History Literature / HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone

** One of the first things Harry learns about the wizarding world is that it's dangerous to [[spoiler:mess with goblins and flat-out mad to try and rob Gringotts]]. Then Book 7 rolls around...

Retitled '''''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone''''' in the United States because the [[ExecutiveMeddling American publisher]] worried that kids would think a book with "philosopher" in the title [[ViewersAreMorons would be boring]]. Of course, this was before ''Harry Potter'' was the [[CashCowFranchise reliable franchise]] it is now.

'''''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone''''' is the first book in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series, published in Britain on June 30, 1997. TheFilmOfTheBook was released in 2001, starting [[Film/HarryPotter a movie franchise]]. Since FirstInstallmentWins, the plot of this book will be much more familiar to non-fans than any of the others.

** Lampshaded by Ron in the movie.

* IThoughtItMeant: In-Universe; after the Remembrall retrieval incident, Harry hears Professor [=McGonagall=] ask another professor if she can "borrow (Oliver) Wood for a moment". Harry expects to be hit with a piece of wood for getting into trouble.

Harry thinks he's a normal kid, living a sucky life with the Dursleys, his social-climbing MuggleFosterParents who hate him and all that he represents. On his eleventh birthday, GentleGiant Hagrid shows up and tells Harry not only that he's a wizard, but a wizarding celebrity due to having survived an attack by [[BigBad Lord Voldemort]] ten years ago, somehow rendering the evil wizard [=MIA=]. It's then off to [[WizardingSchool Hogwarts]], where Harry befriends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, forming the iconic PowerTrio. The three begin to suspect that someone is planning to steal the mystical stone of the title, which could be used to restore Voldemort to full power.

----

** Molly's seeming ignorance of the platform number before the Weasleys find it.

* Jerkass: ''Anyone'' from Slytherin.

* HilariousInHindsight Fred and George's winter prank on Quirrel becomes much funnier after the reveal at the end.

** Molly's seeming ignorance of the platform number before the Weasleys find it. One could chalk this up to Rowling's initial concept of traveling to school involving many different forms of transportation, with the train being one of them and Molly not having used it for her children in a long while.
*** Or she was making sure the kids remembered it. Or else just [[ObfuscatingStupidity taking care]] not to arouse nearby Muggles' suspicion.

*** Or she was making sure the kids remembered it. Or else just taking care not to arouse nearby Muggles' suspicion.

* BerserkButton: [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Hagrid:]] "NEVER -- INSULT -- ALBUS -- DUMBLEDORE -- IN -- FRONT -- OF -- ME!"

** The truly cynical take on this would be that most kids in the target age range wouldn't be familiar enough with the word "Philosopher" to know it's supposed to be serious and stodgy. They would probably think for a time that [[OlderThanTheyThink J. K. Rowling invented the Philosopher's Stone, if not the word Philospher itself]]....

'''Vernon:''' Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley.

'''Dumbledore:''' Yes... And no. It shows us nothing more or less, than the deepest and most desperate desire of our hearts.

** Harry claiming that Voldemort will turn Hogwarts [[spoiler:into a school for the Dark Arts]].

** Also some other names from the chocolate frogs cards.

* IThoughtItMeant: In-Universe; after the Remembrall retrieval incident, Harry hears professor [=McGonagall=] ask another professor if she can "borrow (Oliver) Wood for a moment". Harry expects to be hit with a piece of wood for getting into trouble.

* LifeDrinker: Lord Voldemort stays alive by drinking unicorn blood.

--> '''Neville:''' ''"You can't go out, you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble... I won't let you do it. I'll — I'll fight you!"''
--> '''Ron:''' '' "Neville, get away from that hole and don't be an idiot —"''
--> '''Neville:''' '' "Don't you call me an idiot! I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the ones who told me to stand up to people!" ''
--> '''Ron:''' ''"Yes,'' but not to ''us''.

* ObfuscatingDisability: [[spoiler:Quirrell]]

* SerialEscalation: The Hogwarts letters that Vernon suppresses from Harry before he gives up and (unsuccessfully) takes the family on the run: On Wednesday, Hogwarts sends one letter to Harry in Privet Drive. On Thursday, they send three; on Friday, twelve, on Saturday, twenty-four; on Sunday, even though there is "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong no post on Sundays]]," they come spewing down the chimney; and finally, on Monday morning, the owner of the hotel where the Dursleys ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Harry]]) stay to hide from the letters mentions that there are roughly a hundred of them at the front desk.

* {{Understatement}}: "Troll... in the dungeon... thought you ought to know."

** The line "There is no good or evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it" is called "standard Witchcraft, and standard Illuminist doctrine"; we're told that "since a child's inherent nature is evil, he will find such philosophy more appealing than the Gospel of Jesus Christ". Ignored is the fact that the character putting this "philosophy" forward is the '''villain'''. [[HumansAreBastards And starting from the point that a child's nature is inherently evil.]]

The first book in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series, published in Britain on June 30, 1997. TheFilmOfTheBook was released in 2001, starting [[Film/HarryPotter a movie franchise]]. Since FirstInstallmentWins, the plot of this book will be much more familiar to non-fans than any of the others.

Retitled ''Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone'' in the United States because the [[ExecutiveMeddling American publisher]] worried that kids would think a book with "philosopher" in the title [[ViewersAreMorons would be boring]]. Of course, this was before ''Harry Potter'' was the [[CashCowFranchise reliable franchise]] it is now.

* DeusExMachina: A rare instance where this is pulled off convincingly and smoothly. [[spoiler:Since Harry's mother died to save him, her love had a lasting effect on him that gave him some limited protection against cruel and loveless people like Quirrell]], as Dumbledore explains. It's forgivable because ThePowerOfLove was meant to be symbolic and double as a moral message.

* SerialEscalation: The Hogwarts letters that Vernon suppresses from Harry before he gives up and (unsuccessfully) takes the family on the run: On Wednesday, Hogwarts sends one letter to Harry in Privet Drive. On Thursday, they send three; on Friday, twelve, on Saturday, twenty-four; and on Sunday, even though there is "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong no post on Sundays]]," they come spewing down the chimney.