Alright, we’re finally back at Hogwarts. If I could have figured out the timing of this better, it would have been cool to have this chapter post on this year’s Halloween, but c’est la vie. I also kind of forgot how short the first couple of books are in this series – 17 chapters for Philosopher’s Stone and we’re already at chapter 10. I thought Halloween came a little later in the book, but considering we’re over half way through, I guess I just remembered it wrong. Anyhow, on to the actual text.

I left the previous book blog entry – months ago – with 2 big questions that I imagine Harry has. 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? The first sentence of chapter 10 clearly answers the first question: “Malfoy couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts the next day, looking tired but perfectly cheerful.” (Rowling, J.K.. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (p. 175). Pottermore Publishing. Kindle Edition.) Anyone familiar with older Draco could have answered that question correctly, but Harry at this time is still getting the feel for the “Slytherin Prince”. 

At breakfast Harry receives his very first broom – a Nimbus 2000 – in the mail from Professor McGonagall. The letter with the package says not to open it at breakfast, since then everyone would want their own broomstick (if you recall, first years are not supposed to have their own). Personally, I think there would have been a better (read: more discrete) way for a professor to give Harry a package, but it’s really only an excuse for Malfoy to stick his nose in Harry and Ron’s business and start a fight. Like most fights between Slytherin and our Golden Trio (Hermione’s joining in this chapter, so I feel I can say it), Slytherin doesn’t accomplish much and the Gryffindors go on their way. That evening Harry has his first introduction to quidditch and wows Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor team captain. 

Halloween morning we have the infamous charms lesson with “Wigardium Leviosa”, which results in Ron insulting Hermione and hurting her feelings to the point that she hides out in one of the restrooms. And then  the troll arrives during the evening feast – and the defence against the dark arts professor faints after announcing the danger. If ever there was a need to instill how incompetent some of these professors are, Rowling happily accepts the challenge. Which leaves two first year boys as the only ones who remember that a fellow first year (Hermione) is hiding in the bathrooms and won’t get the memo that there’s a troll in the castle. Instead of telling an older student or a professor about Hermione, Ron and Harry decide to go get her themselves. Sensing a theme here? Good. The professor tend to be incompetent at worst and busy with other students and school duties at best, leaving our “heroes” to routinely feel that they have to do things themselves. Although, to be honest, it wouldn’t be a very interesting series if they did the sensible things.

Along the way to find Hermione, the boys see Snape headed to the third floor – aka Fluffy and his trump door. And then they find the troll. And the troll finds Hermione. Harry jumps on the troll’s back and inadvertently shoves his wand up the creature’s nose. Ron – remembering the lesson from earlier that day – saves the day with “Wingardium Leviosa” and causes the troll’s club to hit its owner over the head, knocking it out. And then the professors find them.

Hermione covers for the boys, saying that she had gone looking for the troll because she thought she could handle it with all her book knowledge. Professor MacGonagall seems to believe Hermione’s story and sends the trio back to their dorm. Which is where the chapter ends, “But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.” (Rowling, J.K.. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (p. 192). Pottermore Publishing. Kindle Edition.)

Come back next week to see who has the most influence on whom in the golden trio. Does Hermione make them more responsible? Does Ron make the other two more carefree? Or does Harry help everyone to be braver? Or perhaps, these are ongoing questions for the series, as a whole.