HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE

Synopsis
Harry Potter has been orphaned and lives in the house of his abominable
uncles and unbearable cousin Dudley . Harry feels very sad and alone,
until one day he receives a letter that will change his life forever. In it they
inform him that he has been accepted as a student at Hogwarts School
of Magic . From that moment on, Harry's luck takes a spectacular turn. In
this very special school you will learn incantations, fabulous tricks and
defense tactics against evil arts. He will become the school champion of
Quidditch , a type of aerial football played on broomsticks, and will make
a handful of good friends... but also some fearsome enemies. But, above
all, you will learn the secrets that will allow you to fulfill your destiny. Well,
although it may not seem like it at first glance, Harry is not an ordinary
boy: he is a real wizard!

Chapter 1: The Boy Who Lived

In the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone , we are
introduced to the Dursley family , apparently a few hours after Voldemort 's
defeat. They live at number four Privet Drive , Little Whinging , Surrey and were
proud to say that they were perfectly normal. Vernon Dursley is the director at a
company called Grunnings that manufactures drills. Petunia Dursley , his wife,
is a housewife who worries excessively about her son Dudley and also gossips
and speaks ill of the neighbors. Petunia had a sister who married James Potter ,
but they were so different from the Dursleys that they didn't even speak to each
other. The Dursleys wake up on a Tuesday ready for a normal day. But Vernon,
as he headed to work, noticed many strange things throughout the day. He
thought he saw a cat reading a map outside his house, and strange people
were in the streets dressed in robes, talking about someone they called " you-
know-who " and his nephew Harry Potter . Vernon returned home and asked
Petunia about the Potters , but she never liked to talk about them so he didn't
pursue the topic. After watching a report that talked about sightings of owls
flying around all day and hundreds of shooting stars at night, the Dursleys went
to bed. On their street, a man appeared out of nowhere. His name was Albus
Dumbledore , and he awaited the arrival of Rubeus Hagrid . The cat that had
perched on Mr. Dursley 's wall transformed into an elderly woman, Minerva
McGonagall . They had come to deliver baby Harry Potter , who had just lost his
parents in a battle with Lord Voldemort . Even though the Dark Lord had used a
killing curse on him, it had only left him with a scar. Hagrid arrived on a flying
motorcycle and was placed on the stoop of the Dursley house with a letter
explaining the events of the night. Meanwhile, the entire wizarding world
celebrated the fall of Voldemort: "To Harry Potter ... the boy who lived!"
Chapter 2: The glass that vanished
10 years have passed since the first chapter. Harry is almost 11 years old and
lives in the closet under the stairs of the Dursley house. He is tormented by
Dudley, who hits and annoys him to no end. One morning, Harry is woken up by
his Aunt Petunia telling him to serve breakfast immediately, because it is
Dudley's birthday and everything must be perfect. Dudley is upset because he
only has thirty-seven gifts, one less than the previous year. When a neighbor
calls to say that she won't be able to take care of Harry for the day, Dudley
begins to fake cry, saying that he is upset that Harry has to go with him on his
birthday trip to the zoo. At the zoo, Piers Polkiss (Dudley's friend) and Dudley as
always annoy him. At the reptile house, Harry pays close attention to a boa
constrictor and is amazed when he is able to carry on a conversation with it.
Realizing what Harry is doing, Piers calls Dudley and Uncle Vernon, Dudley
pushes Harry aside to get a better look at the snake. Suddenly, the glass
protecting the snake vanishes and the boa slides across the ground. Dudley
and Piers claim the snake attacked them. At home, Harry is punished for the
snake incident, sent to his closet without having eaten and without knowing why
the Dursleys had punished him.
Chapter 3: Nobody's Letters
Punished for the boa constrictor incident, Harry is locked in his closet until the
beginning of summer. When he is finally free, he spends most of his time
outside his house to escape the torments of Dudley and his friends. Harry is
very excited about the prospect of starting at a new school in the fall, away from
Dudley for the first time in his life. One day, Uncle Vernon sends Harry to get
the mail. Harry discovers a letter with a coat of arms that addresses him:
Mister. H. Potter
Cupboard under the stairs
Privet Drive 4
Little Whinging
Surrey
Uncle Vernon tears off the envelope and shows it to his wife. They are so
surprised that they force Dudley and Harry to leave the kitchen in order to
discuss what to do. The next day, Uncle Vernon visits Harry in his cupboard and
refuses to talk about the letter. However, he tells Harry to move into Dudley's
second room, previously used to store Dudley's toys.
The next day, another letter arrives for Harry, this time addressed to him in "The
Smallest Bedroom." Uncle Vernon is alarmed. Harry tries to get the letter, but
Uncle Vernon stops him. The next morning, Harry gets up early to try to get the
mail before someone gets up, but is thwarted by Uncle Vernon, who has slept
near the mailbox waiting for the letters. Although Uncle Vernon closes the mail
hole, twelve letters come to Harry the next day, under the door or through the
cracks. Some time later, the letters flood the house, entering in impossible
ways. Vernon continues to prevent Harry from reading any of these. Enraged,
he decides to take everyone away from the house, but at the hotel where they
are staying, hundreds of letters are delivered by the administrator to Harry.
That's when Uncle Vernon decides to have even more isolation. On a dark and
stormy night, he takes the family to a shack on an island in the middle of the
ocean. Inside, Vernon locks the door. At midnight, on July 31 , Harry's birthday,
there is a loud bang at the door.
Chapter 4: The Keeper of the Keys
Image from chapter four The Keeper of the Keys (USA)
There is another knock on the door before a giant man breaks it down. Uncle
Vernon threatens the giant man with a shotgun, but the giant man takes the gun
and twists it into a knot. The giant man gives Harry a chocolate birthday cake
and introduces himself as Rubeus Hagrid , the " Keeper of the Keys and
Grounds of Hogwarts ." Hagrid is upset to learn that the Dursleys have never
told Harry what Hogwarts is. Vernon tries to stop Hagrid from telling Harry about
the wizarding world, but acts in vain as Hagrid asks him if a big Muggle like him
is going to stop him. Hagrid tells Harry that he is a wizard and gives him a letter
of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry . Uncle Vernon
says he won't let Harry go to Hogwarts. Hagrid explains to Harry that the
Dursleys have lied to him all along about how their parents died. Harry learns
that they did not die in a car accident, as he had always thought, they were
killed by the evil wizard Lord Voldemort. Harry doesn't believe he is a wizard,
but then realizes that the incident with the boa was an act of magic. When
Vernon becomes enraged and calls Albus Dumbledore crazy, Hagrid tells him
to never insult Dumbledore in front of him again and casts a spell on Dudley,
producing a pig's tail. Then Hagrid takes Harry away from the hut on the rock.
He also asks him not to comment on the spell he performed, since he is
prohibited from doing magic.
Chapter 5: Diagon Alley

Image from chapter five Diagon Alley (USA)

Harry wakes up in the company of Hagrid and realizes that the night before was
not a dream. The two leave for London to buy Harry's school supplies. Harry
looks at the list of supplies and worries about the money needed, but Hagrid
assures him that his parents left him necessary funds at Gringotts , the
wizarding bank, run by goblins . Their first stop is the Leaky Cauldron , a bar
where all the patrons recognize Harry and are nervous and honored to have the
opportunity to meet him. Among these people is the Defense Against the Dark
Arts professor , Quirinus Quirrell . Harry and Hagrid leave the place through the
back door, where Hagrid taps on the brick wall, and a small street called Diagon
Alley opens before them. Hagrid explains that Harry is going to buy what he
needs for school there. They head to Gringotts, where they are escorted to
Harry's vault. Inside, he sees piles of gold and silver coins that Harry's parents
passed down to him. Hagrid explains to Harry the monetary system, which is
made up of Galleons , Sickles and Knuts , and fills a small bag with the money.
He then takes Harry to another vault, number 713 , which is empty except for a
small dirty package that Hagrid picks up and hides in his clothes, warning Harry
not to mention it, as it is "Hogwarts business". Hagrid then takes Harry to buy
his uniform. At the store , he meets a spoiled and unfriendly boy who is also
going to Hogwarts in the fall. The boy tells him about the old wizard families and
Harry begins to worry about whether he has the wizard cut. But Hagrid
reassures him, telling him that he will learn everything he needs to know and
that there are many Muggle -born students at Hogwarts . After purchasing the
necessary books and potion ingredients, Hagrid and Harry go to buy their
wand . Once at Ollivander's shop , the shop owner makes Harry try out a
number of magic wands , arguing that "the wand chooses the wizard." After
trying several different types of wands, Harry tries a wand made of holly and
phoenix feather . Red and gold sparks come out of it, proving that this must be
the one for him. Ollivander tells Harry that the core of the wand he chose is
made of phoenix feather, and that the phoenix that provided the feather present
in his wand had only two feathers in its tail; one is on his wand and the other is
on Voldemort's wand , the same one that gave Harry his scar.
Chapter 6: The journey across platform nine and three quarters

Image from chapter six The journey across platform nine three quarters (USA)
Harry's last month with the Dursleys was unpleasant. The day before starting
the journey to school, Harry asks Uncle Vernon to take him to King's Cross train
station in London . Uncle Vernon agrees, but mocks him because his train
leaves from platform nine and three quarters , as marked on the ticket Hagrid
gave him. The next day, Harry arrives at the station and finds himself between
platforms nine and ten, wondering with growing alarm how to find platform nine
and three quarters. Finally, he overhears a family with red-haired children
mention the word muggle . He asks the children's mother how to get onto the
platform and she tells him that he must walk through the barrier between
platforms nine and ten. Harry does so, and is surprised to find the Hogwarts
Express on the other side of the barrier. Harry tackles him. On the train, Harry
meets Fred and George Weasley , the twins who were returning to school, as
well as his younger brother Ron , another student who is starting at Hogwarts.
Ron tells Harry about many things about the wizarding world such as
Quidditch , cards of famous witches and wizards inside chocolate frog boxes,
and Bertie Bott's every flavor candy . Harry gets Albus Dumbledore 's card in a
chocolate frog. Ron, who comes from a poor family, can't afford the candy sold
on the train, so Harry buys some candy with his new fortune.
They also meet Hermione Granger , a Muggle-born witch, who despite starting
her first year like Harry, already knows quite a bit about magic. They arrive at
school, and as first-year students, they must be placed in one of the four
houses . This ceremony is carried out by the Sorting Hat , which although worn
and dirty, can speak and read the mind of whoever places it on. Harry, Ron and
Hermione are assigned to Gryffindor house (founded by Godric Gryffindor , in
the book described as the great hero of Hogwarts).
The school year begins
Harry becomes an enemy of Draco Malfoy , the spoiled child he meets in the
shop where he buys his uniform, and becomes best friends with Ron. At the
welcoming banquet, Harry notices the presence of Severus Snape , the potions
professor. Harry has magic classes all year round, enjoying them more and
more, with the exception of one subject: Potions, because apparently the
teacher hates him. One day he finds out that they tried to rob Gringotts.
However, the vault they wanted to rob was already empty when the thief
arrived. Harry wonders if it was the vault that Hagrid had emptied the same day.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville Longbottom accidentally arrive at the
forbidden corridor on the third floor , where they find a three-headed dog .
Apparently, he is taking care of something.
Harry and Ron don't like Hermione meddling in their affairs. After class, Ron
makes fun of her and she goes to the girls' bathroom crying. This happens on
Halloween afternoon.
During dinner, Professor Quirrel, very alarmed, warns that a troll has gotten into
the castle . It is there that Harry and Ron remember that Hermione is in the
bathroom and run to tell her that there is a troll loose so they can escape from it.
After a fight with the troll in the women's bathroom with the three friends inside,
Professor McGonagall arrives and Hermione takes the blame for the events so
that Harry and Ron will not be blamed. After all this, Professor McGonagall
deducts 5 points from Hermione for her foolishness in believing she could
control a troll on her own. On the other hand, Harry and Ron are given 5 points
each for the courage they had in confronting the troll, despite being first-year
students.

Some time later, Harry sees that Snape has an injured leg, and deduces that it
was the three-headed dog that bit him. Therefore, he would work for Voldemort
trying to steal what the dog cared for.

At Christmas , Harry anonymously receives an invisibility cloak , which hides the

wearer from view of others. A note says it was his father's, and to use it well.
Harry finds a mirror, called the Mirror of Erised . It shows the greatest desire of
the person who sees it; Harry sees his parents in the mirror, and for the next
few weeks he had the same nightmares in the mirror. Dumbledore tells him that
this mirror shows the person's desire, but that it will soon be taken elsewhere,
given the addiction it causes.
Harry visits Hagrid, who in a bet won a dragon egg . When the dragon hatches,
it begins to grow rapidly. Harry insists Hagrid give it to Ron's older brother,
Charlie , who works with dragons in Romania. Hagrid accepts, and Harry plans
to go with Ron to deliver him to Charlie. However, the dragon hurts Ron and he
stays in the infirmary . Ron has already contacted Charlie, who tells him that
some friends of his were going to the Astronomy tower on Saturday at midnight,
by letter. However, Draco obtains that letter and finds out about the plan. Harry,
along with Hermione, go to the Astronomy tower where they meet Charlie's
friends. On their way back, Argus Filch , the caretaker , catches them, along
with Neville, who was going to tell Harry that Draco knew about the dragon's
plan. Draco is also caught in the night, and the four are punished. Especially,
Gryffindor loses 150 points because Harry, Hermione and Neville shouldn't be
out of bed at that time.
Chapter 15: The Forbidden Forest

Image from chapter 15 The Forbidden Forest (USA)

Harry, Hermione, Neville and Draco must go to the Forbidden Forest as
punishment. There Harry finds someone drinking unicorn blood. Firenze , a
centaur explains to Harry that unicorn blood can give you more life, but if you
take it you have a curse: you will have half a life. The centaur reveals to him
that at school they have the Philosopher's Stone , a stone that gives eternal life.
He says that Voldemort was the one who was drinking the unicorn's blood.
Harry notices that Fluffy (Hagrid's three-headed dog) is guarding that stone,
along with other traps. Harry thinks that Snape is helping Lord Voldemort , and
together with Ron and Hermione they go to the third floor (although Neville tried
to stop them). They realize that someone has already passed by, and they
reason that it was Snape. They pass Fluffy and pass other traps, including a
Devil's Snare (a giant plant), flying keys, a giant wizard chess set, a troll, and a
riddle set by Snape.
In the next room would be Snape, trying to steal the stone. Harry enters the
room, and sees a man. But it wasn't Snape. Nor was it Voldemort .
Chapter 16: The man with two faces

Image from chapter seventeen The Man with Two Faces (USA)
It was Quirrell. Harry is surprised to see him there, and Quirrell reveals that he
works for Voldemort, that he was the one who broke into Gringotts to steal the
Philosopher's Stone. Quirrell says that he was the one who bewitched his
broom at the Quidditch match. And that actually, Snape wanted to do the
countercurse. He says that he has gone there looking for the Philosopher's
Stone, to give it to his master. Behind Quirrell is the Mirror of Erised, and
according to Quirrell, the stone is trapped inside the mirror. A voice appears out
of nowhere. "Use the boy," the voice says. Quirrell removes the turban from his
head, and where his neck should be, is Voldemort's head.

Harry looks in the mirror and in his reflection sees that the reflected Harry has
the Philosopher's Stone. Harry then feels a weight in his pocket: somehow, he
had obtained the stone.

Voldemort tells Harry that he needs the stone to survive, and asks Harry to join
him. Harry refuses and Quirrell tries to kill him, but upon touching him, Quirrell
begins to burn alive. Harry realizes that he must touch Quirrell to kill him, but
suddenly he faints.
Harry wakes up in the infirmary. Dumbledore appears and tells him that Quirrell
has died and Voldemort's ghost has escaped. Furthermore, it says that the
Philosopher's Stone will be destroyed. Dumbledore also reveals that he was the
one who sent him the invisibility cloak . Finally, Dumbledore says that the only
one who would get the stone would be the one who looked in the mirror and
wanted to find it but not use it.
The end of the year banquet arrives, and due to the bravery of Ron, Hermione
and Harry, Gryffindor ties on points with Slytherin . Neville , for trying to confront
his friends, is given ten points. Gryffindor wins the house cup.

The book ends with Harry's happiness in calling that place "home", and he
leaves with the thought of being able to torture Dudley, his cousin, with the
threat that he would do magic at home.