History Fridge / HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone

* The first time Harry feels pain in his scar is when he glances at Snape during the opening-day feast. What's Snape doing when Harry sees him? Talking face-to-face with Quirrell, which means that [[spoiler:the back of Quirrell's head must've been turned towards Harry at the time]].

** Also, it's pretty heavily implied her only friends are in the ones she's made in the magical world.

* The protections also provide a sort of retroactive foreshadowing on the villain. [[spoiler:Quirrell]] tells Harry that "there is no good and evil — there is only power, and those too weak to seek it." This clearly points to a personal philosophy of 'power and nothing else.' All but one of the traps ''do not'' test sheer magical strength — the Devil's Snare required knowledge of Herbology and the ability to keep one's head in a crisis, the keys required skill at flying and teamwork, the chess set required strategical knowledge and willingness to [[HeroicSacrifice make sacrifices]], and the potion room is explicitly stated to be a test of logic instead of magic. Meanwhile, the ''troll'' is the exception, as it is the only test that appears to be a contest of sheer strength (so much so that Harry and company were lucky they didn't have to fight it).

** A bit of FridgeBrilliance plays in however, when you realise that Aragog holds Hagrid in high esteem, so, as long as they are with Hagrid, Aragog's colony probably wouldn't attack them, as well as the fact that the Acromantula nest is said to be very, '''very''', deep in the forest, and they are searching for unicorns, which in myth are very smart, so doubtful a wounded one would flee directly to their nest. And given that it's wounded, it probably wouldn't be able to make it very deep into the forest before collapsing.

** Also, they're not exactly sent out alone--they're perfectly safe with Hagrid.

* During the Quidditch scene, [[spoiler: Hermione sets Snape’s cloak on fire because she sees him muttering a spell and thinks he’s jinxing Harry’s broom. It’s revealed that it was actually Quirrel who was jinxing it, and Snape was muttering the counter-curse. Now what would have happened if Quirrel had been sitting somewhere else?]]

* During the Quidditch scene, [[Spoiler: Hermione sets Snape’s cloak on fire because she sees him muttering a spell and thinks he’s jinxing Harry’s broom. It’s revealed that it was actually Quirrel who was jinxing it, and Snape was muttering the counter-curse. Now what would have happened if Quirrel had been sitting somewhere else?]]

* Hermione's line "We could have been killed, [[AFateWorseThanDeath or worse]], expelled" seems [[FunnyAneurysmMoment funny at first]], but given how anxious Hermione is about her marks in ''Half-Blood Prince'', Hogwarts probably meant everything to the girl.

*** Wore off? No, the Dursleys had to have it surgically removed! Dudley got to spend his first days in a brand new school with a healing surgical incision on his butt, probably making it uncomfortable to sit or run and possibly getting him teased.

** A bit of FridgeBrilliance plays in however, when you realise that Aragog holds Hagrid in high esteem, so, as long as they are with Hagrid, Aragog's colony probably wouldn't attack them, as well as the fact that the Acromantula nest is said to be very, '''very''', deep in the forest, and they are searching for unicorns, which in myth are very smart, so doubtful a wounded one would flee directly to their nest.

** Quirrell tries to say his turban was a reward for ridding an African prince of a troublesome zombie. However, as Pottermore explains, zombies are mostly reported in the United States — so people have a reason to ask him how he did it. But! [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie#African_and_related_legends Zombies actually have been in African-related legends]], so perhaps he ''did'' do his research?

* During the Christmas holidays, Fred and George charm snowballs to bounce off the back of Quirrell's turban. At the end of the book, it is revealed that [[spoiler:Voldemort's face is on the back of Quirrell's head, under his turban]] [[spoiler:So the snowballs were hitting Voldemort!]]

** One of the obstacles being an Herbology one takes on a new meaning when we learn that Herbology is Neville's best subject. Dumbledore may have suspected Neville would prove braver than he seemed, and set things up so that ''if'' Neville wound up joining Harry, Hermione, and Ron in their attempt, there would be at least one obstacle Neville would excel at, making him an integral part just like the keys were tailored to Harry's strength, the chess game to Ron's, and the logic puzzle to Hermione's. Dumbledore was ready to help boost Neville's self-esteem and show how valuable he was from year one!

* Why doesn't Hagrid get in trouble for using magic on Dudley? Aside from the fact that nobody would think he could do magic in the first place,his wand being broken, the second book shows that the Ministry of Magic can't tell who specifically used magic in a certain location. They probably thought it was Harry who accidentally used magic and let it go since he didn't know better yet.

* Harry's initial fear that (Oliver) Wood was a cane McGonagall was going to use on him isn't that farfetched given that, first off, the Dursleys were not above physically threatening him. Second, not long before this, Dudley (having been accepted to Smeltings) acquired an actual cane[=/=]stick, with which he was allowed and occasionally encouraged to whack Harry. As sad as it is, poor Harry's assumption that he was about to get caned came from years of experience.
* When [[spoiler: Quirrell]] attacks Harry, he tries to grab him with his bare hands, instead of casting a spell on him. At first, this might seem like he ForgotAboutHisPowers, but remember, the last time an evil wizard tried to cast a curse on Harry, the spell rebounded. To avoid a rebound,[[spoiler: Quirrell]] might have thought that killing Harry through a more mundane method like strangling him would be safer than using the killing curse. Ironically, [[spoiler:Voldemort probably would have been better off strangling Harry in the seventh book.]]

** It's been confirmed from WordOfGod that any magical outbursts that occur before a students first year at Hogwarts is basically ignored by the Ministry, since they have not yet learned how to control their magic, and have not received the letter students get at the end of the year reminding them not to use magic over the holiday. Especially for Muggleborns and those like Harry raised by Muggles, the Ministry recognized they literally would not know they aren't supposed to use magic outside of school. Also the second book shows that when Dobby used magic in Harry's home Harry was blamed for it, the Ministry can detect magic being used in an area but not necessarily who used it they just made an educated guess based on what registered magic users are living in the area. So they would not have known if it was Hagrid or Harry that used the magic on Dudley.

* The inscription on the Mirror of Erised ("Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi") is "I show not your face but your heart's desire" spelled backwards. In other words, it's ''mirrored.''

* In the film, we see flashbacks to Lily Potter's murder by Voldemort, using the Killing Curse. We know from the later installments that the Killing Curse inflicts no pain on its victim, instead killing them without leaving any signs of a cause for the death. So why is Lily screaming when struck by the curse? She's screaming in anguish at the reality that [[WouldHurtAChild her only son is about to be murdered]], and there is [[AdultFear nothing she can do to save him]].

* At first, the protections guarding the Stone seem to be proven iffy if they were able to be beaten by three first-years. However, note the word ''three'' first years. Each challenge was difficult, but was also set for a specific skill set. The flying keys was designed for someone with athletic skills, the potions needed someone good at riddles, the troll needed someone who was good at defensive spells, and chess required someone who has a different perspective rather than just studying a lot. Even the Devil's Snare required knowledge or skills in Herbology. The individual tasks were not hard, but the chances of one person being extremely athletic, logical, good at strategy, well read, ''and'' good at defensive spells all at once is highly improbable. Even for three very different wizards, they got lucky with two of the tasks having already being taken care of them for them (the troll and Fluffy). No wonder it took [[spoiler:Quirrell]] all year to figure out how to get past all of them on his own. Because of this multilayered protection, it almost dictated that (barring a wizard equal to the power and skill of Voldemort himself) it would have required a team of people to reach the Mirror of Erised — and more than likely, a team of people willing to sacrifice their chance at the Stone so one person could reach it. Even ''then'', the stone produces instant riches and immortality. And on top of that still, Dumbledore's final protection was that only someone who wanted to ''find'' the stone (yes, find it and not use it) would be able to get it. This pretty much disqualifies almost ''everyone'' looking for the Stone. One could argue that Harry nearly screwed up the plan, because if Dumbledore's words held true, [[spoiler:Quirrell]] would have likely just stood there in front of the Mirror if Harry hadn't shown up.
** Better yet, consider that Harry saw his parents in the Mirror, and Dumbledore ''knew'' this. It's quite possible that Dumbledore expected Harry to once again see his family instead of getting the Stone, thus leaving it safely beyond Voldemort's reach. Plus, Harry's still protected by ThePowerOfLove, so it's not like Voldemort could've done anything to him anyway! In that light, it almost seems like Dumbledore ''wanted'' Harry to have a chance to engage Voldemort while there was no chance of him or anyone else getting hurt (since there was only enough in that last bottle for one person).

*** Wore off? No, the Dursleys had to have it surgically removed! Dudley got to spend his first days in a brand new school with a healing surgical incision on his butt, probably making it uncomfortable to sit or run and possibly getting him teased. Maybe the start of his bad attitude and inactivity?

*** Wore off? No, the Rural eye had to have it surgically removed! Dudley got to spend his first days in a brand new school with a healing surgical incision on his butt, probably making it uncomfortable to sit or run. Maybe the start of his bad attitude and inactivity?

* At first, the protections guarding the Stone seem to be proven iffy if they were able to be beaten by three first-years. However, note the word ''three'' first years. Each challenge was difficult, but was also set for a specific skill set. The flying keys was designed for someone with athletic skills, the potions needed someone good at riddles, the troll needed someone who was good at defensive spells, and chess required someone who has a different perspective rather than just studying a lot. Even the Devil's Snare required knowledge or skills in Herbology. The individual tasks were not hard, but the chances of one person being extremely athletic, logical, good at strategy, well read, ''and'' good at defensive spells all at once is highly improbable. Even for three very different wizards, they got lucky with two of the tasks having already being taken care of them for them (the troll and Fluffy). No wonder it took [[spoiler:Quirrell]] all year to figure out how to get past all of them on his own. Because of this multilayered protection, it almost dictated that (barring a wizard equal to the power of Voldemort himself) it would have required a team of people to reach the Mirror of Erised — and more than likely, a team of people willing to sacrifice their chance at the Stone so one person could reach it. Even ''then'', the stone produces instant riches and immortality. And on top of that still, Dumbledore's final protection was that only someone who wanted to ''find'' the stone (yes, find it and not use it) would be able to get it. This pretty much disqualifies almost ''everyone'' looking for the Stone. One could argue that Harry nearly screwed up the plan, because if Dumbledore's words held true, [[spoiler:Quirrell]] would have likely just stood there in front of the Mirror if Harry hadn't shown up.
** Better yet, consider that Harry saw his parents in the Mirror, and Dumbledore ''knew'' this. It's quite possible that Dumbledore expected Harry to once again see his family instead of getting the Stone, thus leaving it safely beyond Voldemort's reach. Plus, Harry's still protected by ThePowerOfLove, so it's not like Voldemort could've done anything to him anyway!

** Also, Hagrid said that in front of Filch, chances are he was just trying to be nice to someone who probably outranks him (both in employment status and as a pure human being instead of a half-human half-giant in a world of FantasticRacism)

** Better yet, consider that Harry saw his parents in the Mirror, and Dumbledore ''knew''. It's quite possible that Dumbledore expected Harry to once again see his family instead of getting the Stone, thus leaving it safely beyond Voldemort's reach.