Summary
The year-end examinations go off without a hitch, although
Harry fears that Voldemort will burst through the door at any second. While
he is a guest at Hagrid’s, Harry learns that while drunk and playing
cards, Hagrid revealed to Voldemort that anyone can get past the
three-headed guard dog, Fluffy, by playing music to him. Harry and
his friends rush to find Dumbledore to tell him this news, but they
run into McGonagall, who informs them that Dumbledore has been called
off to London by the Ministry of Magic. Harry convinces Hermione
and Ron that they need to grab the stone that night. As they are
heading out, Neville tries to stop them. Hermione immobilizes him
with a spell, and they proceed.
When they reach Fluffy, Harry, Hermione, and Ron notice
a harp by his feet and realize that someone has already passed by
Fluffy. Harry plays a flute he has brought, putting Fluffy to sleep
and allowing his gang to go through the trapdoor. They land on some
sort of plant with twisting tendrils that wrap around Harry and
Ron. Hermione gets out immediately and uses fire from her wand to
stave off the plant. Next, they encounter a large locked door in
a room full of birds that are actually keys. Harry uses his Quidditch
skills to catch the right bird and unlock the door. They then must
play a violent game of chess in which each of them is a chess piece.
Ron masterfully leads them through the game, but he must allow himself
to be captured—and severely beaten—by the opposing queen to win. Harry
and Hermione then come upon a series of potions and a logic puzzle.
Hermione figures out which potions to drink and then goes back to
help Ron and Harry move forward to find the stone.
Analysis
Harry’s breadth of wisdom is shown when he is forced to
choose between obedience and fame on one hand and courage on the
other and he opts for the latter. Hermione, who generally likes
to follow rules, believes that Harry’s plan to find the Sorcerer’s
Stone is crazy. Her fear that he will get expelled reflects her
general concern about academic reputation. Harry, on the other hand,
cares less about his status at school and more about the seemingly
unavoidable battle between good and evil over the Sorcerer’s Stone.
In a memorably brave response to Hermione, Harry shouts, “SO WHAT?
. . . If Snape gets ahold of the Stone, Voldemort’s coming back!
. . . There won’t be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! . . . Losing
points doesn’t matter anymore.” Harry is able to see beyond the
limits of Hogwarts and glimpse the cosmic dimension of Voldemort’s threats.
He sees that the points system that dominates everyone’s thinking
in the school is trivial compared to the prospect that Voldemort
will unleash evil upon the world. In this respect, Hermione’s book-learning
is contrasted with Harry’s practical wisdom. Hermione receives a
grade of 112 percent on her final exams and
has read every textbook backward and forward, but she lacks Harry’s
key ability to view the broader consequences of facts. While Hermione has
progressed a great deal, she fails to realize the full implications of
the Sorcerer’s Stone. Harry, by contrast, seems wise beyond his years,
recognizing that at a certain point the glory and fame that come
from being crowned house champions are less important than the battle
between good and evil.
The obstacles that Harry, Hermione, and Ron encounter
on their quest for the Sorcerer’s Stone force each of them to use
his or her individual talents and skills. Harry, for example, is
an excellent broom-flyer, and his aerial agility enables him to
grab the bird key that unlocks the door for them. Ron is a good
chess player, and he willingly sacrifices his own body to win, allowing
Harry and Hermione to advance. Hermione is an expert in logic, and
she successfully picks out the right bottle for Harry so that he
can advance toward the stone while she goes back to help Ron. Rowling
thus emphasizes the importance of teamwork over individual accomplishment.
