The Potions Laboratory is a place of shadows and simmering light, its stone walls lined with shelves of jars containing dried herbs, curious powders, and various pickled things that float in viscous solutions. The air is thick with a mingling of scents from acrid smoke to sweet herbs to the faint metallic tang of scorched copper. A long central worktable bears the marks of years of brewing, scarred with stains that refuse to vanish despite repeated Scouring Charms ― let's just say it gives the table character.

Tucked into the back corner is a perpetually damp nook outfitted with enchanted scrub brushes and self-heating basins. The brushes here at the Cauldron Wash Station scrub and clatter of their own accord, sometimes overzealously... sometimes sluggishly, leaving most students reluctant to linger here but always satisfied with the cleanliness of their cauldrons. A glass fronted case gleams along the side wall, filled with rows of neatly labeled vials containing potions in every imaginable shade and viscosity. A few are used for study while others are locked with a complex rune seal and marked strictly for observation only. At the back of the room, a stone archway opens to a narrow annex enchanted to draw out smoke and noxious fumes. Though designed for safety, it has also become a favored escape for students needing fresh air — or the equivalent of it as found in the dungeons. Near the Ventilation Annex sits a long battered table where failed concoctions are emptied into neutralization cauldrons ― Professor Cox does not approve of Vanishing Spells. The mixtures inside bubbles ceaselessly and give off unpleasant ever-changing stenches that seems to cling to anyone who loiters around any of the cauldrons for too long. Ever wondered what the antithesis of Amortentia may smell like? You've likely found it here.

Professor Cox holds his Potions office hours here when classes are not in session. Students may approach him here for consultation on coursework, brewing difficulties, or research proposals. Please be mindful not to interrupt if he is overseeing an experiment already in progress ― he will acknowledge you when it is safe to do so. If he is not present, do not wander the dungeons in search of him. Instead, trace the Lagaz run upon the enchanted rune plate affixed to the wall near the Cauldron Wash Station with the tip of your wand and he will be alerted to your presence. If urgency warrants, the professor will return through his private passageway... though otherwise expect a reply delivered in writing at a later time.

Professor Cox is also not responsible for the fate of any lost pet that may or may not be harvested for ingredients, so do ensure that yours does not just-so-happen to get lost in here.