Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis

The next week, the Gryffindors begin flying lessons. Harry had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else, but he is frustrated that they will be learning with the Slytherins. He isn’t keen on making a fool of himself in front of Malfoy, who often talks boastfully about his Quidditch skills and complains loudly about first years never making the House teams.

Seamus and Ron are also excited for flying lessons, but Neville is nervous about it. Hermione, too, is uneasy, as flying isn’t something she can learn from a textbook. At breakfast the morning of the lesson, Neville receives a present from his grandmother in the mail: a Remembrall, which is a small glass ball full of smoke that turns red if the person holding it has forgotten something. Just then, Malfoy comes over and snatches it from Neville, but McGonagall sees this interaction and makes him return it.

That afternoon, Madam Hooch leads their flying lesson. She tells each student to stand by a broom on the ground, stick out their hand, and say, “UP!” Harry’s broom effortlessly jumps into his hand. Just as the students start to mount their brooms, Neville pushes off a little too quickly, and he rises twenty feet before tumbling to the ground and breaking his wrist. Madam Hooch takes him to the hospital wing, warning the students not to try any flying while she is gone or they will be expelled.

As soon as Neville and Madam Hooch leave, Malfoy begins to make fun of Neville. He then spots Neville’s Remembrall on the ground and picks it up. Harry tells Malfoy to return it; instead, Malfoy gets on his broomstick and takes off, taunting Harry to “come and get it.” Harry grabs his broom, but Hermione stops him, warning that he’ll get in trouble.

Harry ignores Hermione’s warning. He takes off and glides easily through the air, delighted that he’s found something he’s naturally good at. He hears gasps of admiration behind him as he faces Malfoy, threatening to knock him off his broom if he doesn’t hand over the Remembrall. Malfoy throws the Remembrall high into the air and challenges Harry to catch it. Harry dives instinctively for the ball, catching it just in time before landing on the ground.

Just then, Professor McGonagall runs over, scolding Harry furiously and telling him to follow her. Harry worries that he’s about to be expelled. She leads him back to the castle and outside a classroom, where she retrieves Oliver Wood from his Charms class. Professor McGonagall introduces Wood to Harry, excitedly telling Wood that she has found a “Seeker.” Wood is delighted; McGonagall confirms that she’s never seen anyone as naturally talented on a broomstick as Harry. McGonagall explains to Harry that Wood is captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

Professor McGonagall tells Wood that she’ll ask Dumbledore to bend the rule saying that first years can’t have their own broomsticks; she knows that they need a better team than the one they had last year. She concludes by telling Harry that she wants to hear that he’s training hard, otherwise she may change her mind about not punishing him. But, she tells Harry, James would have been proud of him—he was an excellent Quidditch player, too.

At dinner, Harry tells Ron all about what happened, explaining that Wood told him he’s the youngest House player in about a century. Harry starts training the following week, though the team wants to keep Harry’s involvement a secret from everyone else. Fred and George come over and congratulate Harry—they’re on the Quidditch team, too.

After Fred and George leave, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle come up to Harry and ask when he’s taking the train home, presuming that he’s been expelled. Harry comments that Malfoy’s a lot braver with Crabbe and Goyle next to him. Malfoy says that he can take Harry by himself, challenging him to a wizard’s duel at midnight in the trophy room. Ron quickly accepts the challenge for Harry.

When the bullies leave, Ron explains to Harry that a wizard’s duel is a magical duel, but that he and Malfoy don’t know enough magic to do any real damage to one another. Hermione comes up to them, overhearing their conversation. She warns them not to wander the school at night, or they’ll lose points for Gryffindor if they’re caught. They tell her it’s none of her business, though Harry does feel he’s pushing his luck.

That night, Ron and Harry leave for the duel just before midnight. When they reach the portrait hole, Hermione is there to stop them. As she warns them, they climb through the portrait, and she follows. When they insist on going, she turns back, but the pink lady has left her portrait, and Hermione can’t get back into the dormitory. Hermione is frustrated that now she too can get into trouble. She says haughtily that she’ll go with them, and tell Filch that she was trying to stop them if they are caught. They also find Neville sleeping on the ground in the hall because he couldn’t remember the password to get back into the dorm. Left without any options, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville all go to the trophy room together.

When Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville arrive at the trophy room, Malfoy isn’t there yet. Filch, on the other hand, is in the next room, searching for rule-breakers. Neville then crashes right into a suit of armor; Harry shouts to run, galloping down corridor after corridor. Then Peeves sees them and bellows that there are students out of bed. They hear Filch running as fast as he can towards Peeves’ shouts. They run down to the end of the corridor, but they find only a locked door.

Hermione swiftly casts a spell to unlock the door. They all cram through the door, shutting it quickly behind them and putting their ears to the door to listen. They hear Filch in the corridor, but Peeves won’t tell him where the students went. Filch walks away, “cursing in rage.” Harry breathes a sigh of relief, but it is short lived. When he and the others turn around, they realize that they are in the forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they know why it's forbidden there is a monstrous three-headed dog in the room.

The dog starts to growl menacingly, and Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville immediately fling themselves back out the door, flying down the hall once again until they reach the portrait of the Fat Lady, who has returned. They all scramble into the common room and collapse. Ron wonders aloud why they keep a thing like that in the school, and Hermione scoffs, pointing out that it was standing on a trapdoor—it’s clearly guarding something. With a final quip that they could have been “killed—or worse, expelled,” Hermione huffily goes to bed. Harry wonders about what the dog might be guarding, thinking it is perhaps the package from vault 713.