Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

“Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!”

The wizarding world is amidst a celebration as they rejoice at Voldemort’s disappearance. The celebration seems slightly premature as no one knows for sure that Voldemort has been defeated. This foreshadows Voldemort’s eventual reappearance in the novel and his return to power lar in the series.

“That’s not all. They’re saying he tried to kill the Potter’s son, Harry. But—he couldn’t. He couldn’t kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they’re saying that when he couldn’t kill Harry Potter, Voldemort’s power somehow broke—and that’s why he’s gone.”

Even Professor McGonagall recognizes that something extraordinary happened when Voldemort attacked Harry. Now Harry is famous throughout the wizarding world for defeating Voldemort. He becomes known as the Boy-Who-Lived, yet most of the events and details of his survival are unknown. The secrecy around Voldemort and Harry’s connection is one that no one quite understands.

“If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn’t, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon—they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.”

The Dursleys are the picture of boring, bigoted ignorance. They want to suppress any magic as well as Harry’s imagination. Harry’s experience with the Dursleys eventually imbues him with a strong sense of justice.

“‘A wizard, o’ course,’ said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, ‘an’ a thumpin’ good’un, I’d say, once yeh’ve been trained up a bit. With a mum an’ dad like yours, what else would yeh be? An’ I reckon it’s abou’ time yeh read yer letter.’”

Harry’s discovery that he is a wizard comes as a surprise. Despite the Dursleys’ best attempt to keep magic a secret from him, Harry’s magical heritage cannot be denied or ignored. Harry has always been a wizard, regardless of what he did or did not know.

“‘Knew!’ shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. ‘Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that school-and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was—a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!’”

Aunt Petunia’s tirade against magic and her sister, Lily, is a key part of her character. Petunia is unlike the rest of her family. Though she thinks that Lily is the one who does not belong in their family, it appears that Petunia is the one who is ostracized for not accepting her sister. Her language here suggests that she was and continues to be jealous of her sister.

“‘Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That’s what yeh get when a Powerful, evil curse touches yeh—took care of yer mum an’ dad an’ yer house, even—but it didn’t work on you, an’ that’s why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill ‘em, no one except you, an’ he’d killed some o’ the best witches an’ wizards of the age—the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts—an’ you was only a baby, an’ you lived.’”

Thanks to Hagrid, Harry finally gets some answers about his parents’ deaths. Though he has always known that his lightning bolt scar marks him as different, he only now understands the circumstances through which he received it.

“Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die. Some say he’s still out there, bidin’ his time, like, but I don’ believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of ‘em came outta kinda trances. Don’ reckon they could’ve done if he was comin’ back. Most of us reckon he’s still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. ‘Cause somethin’ about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin’ goin’ on that night he hadn’t counted on—I dunno what it was, no one does—but somethin’ about you stumped him, all right.”

Hagrid is honest with Harry in a way that none of the adults in his life thus far have been, telling him the truth about Voldemort and the likelihood that he continues to lurk in the world. He does not try to placate Harry with lies about Voldemort’s death or Harry’s safety.

“Oh, well—I was at Hogwarts meself but I—er—got expelled, ter tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an’ everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore.”

Despite being headmaster, Dumbledore does not reinstate Hagrid at school. Instead, he takes him under his wing and allows Hagrid to stay at Hogwarts as an employee. Hagrid’s expulsion is not explained until the next book in the series.

“Yeah—so yeh’d be mad ter try an’ rob it, I’ll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe—‘cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o’ fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business.”

Gringotts is a setting that reappears later in the series, and this quote contains two instances of foreshadowing. Hagrid’s insistence that someone would be mad to rob the bank hints at Quirrell’s attempt to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone. It also foreshadows the trio’s eventual robbing of the bank later in the series.

“Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least—but at first he thought it was empty. Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.”

Harry can initially only conceive of jewels being guarded so heavily in a vault. What, after all, is more valuable than money? The Sorcerer’s Stone is invaluable because it can turn metal into gold and because it offers its owner eternal life.

“Yer not from a Muggle family. If he’d known who yeh were—he’s grown up knowin’ yer name if his parents are wizardin’ folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o’ the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in ‘em in a long line o’ Muggles—look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!”

Hagrid condemns Malfoy’s prejudice against Muggle-borns. His insistence that some of the most remarkable wizards he’s known are Muggle-borns helps alleviate some of Harry’s fears that he will be the worst at magic.

“Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. He couldn’t stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.”

Harry is not used to being treated with warmth and affection. Hagrid is the first person to show Harry kindness, and he gives Harry his first birthday present. By giving Harry his first pet, an owl capable of loving and being loved, Hagrid also gives Harry a new family.

“‘I remember every wand I’ve ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather—just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar.’ Harry swallowed. ‘Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember...I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter...After all, He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things—terrible, yes, but great.’”

Harry’s connection with Voldemort does not stop at his lightning bolt scar. Their wands are brothers, sharing twin feathers from the same phoenix. This moment highlights the profound impact that Voldemort has had on Harry. Readers are forced to wonder if Harry would have been chosen by the same wand l had it not been for Voldemort’s curse.

“‘Are you sure that’s a real spell?’ said the girl. ‘Well, it’s not very good, is it? I’ve tried a few simple spells just for practice and it’s all worked for me. Nobody in my family’s magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it’s the very best school of witchcraft there is, I’ve heard—I’ve learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough—I’m Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?’”

Hermione’s introduction to Ron and Harry does not go well. The boys immediately think of her as an annoying know-it-all. The speed of her sentences betrays just how nervous she is and how eager she is to make friends with other magic children her age.

“‘Think my name’s funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford.’ He turned back to Harry. ‘You’ll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.’”

Malfoy is Harry’s rival throughout most of the novel and series. He is depicted as the typical petty and bratty schoolyard bully who is used to getting his way. Malfoy’s pride is hurt by Harry’s refusal to be his friend, and he thereafter proceeds to torment him in any way he can.

“Harry pulled off the cloak and seized the letter. Written in narrow, loopy writing he had never seen before were the following words: Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well. A Very Merry Christmas to you.”

Unbeknownst to Harry, Dumbledore is the one who gave James’s invisibility cloak to Harry. How and where Dumbledore got the cloak is only revealed later in the series in a discussion of the deathly hallows. Dumbledore’s interference can be interpreted in one of two ways. Knowing that Harry will pursue Voldemort, he is either providing a helpful artifact that will aid Harry or displaying casual disregard for Harry’s well-being and manipulating Harry in his fight against Voldemort.

“The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and he stared hungrily back at them, his hands pressed flat against the glass as though he was hoping to fall right through it and reach them. He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness. How long he stood there, he didn’t know. The reflections did not fade and he looked and looked until a distant noise brought him back to his senses. He couldn’t stay here, he had to find his way back to bed. He tore his eyes away from his mother’s face, whispered, ‘I’ll come back,’ and hurried from the room.”

Harry has lived 11 years of without knowing or even seeing his parents. When he finally sees his family in the Mirror, he is understandably obsessed with it. The danger of the mirror is in its ability to thoroughly enchant the viewer. One of Harry’s primary motivators is to find a family and home to which he can belong.

“It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you. Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed by his brothers, sees himself standing alone, the best of all of them. However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible. The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. Now, why don’t you put that admirable cloak back on and get off to bed?”

Dumbledore finally meets Harry in front of the Mirror. Harry has not yet had an opportunity to speak with the headmaster alone. Dumbledore does not give Harry any additional information but hints that Harry may encounter the Mirror again.

“It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Harry swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren’t his business from now on. He’d had it with sneaking around and spying. He felt so ashamed of himself that he went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team.”

Harry knows that the entirety of Gryffindor house is furious at him. Instead of defending himself or explaining himself to everyone, Harry actively seeks punishment. His response is likely born out of his history of neglect while growing up with the Dursleys.

“‘Look there,’ said Hagrid, ‘see that stuff shinin’ on the ground? Silvery stuff? That’s unicorn blood. There’s a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. We’re gonna try an’ find the poor thing. We might have ‘ter put it out of its misery.’”

Unicorns are depicted as the embodiment of purity and goodness. By portraying a hurt or dead unicorn, the author tells the reader that there is something incredibly wrong in the wizarding world and at Hogwarts. Only the most evil creature would dare to hurt a unicorn.

“‘It is,’ Firenze agreed, ‘unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else—something that will bring you back to full strength and power—something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?’”

Despite being a centaur, known for their vague answers and impossible questions, Firenze is one of the first people to tell Harry about the Sorcerer’s Stone hidden at Hogwarts. Firenze does not pretend that Harry is safe; instead, he wishes him luck and tells him everything he knows about Voldemort and the effects of unicorn blood.

“‘Brilliant,’ said Hermione. ‘This isn’t magic—it’s logic—a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven’t got an ounce of logic, they’d be stuck in here forever.’”

Hermione is extremely clever and the brightest witch of the age. As a Muggle-born, she is also well-versed in logic and puzzles. Hermione can overcome a test meant to stymie even the very best wizards by using her abilities gained in the Muggle world.

“Books! And cleverness! There are more important things—friendship and bravery and—oh Harry—be careful!”

Though Hermione embodies bookishness and intelligence, she values other things far more. Her loyalty to Ron and Harry and the bravery she shows in protecting them ultimately lead her to be in Gryffindor rather than Ravenclaw.