

As I reread this, I’m seeing more and more how much this book focuses on just the kids being kids at school and less on the mystery of The Sorcerer’s Stone. In this chapter, that’s especially true.
When Draco sees that Harry and Ron are still at the school, he’s not too happy. Harry and Ron enjoyed their little adventure, since they didn’t get caught, and are musing about just what that three-headed dog might be guarding. Neither Hermoine nor Neville can be coerced into trying to find out, and Hermoine isn’t speaking to them. Harry and Ron would also like to get back at Draco.
Harry ripped open the letter first, which was lucky, because it said:
DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.
It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, but I don’t want everybody knowing you’ve got a broomstick or they’ll all want one. Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch field at seven o’clock for your first training session.Professor McGonagall
It’s made clear in the book that Professor McGonagall gives Harry the broom, where it’s alluded to in the film but never really confirmed. Draco tries to get Harry in trouble for having a broomstick when first year students aren’t supposed to have them, but it backfires and Professor Flitwick confirms that Harry can have it under “special circumstances.”
Harry has the broomstick before even his first Quidditch practice, rather than the day of the first match.
“The Chasers throw the Quaffle and put it through the hoops to score,” Harry recited. “So — that’s sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn’t it?”
“What’s basketball?” said Wood curiously.
“Never mind,” said Harry quickly.
The movie does a fair job depicting Harry’s Quidditch practice. Wood has Harry practice catching golf balls he throws. and is delighted at Harry’s natural talent for riding a broomstick.
There are also more details about the classes they are taking and their progress. After two months, Harry is feeling more comfortable, having figured out the basics of the world he’s now in. In Charms Class with Professor Flitwick (rather than with Professor McGonagall in the film), they are paired off to practice making objects fly. Ron is paired with Hermoine, who is still angry with them. This plays out the way it does in the film, with Hermoine levitating the feather and then running off after she overhears Ron criticizing her.
The next scene is also depicted in the film pretty much exactly as written, as Harry and Ron go to the Halloween feast. They overhear Parvati Patel tell Lavender Brown that Hermoine is in the girls’ bathroom crying and won’t come out. When the feast begins, they forget about it for a bit, but then Harry thinks of her when they are being herded by Percy back to the dormitory once the troll has been discovered. They steal away from Percy and make their way towards the girls’ bathroom. On the way, they come across Professor Snape and see him heading for the third floor.
The spot the troll and think to lock it in the room it just entered, only to find out that it’s the girls’ bathroom and Hermoine is now locked inside with the troll. The scene is depicted in the film nearly exactly as it is written, and ends with the bond between Harry, Ron, and Hermoine cemented.
Previous chapter (link): Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s (Philosopher’s) Stone Chapter 9: The Midnight Duel
Next chapter (link): Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s (Philosopher’s) Stone Chapter 11: Quidditch
Categories: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Movie versus Book
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