Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Chapter 10 Summary & Analysis

By the next morning, Harry and Ron look back on the midnight outing with the dog as an “excellent adventure.” Harry also tells Ron about the package the dog might be guarding, although they’re not sure what could be inside it. Neville seems completely uninterested in what the dog could be guarding, and Hermione refuses to speak to Harry and Ron.

At breakfast, the owls flood the hall as usual, and a large, thin package is dropped in front of Harry. He opens the letter attached, which is from Professor McGonagall and says that he should not open the package at the table. It contains his new broomstick, and he is to meet Wood for practice that night at seven o’clock for his first training session.

When Malfoy sees the package, he says that Harry will be in big trouble, as first years aren’t allowed to have brooms. When Professor Flitwick passes by, Malfoy complains to him, but Flitwick says that Professor McGonagall told him about the special circumstances. Harry tries not to laugh at Malfoy’s horror, and Harry says that it’s actually thanks to Malfoy that he’s got the broom.

Harry and Ron return upstairs, and Hermione, who’s overheard their conversation, angrily quips, “I suppose you think that’s a reward for breaking rules?” Harry says that he thought she wasn’t speaking to them, and she marches away. When they get upstairs, Harry marvels over his new broom—a sleek, shiny Nimbus Two Thousand.

That evening, Harry heads to the Quidditch field. Before Wood arrives, Harry eagerly mounts his broom, and is amazed at the ease with which he can control it as he swoops in and out of the three gold hoops at the edge of the field. Wood appears and comments excitedly on Harry’s skill.

Wood then teaches Harry the basics of Quidditch. Three players (Chasers) from each team try to throw a ball (the Quaffle) through one of the three hoops, while another player (the Keeper) defends it. Each score earns ten points. Two other players (Beaters) use bats to try to defend their team from two heavy balls (Bludgers), which are enchanted to try and attack players. The last player (the Seeker, Harry’s position) searches for a tiny ball called the Golden Snitch. The first Seeker to catch the Snitch ends the match and earns 150 points. As they practice, Wood grows more and more impressed with Harry.

Harry grows very busy between school work and Quidditch practice, and he can hardly believe it when he realizes that two months have passed. “The castle [feels] more like home than Privet Drive ever had,” and Harry is more interested in his lessons, now that he has mastered the basics.

On Halloween morning, Professor Flitwick teaches the students how to make objects fly, beginning with feathers. Harry and Seamus are paired up, and so are Ron and Hermione. When Ron waves his wand around and says the spell, Hermione pretentiously corrects him and says that he’s doing it all wrong. She demonstrates how it should be done, making the feather hover. Flitwick commends her, but Ron’s mood worsens.

As Harry and Ron walk from the classroom, Ron says, “It’s no wonder no one can stand her,” referring to Hermione. Hermione, who has been walking behind them, pushes past them, starting to cry. Ron is uncomfortable, but stands by what he said, saying “she must’ve noticed she’s got no friends.” Hermione doesn’t show up for their next class, and in the afternoon Harry and Ron hear a rumor that she’s been crying in the girls’ bathroom all day.

At dinner, decorations and a feast are laid out for Halloween. But just as the banquet begins, Professor Quirrell sprints into the hall in terror, gasping that there’s a troll in the dungeon. Quirrell faints. Chaos breaks out, and Dumbledore instructs prefects to lead students back to their dormitories. Harry and Ron start to follow Percy, but realize that Hermione doesn’t know about the troll. They hurry off to the girls’ bathroom.

As Harry and Ron run to the bathroom, they see Snape heading to the third floor. But before they can figure out why, they see the troll at the end of the hall, peering into a door. It is twelve feet tall with a lumpy body and a small bald head, and it’s holding a massive wooden club. The troll enters the door, and Harry and Ron swiftly lock the door behind it. They are triumphant—until they realize that the doorway leads into the girls’ bathroom, where Hermione is hiding. They unlock the door and run inside.

Hermione is pressed against a wall, the troll advancing on her. Ron hastily grabs a metal pipe and throws it at the troll; it roars and turns towards Ron. Harry then leaps up, grabbing the troll around its neck from behind, his wand going straight up one of the troll’s nostrils. The troll flails in pain as Harry clings on for dear life. Ron then uses the levitation spell—this time correctly—lifting the troll’s huge wooden club in the air and bringing it down onto the troll’s head. The troll sways forward and falls with a giant splat.

A moment later, Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell dash into the bathroom. McGonagall is livid, demanding to know what Harry, Ron, and Hermione were thinking. Hermione lies and says that she went looking for the troll because she thought she could deal with it on her own, and Harry and Ron bravely came to save her. Harry and Ron are shocked that Hermione is lying to a teacher.

Professor McGonagall takes five points from Hermione for her “foolish” behavior and sends her back to her dorm. She then awards Harry and Ron five points each, but states that they were all very lucky. When Harry and Ron head back to their dorm, Ron acknowledges that it was nice of Hermione to get them out of trouble. When Harry and Ron see Hermione back in the common room, they all say a quick “thanks”—and from that moment on, the three are friends.