Unicorn Parts

Parts of a unicorn used in potion-making.

• blood
  • Silvery-blue in colour when seen by moonlight, may glow in the dark faintly (PS15, DP).
  • To allow himself to survive in Quirrell's body, Voldemort induced Quirrell to kill unicorns and drink their blood. Unicorn blood will give the drinker only a cursed life because the drinker has killed something defenseless and pure has been killed only to save his or her own life. Voldemort didn't care, of course, because he was only trying to survive until he could drink the Elixir of Life (PS15).
  • See Voldemort's potions (unicorn blood and snake venom mix).
• horn
  • Silver unicorn horns are sold at the apothecary's in Diagon Alley. During the summer before Harry's first year, the going rate was 21 Galleons per horn - three times the cost of Harry's wand (PS5).
  • Harry told Firenze that the first-years had used unicorn horn in Potions (PS15)
• tail hair
  • Harry told Firenze that the first-years had used unicorn tail hair in Potions (PS15) (see also wands)
  • Slughorn hoped to sell some unicorn tail hairs Hagrid had given him for 10 Galleons a hair. Hagrid collects such shed hair as a matter of course, using it as a binding on bandages of injured animals due to its strength (HBP22)