HARRY POTTER BOOK SUMMARY

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.