Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Final exams will take place in ten weeks, and Hermione wants to start studying. As they work on their assignments in the library, they come across Hagrid and tell him that they know about Nicolas Flamel and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Hagrid invites them to his hut to discuss everything. They figure out that Hagrid has been researching dragons. According to Ron, owning a dragon is illegal.

At Hagrid’s home, they ask him for more information, but he insists that he does not know what else is protecting the Sorcerer’s Stone. Hagrid insists that only he and Dumbledore can get past Fluffy. The children notice that Hagrid has a dragon egg warming in the hut’s fire. Hagrid tells them that he won the egg from a stranger in a pub. When the egg hatches a few days later, Hagrid invites them to watch. Malfoy overhears them speaking and later spies on them as they watch the baby dragon appear. The children are worried that Malfoy will get Hagrid in trouble. Hagrid adores the baby Norwegian Ridgeback dragon too much to let it go, naming it Norbert. After much convincing, Hagrid agrees to let Ron send a letter to his brother Charlie for help.

Over a week later, after Norbert bites Ron, Charlie responds, saying that his friends will pick up the dragon on the upcoming Saturday. They agree to bring the baby dragon to Hogwarts’ highest tower at night, but Ron cannot go because he gets sick and ends up in the infirmary. Malfoy threatens to tell the professors the truth and borrows the textbook where Ron hid Charlie’s letter. Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid decide to continue with the plan. On Saturday evening, Hagrid sobs as he bids Norbert goodbye, having packed the dragon rats, brandy, and a teddy bear for the journey. Hermione and Harry hide under the invisibility cloak while bringing the dragon up to the tower. There, they see Professor McGonagall scold Malfoy for making up lies about Harry, and she gives him detention. After Charlie’s friends arrive to take the dragon away, Harry and Hermione head downstairs, accidentally leaving the cloak on the top of the tower. Filch catches them as a result.

Filch brings Harry and Hermione to Professor McGonagall’s office, where she sentences them, Malfoy, and Neville to detention. Neville was wandering around searching for Harry to warn him about Malfoy’s plan. Harry and Hermione refuse to tell Professor McGonagall why they were at the top of the tower. She believes that Harry and Hermione tricked Malfoy and Neville got mixed up in it as a result. Neville is upset that his friends tricked him though they deny it. Professor McGonagall deducts 50 points from each of them. Harry lies awake, listening to Neville sob: “He knew Neville, like himself, was dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they’d done?” (195).

Gryffindor drops from first to last place in the house tournament, and everyone in Gryffindor is furious at Harry. He tries to quit the Quidditch team, but Wood doesn’t let him—the team still needs a Seeker. Harry vows not to cause any more trouble. Harry, Ron, and Hermione begin studying for their tests. A week before their exams, Harry spots Professor Quirrell coming out of an empty classroom. The professor is crying and too busy touching his turban to notice Harry. Harry looks around the classroom but does not see anything out of the ordinary. He suspects that Snape had been in the room with Quirrell, forcing him to help steal the Sorcerer’s Stone. Harry resolutely sticks to his promise not to meddle, insisting, “no […] we’ve done enough poking around” (197).

That night at eleven o’clock, the children with detention meet Filch. He takes them to Hagrid, where they find out that they’ll be going into the forest to search for a wounded unicorn. Malfoy protests but must do as he’s told. Hagrid tells them that he found yet another dead unicorn earlier and that they must go in search of whatever might be killing them. They split into two groups, with Hagrid, Harry, and Hermione in one and Neville, Fang, and Malfoy in the other. Hagrid’s group stumbles across a couple of centaurs, who do not tell them anything about what might be in the woods.

Neville’s group lets out a flare, a signal that they’re in trouble. Hagrid hurries after them, only to discover that Neville set off the alarm after Malfoy scared him as a joke. Harry gets put in the group with Malfoy and Fang, while Neville joins Hermione and Hagrid. Harry, Malfoy, and Fang eventually stumble across the dead unicorn. They spot a figure with a hood slink across the ground and begin to drink the unicorn’s blood. Malfoy runs away, and the figure moves toward Harry. Harry’s scar begins to hurt, and he cannot move, frozen in place. Firenze, the centaur, saves Harry’s life by scaring the figure away. The other centaurs are furious at Firenze for interfering with destiny, saying, “Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?” (206).

The centaurs have seen Voldemort’s return in the skies. Firenze insists that more important things are at play in the universe and that he stands not against the planets but “what is lurking in this forest” (206). Firenze lets Harry ride on his back and takes him back to Hermione, Hagrid, and Neville. On the way, he tells him that drinking a unicorn’s blood can grant someone immortality but only at a great cost. To do such a horrible thing curses the person’s life and soul. Harry believes, beyond a doubt, that the figure in the clearing must have been Voldemort. Back at Gryffindor, Harry and Hermione tell Ron everything. Harry believes that Snape is helping Voldemort return to power. Hermione comforts Harry, telling him that Dumbledore will keep everyone safe. When Harry goes to bed, he finds his invisibility cloak folded under his sheets.

Harry’s nightmares continue, and his scar continues to ache. After finishing their exams, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sit by the lake. His friends reassure Harry that no one can get past Fluffy. A thought occurs to Harry, and they rush to see Hagrid. Harry asks, “Don’t you think it’s a bit odd…that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket?” (211).

Hagrid admits that he doesn’t know who the stranger was because he wore a cloak. Hagrid confesses that he also told the stranger that playing music for Fluffy immediately puts the dog to sleep. The three children rush back to the castle to tell Dumbledore. There, they discover from Professor McGonagall that Dumbledore has been called away to London. Harry tries to explain everything to her, but she insists that everything will be fine. With no adults to help them, the children believe that they must prevent Snape from getting the Sorcerer’s Stone.

After some failed attempts to spy on Snape during the day, they decide to protect the Stone that night. Ron and Hermione insist on helping. Harry brings the flute and invisibility cloak to the common room. As they prepare to leave, Neville stops them, desperate not to let them hurt Gryffindor’s chance of winning the house cup. Hermione uses a spell on Neville and leaves him frozen on the floor. The three of them share the cloak and hurry to the third floor.

The door to Fluffy is open, and Harry plays the flute to put the dog to sleep. They take turns playing the flute, and Hermione is the last to jump through the trapdoor. Immediately, they are stuck in a tangle of plants called Devil’s Snare. Hermione slips free while Harry and Ron continue to struggle among the tendrils. Remembering that the plant fears fire, she frees the boys with a spell. In the next room, the children find hundreds of flying keys. One of the keys has a broken wing, and it clearly has been caught by someone else before. The three hop on their respective brooms, working together as Harry uses his Seeker skills to catch the damaged flying key. They make it to the next room safely, where they find a life-size game of wizard’s chess. Ron is the best player, so he guides them through this trial. Ron stands in for a knight, Harry for a bishop, and Hermione for a rook. The game is violent, and Ron realizes that he must sacrifice himself to win the game. The queen destroys the horse Ron is riding, and he is knocked unconscious as he falls. Harry and Hermione finish the game and win.

Continuing to the next trial, they find a series of potions in different bottles and a rhyme, telling which potions are safe to drink and which are not. It is a logic problem, not a magic one, and Hermione quickly figures out which potion Harry must drink to pass through the fire leading to the next room. There is only enough potion for one person, so Hermione goes back to save Ron and get help. Harry tells her that he will distract Snape while she’s gone. Hermione and Harry drink different potions so that they can go separate ways. Harry passes through the fire and sees someone he does not expect.

Harry does not find Snape in the last room, but Quirrell and the Mirror of Erised. Quirrell admits that he was the one who tried to kill Harry during the Quidditch game. Snape volunteered to referee the next game to keep Harry safe. Quirrell was also the one who brought the troll into the castle to get through the trapdoor. Buying time, Harry asks the professor about Snape. According to Quirrell, Snape hated Harry because of his history with Harry’s father. Quirrell admits that he has been trying to avoid Snape’s suspicion and reveals that Voldemort punished him for failing to break into Gringotts. Quirrell binds Harry with magical rope before turning to stare into the Mirror; he is convinced that it will tell him where to find the Stone. Harry falls over when he tries to walk toward the Mirror.

A disembodied voice orders Quirrell to make Harry help him. Quirrell demands to know what Harry sees in the mirror. In the mirror, Harry sees himself slipping the Sorcerer’s Stone into his pocket. When his reflection winks, Harry realizes the Stone is in his pocket. Harry lies and tells Quirrell that he sees himself passing his exams. The voice seems to know that Harry is lying. It wants to speak to Harry, and Quirrell begins to unwrap his turban. Voldemort’s face is embedded into the back of Quirrell’s head; it has been surviving by living through its followers and drinking unicorn blood. Voldemort needs the Sorcerer’s Stone to resurrect himself fully. Voldemort mocks Harry, taunting him about his parents’ deaths as he asks for the Stone. Harry calls Voldemort a liar and tries to escape. When Quirrell grabs him, Harry’s scar begins to hurt, and Quirrell is burned whenever he touches Harry. Quirrell tries to kill Harry by cursing him, but the boy runs forward and grabs Quirrell’s face. Harry faints from the pain.

Harry wakes up in the infirmary. Dumbledore tells him that Harry has been asleep for three days. He is surrounded by the gifts and candy his friends have brought for him. Dumbledore says that he got to Harry in just enough time to prevent Quirrell from stealing the Stone. With Flamel’s permission, Dumbledore will destroy the Stone. Dumbledore says that Voldemort will likely find another way to return after leaving Quirrell dead. Harry wants to know why Voldemort is so intent on killing him, but Dumbledore says he’s not ready for the answers yet. The headmaster does tell Harry that his mother’s love was what protected him. That love burned Quirrell and Voldemort whenever they tried to touch him. Harry begins to cry, and Dumbledore confesses that he was the one who gave Harry the invisibility cloak.

According to Dumbledore, Snape hates Harry’s father because James once saved his life. Dumbledore also charmed the Mirror to hide the Stone so that only the individual who sought the stone and not its immortal powers could find it. After Dumbledore leaves, Hermione and Ron visit Harry. Ron doesn’t understand why Dumbledore would give Harry the invisibility cloak. Harry wonders if Dumbledore has been preparing him to face Voldemort. The next day, Hagrid gives Harry a book of magic photographs of his parents. At the farewell banquet, the Great Hall is decorated in green to celebrate Slytherin’s win of the house cup. Dumbledore intervenes, however, by awarding Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville points for their bravery in stopping Quirrell and Voldemort, and thus, Gryffindor wins the house cup. Everyone passes their exams and packs for the summer. The children return to the Hogwarts Express and promise to write to each other. Being able to threaten the Dursleys with magic will make Harry’s time with them a little more bearable.