‘Boys will be boys’ is the best answer I have for the stupidity of this chapter, which is no excuse or explanation. Between the title of the chapter and the first sentence “Harry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley, but that was before he met Draco Malfoy (Rowling, J.K.. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (p. 153). Pottermore Publishing. Kindle Edition.), the reader has a pretty good idea of what is going to happen. But first, flying lessons. With the Slytherins, of course. 

The day of the first flying lesson Neville receives a Rememball – ““It’s a Remembrall!” he explained. “Gran knows I forget things — this tells you if there’s something you’ve forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red — oh . . .” His face fell, because the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet, “. . . you’ve forgotten something . . .” Neville was trying to remember what he’d forgotten …” (Rowling, J.K.. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (p. 155). Pottermore Publishing. Kindle Edition.) Personally, I find the rememball one of the most useless magic items in the whole of the series. It’s use in the book is mainly to give Draco something of Neville’s to steal, but I still believe Rowling could have used a more interesting item. 

Neville freaks out during flying lessons and has to be taken to the hospital wing by Madam Hooch – the flying instructor. Draco finds the rememball on the ground where Neville had fallen and decides to leave it for Neville to find at the top of the tree – only Harry turns out to be flying prodigy (having never flown before) and manages to get the rememball back. Only, Professor McGonagall happened to see Harry’s wonderful flying and decided to break a rule for him – no first years are allowed on the Quidditch teams. McGonagall spends the majority of the series being the fair teacher, regardless of House affiliation (even though she is the head of Gryffindor House). Upon deciding Harry will be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, we hear one of the few times that McGonagall openly disparages (although very lightly) one of the Houses – “Heaven knows, we need a better team than last year. Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, I couldn’t look Severus Snape in the face for weeks. . . .” (Rowling, J.K.. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (p. 162). Pottermore Publishing. Kindle Edition.)

Of course, Draco can’t let sleeping dogs lie, and challenges Harry to a Wizard’s Duel – and everytime I read that part I want to both pat the boys on the head and give them a Gibbs’ smack (NCIS reference). It’s the first week of school, they know nothing of magic, and they’re trying to pretend to be adults. Like toddlers playing at being knights and challenging each other to a duel, it’s both hilarious and extremely stupid at the same time. 

Neville and Hermione end up going with Harry and Ron to the “Wizard’s Duel” – only to be caught by Filch – the cranky caretaker of the school who would rather string children up by their feet and beat them than actually interact with them. While running away from Filch, the children find themselves in the forbidden third floor corridor – and behind the door to get there as well. 

Hello, Fluffy! Not that he gets introduced in this chapter but the cerberus is the first task to get to the Philospher’s Stone (or the Sorcerer’s stone, depending on which country your book was published in). All the children know, however, is that there is a giant three headed dog in the room and he is not happy to see them. They run back to the dorms and complain about the idiocracy of housing such a large and dangerous creature in a school, when Hermione points out something the boys missed. The cerberus was guarding a trap door. 

“…The dog was guarding something. . . . What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide — except perhaps Hogwarts. It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was (Rowling, J.K.. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (pp. 173-174). Pottermore Publishing. Kindle Edition.) is Harry’s last thought before falling asleep safe in his bed. 

Thus, Harry is faced with two major questions as this chapter comes to a close. 1: did Malfoy set them up to be caught by Finch? And 2: what is the deal with the cerberus, the trap door, and the ‘grubby little package’ from Gringots? Stay tuned to see if Harry gets the answers he’s seeking, and just how much trouble he finds while attempting to do so.