Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is a novel written by award-winning British author J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Rowling’s debut novel, follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical powers on his eleventh birthday when he receives a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry faces an encounter with the dark wizard Voldemort, who killed Harry’s parents but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old. J.K. Rowling’s phenomenal imagination has created a stimulating fantasy world with the power to excite and involve readers of all ages.
The story of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which serves as an introduction to the Wizarding World, is nothing short of perfection. From the moment we get to know young Harry, we are drawn into a world filled with wonder and mystery. From the moment Harry steps onto Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross Station, fans are transported into a world of wonder and enchantment. The story effortlessly balances the ordinary and the extraordinary, making it relatable to both wizards and Muggles alike. Whether you’re a devoted Potterhead or a first-time fan, this book is a timeless classic that will continue to capture hearts for generations to come. Definitely, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (PDF), is a delightful adventure from start to finish, full of magic.
Related Post: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (PDF)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Book Summary
Ten-year-old Harry Potter is an orphan who lives in the fictional London suburb of Little Whinging, Surrey, with the Dursleys: his uncaring Aunt Petunia, loathsome Uncle Vernon, and spoiled cousin Dudley. The Dursleys barely tolerate Harry, and Dudley bullies him. One day, Harry is astonished to receive a letter addressed to him in the cupboard under the stairs (where he sleeps).
Before he can open the letter, however, Uncle Vernon takes it. Letters for Harry subsequently arrive each day, in increasing numbers, but Uncle Vernon tears them all up, and finally, in an attempt to escape the missives, the Dursleys go to a miserable shack on a small island. On Harry’s 11th birthday, a giant named Hagrid arrives and reveals that Harry is a wizard and that he has been accepted at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
He also sheds light on Harry’s past, informing the boy that his parents, a wizard and a witch, were killed by the evil wizard Voldemort and that Harry acquired the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead during the fatal confrontation. Upon arrival at the school, the students are sorted into one of four houses—Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin.
Harry ends up in Gryffindor, and during his eventful first year at Hogwarts, he becomes close friends with two other members of the house, Ron Weasley, who comes from an old wizarding family, and Hermione Granger, whose parents are Muggles (those who are not magical). Harry also finds that he has an enemy in Draco Malfoy (Slytherin). In addition, Harry’s prowess in flying on a broomstick makes him a star of Gryffindor’s Quidditch team.
Hoping to get Harry and his friends into trouble, Draco tricks them into leaving their rooms one night, a violation of school rules. While trying to avoid being caught, they discover a three-headed dog guarding a trap door. Harry gradually comes to the conclusion that Professor Snape, who teaches Potions, dislikes him intensely and is trying to get hold of whatever is behind the trapdoor.
Harry receives his father’s cloak of invisibility as a Christmas gift, and, while exploring under the cloak’s cover, he finds the Mirror of Erised, in which he can see his parents. Later, headmaster Albus Dumbledore explains that the mirror shows the viewer’s deepest desire. Harry, Ron, and Hermione deduce that the treasure under the trapdoor is the Philosopher’s Stone, which can transform metal into gold and can also confer immortality.
They later discover that Voldemort has been killing unicorns in the Forbidden Forest and drinking their blood, another way to achieve immortality. Thetrio comes to believe that Snape is in league with the evil wizard. After learning that Hagrid revealed the secret way to lull the three-headed dog to sleep to an asuspicious stranger, whom they believe to be either Snape or Voldemort, they are certain that the Philosopher’s Stone is in danger.
The three classmates use the cloak of invisibility on a secret mission to get the stone themselves to keep it from Voldemort. After getting past the dog and defeating various protective spells, Harry reaches the room in which the Stone is hidden and is surprised to find the perpetually nervous Professor Quirrell there. Quirrell fails to figure out how to retrieve the stone from the Mirror of Erised (the final protective measure) and forces Harry to try.
When standing in front of the mirror, wishing only to protect the stone and not use it for himself, Harry feels the stone’s weight in his pocket but refuses to tell Quirrell that he has it. Quirrell unwraps his turban, revealing Voldemort’s face on the back of his head. Voldemort explains that he has been sharing Quirrell’s body until he can get to the Stone and become fully alive again, and Voldemort/Quirrell and Harry fight for possession of the Stone, until Harry blacks out. He awakens in the infirmary and learns that Dumbledore saved him, the stone is to be destroyed, and Voldemort.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is more than just a book; it’s an enchanting journey that reminds us of the power of love and friendship.
List of Chapters in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (PDF)
There are a total of 17 chapters in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Here They Are…
- The Boy Who Lived
- The Vanishing Glass
- The Letters from No
- The Keeper of Keys
- Diagon Alley
- The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters
- The Sorting Hat
- The Potions Master
- The Midnight Duel
- Hallowe’en
- Quidditch
- The Mirror of Erised
- Nicolas Flamel
- Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback March
- The Forbidden Forest
- Through the Trapdoor
- The Man with Two Faces
The 10 Best Quotes From Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Sharing with you some of the best quotes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone novel.
01. “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
02. “It was a dream, I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I’ll be at home in my cupboard.”
03. “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”
04. “To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”
05. “The truth.” Dumbledore sighed. “It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.”
06. “Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.”
07. “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.”
08. “Ah, music,” he said, wiping his eyes. “A magic beyond all we do here!”
09. “There is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it.”
10. “What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally the whole school knows.”
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