Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Chapter 8 - The Potions Master
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Chapter 8
The Potions Master
“There, look.”
“Where?”
“Next to the tall boy with the red hair.”
“Wearing the glasses?”
“Did you see his face?”
“Did you see his scar?”
From the moment Harry leaves his dormitory the next morning, he hears the other students whispering. People stare at him as he walks down the corridors. Students look through the classroom windows and point at him. Harry wishes they wouldn’t do these things. He already feels very nervous about being a new student. He is not even very sure how to find his way to his classrooms yet.
Hogwarts is full of strange corridors and moving staircases. Some doors open to nowhere, and other doors are not doors at all - they are just stone walls that look like doors. It is very hard to remember where everything is because even the people in the paintings move around and visit each other in other paintings! The many ghosts who live in the school also terrorize the students. They appear suddenly, scare the students, then disappear!
But the school caretaker, Argus Filch - and his ugly cat Mrs. Norris - is worse than any ghost. Harry and Ron discover this one day when they are lost in a corridor that is forbidden. Filch finds them and does not believe they are lost. He thinks they are trying to steal something. He says he will put the boys in the dungeons. But they are rescued by Professor Quirrell, who is passing by at the moment.
Harry quickly discovers that there are many things to learn in his classes besides waving a magic wand and saying some funny words. Professor McGonagall’s class is an interesting one. She teaches Transfiguration. She is strict and very severe. And Harry is correct to think it is dangerous to make her angry. Their first challenge in class is to change a matchstick into a pin. Harry and Ron have no luck at all, but of course only Hermione is able to get close - she is able to turn her matchstick gray!
Professor Quirrell’s class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, is a silly class, Harry thinks. The students ask him why he wears the purple turban, and Professor Quirrell responds that it is a present from an African prince for helping him defeat a zombie. The students think he is lying. Also, there is a bad smell around the turban. The students think it is full of garlic to protect him from vampires!
Harry is very relieved to discover that he is not the worst in his classes. There are many students from Muggle families, like him, who did not know that they were witches or wizards. There is a lot to learn, and even people like Ron are not much more prepared than the other students.
One morning, while Harry is having breakfast in the Great Hall, the room fills with flying owls. It is letter day! Since Harry has been at Hogwarts, he has not received a letter, but today is different. His owl Hedwig flies into the Hall with a letter in her beak. Harry quickly opens the letter. The handwriting is childish. It is from Hagrid!
Harry quickly takes out a quill and writes a simple sentence on the back of the letter: ‘yes, please, see you later.’ Harry is excited about having tea later in the week with Hagrid, because he is not excited at all about having Potions class with Professor Snape. Harry has the feeling Professor Snape does not like him at all. And by the end of the first lesson, Harry is convinced Snape hates him!
“You are all here to learn the beautiful art of making potions,” Snape says in his first class. He speaks in a very low voice, almost a whisper. “We do not cast silly spells with magic wands in this class. And I do not believe many of you will understand the delicate power of liquids and what they can do to the body and the mind. I can teach you to trap the senses and stop death, if you only pay attention. Potter!” Snape says suddenly. “What happens if I mix the powder of asphodel root with an infusion of wormwood?”
Hermione raises her hand quickly to answer. “I don't know, sir,” answers Harry. Snape’s lips turn into an evil smile. “Tut, tut, tut - being famous obviously does not help you, does it? Let’s try again, shall we, Potter? Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?” Hermione lifts her hand high into the air again. She is almost falling out of her seat. But Harry does not even know what a bezoar is! He certainly does not know where to find one. “I don’t know, sir,” he answers.
“I see you did not even look at your books before coming to Hogwarts, eh, Potter?” Harry tries to ignore the mean comment. He has looked through his magic books, but how can he memorize everything about herbs and potions? Snape continues to ignore Hermione’s hand.
“What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?” Hermione jumps up and raises her hand as high as she can! “I don’t know,” says Harry quietly. “I think Hermione knows, though. Why don’t you ask her?” Some of the other children laugh, but Snape does not think it is funny at all. “Sit down, girl!” he yells at Hermione.
“For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a powerful sleeping potion. A bezoar is a stone that is found in the stomach of a goat that will protect you from most poisons. And monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plant…why is no one writing any of this down?” The children suddenly look for quills and paper to begin writing. Then Snape says, “And two points will be taken away from Gryffindor House for your insolence, Potter.”
An hour later, as Harry, Ron and Hermione go to meet Hagrid, Harry feels terrible. He is responsible for Gryffindor losing two points in his very first week at school. Why does Snape hate him so much, he asks himself. “Don’t worry, Harry!” says Ron, “Snape always takes points away from Fred and George.”
Hagrid lives in a small wooden house very close to the forbidden forest. When Harry knocks on the door, there is a series of loud noises and cries inside - things falling to the ground and Hagrid yelling, “Back, Fang, back!” Suddenly the door opens and there is Hagrid’s big, hairy face. “Just a second, Harry - back, fang!” Hagrid finally opens the door and lets them in. He is trying to control an enormous black dog.
The house is very small. There is only one room, and in the corner there is a huge bed where Hagrid sleeps. There is a pot boiling on an open fire in the fireplace. “Make yourselves at home,” says Hagrid. He lets Fang go and he runs and jumps on Hermione and begins licking her. Like Hagrid, Fang is not as scary as he looks.
“Hagrid, this is Ron,” says Harry. “Another Weasley, eh?” says Hagrid looking at Ron’s red hair and freckles. “I spend half my life chasing your brothers away from the forbidden forest.” Ron has an embarrassed look on his face. “And this is Hermione,” Harry continues.
“I see you love animals,” says Hagrid. Fang, his ferocious dog, is sitting on the couch with his huge head on her lap. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The cakes that Hagrid has prepared for everyone are like round blobs, and the raisins are so hard they almost break their teeth. Fang drools on Hermione’s new robes.
They all talk about the first week of school. Harry is especially happy that Hagrid calls the school’s caretaker, Argus Filch, a stinkpot! “And I really hate his cat, Mrs. Norris. I’d like to introduce Fang to her one day. Filch makes his cat follow me every time I go on to campus!” says Hagrid angrily.
When Harry and Ron talk about Snape’s class, Hagrid tells them not to worry, that Snape doesn’t like any of his students anyway. “But he seems to really hate me,” says Harry. “Don’t be silly, Harry,” says Hagrid, “Why would he hate you?” Hagrid says this in a strange way. It seems to Harry that Hagrid does not want to look him in the eye.
“Er, how’s your brother Charlie?” Hagrid asks Ron. “I liked him a lot while he was here at Hogwarts.” Harry wonders if Hagrid has changed the subject on purpose. Ron and Hagrid chat about Charlie and Hermione pets Fang, who is making loud rumbling noises of pleasure. Harry picks up a piece of paper that is on the table. It is a news story from the newspaper the “Daily Prophet”:
LATEST NEWS
ATTEMPTED ROBBERY
AT GRINGOTTS BANK
Investigations continue to try to find the criminals responsible for the attempted robbery of Gringotts Bank on July 31st. Investigators believe that Dark wizards and witches are responsible, but no one has been identified.
The goblins at Gringotts insist that nothing has been taken. The vault that was broken into was already empty.
Harry remembers Ron telling him something about the robbery on the train, but Harry had forgotten all about it. “Hagrid?” says Harry, “the break-in at Gringotts happened on my birthday! It could have happened while we were there!” This time Harry is certain - Hagrid does not look Harry in the eyes. He makes a strange sound and tries to ignore Harry.
As they walk back to the castle after their visit with Hagrid, there are many unanswered questions in Harry’s head. They went to Gringotts on his birthday, and Hagrid removed the package from vault seven hundred and thirteen. Were the thieves looking for that package? Did Hagrid remove the package just in time? Where is the package now? And most importantly, does Hagrid know something about Snape that he does not want to tell Harry?
