Summary
Harry is upset by news that the Gryffindors will have
flying lessons with the Slytherins, because he does not want to
spend more time with his Slytherin enemy Draco Malfoy. Madam Hooch
leads the class, gently sending the new fliers off the ground. Neville
has an accident and breaks his wrist. Madam Hooch takes him to the
hospital, telling everyone to stay on the ground while she is away.
Malfoy notices a magic ball belonging to Neville, picks it up, and
begins to fly around with it. Harry goes after Malfoy, who throws
the ball in the air. Harry catches it spectacularly and lands safely
back on ground. Just then, Professor McGonagall arrives, reprimanding Harry
and ordering him to follow her. But instead of punishing him, McGonagall
introduces him to Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch
team, explaining that Harry will make an excellent Quidditch player.
At dinner, Harry excitedly tells Ron about joining the
Quidditch team but tells him that Wood wants it to be a secret.
Malfoy comes over with his cronies Crabbe and Goyle and teases Harry
about getting in trouble earlier. The tension grows and Malfoy challenges Harry
to a wizard’s duel. Harry accepts, in spite of Hermione’s attempt
to dissuade them from breaking the school rules. As Harry and Ron
sneak out later that night, Hermione tries to stop them but gets
locked out of the dorm and must tag along. Neville, wandering around
lost, also joins them. They arrive at the trophy room, the site of
the duel, but Malfoy is nowhere to be found. Suddenly, they hear Argus
Filch, the school caretaker, and his cat, Mrs. Norris, enter the room.
They begin to hide and then run away. Not sure where they are going,
they accidentally end up in the forbidden area on the third floor,
staring at a large and scary three-headed dog. The children manage
to get back to their dorm safely, though they are terrified. Hermione
reprimands Harry but stirs his curiosity by pointing out that the
dog was standing on a trapdoor.
Analysis
Harry’s chance discovery of the forbidden hallway on the
third floor is important in several ways. It reminds us that there
is more happening at Hogwarts than simply education and that the
classroom is only one part of his experience at the academy. Furthermore,
the hallway discovery serves as Harry’s entry into the snooping
and sleuthing role that he maintains throughout the rest of the
story. When Hermione tells him that the dog was standing on a trapdoor, Harry
realizes that whatever Hagrid took from vault seven hundred and
thirteen is being guarded by the dog at Hogwarts. It is significant
that Harry’s first discovery of an important clue in the mystery at
the heart of the story involves a transgression of a school rule. Dumbledore
clearly spells out in his welcome speech that the hallway is forbidden,
yet this hallway is precisely where Harry ends up. Harry’s willingness
to commit misdemeanors even at the start of his Hogwarts career
makes him a more complex character. We feel with certainty that
he is not bad, but we see that he has the healthy curiosity of any
child in a new, exotic, and fascinating place.
We see that Harry’s rebellious disregard for the rules
may lead to some important knowledge, echoing an idea in the biblical
story of Adam and Eve’s fall in Eden: seeking forbidden knowledge
may be punishable, but it is also what makes us human. The same
association between breaking the rules and transcending one’s position
is noticeable in Harry’s flying-lesson escapade. Harry clearly flouts
the law by flying into the air after Neville’s stolen ball, but
his act is noble and displays his flying talents. Professor McGonagall
may go through the motions of punishing Harry for breaking the rule,
but her true feelings are praise and admiration. The idea that a
little rule-breaking may be acceptable and even valued is one of
the most interesting aspects of the novel’s moral dimension.
