harry potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Summary:

Ten year old Harry Potter is an orphan who lives in the fictional London suburb of Little Whining, Surrey, with the Dursleys: his uncaring Aunt Petunia, and Uncle Vernon, and spoiled cousin dudley. The Dursleys barely tolerate Harry, and Dudley bullies him. One day Harry is astonished to receive a letter addressed to him in the cupboard under the stairs (where he sleeps). Before he can open the letter, however, Uncle Vernon takes it. Letters for Harry subsequently arrive each day, in increasing numbers, but Uncle Vernon tears them all up, and finally, in an attempt to escape the missives, the Dursleys go to a miserable shack on a small island. On Harry’s 11th birthday, a giant named Hagrid arrives and reveals that Harry is a wizard and that he has been accepted at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He also sheds light on Harry’s past, informing the boy that his parents, a wizard and a witch, were killed by the evil wizard Voldemort and that Harry acquired the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead during the fatal confrontation.

When the arrival at the school happens, the students are sorted into one of four houses – Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. Harry ends up in Gryffindor, and during his eventful first year at Hogwarts he becomes close friends with two other members of the house, Ron Weasley, who comes from an old wizarding family, and Hermione Granger, whose parents are Muggles (those who are not magical). Harry also find’s that he has an enemy in Draco Malfoy (Slytherin). In addition, Harry’s prowess in flying on a broomstick makes him a star of Gryffindor’s Quidditch team. Hoping to get Harry and his friends into trouble, Draco tricks them into leaving their rooms one night, a violation of school rules. While trying to avoid being caught, they discover a three-headed dog gaarding a trapdoor. Harry gradually comes to the conclusion that Professor Snape, who teaches Potions, dislikes him intensely and is trying to get hold of whatever is behind the trapdoor. Harry receives his father’s cloak of invisibility as a Christmas gift, and, while exploring under the cloaks cover, he finds the Mirror of Erised, in which he can see his parents. Later, headmaster Albus Dumbledore explains that the mirror shows the viewer’s deepest desire.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione deduce that the treasure under the trapdoor is the Philosopher’s Stone, which can transform metal into gold and can also confer immortality. They later discover that Voldemort has been killing unicorns in the Forbidden Forest and drinking their blood, another way to achieve immortality. The trio comes to believe that Snape is in league with the evil wizard. After learning that Hagrid revealed the secret way to lull the three-headed dog to sleep to a suspicious stranger, whom they believe to be either Snape or Voldemort, they are certain that the Philosopher’s Stone is in danger. The three classmates use the cloak of invisibility on a secret mission to get the Stone themselves to keep it from Voldemort. After getting past the dog and defeating various protective spells, Harry reaches the room in which the Stone is hidden and is surprised to find the perpetually nervous Professor Quirrell there. Quirrell fails to figure out how to retrieve the Stone from the Mirror of Erised (the final protective measure) and forces Harry to try. When standing in front of the mirror, wishing only to protect the Stone and not use it for himself, Harry feels the Stone’s weight in his pocket but refuses to tell Quirrell that he has it. Quirrell unwraps his turbanrevealing Voldemort’s face on the back of his head. Voldemort explains that he has been sharing Quirrell’s body until he can get to the Stone and become fully alive again, and Voldemort/Quirrell and Harry fight for possession of the Stone, until Harry blacks out. He awakens in the infirmary and learns that Dumbledore saved him, the Stone is to be destroyed, and Voldemort escaped

Question one –

Write about one of the characters:

Hermione Granger:

Harry and Ron’s best friend at Hogwarts. A first-year in Gryffindor House, Hermione is Muggle-born, meaning that neither of her parents has magical ability. Despite her background, Hermione gains a reputation of being one of the brightest witches in her year, particularly because of her unfailing work ethic and determination to succeed and perhaps because of her insecurity over her background (plus her final exam grade of 112 percent in Charms). Unfortunately, Hermione’s academic diligence also gives her the reputation of being an annoying girl, and she starts out the school year with few friends. Her adventure with the troll in the girl’s bathroom with Harry and Ron, and her willingness to take the blame for the situation, eventually started her friendship with Ron and Harry.

Question two –

Write a letter to one of the characters:

To: harry potter.

Dear harry,

How are you? I’m fine. I have wanted to write you this latter because I think that you are an amazing person and I want you to know that!

First, you are very brave, for example, when you fought the scary three-headed dog whiteout Hesitation – it was very brave thing to do.

Second, you are a kind person, for example, when you let Ron to eat from your own food and candies – it’s not taken for granted.

In conclusion, I wanted to let you know that I admire you for the things you have done.

You are my favorite character in the book, and I hope someday you will write me back.

chapter 1:

The Dursleys are a well-to-do, status-conscious our family living in Surrey, England. Eager to keep up proper appearances, they are embarrassed by Mrs. Dursley’s eccentric sister, Mrs. Potter, whom for years Mrs. Dursley has pretended not to know. On his way to work one ordinary morning, Mr. Dursley notices a cat reading a map. He is unsettled, but tells himself that he has only imagined it. Then, as Mr. Dursley is waiting in traffic, he notices people dressed in brightly colored cloaks. Walking past a bakery later that day, he overhears people talking in an excited manner about his sister-in-law’s family, the Potters, and the Potters’ one-year-old son, Harry. Disturbed but still not sure anything is wrong, Mr. Dursley decides not to say anything to his wife. On the way home, he bumps into a strangely dressed man who gleefully exclaims that someone named “You-Know-Who” has finally gone and that even a “Muggle” like Mr. Dursley should rejoice. Meanwhile, the news is full of unusual reports of shooting stars and owls flying during the day.

That night, as the Dursleys are falling asleep, Albus Dumbledore, a wizard and the head of the Hogwarts wizardry academy, appears on their street. He shuts off all the streetlights and approaches a cat that is soon revealed to be a woman named Professor McGonagall (who also teaches at Hogwarts) in disguise. They discuss the disappearance of You-Know-Who, otherwise known as Voldemort. Dumbledore tells McGonagall that Voldemort killed the Potter parents the previous night and tried to kill their son, Harry, as well, but was unable to. Dumbledore adds that Voldemort’s power apparently began to wane after his failed attempt to kill Harry and that he retreated. Dumbledore adds that the baby Harry can be left on the Dursleys’ doorstep. McGonagall protests that Harry cannot be brought up by the Dursleys. But Dumbledore insists that there is no one else to take care of the child. He says that when Harry is old enough, he will be told of his fate. A giant named Hagrid, who is carrying a bundle of blankets with the baby Harry inside, then falls out of the sky on a motorcycle. Dumbledore takes Harry and places him on the Dursley’s doorstep with an explanatory letter he has written to the Dursleys, and the three

chapter 2:

Ten years have passed. Harry is now almost eleven and living in wretchedness in a cupboard under the stairs in the Dursley house. He is tormented by the Dursleys’ son, Dudley, a spoiled and whiny boy. Harry is awakened one morning by his aunt, Petunia, telling him to tend to the bacon immediately, because it is Dudley’s birthday and everything must be perfect. Dudley gets upset because he has only thirty-seven presents, one fewer than the previous year. When a neighbor calls to say she will not be able to watch Harry for the day, Dudley begins to cry, as he is upset that Harry will have to be brought along on Dudley’s birthday trip to the zoo. At the zoo, the Dursleys spoil Dudley and his friend Piers, neglecting Harry as usual. In the reptile house, Harry pays close attention to a boa constrictor and is astonished when he is able to have a conversation with it. Noticing what Harry is doing, Piers calls over Mr. Dursley and Dudley, who pushes Harry aside to get a better look at the snake. At this moment, the glass front of the snake’s tank vanishes and the boa constrictor slithers out onto the floor. Dudley and Piers claim that the snake attacked them. The Dursleys are in shock. At home, Harry is punished for the snake incident, being sent to his cupboard without any food, though he feels he had nothing to do with what happened.

chapter 3:

Punished for the boa constrictor incident, Harry is locked in his cupboard until summer. When finally free, he spends most of the time outside his house to escape the torments of Dudley’s cohorts. Harry is excited by the prospect of starting a new school in the fall, far away from Dudley for the first time in his life. One day, Uncle Vernon tells Harry to fetch the mail. Harry notices a letter bearing a coat of arms that is addressed to him in “The Cupboard under the Stairs.” Uncle Vernon grabs the envelope from him and shows it to his wife. Both are shocked. They force Dudley and Harry to leave the kitchen in order to discuss what to do. The next day, Uncle Vernon visits Harry in the cupboard. He refuses to discuss the letter, but he tells Harry to move into Dudley’s second room, previously used to store Dudley’s toys.

The next day, another letter comes for Harry, this time addressed to him in “The Smallest Bedroom.” Uncle Vernon becomes alarmed. Harry tries to get the letter, but Uncle Vernon keeps it from him. The following morning, Harry wakes up early to try to get the mail before anyone gets up, but he is thwarted by Uncle Vernon, who has slept near the mail slot waiting for the letters. Though Uncle Vernon nails the mail slot shut, twelve letters come for Harry the next day, slipped under the door or through the cracks. Soon letters flood the house, entering in impossible ways. Uncle Vernon continues to prevent Harry from reading any of them. Enraged, Uncle Vernon decides to take everyone away from the house, but at the hotel where they stay, a hundred letters are delivered for Harry. Uncle Vernon decides on even greater isolation. On a dark, stormy night, he takes the family out to an island with only one shack on it. Inside, Vernon bolts the door. At midnight, as it becomes Harry’s birthday, there is a loud thump at the door.

chapter 4:

The thump is heard again. A giant smashes down the door. I was so scard. Uncle Vernon threatens the giant with a gun, but the giant takes the gun and ties it into a knot. The giant presents Harry with a chocolate birthday cake and introduces himself as Hagrid, the “Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.” Hagrid is disturbed to find out that the Dursleys have never told Harry what Hogwarts is. Vernon tries to stop Hagrid from telling Harry about Hogwarts, but to no avail. Hagrid tells Harry that Harry is a wizard and presents him with a letter of acceptance to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Vernon protests that he will not allow Harry to attend Hogwarts. Hagrid explains to Harry that the Dursleys have been lying all along about how the boy’s parents died. Harry learns that they did not die in a car crash, as he had always thought, but were killed by the evil wizard Voldemort. Harry does not believe he could be a wizard, but then he realizes that the incident with the boa constrictor was an act of wizardry. With Uncle Vernon protesting, Hagrid takes Harry from the shack.

chapter 5-6:

Chapter 5

Harry wakes up in the company of Hagrid and realizes that the preceding night was not a dream. The two set off to London to shop for Harry’s school supplies. Harry is concerned about the money required, but Hagrid assures him that his parents left behind plenty of funds for him at Gringotts, the wizards’ bank run by goblins. Their first stop in London is at the Leaky Cauldron, a pub where all the patrons recognize Harry and are both nervous and honored to have the opportunity to meet him. They head out to the street, where Hagrid taps on a brick wall, and a small street called Diagon Alley opens before them. Hagrid explains that Harry will buy what he needs for school here. They go to Gringotts, where they are escorted down to Harry’s safe. Inside, they view the piles of silver and gold that Harry’s parents left him. Hagrid explains the complex wizard monetary system, which is composed of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. Hagrid fills a small bag with money. He then takes Harry to another vault, number 713, which is empty except for a grubby little package that Hagrid picks up and hides in his clothes, warning Harry not to ask about it.

Hagrid then takes Harry to be fitted for his uniform. In the store, he encounters a snobbish and unlikable boy who will also be starting Hogwarts in the fall. The snobbish boy talks highly about grand old wizard families, and Harry begins to worry about whether he is cut out to be a wizard. But Hagrid reassures Harry, telling him that he will learn all he needs to know and that there are many Muggle students at Hogwarts. After buying the required books and ingredients for potions, Hagrid and Harry then head to the wand store. Mr. Ollivander, the storeowner, makes Harry try a number of magic wands, telling him that it will be clear when he has the right one. Harry tries out many wands. Finally, he picks up one made of holly and phoenix feather, and sparks shoot out from it—this is clearly the right wand. Ollivander tells Harry that the only other wand containing feathers from the same phoenix belonged to Voldemort and had been used to give Harry his lightning-bolt forehead scar.

Chapter 6

Harry’s last month with the Dursleys is unpleasant. The day before he is due to leave, Harry asks Uncle Vernon to take him to the train station. Uncle Vernon agrees to take him but ridicules him for saying he is to leave from track nine and three quarters, as is marked on the ticket Hagrid gave him. The following day, Harry arrives at the station and stands between tracks nine and ten, wondering with increasing alarm how to find track nine and three quarters. Finally, he overhears some people mention Hogwarts; it is a family of red-haired children who seem to be bound for the academy. He asks the mother for help, and she tells him to walk through the barrier between tracks nine and ten. Harry does so, and he is astonished to find the train to Hogwarts on the other side. Harry boards it.

On the train, Harry is introduced to Fred and George Weasley, twins who are returning to school, and to their brother Ron, another student who will be starting at Hogwarts. Ron introduces Harry to such details of wizard life as Quidditch (a game a bit like soccer, but played on broomsticks), Famous Witches and Wizards cards (collectible items like baseball cards), and Every Flavor Beans. One of the cards bears the picture of Albus Dumbledore. Ron, who comes from a poor family, cannot afford the pastries sold on the train, so Harry buys a lot with his newfound wealth and shares them with Ron. Harry also meets a somewhat annoying, overachieving girl named Hermione Granger and sees again the unpleasant boy from the uniform shop, whose name is Draco Malfoy. All the students have heard of Harry, and Harry is not sure how to respond to his fame. Arriving at the station, the newcomers are led onto boats in which they sail to the castle of Hogwarts.

chapter 7-8:

Chapter 7

The new students are greeted at the castle door by Professor McGonagall, who tells them they will soon be sorted into their houses. All Hogwarts students live in one of four residences: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. Each house has its own team for Quidditch, a game that resembles soccer on broomsticks. The houses are in a yearlong competition with one another to acquire the most points, which are earned by success in Quidditch games and lost for student infractions. As the students enter Hogwarts, ghosts appear in the hallway. The students are led to the Great Hall, where the entire school waits for them. They see a pointy hat on a stool. When the students try on the hat, it announces the house in which they are placed. Harry becomes very nervous. He has learned that he does not care for Slytherin house, as the students in it are unpleasant and Voldemort once belonged to Slytherin. Finally, it is Harry’s turn to wear the hat. After a brief mental discussion with the hat in which it tries to suggest Slytherin to him, the hat places Harry in Gryffindor. Harry is pleased to find that he is joined in Gryffindor by Ron and Hermione. Draco Malfoy is placed in Slytherin.

Everyone sits down to a grand feast to begin the year. Harry is overwhelmed by the variety of luscious food served. Sir Nicolas de Mimsy-Porpington, the resident ghost of Gryffindor (popularly known as Nearly Headless Nick because of a botched decapitation), introduces himself to the first-year students and tells them he hopes they will win the house championship this year. Over dessert, the discussion turns to the children’s upbringings. A student named Neville tells how his family thought he was a Muggle until he survived a fall from a window. Harry glances around the room and notices a few of the teachers talking to one another. One of them stares malevolently at Harry, who immediately feels a sharp pain in his forehead scar. Harry finds out that this man is Professor Snape, who teaches Potions. After dessert, Albus Dumbledore, the head of Hogwarts, gets up to make his welcome speech. He adds a few warnings about staying away from the Forbidden Forest and avoiding the third-floor corridor on the right side of the school. Everyone sings the school song and goes off to his or her house.

Chapter 8

Harry finds life at Hogwarts unfamiliar and strange. Everyone talks about him, and an adult always seems to be around when he is doing something wrong. Harry finds all the classes interesting, with the exception of the History of Magic. In the first Transfiguration class (where students are taught how to turn one thing into another), only Hermione is able to make any progress at turning a match into a needle. Harry is relieved to see that others are just as lost as he is.

During breakfast the first Friday, Harry’s owl, Hedwig, who delivers mail, arrives with a tea invitation from Hagrid. Later, in his Potions class, Harry discovers that Professor Snape really does not like him, mocking Harry as “our new celebrity” and then humiliating Harry for his ignorance of herbs. Harry brings Ron with him to Hagrid’s shack for tea. Harry and Ron are disconcerted by Hagrid’s huge and fierce-looking dog, Fang, but discover that he is gentle. Hagrid tells Harry that he is overreacting to Snape’s treatment, asserting that Snape would have no reason to hate him. Harry happens to notice an article from the wizard newspaper detailing a break-in that occurred at Gringotts bank in a vault that had been emptied earlier in the day. He realizes that it happened on his birthday, the day he and Hagrid went to Gringotts. Furthermore, he remembers that Hagrid emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, taking a small package with him as he left. Harry leaves Hagrid’s, his mind filled with questions.

chapter 9:

Harry is upset by news that the Gryffindors will have flying lessons with the Slytherins, because he does not want to spend more time with his Slytherin enemy Draco Malfoy. Madam Hooch leads the class, gently sending the new fliers off the ground. Neville has an accident and breaks his wrist. Madam Hooch takes him to the hospital, telling everyone to stay on the ground while she is away. Malfoy notices a magic ball belonging to Neville, picks it up, and begins to fly around with it. Harry goes after Malfoy, who throws the ball in the air. Harry catches it spectacularly and lands safely back on ground. Just then, Professor McGonagall arrives, reprimanding Harry and ordering him to follow her. But instead of punishing him, McGonagall introduces him to Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, explaining that Harry will make an excellent Quidditch player.

At dinner, Harry excitedly tells Ron about joining the Quidditch team but tells him that Wood wants it to be a secret. Malfoy comes over with his cronies Crabbe and Goyle and teases Harry about getting in trouble earlier. The tension grows and Malfoy challenges Harry to a wizard’s duel. Harry accepts, in spite of Hermione’s attempt to dissuade them from breaking the school rules. As Harry and Ron sneak out later that night, Hermione tries to stop them but gets locked out of the dorm and must tag along. Neville, wandering around lost, also joins them. They arrive at the trophy room, the site of the duel, but Malfoy is nowhere to be found. Suddenly, they hear Argus Filch, the school caretaker, and his cat, Mrs. Norris, enter the room. They begin to hide and then run away. Not sure where they are going, they accidentally end up in the forbidden area on the third floor, staring at a large and scary three-headed dog. The children manage to get back to their dorm safely, though they are terrified. Hermione reprimands Harry but stirs his curiosity by pointing out that the dog was standing on a trapdoor.

chapter 10:

The next morning, Harry and Ron and me are discussing what the dog could be guarding when the mail arrives. Harry receives a first-class broomstick, along with a note from Professor McGonagall summoning him to Quidditch practice. Malfoy tells Harry that first-year students are not allowed broomsticks. When he tries to report Harry to Professor Flitwick, Flitwick just expresses admiration for Harry’s talent. Harry later meets Oliver Wood to learn the basics of Quidditch. On Halloween, Flitwick begins teaching his students how to make things fly. Only Hermione succeeds; Ron, offended by her air of superiority, makes a nasty comment that Hermione overhears. Harry notices her running off in tears.

Harry and Ron arrive at the Halloween feast to hear Professor Quirrell, the teacher of Defense against the Dark Arts, give a terrifying announcement about a twelve-foot troll in the building. As the prefects lead the students back to their dorms, Harry realizes that Hermione does not know about the troll. They head off to warn her and come upon the troll. Unwittingly, they lock it in the girls’ bathroom only to realize that Hermione is trapped in there with the troll. Using teamwork and magic, the three of them manage to knock out the troll. Professor McGonagall finds them and begins to scold the boys. Hermione interjects that Harry and Ron were looking for her. She then lies, saying that she went to face the troll herself and that Ron and Harry had been trying to save her from it. At this point, Hermione becomes their friend.

chapter 11:

The Quidditch season begins, and Harry is about to play in his first match against Slytherin. To prepare, Harry borrows a book entitled Quidditch Through the Ages from Hermione. Professor Snape discovers Ron, Harry,me, and Hermione out with the book one evening and confiscates it from Harry on the feeble pretext that library books may not be taken outside. Harry’s suspicions of Snape continue to grow. Harry notices that Snape is limping. Going off to retrieve the book from Snape, Harry overhears Snape talking to Argus Filch about the three-headed dog, which makes Harry even more suspicious.

The next morning, the Quidditch match begins. Harry plays the position of Seeker, which means he must capture a little object called the Golden Snitch. He spots it and is flying toward it when the Slytherin Seeker pushes him out of the way and is penalized. Later in the game, Harry’s broom begins moving uncontrollably. Hagrid comments that only dark magic could make a broomstick so hard to manage. Hermione notices that Snape is staring at Harry and muttering to himself. As the Weasley twins try to rescue their teammate Harry, Hermione rushes over to Snape, sneaks behind him, and sets his robe on fire. Suddenly, the spell on Harry’s broom is broken and Harry is once again in control. He starts speeding toward the ground and lands, catching the Snitch.

Hagrid takes Harry back to his hut with Hermione and Ron, who tells Harry that Snape was putting a curse on his broomstick. Hagrid does not believe this charge, asking why Snape would try to kill Harry. Harry tells Hagrid about Snape getting injured by the dog in the third-floor corridor. Hagrid involuntarily reveals that the three-headed dog, Fluffy, is his, and that what the dog is guarding is a secret known only to Albus Dumbledore and a man named Nicolas Flamel.