nodded with approval, finally making his way back to the front of the class.

"Very good. It seems that you all are mastering the basic concept- understanding how ingredients counteract one another in potion making.
Granted, it becomes a lot more difficult when you are not analyzing potion ingredients on a one-to-one ratio but having to account for multiple ingredient interactions within a potion... Those of you who are my NEWT level students will have more opportunity to analyze those complex potions later. But I see that most of you are understanding that each ingredient has one or more possible complementary counterpoints that can be used as a neutralizing agent."

"Not only is the concept of complementary ingredients crucial in learning how to create balanced potions, but it is critically important to understand this concept as we begin to study antidotes. When working with antidotes, the term we use for an ingredient that is included solely to counteract a poison is a 'negator'. The negator will neutralize the effects of the ingredient, especially in the case of a poison or magical toxin. Using a negator, or a blend of neutralizing ingredients, you can develop an antidote to even the most complex poison. So, put simply: for every ingredient, there is at least one equal and opposite ingredient that can be used as an antidote to the first ingredient. We call this opposing ingredient a 'negator'. This is Golpalott's First Law of Antidotes."

Kazimeriz's lips pulled back into a sinister grin as he spoke. He looked around the class in a manner most shifty. "Very quickly, before we begin the practical portion of this class, are there any questions about this concept?"