Harry Dresden's laboratory



Dresden's laboratory is where Harry Dresden does research, makes potions, summons entities, consults with Bob the Skull on matters of magic, history, beings of the Nevernever and much more. It is first mentioned in Storm Front.

Description
The lab is located in the sub-basement of Harry Dresden's apartment. The entrance to the lab in a trap-door kept hidden under a throw rug. Stairs lead down into it. There's a long table in the center and three table along three of the walls. There's a clear space where a brass circle is laid out on the cement floor and held down with bolts. Shelves over the tables were stuffed with cages, boxes, tupperware, jars, cans, containers of all descriptions, a pair of unusual antlers, fur pelts, many old books, and along row of notebooks filled with his own notes and a white skull, Bob.

Dresden has a green three-ring notebook with the names of entities he could summon from the Nevernever. Beings in this notebook demand a steep price that's always different and usually unpleasant.

Storm Front
In Storm Front, Harry Dresden brews up two potions, one an escape potion and the other a love potions (at Bob's insistence). Later, when the apartment is invaded by a toad demon, Dresden tells Susan Rodriguez to go down to the lab and take the vanishing potion, but somehow ends up taking the love potion by mistake. They both go down and stand in the copper circle barely in time to block it's acid spittle. Then the love potion Susan took kicks in.

Fool Moon
In Fool Moon, there is a bright copper summoning ring, and a precariously balanced stack of comic books.

In Fool Moon, Harry Dresden brews two potions: a Camouflage potion and a Pick-me-up potion. And he gets information about erewolves—lupine theriomorphs—from Bob. Later, Dresden calls up Chaunzaggoroth up into his summoning circle in his basement lab to get information on Harley MacFinn.

Summer Knight
In Summer Knight, Bob and Harry Dresden discuss the hierarchy of the Sidhe Courts. Bob tells Dresden that Ronald Reuel was the Summer Knight.

Death Masks
In Death Masks, Harry Dresden calls up Ulsharavas seeking information about the Shroud of Turin and it's thieves' whereabouts. Ulsharavas tells Dresden about the prophecy and that the Knights of the Cross only got part of it, that: Dresden will die if he seeks the Shroud. The rest is that: if Dresden doesn't find the Shroud, the Knights will die and Chicago with them.

Dresden digs a two-foot hole in his lab, places Lasciel's coin inside a steel ring, whispered words that closed a spell around it. That cut off the constant whispering he heard. The he buried the coin under cement.



Proven Guilty
In Proven Guilty, Harry Dresden has built Little Chicago which covers most of the entire center table. It's used to find people and things. It is still a work in progress.

Dresden uses used some of Charity Carpenter's blood to track Molly Carpenter in Little Chicago.

White Night
In White Night, Molly Carpenter gets her own desk and her own wall in the lab and has begun her own collection of materials and notes.

Dresden uses Little Chicago to track to Grey Cloak (Vittorio Malvora), first to Madrigal Raith, and then following him to a meeting with Cowl in Undertown. Cowl, senses his presence, lashes out his power—Little Chicago gets a large melted hole in it, instead of in Dresden's head.

Small Favor
In Small Favor, Harry Dresden keeps a US map on the wall unerneath Bob's shelf. It has green and red push-pins. Green for a real threat experienced and red for false alarm.

Dresden puts his Order of the Silver Oak pin inside of a bag of catnip, suspends the bag over Little Chicago, now fixed, and allows Mister to play with it. Whenever the bag touches a part of the model, it sends a signal, forcing the gruffs to run all over the city.

Turn Coat
In Turn Coat, the summoning ring is made of pure copper.

Harry Dresden tries several attempts at various tracking spells to locate his brother Thomas who was abducted by the Naagloshii by using his copper summoning ring in the floor. None of them are successful.

Changes
In Changes, the summoning ring has been upgraded to a five foot hoop of braided copper, silver, and iron. It cost Dresden three grand from a svartalf silversmith. The materials aren't all that expensive the the Svartalf needed to be compensated to work with iron. "Each metal strand in the braid was inscribed with sigils and runes in formulae that harnessed and controlled magical energies to a far greater deree than any simple circle. Each strand had its own string of symbols were so tiny and precise that only a svartaf or maybe an Intel could have pulled it off. Flickers of light slithered around each strand of metal, red light, blue and green dancing and intertwining in continuous spirals."

Bob looks at photos of ritual objects. He says they're objects of dark magic, which is obvious from angles and the imbalance. They are meant for Human Sacrifice. The slaughter of an innocent. The Red Court is planning a destructive act of high Black magic.

Dresden escapes from the lab through a portal he created to the Nevernever carrying Bob, the two Swords of the Cross, and various contraband while the FBI break into his apartment led by Agent Barry Tilly and Rudolph the instigating party. When he returns into his Lab to escape giant centipedes, Tilly is waiting there and arrests Dresden.

Dresden activates his Speaking stone, to ask Ebenezar for help from the Grey Council is locating where the Reds took Maggie, his daughter. Eben cuts Dresden off before and scolds Dresden for thinking only of one child. After blanking out with Ebenezar, Dresden summons a multitude of nature spirits from the various realms in the Nevernever. And servants of the Tylwyth Teg whose king Dresden is on good terms with. Even a sentient flame creature who communicated in images. One of the fire spirits showed Dresden an image of Maggie shivering in fear or cold, reaching out for a flame for warmth. Dresden writes to Ivy, asking for help. Kincaid calls back, says Ivy not free to share her knowledge, but points him to Marcone.

The lab was destroyed along with Harry Dresden's apartment.