Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Mr. Dursley, a well-off Englishman, notices strange happenings on his way to work one day. That
night, Albus
Dumbledore, the head of a wizardry academy called Hogwarts, meets Professor McGonagall, who also teaches
at
Hogwarts, and a giant named Hagrid outside the Dursley home. Dumbledore tells McGonagall that someone
named
Voldemort has killed a Mr. and Mrs. Potter and tried unsuccessfully to kill their baby son, Harry.
Dumbledore
leaves Harry with an explanatory note in a basket in front of the Dursley home.
Ten years later, the Dursley household is dominated by the Dursleys’ son, Dudley, who torments and
bullies
Harry. Dudley is spoiled, while Harry is forced to sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. At the zoo on
Dudley’s
birthday, the glass in front of a boa constrictor exhibit disappears, frightening everyone. Harry is
later
punished for this incident.
Mysterious letters begin arriving for Harry. They worry Mr. Dursley, who tries to keep them from
Harry, but the
letters keep arriving through every crack in the house. Finally, he flees with his family to a secluded
island
shack on the eve of Harry’s eleventh birthday. At midnight, they hear a large bang on the door and
Hagrid
enters. Hagrid hands Harry an admissions letter to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry
learns
that the Dursleys have tried to deny Harry’s wizardry all these years.
The next day, Hagrid takes Harry to London to shop for school supplies. First they go to the wizard
bank,
Gringotts, where Harry learns that his parents have left him a hefty supply of money. They shop on the
wizards’
commercial street known as Diagon Alley, where Harry is fitted for his school uniform. Harry buys books,
ingredients for potions, and, finally, a magic wand—the companion wand to the evil Voldemort’s.
A month later, Harry goes to the train station and catches his train to Hogwarts on track nine and
three
quarters. On the train, Harry befriends other first-year students like Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger,
a
Muggle girl chosen to attend Hogwarts. At school, the first-years take turns putting on the “Sorting
Hat” to
find out in which residential house they will live. Harry fears being assigned to the sinister Slytherin
house,
but he, Ron, and Hermione end up in the noble Gryffindor house.
As the school year gets underway, Harry discovers that his Potions professor, Snape, does not like
him. Hagrid
reassures Harry that Snape has no reason to dislike him. During their first flying lesson on
broomsticks, the
students are told to stay grounded while the teacher takes an injured boy named Neville to the hospital.
Draco
Malfoy, a Slytherin bully, snatches Neville’s prized toy and flies off with it to the top of a tree.
Harry flies
after him. Malfoy throws the ball in the air, and Harry speeds downward, making a spectacular catch.
Professor
McGonagall witnesses this incident. Instead of punishing Harry, she recommends that he play Quidditch, a
much-loved game that resembles soccer played on broomsticks, for Gryffindor. Later that day, Malfoy
challenges
Harry to a wizard’s duel at midnight. Malfoy doesn’t show up at the appointed place, and Harry almost
gets in
trouble. While trying to hide, he accidentally discovers a fierce three-headed dog guarding a trapdoor
in the
forbidden third-floor corridor.
On Halloween, a troll is found in the building. The students are all escorted back to their
dormitories, but
Harry and Ron sneak off to find Hermione, who is alone and unaware of the troll. Unwittingly, they lock
the
troll in the girls’ bathroom along with Hermione. Together, they defeat the troll. Hermione tells a lie
to
protect Harry and Ron from being punished. During Harry’s first Quidditch match, his broom jerks out of
control.
Hermione notices Snape staring at Harry and muttering a curse. She concludes that he is jinxing Harry’s
broom,
and she sets Snape’s clothes on fire. Harry regains control of the broom and makes a spectacular play to
win the
Quidditch match.
For Christmas, Harry receives his father’s invisibility cloak, and he explores the school, unseen,
late at
night. He discovers the Mirror of Erised, which displays the deepest desire of whoever looks in it.
Harry looks
in it and sees his parents alive. After Christmas, Harry, Ron, and Hermione begin to unravel the
mysterious
connection between a break-in at Gringotts and the three-headed guard dog. They learn that the dog is
guarding
the Sorcerer’s Stone, which is capable of providing eternal life and unlimited wealth to its owner and
belongs
to Nicolas Flamel, Dumbledore’s old partner.
A few weeks later, Hagrid wins a dragon egg in a poker game. Because it is illegal to own dragons,
Harry, Ron,
and Hermione contact Ron’s older brother, who studies dragons. They arrange to get rid of the dragon but
get
caught. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are severely punished, and Gryffindor is docked 150 points.
Furthermore, part
of their punishment is to go into the enchanted forest with Hagrid to find out who has been killing
unicorns
recently. In the forest, Harry comes upon a hooded man drinking unicorn blood. The man tries to attack
Harry,
but Harry is rescued by a friendly centaur who tells him that his assailant was Voldemort. Harry also
learns
that it is Voldemort who has been trying to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Harry decides that he must find the stone before Voldemort does. He, Ron, and Hermione sneak off
that night to
the forbidden third-floor corridor. They get past the guard dog and perform many impressive feats as
they get
closer and closer to the stone. Harry ultimately finds himself face to face with Quirrell, who announces
that
Harry must die. Knowing that Harry desires to find the stone, Quirrell puts Harry in front of the Mirror
of
Erised and makes him state what he sees. Harry sees himself with the stone in his pocket, and at that
same
moment he actually feels it in his pocket. But he tells Quirrell that he sees something else. A voice
tells
Quirrell that the boy is lying and requests to speak to Harry face to face. Quirrell removes his turban
and
reveals Voldemort’s face on the back of his head. Voldemort, who is inhabiting Quirrell’s body,
instructs
Quirrell to kill Harry, but Quirrell is burned by contact with the boy. A struggle ensues and Harry
passes out.
When Harry regains consciousness, he is in the hospital with Dumbledore. Dumbledore explains that
he saved Harry
from Quirrell just in time. He adds that he and Flamel have decided to destroy the stone. Harry heads
down to
the end-of-year banquet, where Slytherin is celebrating its seventh consecutive win of the house
championship
cup. Dumbledore gets up and awards many last-minute points to Gryffindor for the feats of Harry and his
friends,
winning the house cup for Gryffindor. Harry returns to London to spend the summer with the Dursleys.
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