Books - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

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	Books - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first volume in a planned series of seven books written by British author J. K. Rowling, and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard. The book was first published on 30 June 1997 by Bloomsbury in London, and has also been made into a film of the same name.

Both the book and the motion picture were released in the United States with the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, ostensibly because the publishers were concerned that the original title would not instantly give the book an impression of magic and fantasy to the American public.

Whatever the reasons for the change, it had no effect on the sales figures, and demand for the Harry Potter series grew very rapidly among young readers, who seemed to be undaunted by the increasing length and complexity of the volumes.

Translations

See: Harry Potter in translation

Plot overview

At the start of the story, two wizards, Professor Albus Dumbledore and Professor Minerva McGonagall meet at Number Four Privet Drive in Little Whinging, a suburb of Surrey, to discuss recent events in the wizarding world. Lord Voldemort, the most powerful and fearsome Dark Wizard ever known, has finally been defeated. Unfortunately, he seems to have taken two last victims with him: Lily and James Potter. Their infant son, Harry had somehow survived the encounter, with a lightning-shaped scar the only side-effect of Voldemort’s attack. Harry will be a legend amongst the magical people, “the Boy who Lived,” and Dumbledore believes it best he is raised away from all the undesirable fame and attention in his circumstances would bring.

Harry is brought to the two professors by half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, groundskeeper of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and close friend of Dumbledore. Harry is put in the reluctant care of his Muggle (non-magical) relatives, his mother's sister Petunia Dursley, her husband Vernon and their spoiled son Dudley. The Dursleys intensely dislike magic and conceal from Harry any knowledge of his magical abilities and tell him instead that his parents were killed in a car crash. The Dursleys mistreat Harry, whose bedroom is a cupboard under the stairs, filled with spiders.

A week before his eleventh birthday, Harry begins receiving letters offering him a place at Hogwarts to learn magic. The Dursleys try to intercept the letters and take Harry away to a small island to escape them, but Hagrid tracks the family down. He tells Harry the truth about his parents and introduces him to the magical world through Diagon Alley, where Harry purchases the supplies he will need for school. Harry also learns of Lord Voldemort and his murder of Harry’s parents, as well as Voldemort’s lingering reputation despite being inactive (even a large and strong individual like Hagrid refuses to speak his name). Another interesting connection between Harry and Voldemort is that their wands share a core feather from the same phoenix’s tail. Hagrid returns Harry to the Dursleys with a ticket for the school train to Hogwarts, from Platform 9¾ at King's Cross station, London.

On the train to school, Harry befriends Ron Weasley, a poor boy from a loving family who is impressed by Harry’s scar but not intimidated by his reputation, as well Hermione Granger, a bit of an irritating know-it-all. Upon arriving at Hogwarts, all new students are 'sorted' into one of the four school Houses by trying on an ancient talking hat, once the property of one of the school's founders, Godric Gryffindor. Each house has very specific characteristics: Slytherin is filled with ambitious, cunning people who would use any means to get what they want; Ravenclaw is home to those with sharp minds that value intelligence and wisdom; Gryffindor houses the bravest; and Hufflepuff is characterized by fairness, honesty and hard-work (usually taking those not suitable for the above three houses). When Harry is called up to be sorted, everyone cranes to see the outcome. The hat declares Harry to be difficult to sort. When Harry mentally declares his desire not to be sorted into Slytherin, the hat mentions to Harry the advantages of being in Slytherin. Since the hat finds Harry determined against this, it sorts him into Gryffindor. Ron is also sorted into Gryffindor, as well as Hermione, surprisingly. Harry’s biggest rival is Draco Malfoy, an arrogant and rude Slytherin student.

During the year, Harry learns more about the world of witches and wizards. After performing extraordinarily well during his first broomstick flying lesson, Harry is drafted for his house’s Quidditch team, a sport unique to the wizarding world, but internationally popular. At Christmas, Harry is given a mysterious Christmas present of an invisibility cloak, which once belonged to his father, and which he uses to move unseen around the castle. He discovers the Mirror of Erised, which allows him to see images of his parents. He is advised by Dumbledore to stop seeking out the mirror, which will be moved, because of its addictive nature.

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