Auror Harry James[58] Potter (b. 31 July 1980)[1] was an English half-blood[2] wizard, and one of the most famous wizards of modern times. The only child and son of James and Lily Potter (née Evans), Harry's birth was overshadowed by a prophecy, naming either himself or Neville Longbottom as the one with the power to vanquish his arch-enemy, Lord Voldemort, one of the most powerful and feared Dark wizards in the world. After half of the prophecy was reported to Voldemort, courtesy of Severus Snape, Harry was chosen as the target due to his many similarities with the Dark Lord. This in turn caused the Potter family to go into hiding.
Voldemort made his first attempt to circumvent the prophecy when Harry was a year and three months old. During this attempt, he murdered Harry's parents as they tried to protect him, but this unsuccessful attempt to kill Harry led to Voldemort's first downfall. This downfall marked the end of the First Wizarding War, and to Harry henceforth being known as "The Boy Who Lived",[5] as he was the only known survivor of the Killing Curse due to being magically protected by his mother's loving sacrifice. In accordance with the terms of the prophecy, this attempt on his life also established him, not Neville, as Voldemort's nemesis.
One consequence of Lily's sacrifice was that her orphaned son had to be raised by her only remaining blood relative, his Muggle aunt Petunia Dursley, and her husband, uncle Vernon Dursley. While in their care, he would be protected from Lord Voldemort due to the Bond of Blood charm that Albus Dumbledore placed upon him.[59] This powerful charm would protect him until he either came of age, or no longer called his aunt's house home. Due to Petunia's resentment of her sister and her magical abilities, Harry grew up abused and neglected.
Shortly before Harry's eleventh birthday, there were several attempts from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to send him a letter inviting him to not only come to Hogwarts, but also to explain his magical heritage. Though Vernon Dursley ultimately made the decision to leave their residence at 4 Privet Drive temporarily to evade the letters, his attempts were ultimately for naught. On his eleventh birthday, Harry learned from Rubeus Hagrid that he was a wizard.[60] Rubeus Hagrid took Harry from the Dursley family the next day to Diagon Alley. This is where Harry withdrew some of his money from Gringotts Wizarding Bank, where Hagrid bought Harry's snow-white owl, Hedwig. While he was in Diagon Alley, Harry also got his school supplies (i.e., books from Flourish and Blotts, his robes from Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, and his potion equipment from Slug & Jiggers Apothecary).
Harry began attending Hogwarts in 1991. The Sorting Hat told Harry that he would do well in Slytherin House, but Harry pleaded "not Slytherin". The Hat heeded this plea and sorted the young wizard into Gryffindor House.[55] At school, Harry became best friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. He was also the youngest Seeker in a century, making the house team in his first year when Minerva McGonagall introduced him to Oliver Wood, Gryffindor's Quidditch captain at the time. He later became the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team in his sixth year, winning two Quidditch Cups.[61] While in school, Harry also demonstrated an extraordinary talent for Defence Against the Dark Arts.[62][63][64][65][66]
He became even better-known in his early years for protecting the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort, saving Ron's sister Ginny Weasley, solving the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets, slaying Salazar Slytherin's basilisk, and learning how to conjure a corporeal Patronus at the age of thirteen, which took the form of a stag. In his fourth year, Harry won the Triwizard Tournament, although the person had to be seventeen to enter, and Harry was only fourteen. The competition ended with the tragic death of Cedric Diggory and the return of Lord Voldemort. During the next school year, in defiance of Dolores Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic's strict regime against the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts and the continued introduction of the new Educational Decree, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger first had the idea of creating an illegal Defence Against the Dark Arts group called Dumbledore's Army. Harry was initially reluctant to the idea, but he gradually came to like it and eventually agreed to start the group. He also fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, during which he lost his godfather, Sirius Black, and the prophecy was destroyed.
Harry played a significant role in many other battles of the Second Wizarding War. During what would have been his seventh year, he, Ron, and Hermione hunted down and destroyed Voldemort's Horcruxes. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry personally saw the deaths of Severus Snape and Fred Weasley while learning that Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Colin Creevey, and many others had fallen in the battle as well. He encountered Voldemort and nearly sacrificed himself, knowing that his doing so was the only way to destroy the fragment of Voldemort's soul inside of him. While in limbo, after Voldemort cursed him in the forest clearing, Dumbledore gave Harry advice and background information on the Dark Lord. When told that he could choose to live or to "move on", Harry ultimately chose to live. After he awoke, Harry confronted Voldemort and defeated him once and for all.
Harry was also noted for being the only known Master of Death, having united the three Deathly Hallows at the mere age of seventeen.
After the war, Harry became an Auror and helped reform and revolutionise the Ministry of Magic.[53] At some point, he married Ginny, with whom he had three children: James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna. He was also named the godfather of Edward "Teddy" Remus Lupin by Remus Lupin. In 2007, Harry was promoted to Head of the British Auror Office at the age of 26,[67][52] and would occasionally deliver Defence Against the Dark Arts lectures at Hogwarts.[53] He was later promoted to Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement by the summer of 2020.[54]
Tom Marvolo Riddle[7][17] (31 December 1926[18] – 2 May 1998), later known as Lord Voldemort or, alternatively as the Dark Lord, You-Know-Who, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, or, just simply Voldemort, was an English half-blood[3] wizard considered to have been the most powerful and dangerous Dark wizard of all time.[19][20] He was amongst the greatest wizards to have ever lived, rivalled only by Albus Dumbledore.[21][22][23] Descended from Salazar Slytherin on his mother's side, through the House of Gaunt, Tom Riddle was conceived whilst his father, Tom Riddle Senior, was under the effects of a love potion supplied by his mother, Merope Gaunt. When the enchantment was lifted, Tom's father abandoned his pregnant wife and returned to Little Hangleton. His mother gave birth to him, before dying an hour later. Her only wishes were that he'd look like his father, and that he was named Tom after his father, his middle name Marvolo after her father, and that Riddle would be his last name. And with that, Tom Marvolo Riddle was born and raised in the Muggle-run Wool's Orphanage.
Tom began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1938 and was immediately sorted into Slytherin house. During this time, Tom discovered his heritage and adopted pure-blood supremacist ideals. Tom opened the Chamber of Secrets and used its monster, the Basilisk, to attack Muggle-born students, resulting in the death of Myrtle Warren. He began his quest to attain immortality between the years of 1943 and 1998, creating his first Horcrux at the age of sixteen. While attending Hogwarts, Tom Riddle was made a prefect in 1942 until his graduation in 1945.
Tom spent several years as a purchasing agent for the Dark artefacts shop Borgin and Burkes before disappearing. Splitting his own spirit into a total of eight fragments, Tom created an unprecedented seven Horcruxes, with one made later in his life, unintentionally and without his knowledge — Harry Potter. Tom re-emerged several decades later having abandoned his 'Muggle' name and becoming the self-proclaimed Lord Voldemort, an anagram of his birth name. In the First and Second Wizarding Wars, he commanded a veritable army of wizards and Dark creatures; committed countless murders and atrocities; and eventually succeeded in taking over the British Ministry of Magic.
Voldemort was ripped from his body in 1981 after attempting to kill Harry Potter. Although unable to die, he was unable to regain a permanent and physical body until 1995, thus spending the intervening fourteen years as 'a shell, less than the meanest ghost'. He was finally killed by his own backfired Killing Curse after Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore succeeded in destroying all of his Horcruxes.
Unknown to most, however, Voldemort's legacy and bloodline would live on through his daughter Delphini, whom he conceived with his loyal follower Bellatrix Lestrange. The conception is thought to have occurred sometime after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in 1996 and before Voldemort's death at Harry's hands in 1998.
Voldemort's broken and mutilated soul was then trapped in limbo for eternity, unable to move on to the afterlife or even return as a disembodied spirit.
Chapter 1: The Boy Who Lived"To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!"— People meeting in secret all over the country to offer a toast to Harry
Vernon and Petunia Dursley, of Number Four Privet Drive (in Little Whinging, Surrey), are proud to say they are perfectly normal. They are the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just don't hold with such nonsense. Vernon is the director of a drill-making firm called Grunnings, and Petunia keeps house and raises their one-year-old son Dudley.
On Tuesday, 1 November 1981, the Dursleys begin the day by gossiping about their neighbours while Petunia wrestles the disagreeable Dudley into his high chair. None of them notice a large tawny owl flying past their window, but Vernon does see a tabby cat reading a map and a street sign outside their house. He forces himself to forget the cat, but upon arriving in town, he notices large groups of people wearing cloaks. He eavesdrops on them and hears them talking about "the Potters and their son Harry." Vernon finds this horrifying because the Potters are his in-laws, and he and Petunia wouldn't want anyone to find out about them.
When he leaves work at the end of the day, he bumps into a small man wearing a cloak, but when he tries to apologise, the man hugs him and tells him that even muggles like him should be celebrating today because "You-Know-Who" has been defeated.
Vernon returns home to find the cat still waiting there, and it only gives him a stern look when he tries to shoo it away. The news is full of unexplained owl sightings and fireworks displays, and Vernon nervously asks Petunia if she has heard from her sister recently. Petunia is upset but tells him that she hasn't heard from her sister and that their nephew's name is "Harry." Vernon's heart sinks. He finds it difficult to fall asleep that night but eventually manages it.
After the Dursleys fall asleep, Albus Dumbledore appears in the middle of Privet Drive and siphons away the light from the street lamps with his Deluminator. He greets the cat, who has spent all day waiting outside, as "Professor McGonagall," and the cat turns into a human woman. They discuss the deaths of James and Lily Potter at the hands of Lord Voldemort at the Potter cottage in Godric's Hollow and how their infant son Harry Potter miraculously survived the attack while Voldemort has seemingly died.
Rubeus Hagrid arrives riding a flying motorbike and transporting Harry. He hands him over to Dumbledore, who leaves the sleeping baby and a letter to the Dursleys on the doorstep of Number Four. The three wizards are distraught about leaving the orphaned baby with his relatives, but they only give themselves a moment to mourn before they force themselves to leave. Hagrid says he will return the motorbike to its owner, young Sirius Black; McGonagall resumes her cat form and slinks around the corner at the other end of the street, and Dumbledore restores the lights to the streetlamps and bids Harry farewell before vanishing without a trace.
Harry rolls over inside his bundle of blankets, and his tiny hand closes on the letter as he sleeps on. He does not know that he is special and famous, that he will be woken up the next morning by his aunt's scream when Petunia opens the front door to put out the milk bottles, that he will be spending the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley, or that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country are toasting, "To Harry Potter -- the boy who lived!"
Chapter 2: The Vanishing Glass"Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel - Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig."— Description of the Dursleys' son
Dudley counting his presents
Almost ten years have passed since the Dursleys have awoken to find Harry Potter lying on their doorstep, and Privet Drive and the Dursleys' house have not changed since that day. The only difference is the vast number of pictures of Dudley Dursley throughout his life displayed on the walls. There is no sign that Harry Potter lives there, as he is forced to live in the cupboard under the stairs, a very cramped space with many spiders. Petunia comes to Harry's door one morning and wakes him with a shrill voice. Harry is trying to think about the dream he has been having. It was about a flying motorbike, and he believes he has had the same dream before. Aunt Petunia tells him to make some bacon; she wants everything perfect for Dudley's 11th birthday. Harry dresses into a pair of Dudley's old clothes and enters the kitchen, where the table is covered in Dudley's presents.
Harry has jet-black hair and green eyes. Tape holds his glasses together because Dudley has smashed them many times. What distinguishes Harry from others the most is the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. He often wonders how he got it, and the Dursleys have told him it was from the car crash that killed Harry's parents. Harry doesn't know much more about this accident because the Dursleys' first rule is not to ask questions. Dudley comes into the kitchen and begins to count his presents, only to find 36, which he angrily recalls is one fewer than the year before. Aunt Petunia states that they will buy him two new gifts while they are out. Vernon tells Petunia that their neighbour, Arabella Figg, has broken her leg and cannot take care of Harry while they are at the zoo. They can't think of anyone else who can take care of him, so Harry has to go with them.
Dudley is allowed to take a friend to the zoo and chooses his friend Piers Polkiss. Piers comes to the house with his mother. A half-hour later, Harry sits in the car with Dudley, Piers, Vernon, and Petunia. On the way, a motorbike overtakes them, and Vernon complains about them. Harry remarks that he has dreamed about a flying motorbike, and Vernon snappily reminds him that motorbikes do not fly. Harry thinks about all the strange things that have happened to him: he once jumped onto the school chimney and mysteriously grew all of his hair back the morning after a haircut. At the zoo, Dudley and Piers find the animals boring. Harry is left to watch a Boa constrictor as it sleeps, and when Dudley tries to make it move, it wakes up but still doesn't move. The snake begins to move after Dudley and Piers slink away. Moments later, Harry speaks to the snake and finds it miraculously understands him. Upon realising that it is now moving, Piers calls Dudley and Vernon back to the snake's exhibit. Dudley pushes Harry out of the way (he lands "hard on the concrete floor") and presses his face against the glass. Harry becomes angry, and somehow the glass vanishes, and the snake gets out, scaring Dudley and Piers. As the snake slithers away, Harry thinks he hears it speak back to him. Piers tattletales on Harry that he had been talking to the snake, and Uncle Vernon sends him to his cupboard –with no meals for a week as cruel punishment.
Chapter 3: The Letters from No OneDudley: "Dad! Look, Harry's got a letter!"Uncle Vernon: "What? Who'd be writing to you?"— Vernon Dursley taking Harry's letter from him
Hundreds of letters arriving at the fireplace
Since the boa constrictor escaped from the zoo, Harry was locked in his cupboard for the longest time ever. It's the beginning of the summer holidays when Harry is finally allowed out. Even though he is not at school, Harry still can't escape Dudley and his gang, who regularly visit the house. To keep out of their way, Harry usually wanders around Privet Drive. He is glad, however, that Dudley and Piers are going to Smeltings Academy while Harry will attend Stonewall High. One day during the summer, Harry is told to get the post for Uncle Vernon. When Harry goes to get the mail, there are three letters: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister, who is on holiday in the Isle of Wight, a letter that looks like a bill, and a letter for Harry. Harry takes the letter, studies the yellow parchment it is made of, and then reads the address:
Mr H. Potter
The Cupboard Under the Stairs
4, Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
Harry can't believe it. He has never had a letter in his life. On the back is a wax seal with a Lion, a Snake, a Badger and an Eagle surrounding an H. Harry returns to the kitchen and gives Uncle Vernon the other two letters as he sits down and starts to open the letter. Dudley soon sees that Harry has a letter, and Uncle Vernon snatches it from him to read it with Aunt Petunia. Uncle Vernon tells Harry and Dudley to get out of the kitchen, so they both go and stand in the hall. The two fight over who gets to look through the keyhole. Dudley wins, so Harry resorts to looking through the gap between the floor and the door. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia are discussing the seal on the back. Uncle Vernon says that they should just ignore it.
Later, when Harry is in his cupboard, Uncle Vernon comes in and says that he has burned the letter and that they are moving him up to Dudley's second bedroom. Slightly surprised, Harry moves all of his things up to the bedroom, wishing he had his letter. The next morning at breakfast, Dudley is asked to get the post by Uncle Vernon. After banging things all the way down the hall with his Smeltings stick, Dudley calls out that another letter is addressed to Harry, this time in '''The Smallest Bedroom''' rather than '''The Cupboard Under the Stairs'''. Both Harry and Uncle Vernon rush to the hallway in an attempt to get the letter. After a minute of confused fighting, Uncle Vernon emerges, clutching the letter in his hand.
Determined to see what his letter says, Harry creeps down the stairs early the following day and approaches the door. He is going to camp there until the post arrives, and then he will finally get to read his letter. When he reaches the door, however, he stands on Uncle Vernon - who has had the very same idea. Every day, letters appear addressed to Harry, doubling in number. Eventually, so many letters arrive that Uncle Vernon resorts to nailing shut the letterbox. But they begin to appear in the strangest places: under the door, squeezed through the window, and Aunt Petunia even finds some while cracking open eggs. Finally, they get attacked by thirty or forty letters being fired out of the fireplace. Despite the sender's efforts, Harry still does not manage to get his hands on one of the letters long enough to read it, and a furious Uncle Vernon states that they are leaving the house. They get into their car and leave ten minutes later.
They travel for miles until they eventually stop in front of a gloomy hotel on the brink of the city. However, Vernon's attempts to shake the sender off are unsuccessful, as more letters come for Harry to the hotel the next morning. Again, they return to the car and finally stop to get on a boat that takes them to an island with a small hut. Harry remembers that the next day will be his eleventh birthday. Harry can't sleep with the raging storm outside when they get there, so he counts down the time until his birthday. When Dudley's watch turns to the next day, there is a loud knocking at the door - something wants to get in...
Chapter 4: The Keeper of the Keys"Harry – yer a wizard."— Hagrid telling Harry that he is a wizard
Rubeus Hagrid enters the cabin
There is another loud boom on the door, and Dudley wakes up, thinking it is a cannon. Uncle Vernon comes through with a rifle, with Aunt Petunia cowering behind him. The door is blasted off its hinges and hits the floor. A giant enters and fixes the door into its frame. The giant asks for coffee and sits on the couch beside Dudley, scaring him away to hide behind Aunt Petunia. The giant turns his eyes to Harry and greets him, saying he hasn't seen him since he was a baby. He says Harry looks like his father but has his mother's eyes. Uncle Vernon tells him to leave, but the giant merely grabs the gun, ties into a knot and throws it away. The giant presents Harry with a birthday cake. Harry asks the giant who he is, and he says he is Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hagrid makes a fire and cooks some sausages. He is shocked to discover that Harry knows nothing about Hogwarts. He gets angry at the Dursleys for not telling him anything about his parents' world, his world. Harry has no idea what's going on. Hagrid tells Harry his parents are famous and that he's a wizard, despite Uncle Vernon forbidding him. Hagrid gives Harry the letter that he has been craving. It tells him that he has been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and that term begins on 1st September.
Hagrid takes out parchment and a quill and writes a letter to Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, explaining he has given Harry the letter. Uncle Vernon tells Hagrid that Harry won't be going, but the giant knows that a great Muggle like him can't stop Harry from going to Hogwarts. Uncle Vernon reveals he knew that Harry's a wizard, and Aunt Petunia tells Harry that her sister, Harry's mother, was a witch. Petunia said another wizard killed them, and Harry screams that Petunia said they got killed in a car crash. Hagrid is as outraged as Harry is that the Dursleys have lied that much. He sits down and tells Harry that a Dark wizard named Lord Voldemort killed Harry's parents and tried to kill Harry too. But the spell he used backfired, only leaving Harry his scar. Hagrid tells him that he brought Harry from the ruins of the house and brought him to the Dursleys' house on 4 Privet Drive. Uncle Vernon says it's a load of rubbish and tries to persuade Harry that whatever happened to his parents was deserved anyway, but Hagrid pulls an umbrella out of his coat and threatens Uncle Vernon. Harry asks what happened to Voldemort, and Hagrid tells him he vanished and hasn't been seen since.
Harry doubts he is a wizard until Hagrid asks if he ever made anything he couldn't explain happen when he was angry or scared. When Uncle Vernon makes the mistake of mocking Dumbledore, Hagrid swishes the umbrella in Dudley's direction, and Dudley sprouts a curly pig's tail. Hagrid asks Harry not to mention it at Hogwarts because Hagrid isn't allowed to do magic since he was expelled. Hagrid takes off his coat, and Harry sleeps under it for the rest of the night, waiting for the day ahead.
Chapter 5: Diagon Alley"Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping."— Harry in Diagon Alley
Ollivander's Wand Shop
When Harry wakes the following day, he tries to tell himself that what happened the previous night had all been a dream and that Hagrid taking him to a school for wizards called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had never happened. But when he opens his eyes, Hagrid has fallen asleep on the couch, and he discovers that it has all happened. He hears a tapping noise coming from the window and lets in an owl. The owl drops a newspaper on Hagrid's lap and begins to claw Hagrid's coat. Hagrid tells Harry to pay the owl, so Harry does what he says, and the owl leaves. Hagrid tells him they have to go and buy his things, but Harry worries because he hasn't got any money. Hagrid tells him his parents didn't leave him without money and that their first stop is Gringotts, the wizard's bank. He explains that goblins run it and that "you'd be mad to try and rob it". Hagrid says Dumbledore also needs something from Gringotts, so Hagrid has to go get it.
They step outside the hut and step into their boat. Hagrid uses a bit of magic to speed things up for them. Hagrid says there are enchantments guarding the vaults in Gringotts. Gringotts is all under London; you would die of starvation trying to get out. Hagrid begins to read the Daily Prophet and mutters that the Ministry of Magic is messing things up as usual. Harry wonders what the Ministry of Magic does, and Hagrid explains that they handle everything to do with magic. He says they wanted Dumbledore for Minister, but Cornelius Fudge got the job. As they pass through London, people often stare at Hagrid due to his size and his pointing out things that Muggles are brilliant at inventing. Harry asks if there are Dragons guarding Gringotts. Hagrid says yes and mutters that he would like a dragon. Harry takes out his list and reads it out. It says he needs a set of robes, a pointed hat, dragon hide gloves, and a winter coat. There is a list of his books and stationary equipment. Hagrid leads them both into a pub called the Leaky Cauldron Harry did not notice was there. It is dark and shabby, and everyone greets Hagrid as he enters. When people see Harry, many shake his hand, including Doris Crockford and Dedalus Diggle. A man with a turban approaches them, and Hagrid introduces Harry to Quirinus Quirrell, the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. They talk for a bit then Hagrid steers them out a back door into a small enclosed area with a few barrels. Hagrid takes out his umbrella and taps bricks with it, counting an order. Once he is done, a hole appears in the brick wall, slowly getting bigger, until the wall disappears entirely, revealing a crowded street with people wearing robes everywhere with shops left and right. Hagrid tells Harry the street is called Diagon Alley.
While walking down the street, Harry is trying to look everywhere around him, taking in as much as possible. At the end of Diagon Alley is a huge snowy white building: Gringotts Bank. A warning echoes as they enter, telling them to rob at their own risk. Harry and Hagrid go up to a Goblin and explain they need to take some money out of Harry's vault. The Goblin asks for Harry's key, and Hagrid presents it after sorting through many other keys. The Goblin calls upon another Goblin named Griphook to take them down to the vault. Hagrid also states they must be taken down to remove the You-Know-What in Vault 713. Griphook takes them to Harry's vault, where there is a large amount of money piled up there that Harry owns. There are Bronze Knuts, Silver Sickles, and Gold Galleons. Harry and Hagrid take some money for Harry's list, then leave Gringotts. Hagrid has to stand for a bit as the cart rides that takes them to the vaults make him feel sick. Griphook then takes them to Vault 713, where Hagrid removes a grubby little package but can't tell Harry what it is.
Hagrid goes for a drink at the Leaky Cauldron while Harry gets his uniform at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Madam Malkin stands him on a stool next to a pale-faced boy who is also getting measured for his robes. The boy starts to talk about Quidditch, including his plan to smuggle in his broomstick and houses called Slytherin and Hufflepuff. When the boy learns that Harry is there with Hagrid, he asks him what happened to his parents. He is unsympathetic about their deaths and only expresses relief that they were both wizards because the other kind shouldn't be allowed in.
When Harry leaves, he asks Hagrid about what the boy said, and Hagrid explains that there are four houses at Hogwarts, Quidditch is a game played on brooms, and blood status doesn't matter. They continue shopping until all Harry needs is his wand and (Hagrid insists) a birthday present.
In Ollivanders, the wand shop, Mr Ollivander puts Harry off with his creepy demeanour while discussing the wands purchased by Hagrid, Harry's parents, and Voldemort. Ollivander touches Harry's scar and apologises for the fact that he sold the wand that caused it. Ollivander gives Harry a wand and tells him to give it a wave. Harry does so, but it isn't suitable for him, so Ollivander takes it back. Harry tries many wands, but none work well enough for him. Eventually, he picks up a wand (holly, eleven inches, phoenix feather core, 'nice and supple') and feels warmth in his fingers. Ollivander states that it is very curious that Harry should be destined for that wand when its brother gave Harry his scar. Hagrid takes Harry to get something to eat in the Muggle world, but Harry is worried that he isn't going to fit in at Hogwarts as everyone expects great things from him.
For Harry's birthday, Hagrid buys Harry a snowy owl named Hedwig. Hagrid provides Harry with a train ticket, giving him the date, time, and location to catch the Hogwarts Express and tells Harry that if he ever needs anything, he is to write a letter, and Hedwig will know where to find him. Harry catches a train back to the Dursleys.
Chapter 6: The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"— Vernon Dursley mocking Harry about the journey to Hogwarts
Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog card
Harry's last month with the Dursleys is both relieving and depressing. His aunt and uncle pretend that Harry isn't there, and Dudley has become so scared of his cousin that he refuses to be anywhere near him. Harry keeps to himself in the smallest bedroom with Hedwig for company as he reads through his new books.
The day before he is due to leave, Harry asks Uncle Vernon to take him to King's Cross Station. Uncle Vernon agrees to take him but ridicules him for saying he is to depart from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, as is marked on the ticket Hagrid gave him.
The next day, the Dursleys abandon Harry at the station. He stands between Platforms Nine and Ten, wondering how to find Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. He is stumped for a while until he overhears Molly Weasley using the word "muggles" and asks her for help. She tells him to run through the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten, which he does, and he is astonished to find the train to Hogwarts on the other side of the station.
Mrs Weasley's twin sons, third-years Fred and George Weasley, help him lift his trunk onto the train before recognising him as Harry Potter, and their younger brother Ron, a first-year, asks to sit with him.
Harry and Ron bond over their anxiety about Hogwarts (particularly Ron's successful older brothers and his sad rat Scabbers), and Harry buys a lot of sweets for them to share. Ron introduces Harry to elements of the wizarding world like Quidditch, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and Famous Witches and Wizards cards. One of Harry's cards bears the picture of Albus Dumbledore.
Harry also meets a slightly annoying, overachieving girl named Hermione Granger, a boy named Neville Longbottom who has lost his toad, Trevor, and the unpleasant boy from Madam Malkin's, whose name is Draco Malfoy, and his friends Crabbe and Goyle.
Harry is offended by Draco's bigotry and rudeness, especially when directed at Ron, and he rejects his offer of friendship and advice. The five boys almost fight, but Scabbers bites Goyle and drives them off.
The Hogwarts Express arrives at Hogsmeade Station, and Hagrid escorts the first years across the Lake in boats, where they catch their first glimpse of Hogwarts.
Chapter 7: The Sorting Hat"If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him."— Harry, about the Sorting Hat
Peeves, dropping stuff over the new first-year students
The new students are greeted at the castle door by Professor Minerva 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, with each house having its own team for Quidditch. The houses are in a yearlong competition with one another to acquire the most points, which are earned by success in Quidditch games and given by teachers for academic achievement and lost for student infractions, in order to win the House Cup awarded at the end of the year.
The first-years wait in an antechamber while McGonagall checks to see whether it is time yet. The Hogwarts ghosts glide into the room by mistake while debating whether to offer Peeves another chance.
The students are led to the Great Hall, where the entire school and a battered old hat on a stool are waiting for them. When the students try on the Sorting 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. Hermione is Sorted into Gryffindor, much to Ron's displeasure. Finally, it is Harry's turn to wear the hat. He quietly says to himself "not Slytherin, not Slytherin!" The Hat is intrigued by this.
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 Ron joins in Gryffindor with him. 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 Nicholas 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 students' upbringings. A student named Neville Longbottom tells how his family thought he was a Squib until he survived a fall from a window. Another student, Seamus Finnigan, talks about how his father, a Muggle, was shocked when he found out his wife (Seamus' mother) was a witch. Harry glances around the room and notices a few of the teachers talking to one another. One of them, while speaking to Quirrell, stares malevolently at Harry, who immediately feels a sharp pain in his forehead scar. Harry asks Percy the prefect who he is, and finds out that this man is Professor Severus Snape, who teaches Potions. After dessert, Dumbledore gets up to make his welcome speech. He adds a few warnings about staying away from the Forbidden Forest and avoiding the 3rd-floor corridor on the right side of the school before sending everyone off to bed in their Common rooms. On the way, the Gryffindors run into Peeves, a Poltergeist, and upon arriving, meet the Fat Lady who lets them into Gryffindor Tower after Percy gives her the password. Harry has trouble sleeping due to the dream he has. In it, he is wearing Professor Quirrell's turban, which is demanding him to transfer to Slytherin. He refuses, and the headwear becomes heavier on his head. Malfoy and Snape appear laughing at him, then the dream ends with a flash of green light that causes Harry to wake up at midnight and fall asleep again, forgetting about it immediately afterwards.
Chapter 8: The Potions Master"Ah, yes. Harry Potter. Our new — celebrity."— Severus Snape
A Potions book
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. It is hard to find his way to classes due to the hundred and forty-two changing staircases and tricky doorways. The people in the Hogwarts portraits have been no help to him, for they ignore some students and visit each other, nor have the ghosts, who always scare Harry when they glide through a door he is trying to open. Only Nearly-Headless Nick points new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves is worth two locked doors and a tricky staircase whenever Harry runs into him when late for class. Even worse than Peeves if anyhow possible is the school caretaker Argus Filch, who both Harry and Ron get on the bad side of on their very first morning, when he finds them trying to force their way through a door which turns out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds Third-floor corridor. He threatens to lock them in the dungeons, but the two boys are luckily rescued by Quirrell, who is passing by.
All the classes become very interesting to Harry, with the only exception being History of Magic, taught by Professor Binns, and he learns that there is a lot more to magic other than waving his wand and saying a few funny words. In his first Transfiguration class on Thursday, Professor McGonagall transfigures her desk into a pig and then back again while explaining how Transfiguration itself is some of the most complex and dangerous magic to be learned, and anyone who will get caught messing around with it will have to be banned from the class. The entire class is very impressed, but soon realise that they are not going to be changing furniture into animals. Only Hermione is able to make any progress at turning a match into a needle, for which McGonagall gives her a rare smile, but Harry is relieved to see that most of his peers are just as lost as he is. When the time comes to transition to Defence Against the Dark Arts class (the class everyone is looking forward to) every morning, the lesson turns into more of a joke, as Quirrell keeps going on with stories about his travels in the year prior, such as when he had ward off a vampire in Romania (who he is afraid will come back and get him), and when he had earned his turban from an African prince for saving him from a troublesome zombie.
During breakfast on the first Friday, Hedwig arrives with a tea invitation from Hagrid. Later, in his Potions class, Harry discovers that Professor Snape hates him, mocking Harry as "our new celebrity" and then humiliating Harry for his ignorance of potion-making materials. 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, the Daily Prophet, detailing a break-in that occurred at Gringotts bank in a vault that had been emptied earlier in the day. He realises 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: The Midnight Duel"We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."— Hermione complaining about their "adventure"
Harry and Ron entering the Gryffindor common room
Harry has been at Hogwarts for around two weeks when he finds out that the Gryffindors will have flying lessons with the Slytherins, much to his disliking. Harry does not want to spend more time with Malfoy than he has to. However, Harry finds that he is quite a natural at flying. Madam Hooch leads the class, gently sending the new fliers off the ground. Neville has an accident when his broom runs amok and breaks his wrist. Madam Hooch takes him to the Hospital Wing telling everyone to stay on the ground while she is away. Malfoy notices a Remembrall 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 the 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, and makes him the Gryffindor team's new Seeker.
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 Vincent Crabbe and Gregory 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 (the Fat Lady has gone for an evening stroll) and must tag along. Neville also joins them, as he has forgotten the password to the common room and ended up sleeping on the floor outside. They arrive at the Trophy Room, the site of the duel, but Malfoy is nowhere to be found. Suddenly, they hear Argus Filch and his cat, Mrs Norris, enter the room. With it obvious that Malfoy tricked them, 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: Hallowe'en"But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them."— The beginning of the trio's great friendship
Troll in the dungeon
The next morning, Harry and Ron are discussing what the dog could be guarding. They also try to find a way to get Malfoy back for tricking them. About a week later, Harry receives a Nimbus 2000, a racing broomstick, along with a note from Professor McGonagall summoning him to Quidditch practice. Malfoy tells Harry that first-year students are not allowed broomsticks. Malfoy then tries to report Harry to Professor Flitwick who just expresses admiration for Harry's talent having heard from McGonagall. Harry later meets Oliver Wood to learn the basics of Quidditch, including the various positions on a standard Quidditch team and the implements used in the game. Oliver explains Harry's role as a Seeker: his job is to avoid other players and catch the Golden Snitch. A Quidditch game cannot end until the Snitch is caught, making the Seeker the most important player on a team. On Hallowe'en, Flitwick begins teaching his students how to make things fly, using the Wingardium Leviosa spell. Hermione is the first to succeed; Ron, offended by her air of superiority, utters a nasty comment that Hermione overhears. Harry notices her running off in tears.
Harry and Ron arrive at the Hallowe'en feast to hear Professor Quirrell, the teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts, burst in and give a terrifying announcement about a twelve-foot troll in the building. As the prefects lead the students back to their dorms, Harry realises 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 realise that Hermione is trapped in there with the troll. Using teamwork, magic, and some luck, the two 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 befriends them.
Chapter 11: Quidditch"Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure."— Lee Jordan, commentating on the Quidditch match
Gryffindor vs Slytherin Quidditch match
As November begins, so does the Quidditch season, 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, and Hermione out with the book one evening and confiscates it from Harry on the pretext that library books may not be taken outside of the school, which Harry believed to be a feeble excuse. Harry's suspicions of Snape continue to grow. Harry starts to notice that Snape is limping. Going off to retrieve the book from Snape, Harry overhears Snape talking to Argus Filch about the fact that the three-headed dog has attacked him, leaving a cut on his leg, which makes Harry even more suspicious.
The next morning, the Quidditch match begins. Harry spots the Golden Snitch early in the game and is flying toward it when the Slytherin Captain pushes him out of the way and is penalised. Later in the game, Harry's broom begins jerking 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, signs of casting a curse. As two of Harry's teammates, the Weasley twins, try to rescue Harry in the air, Hermione rushes over to Snape in such a hurry that she knocks Quirrell over, sneaks behind Snape, 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 in his mouth and nearly swallowing it.
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, 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.
Chapter 12: The Mirror of Erised"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."— Harry looking at the Mirror of Erised
Harry observing the Mirror of Erised
Christmas is approaching. Malfoy teases Harry about having to stay at Hogwarts for the holiday, as he does not have parents. Harry, however, is looking forward to spending Christmas away from the Dursleys, especially because Ron is also staying at Hogwarts, as Mr and Mrs Weasley are going to visit Ron's older brother Charlie in Romania. The day before the holidays, Hermione tears Ron and Harry away from a conversation with Hagrid to look in the library for more information about Nicolas Flamel. The librarian, Madam Pince, catches Harry prowling around the restricted-books section of the library and kicks him out.
On Christmas Day, Harry and Ron awaken to presents, though Harry's are fewer. Harry receives a flute from Hagrid, a 50 pence coin from the Dursleys, some fudge and Chocolate Frogs from Hermione, and a knitted jumper from Ron's mother. He also receives an Invisibility cloak accompanied only by an anonymous note telling him that the cloak once belonged to Harry's father and to "use it well." That night, after a satisfying Christmas dinner and after Ron has fallen asleep, Harry tries on his Invisibility Cloak. Unseen, he is able to go to the library's restricted-books section. But one of the books starts screaming when he opens it, so he quickly leaves. He passes Filch and hides in an old classroom as Filch is getting Snape to help him search the corridors. Inside stands an old mirror in a gold frame with the inscription "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi" ("I show not your face, but your heart's desire"). Harry looks in the mirror and sees many people standing behind him, but when he turns around in the room, he sees no one. Suddenly, he recognises that two of the people in the mirror are his dead mother and father. He tries to speak to them, but they can only communicate by waving. Harry lingers there a while but eventually returns to his room.
The next night, Harry brings Ron with him to the mirror room. Ron does not see Harry's parents in the mirror but instead sees himself holding the Quidditch Cup. Mrs Norris, Filch's prowling cat, notices them. On the third night, Ron is afraid of being caught and does not want to go back, as he does not trust the mirror, so Harry returns alone. There he finds Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore explains to Harry that the mirror, which is known as the Mirror of Erised, displays the deepest desires of whoever looks into it. Harry is relieved to find that Dumbledore is not angry. However, he warns Harry that men have wasted away and been driven mad before the mirror and informs Harry that the mirror will be moved to a new location and tells him not to go looking for it. When Harry asks what Dumbledore sees in the mirror, his answer is "himself holding a pair of socks."
Chapter 13: Nicolas Flamel"I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading."— Hermione, remembering Nicolas Flamel
Harry finds it hard to forget the image of his parents. Quidditch practice continues on even harder and it is revealed that Snape will referee the next match. Malfoy performs a leg-locker curse on Neville, and to cheer him up, Harry tells Neville he is "Worth twelve of Malfoy." Harry suddenly remembers that he read the name Nicolas Flamel on a chocolate frog card, which reminds Hermione that she had seen the name in a book she picked up from the library, and the team discover that he was a famous alchemist who is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone, whose powers include turning any metal to gold and producing the Elixir of Life, a potion that can make the drinker immortal.
Severus Snape entering the Forbidden Forest
The Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff Quidditch match arrives and Snape, who referees the match, is predictably biased, while on the stands Ron and Neville get into a scuffle with Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle after Malfoy made some rude comments towards the players of their house's team as well as both of them. Harry catches the snitch and wins the match under five minutes, though Ron did not see this due to fighting Draco Malfoy, and Neville is sent to the hospital wing due to the injuries he sustained from fighting both Crabbe and Goyle. Later, Harry notices and follows Snape into the Forbidden Forest by broomstick where he meets Quirrell and they speak of the Philosopher's Stone. Harry thinks that Snape is trying to force Quirrell to help him get the stone so he can get rich, to the alarm of both Ron and Hermione who fear Quirrell will talk.
Chapter 14: Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback"But it's against our laws,...Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709, everyone knows that."— Ron, warning Hagrid after finding out about Norbert
Norbert, newly hatched
Harry, Ron and Hermione meet with Hagrid, who confirms the Stone is being kept at Hogwarts. Hermione charms him into talking about the enchantments used to guard it: Fluffy, the three-headed dog, is Hagrid's, along with enchantments from Professors Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall, Quirrell, and Snape. After this, Harry complains about the high temperature in Hagrid's hut, only to discover he has a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon egg, which he names Norbert once it has hatched. Malfoy, who has been spying then, discovers the dragon. To solve the problem, they convince Hagrid to send the dragon off to Ron's brother Charlie. Ron's hand is bitten by the dragon, and he is sent off to Madam Pomfrey. Harry and Hermione smuggle Norbert in a crate up to the tallest tower under Harry's Invisibility cloak and on the way they see Professor McGonagall hauling Malfoy away to detention for being out of bed at night and speaking "lies" about Harry and a dragon. They pass the crate off to Charlie's friends, and head back down the stairs, where they meet up with Filch, realising too late they have left the Invisibility Cloak behind.
Chapter 15: The Forbidden Forest"Good luck, Harry Potter...The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times."— Firenze saying goodbye to Harry
Firenze, the centaur
Filch takes Harry and Hermione to McGonagall's office, where they meet Neville. McGonagall, very disappointed, takes 50 points each from the three of them and gives them all detention, which they will serve with Malfoy. Their popularity with the other students suffers because of this. A week or so before exams, Harry hears Professor Quirrell, sounding as if he is being threatened. So, Harry heads to the library to tell Ron and Hermione. They are convinced Snape was threatening Quirrell and means to steal the Stone soon, and Hermione suggests they go to Dumbledore. Harry refuses, saying that they have no proof.
Harry, Hermione, and Neville receive notes from Professor McGonagall telling them their detention will begin at eleven that night. Filch takes them out to the Forbidden Forest, where Hagrid awaits to take them in to do a bit of investigating. Hagrid shows them some silver unicorn blood and says they need to find the unicorn that is hurt. They split up, with Hagrid taking Harry and Hermione, and Neville and Malfoy going with Fang. Hagrid encounters a few centaurs, named Ronan and Bane, but gets no useful information from them. Suddenly, Hagrid sees red sparks in the air, signalling the other party is in trouble. He runs for them and returns, scolding Malfoy for startling Neville into sending up the sparks. Hagrid switches Harry and Neville, sending Harry off with Malfoy instead. They eventually find the dead unicorn and see something drinking its blood. Malfoy screams and runs with Fang, leaving Harry, who is saved from the figure by a centaur, named Firenze, who tells Harry that unicorn blood can keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but curses you with a half-life in the process. He then reveals that the person who was drinking it was doing so to remain alive until they were able to drink the Elixir of Life and wants the Stone. He also asks Harry if he would not know anyone who has been waiting for years to regain power and Harry realises that the mysterious figure was a weakened but still alive Voldemort.
Back in the common room, Harry tells Hermione and Ron Voldemort's in the forest and that Snape wants the Stone to help Voldemort restore his powers. Afterwards, going into his bed, Harry finds that his Invisibility Cloak has been returned to him.
Chapter 16: Through the Trapdoor"I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected."— Professor McGonagall's wrong statement about the stone's security
Fluffy the three-headed dog
After finishing their exams, Harry realises the suspicious coincidence in Hagrid wanting a dragon more than anything else, only to meet a stranger who had one to give him. He, Ron, and Hermione run to ask him about the man who gave Norbert to him, and he says he never saw his face because he kept his hood up. Hagrid also mentions that they talked about Hogwarts and Fluffy the three-headed dog. He also mentions that the stranger gave him drinks while getting information out of him. Hagrid lets it slip how to get past Fluffy, which sends Harry, Ron and Hermione off. They head for Dumbledore's office, only to see McGonagall, who tells them he has left for London. After Harry reveals that they know about the Stone, McGonagall insists no one could steal the Stone. The trio realise that Dumbledore has been lured away and that Snape's going after the Stone that night so they decide to head out that night to try to get it themselves. After Hermione curses Neville in a Full Body-Bind Curse for refusing to allow them to leave, they head up to the third-floor room and start their intense trip into the seven Philosopher's Stone Chambers. They find the door ajar, and a harp in the room. Harry plays the flute Hagrid got him for Christmas, and Fluffy goes back to sleep. They head down through the trapdoor. They land in Professor Sprout's room, full of Devil's Snare, which almost smothers them before Hermione lights a fire and drives it off.
The next room, Professor Flitwick's, holds a bunch of flying keys and some broomsticks. Harry finds a silver one with a broken wing that is different from the others and catches it, unlocking the next door with it. The next room is Professor McGonagall's, and has a large chessboard, for a game of Wizard's Chess that Ron helps them win, at the cost of having to sacrifice himself and getting knocked out. Harry and Hermione continue to the next room, Professor Quirrell's, where they find an unconscious troll laying on the floor. Lastly, they enter Professor Snape's room and find seven potions in bottles along with a roll of paper giving clues on which one to drink to continue, noting that three bottles have poison, two have nettle wine, one will send the drinker back, and the other will let the drinker move forward into the next room. Hermione tells Harry that it is a test of logic and not magic wherein most wizards fail. She solves the puzzle, and at Harry's instruction, drinks the one that will allow her to head back through the purple flame, while Harry drinks the one to head into the black flame and into the final room, where he is surprised at whom he sees.
Chapter 17: The Man with Two Faces"Tried to frighten me - as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side..."— Quirrell, talking to Harry about Snape
Professor Quirrell removing his turban
It is Quirrell whom Harry sees in the room, not Snape. Harry, astonished, hears Quirrell tell him that, next to Snape, no one would expect him to try to steal the Stone and that Snape was actually protecting Harry. Harry notices the Mirror of Erised, and Quirrell stops to examine it, saying it is the key to getting the Stone. To distract him from the Mirror, Harry questions Quirrell, who says he is serving Lord Voldemort, and although Snape hated Harry because of his father, he never wanted Harry dead. He explains how Snape and Harry's father went to school together when they were younger, and how it was there where their hatred against each other started. Quirrell asks for help from his master to get the Stone, and a snake-like voice tells him to use the boy. Harry is told to look into the Mirror. He sees his reflection pull the Stone out of his pocket and put it back in, and Harry feels it drop into his own pocket. He tells Quirrell that he sees himself shaking hands with Dumbledore, after winning the House Cup for Gryffindor. The snake-like voice tells Quirrell Harry is lying and Quirrell takes his turban off to show Harry what lies on the back of his head. As Quirrell turns around, Harry is shocked to see another face where the back of Quirrell's head should be. The face has red eyes and a snake-like slit where the nose should be. Harry realises this is the face of Voldemort and Voldemort demands Harry give him the Stone. Harry refuses and runs, but Quirrell seizes him. However, the contact with Harry's skin burns Quirrell and causes him to have boils all over the area in which Harry touched him. Harry grabs Quirrell's face, then his arm, and holds on, with the blinding pain in his head building, until he feels the arm wrenched away before he blacks out.
He awakes in the hospital wing with Dumbledore there, telling him Quirrell did not succeed at getting the Stone, and indeed the Stone has been destroyed. In spite of this, there are other ways in which Voldemort can return. He cannot be killed, and he left Quirrell to die. Dumbledore explains the reason why Quirrell could not touch Harry was because Harry's mother had died to save him, protecting him with her love. Harry also told Dumbledore about what Quirrell mentioned to him earlier regarding Snape hating Harry due to hatred for his father. Dumbledore responds that Snape was only grudgingly protecting Harry this year to pay off a debt he owed due to James Potter saving his life during their Hogwarts years. Harry then receives a visit from Ron and Hermione, who reveal that Slytherin came in first for the House Cup and, with Harry unable to play in the championship Quidditch match, Ravenclaw easily won the match, before Madam Pomfrey forces them out. Hagrid shows up later and gives Harry a book of photos of his parents and family.
The following day, at the end of term feast, Dumbledore awards some last-minute points for the recent events. He gives Ron and Hermione fifty points each, and Harry sixty, which places them in a tie with Slytherin for first place. Dumbledore then recognises that while it is hard to stand up to enemies, it is even harder to stand up to friends as Neville did, and he awards Neville 10 more points, which was the most house points Neville had ever gotten. This puts Gryffindor in the lead and the winners of the House Cup, to much rejoicing from everyone but the Slytherins. Not only were Gryffindor students happy, but Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were happy to see Slytherins downfall. Soon, their trunks are all packed, and they take the Hogwarts Express back towards the muggle world. Harry, Ron and Hermione all say their goodbyes before heading home.
Ever since Harry Potter had come home for the summer, the Dursleys had been so mean and hideous that all Harry wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he is packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange impish creature who says that if Harry returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.
And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girl's bathroom. But then the real trouble begins - something is attacking Hogwarts students, making them rigid like statues. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past reveals dark secrets? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects ... Harry Potter himself!"
PlotChapter 1: The Worst BirthdayUncle Vernon: "And you, boy?"Harry: "I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there."— Vernon Dursley and Harry Potter
Harry sitting on a bench, unaware of someone in the bushes
Harry Potter has returned to the Dursleys for the summer holiday in mid-1992, and things are very bad for him. Over the summer, the Dursleys have become so fearful of Harry's new-found magical abilities that they have locked away all of Harry's magical supplies (e.g. his wand, his broomstick, spellbooks, etc.) immediately after his arrival home. They have also banned Harry from saying words such as "magic" in the house, as is evident in Uncle Vernon's outburst about Harry saying "say the magic word" (meaning "please"). Harry begins to worry about what his teachers at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will think if he heads back to them without back homework done, and whether or not he'll be banned from the Gryffindor House Quidditch team since he has not been able to practise. The Dursleys have, however, let him keep his pet snowy owl Hedwig, but have put a padded lock on her cage to keep her inside day and night to avoid suspicion from the neighbours. Naturally, this does not go well for the bird. Every time she gets bored, her screech rings throughout the house, causing an irritated Vernon to warn Harry that if he cannot control her, she will have to go.
On July 31 (Harry's twelfth birthday), Harry has never felt so lonely, for he misses Hogwarts and his best friends there, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Neither of them have written to him all summer, not even to send birthday wishes. The Dursleys seem to have also forgotten his birthday, as they are busy preparing for a dinner party for one of Uncle Vernon's clients, Mr Mason, from whom Vernon is hoping to get a huge order. The only thing that the Dursleys care about is that Harry has to stay in his room for the night, making no noise and "pretending he doesn't exist". While Uncle Vernon and his son Dudley are preparing to drive into town to buy dinner jackets, Harry goes out into the garden in order to stay out of his Aunt Petunia's way as she is cleaning, singing happy birthday to himself. He stares into the hedge and sits bolt upright when he sees a pair of enormous green eyes staring back at him from among the leaves. When Dudley comes waddling over and starts mocking him for not receiving a party on his birthday, Harry gets annoyed and scares him away by pretending to think out loud of a spell meant to make the bush bare. Unfortunately, Petunia comes out when Dudley calls for her and beats her nephew with a soapy frying pan. She then gives Harry some chores to do while Vernon and Dudley are gone, and once he is finished, it is almost a half-hour before the Masons are due to arrive. Harry goes up to his room without making a sound during the party as promised, but when he gets there, someone else is on his bed.
Chapter 2: Dobby's Warning"Harry Potter is valiant and bold! He has braved so many dangers already! But Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warn him, even if he does have to shut his ears in the oven door later... Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts."— Dobby warning Harry
Dobby bowing to Harry Potter
The thing on his bed, a house elf named Dobby who was behind the mysterious eyes Harry saw, tells Harry that he must not go back to Hogwarts, as it will be dangerous because terrible things are going to happen there. The elf, however, can't tell him what things, and continues to be vague because every time he gets close to letting something slip he starts hurting himself. In the process, he makes a lot of noise, which is noticed by the group downstairs. When he hears Uncle Vernon coming upstairs (claiming that Dudley must have left the TV upstairs on), Harry hides the elf in his closet right before Vernon comes in and scolds his nephew for making such a racket which has messed up the punchline of his "Japanese golfer joke". He lets Dobby out as soon as his uncle leaves, and insists that he has to go back to Hogwarts since that's where he has friends despite them not writing to him. But to his surprise, Dobby then reveals that he has stopped letters being sent to Harry, and offers them to him if Harry will stay away from Hogwarts. Harry refuses and, making a frustrated Dobby run downstairs and use a Hover Charm to smash the dinner party's pudding.
Harry is blamed for the incident once Dobby Disapparates, and Uncle Vernon shoos the shocked Masons into the dining room while Harry cleans up, promising to deprive the boy of an inch of his life. The evening is almost saved until an owl from the Ministry of Magic is promptly received (scaring away Mrs Mason, who is mortally afraid of birds) with a warning saying that Harry has violated the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, though he is not actually punished (possibly because it is only his first offence). After realising that Harry is not allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts grounds, Uncle Vernon locks Harry in his room. Vernon reasons that if Harry uses magic to get himself out, he will be expelled anyway.
Chapter 3: The Burrow"This is the best house I've ever been in."— Harry Potter, about The Burrow
The flying Ford Anglia
The Dursleys' punishment lasts for three days, until Ron, Fred, and George Weasley, worried about not hearing from Harry all summer, borrow their father's flying Ford Anglia and come to the rescue. They break the metal bars off Harry's window and help him to pick the lock to his door so he can get his Nimbus 2000 and trunk. The Dursleys discover his escape attempt, but by the time they can intervene, Fred, George, Ron and Harry have got everything of Harry's and have flown away. On the flight to The Burrow, Harry explains Dobby's warning. They all agree that it is very fishy and speculate that Dobby most likely belongs to the Malfoys who sent Dobby to Harry as a joke, since the Malfoys are an old wizarding family of great wealth. Fred and George tell Harry that Lucius Malfoy formerly worked for Voldemort but claimed that the Dark Lord bewitched him after Voldemort lost his powers. Harry is taken to The Burrow, the Weasleys' home, and he finds the house truly amazing. Since Ron, Fred and George took the car without permission, they are yelled at by Molly Weasley, who was waiting in the kitchen. After their scolding, she makes them breakfast and has the three Weasley boys (and Harry who volunteered) de-gnome the garden, refusing to use a technique from Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Household Pests, and do it their own way. Arthur Weasley soon comes home and is honoured to meet Harry after they are introduced to each other. Molly, his wife, yells at him for enchanting the car. Ginny Weasley, who was enrolling at Hogwarts that year, is very obviously enamoured with Harry and spends most of the chapter hiding from him.
Chapter 4: At Flourish and BlottsLucius Malfoy: "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"Arthur Weasley: "We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy."— Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley arguing at Flourish and Blotts.
Gilderoy Lockhart showing off his book
Harry stays at The Burrow until his departure for Hogwarts. The Weasleys make it clear that they all like Harry. For example, Arthur insists that Harry sit next to him during meals where Molly, who constantly deplores the state of his hand-me-down clothes and how thin he is, insists that he eat extra food. During that period, he and the Weasleys travel to Diagon Alley with Floo Powder to get their school supplies. Harry has difficulty with the smoke around him and says "Diagon Alley" unclearly, and thus he accidentally lands in a shop in the ill-reputed Knockturn Alley instead. The shop is Borgin and Burkes, specialising in objects related to Dark magic. There he sees Lucius Malfoy, father of Draco Malfoy, Harry's arch rival from school, selling items imbued with Dark magic to a dark arts salesman, Mr Borgin. Lucius Malfoy explains that the Ministry has been conducting raids on wizard houses to uncover illegal artefacts, so he is selling his more problematic possessions. He also expresses his disdain for a rumoured Muggle Protection Act, which he (rightly) assumes Arthur Weasley is behind.
Harry leaves the shop and is found by Hagrid and taken back to Diagon Alley to reunite with the Weasleys and Hermione Granger, who is also there with her parents. In Flourish and Blotts, he and the Weasleys meet the famous wizard/author Gilderoy Lockhart, who announces that he will be taking over as Hogwarts's new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. He then forces Harry to have his picture taken with him for the main page of the Daily Prophet. They also meet Draco and Lucius Malfoy there. The elder Malfoy continuously taunts and insults Arthur and his family and eventually Arthur lunges at him. During the fight, Malfoy grabs one of the Weasleys' second-hand books and, after Hagrid breaks the fight up, throws the book back at Ginny in contempt.
Chapter 5: The Whomping Willow"Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get one that hits back."— Ron, complaining about the Whomping Willow
The flying Ford Anglia caught in the Whomping Willow
It is time to return to Hogwarts, Harry and the Weasleys arrives at King's Cross Station on the Ford Anglia, after several delays (Fred and George forgetting their broomsticks, and Ginny forgetting her diary.) On the way to the Hogwarts Express, when Harry and Ron try to go through the barrier to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters after everyone else went through, the barrier is mysteriously sealed against them. Having missed the train, Harry and Ron thus decide to fly Mr Weasley's flying Ford Anglia to Hogwarts. They end up getting spotted by many Muggles and crash into the Whomping Willow, the impact breaking Ron's wand. The giant tree starts pounding the car. The battered car manages to escape, ejecting Harry, Ron, and their luggage, before quickly driving off into the Forbidden Forest.
After they make it to the castle, Professor Snape catches the boys and attempts to have them expelled for being sighted and breaking wizard law to get to the castle. Albus Dumbledore, however, says he will send a letter to Harry and Ron's families. Still, Professor McGonagall gives a warning and separate detentions to both boys, and pointed out that they hadn't thought things through as they could have just sent a letter to Hogwarts with Hedwig. She also tells them that Ginny had been sorted into Gryffindor, providing them with Endless Sandwiches and disallowing them from attending the Start-of-Term Feast.
Chapter 6: Gilderoy Lockhart"Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award - but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by smiling at her!"— Gilderoy Lockhart, presenting himself
A baby mandrake root
The next day, Ron receives a Howler from his mother during breakfast in the Great Hall. Then, Minerva McGonagall hands out timetables and the first class is Herbology with the Hufflepuffs. In the class, Professor Sprout teaches how to transplant Mandrake seedlings, which have restorative properties when mature. The next class is Transfiguration, where Ron has problems with his broken wand, even when he repaired it with some Spellotape. Later, the trio have their first lesson with Gilderoy Lockhart, appointed as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. His way of teaching is a complete disaster. Much to Harry's chagrin, he receives constant attention from Lockhart and Colin Creevey, a first year student. Both constantly interact with him on the base of his fame (Colin treats Harry as a celebrity and Lockhart hopes to actually bring him to that state).