Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)

by J.K. Rowling

‘We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a sherbet lemon?’ ‘A what?’ ‘A sherbet lemon. They’re a kind of Muggle sweet I’m rather fond of.’ ‘No, thank you,’ said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn’t think this was the moment for sherbet lemons.

‘You flatter me,’ said Dumbledore calmly. ‘Voldemort had powers I will never have.’ ‘Only because you’re too – well – noble to use them.’ ‘It’s lucky it’s dark. I haven’t blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs.

‘Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He’ll be famous – a legend – I wouldn’t be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in future – there will be books written about Harry –

every child in our world will know his name!

Scars can come in useful. I have one myself above my left knee which is a perfect map of the London Underground.

He couldn’t know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: ‘To Harry Potter – the boy who lived!’

On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy. ‘No post on Sundays,’ he reminded them happily as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, ‘no damn letters today –

‘Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh,’ said Hagrid. ‘Harry – yer a wizard.’ There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard. ‘I’m a what?’ gasped Harry. ‘A wizard, o’ course,’ said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa,

‘The gold ones are Galleons,’ he explained. ‘Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it’s easy enough.

‘You have your mother’s eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work.

‘Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it – it’s really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course.

holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple.

It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother – why, its brother gave you that scar.’

‘Fred, you next,’ the plump woman said. ‘I’m not Fred, I’m George,’ said the boy. ‘Honestly, woman, call yourself our mother? Can’t you tell I’m George?’ ‘Sorry, George, dear.’ ‘Only joking, I am Fred,’ said the boy, and off he went.

Albus Dumbledore, currently Headmaster of Hogwarts. Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon’s blood and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.

‘Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow.

‘Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle,’ said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. ‘And my name’s Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.’ Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him. ‘Think my name’s funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles and more children than they can afford.’ He turned back to Harry. ‘You’ll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.’ He held out his hand to shake Harry’s, but Harry didn’t take it. ‘I think I can tell who the wrong sort are

for myself, thanks,’ he said coolly.

As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families. ‘I’m half and half,’ said Seamus. ‘Me dad’s a Muggle. Mam didn’t tell him she was a witch ’til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him.

‘I hope you’re pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed – or worse, expelled. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed.

He opened the crate. Inside were four different-sized balls. ‘Right,’ said Wood. ‘Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand, even if it’s not too easy to play. There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers.’ ‘Three Chasers,’ Harry repeated, as Wood took out a bright red ball about the size of a football. ‘This ball’s called the Quaffle,’ said Wood. ‘The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. Ten points every time

the Quaffle goes through one of the hoops.

‘Now, there’s another player on each side who’s called the Keeper – I’m Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring.

‘Three Chasers try and score with the Quaffle; the Keeper guards the goalposts; the Beaters keep the Bludgers away from their team,’ Harry reeled off.

Wood reached into the crate and took out the fourth and last ball. Compared with the Quaffle and the Bludgers, it was tiny, about the size of a large walnut. It was bright gold and had little fluttering silver wings. ‘This,’ said Wood, ‘is the Golden Snitch, and it’s the most important ball of the lot. It’s very hard to catch because it’s so fast and difficult to see. It’s the Seeker’s job to catch it. You’ve got to weave in and out of the Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers and Quaffle to get it before the other team’s Seeker,

because whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, so they nearly always win.

That’s why Seekers get fouled so much. A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, so it can go on for ages – I think the record is three months, they had to keep bringing ...

‘You’re saying it wrong,’ Harry heard Hermione snap. ‘It’s Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the “gar” nice and long.’ ‘You do it, then, if you’re so clever,’ Ron snarled. Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand and said, ‘Wingardium Leviosa!’ Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

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 lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban.

‘You haven’t got a letter on yours,’ George observed. ‘I suppose she thinks you don’t forget your name. But we’re not stupid – we know we’re called Gred and Forge.

the Famous Wizard card. ‘Dumbledore again,’ he said. ‘He was the first one I ever –’ He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron and Hermione. ‘I’ve found him!’ he whispered. ‘I’ve found Flamel! I told you I’d read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here – listen to this: “Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his

defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon’s blood and his work on alchemy

with his partner, Nicolas...

‘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.’ ‘Light?’ said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she’d looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself.

At last she found what she was looking for. ‘I knew it! I knew it!’ ‘Are we allowed to speak yet?’ said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him. ‘Nicolas Flamel,’ she whispered

dramatically, ‘is the only known maker of the Philosopher’s Stone!’ This didn’t have quite the effect she’d expected. ‘The what?’ said Harry and Ron. ‘Oh, honestly, don’t you two read? Look – read that, there.’ She pushed the book towards them, and Harry and Ron read: The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The Stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. There have been many reports of the Philosopher’s Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in e...

quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred...

…’ The white queen turned her blank face towards him. ‘Yes …’ said Ron softly, ‘it’s the only

way … I’ve got to be taken.’ ‘NO!’ Harry and Hermione shouted. ‘That’s chess!’ snapped Ron. ‘You’ve got to make some sacrifices! I’ll make my move and she’ll take me – that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!’ ‘But –’ ‘Do you want to stop Snape or not?’ ‘Ron –’ ‘Look, if you don’t hurry up, he’ll already have the Stone!’ There was nothing else for it. ‘Ready?’ Ron called, his face pale but determined. ‘Here I go – now, don’t hang around once you’ve won.’ He stepped forward and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard around the head with her stone arm and he crashed to the floor – Hermione screamed but stayed on her square – the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he’d been knocked

out.

Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left. The white king took off his crown and threw it at...

‘Harry – you’re a great wizard, you know.’ ‘I’m not as good as you,’ said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him. ‘Me!’ said Hermione. ‘Books! And cleverness! There are more important things – friendship and bravery and – oh Harry – be careful!’

‘What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a lavatory seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you.

After all, to the well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure.

choosing precisely those things which are worst for them.

Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.

‘The truth.’ Dumbledore sighed. ‘It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.

‘And the Invisibility Cloak – do you know who sent it to me?’ ‘Ah – your father happened to leave it in my possession and I thought you might like it.’ Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled. ‘Useful things … your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here.

Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit-flavoured one, and since then I’m afraid I’ve rather lost my liking for them – but I think I’ll be safe with a nice toffee, don’t you?’ He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, ‘Alas! Earwax!