The Boy Who Lived
chapter one of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
The Dursley family’s typical day is disrupted when Vernon encounters some bizarre happenings on his way to work, and Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hagrid visit Privet Drive, discuss the downfall of Voldemort, and leave baby Harry on the Dursleys’ doorstep.
It was on the corner of the street that [Mr. Dursley] noticed the first sign of something peculiar – a cat reading a map.
(by deeterhi)
The old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.
(by gerre)
As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw – and it didn’t improve his mood – was the tabby cat he’d spotted that morning.
(by mneomosyne)
A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you’d have thought he’d just popped out of the ground…. This man’s name was Albus Dumbledore.
(by Laurence Peguy)
“Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall.”
(by NicoPony)
A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky – and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air….
(by Saul Marquez)
“Is that where – ?” whispered Professor McGonagall.”Yes,” said Dumbledore. “He’ll have that scar forever.”
(by Mudblood428)
Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door.
(by Leela Starsky)
He laid Harry gently on the doorstep….
(by Fox Estacado Arts)
Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous…. He couldn’t know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: “To Harry Potter – the boy who lived!”
(by Hala Zabaneh)
about the chapter
The first Harry Potter novel brilliantly begins with what is, in practicality, the first day of Harry’s life. Before today, he was just an ordinary wizarding boy, no different from thousands of others – but in one day all this has changed: his family is gone, his forehead bears a scar, and though he is now in the hands of Dumbledore, Hagrid, and McGonagall, he will first have to overcome a childhood with the Dursleys. And nothing that happened to him before today really matters. By the end of the chapter, Rowling has laid Harry’s life and his path out before us, with plenty of mystery to keep us along for the ride. Let the journey begin.
Some Things You May Not Have Noticed
Despite the fact that it’s a “dull, gray Tuesday” which we later learn is in November, McGonagall spends the entire day away from Hogwarts to sit and wait for news from Dumbledore. It doesn’t seem like her to skip professorial duties; instead, her presence on Privet Drive most likely means that Hogwarts classes were cancelled in celebration of Voldemort’s defeat.
The wizard Vernon runs into outside his office has a familiar description. We’ll soon meet another wizard who is described as tiny, having a squeaky voice, and frequently wearing violet: Dedalus Diggle. Dedalus is never described as “old,” however, as this man is… perhaps this is his father?
The Wizarding World
The name “Put-Outer” doesn’t sound very magical, and in fact in a few books we’ll find out it isn’t this object’s real name at all. Why did Rowling change the name? Most likely she already knew when she wrote this book that Dumbledore’s device would be called something different, but gave it this name for the sake of Muggle readers who haven’t yet been introduced to the wizarding world (after all, Put-Outer is what I’d call it). Rowling will do the same type of thing again a few chapters from now, when Harry meets wizards who say things that make plenty of sense to Harry (and to us), but don’t really fit the world they live in.
The Boy Who Lived
From the outset we can see that Harry Potter is very unusual. Not only did he mysteriously destroy a powerful Dark Wizard, but in the aftermath of his parents’ deaths, he is being cared for by the singularly most powerful good wizard in the country (described as “the only one Voldemort was frightened of”). It will be a long time before Harry finds out why he is in the care of such an important person.
Oops
For many years, serious Harry Potter fans considered one of the great mysteries of the series to be this: Why did it take Hagrid twenty-four hours to bring Harry from Godric’s Hollow to Privet Drive, and what super-special-top-secret-critical-to-the-plot thing was he doing during that time? There were all kinds of theories, both simple and outlandish; one well-known fan even theorized that Hagrid brought Harry to the Ministry of Magic, where he was accidentally lost without a trace, and Hagrid had to travel back in time to re-retrieve him. At any rate, a few months after the seventh book was released, Jo Rowling gave an interview in which she admitted that she’d never really thought about it. So while it’s still lots of fun to concoct theories, the whole thing really came about from an accidental inconsistency. Ah well.
Something to Remember
Hagrid borrowed the motorbike from another wizard who was at the Potters’ house – Sirius Black. Hagrid went to the house to pick up baby Harry; we’ll find out later why “young” Mr. Black was there as well.
The Final Word
“I reckon I must’ve got through fifteen different alternative chapters of book one. The reason for which I discarded each of them were: They all gave too much away. And in fact if you put all those discarded first chapters together, almost the whole plot is explained.” –J.K. Rowling, 2001
“[This chapter] is not the most popular thing I’ve ever written; lots of people have told me that they found it hard work compared with the rest of the book. The trouble with that chapter was (as so often in a Harry Potter book ) I had to give a lot of information yet conceal even more….” –J.K. Rowling (read the rest of Jo’s comments on her website)
Wow! This is a really awesome idea! Thanks for it!
Michael said this on February 22, 2009 at 2:02 am
This is lovely. I will keep reading and enjoying it.
linden swallow said this on February 24, 2009 at 5:35 am
Love the pictures. The ones you picked really do relate to the text and bring forth my original memories of reading the chapter. Yes, I read the FAQ and know why you picked the ones you did. I’ve bookmarked your site and will return again and again. Thank you for all your effort. Can’t wait to slowly relive the books in this way.
Loader Lady said this on February 24, 2009 at 5:46 am
Ditto what the others above me have said. The site is beautifully done. Great atmosphere and artwork. I’m enjoying the commentary at the end of chapters.
Pleione said this on February 25, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Upon reading your story line and stating that it was a cold day in November, 24 hours after Voldemort killed Harry’s parents, it dawned on me (and likely others) that this would be November 1st – All Hallows Day. Had never occured to me before. The art work is gorgeous, good idea telling the story with pictures.
Weird One said this on February 27, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Fantastic idea. It’s ingenious to think of putting Harry Potter fanart in one place to actually tell the story. And the commentary at the bottom is really interesting. :-D Well done on this idea!
Wolfie said this on March 7, 2009 at 5:38 pm
This site has inspired me to listen to the audio book of HP and the PS again. Here are some comments and questions of my own:
The first chapter is very beautifully written and it’s style reminds me of other British classic children books. I love it.
I always interpreted the man who hugs Uncle Vernon on the street to be Dedalus Diggle. Interesting about him never being described as old, I hadn’t caught that. I did notice that the man in the street wore a violet cloak whereas Dedalus Diggle wears a violet top hat and thought that was close enough.
“A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you’d have thought he’d just popped out of the ground.”
Later we learn, that Apparition is not silent:
“With two loud cracks, Fred and George, Ron’s elder twin brothers, had materialised out of thin air in the middle of the room.” (Order of the Phoenix, Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place)
“A loud echoing crack broke the sleepy silence like a gunshot” Order of the Phoenix, Dudley Demented (Dung left his post)
Here are three possible explanations:
1) Dumbledore didn’t Apparate, but used his Deluminator like Ron did in Deathly Hallows. But then it says that when going back, he turned on his heel.
2) Not everyone makes a sound when Apparating and Dumbledore is skilled enough not to.
3) It’s another Oops.
I would have called the Deluminator – the other way around – an Out-Putter. ;-)
In response to Weird One’s comment: In Deathly Hallows, Bathilda’s Secret we learn that Voldemort killed Harry’s parents on Halloween: “The night wet and windy, two children dressed as pumpkins waddling across the square [...] ‘Nice costume, Mister’…” So the story of this chapter indeed does take place on November 1st.
Kim said this on March 11, 2009 at 2:27 pm
I personally love the first chapter but I have something to add to the people who found it difficult.
My Granddad gave up on Harry Potter after the first few chapters.
He said it was too cruel for a boy to have to live in a cupboard under the stairs.
Well, he would have thought some of the rest of it was a little bit crueller!
Liz said this on March 26, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Liz, that’s so interesting, I’ve never heard someone say that before. I wonder what he would have made of Snape!
John Kearns said this on March 26, 2009 at 8:49 pm
In response to Dumbledore’s sudden, silent appearance: is it possible that he was using the Invisibility cloak? (after all it was in his possession), which would explain the lack of sound. Of course its maybe more probable that Rowling intended it to be apparition but hadn’t worked out all the mechanics of this particular magical power at this point in the series (she may have decided to add the distinctive “pop” so the reader understood that a particular character didn’t just slip in unnoticed).
Re: the Put-outer – I think it was initially just some strange magical device, one that she later decided to reuse in Book 7 with different magical powers. I have a hard time believing that she had that level of detail planned out in advance (especially considering that there is no indication here that it does anything other than how Dumbledore uses it). I think you’re right when you theorize that Rowling simply didn’t want to introduce the reader to magic that directly, that early on. ; )
MartinTenbones said this on July 5, 2009 at 6:50 am
Hi, first post here, love the site! I think Dumbledore did Apparate, and maybe he’s skilled enough to do silently? Or else he was wearing a Disillusionment Charm, but what was the point? It was dark anyway… yeah, Apparition sounds more logical…
Eli said this on July 28, 2009 at 7:32 am
Somehow I managed to miss the original posting on Leaky about this site… This is gorgeous and what a great idea! I am going to send the link to my home computer so I can enjoy at my leisure.
I think your original supposition is correct: JKR used the uncommon – more muggle-like words to ease the reader into the series where later the correct terminology is introduced.
She is also quite adept at introducing or mentioning a character by name as a throwaway, then we find out how important they are much later.
I think she was probably quite surprised at how quick we all figured out who RAB was!
I also think the deal with Dumbledore’s apparition is the case, as Eli states, of experience. He’s had 130 some odd years to perfect the practice – much longer than most other wizards, and as with all things, practice makes perfect!
TarsieF said this on July 30, 2009 at 10:16 am
Am I imagining that when wizards are generally in a hurry or upset that leave with a louder ‘pop’? Or a slight ‘bang’? I figured that, because they were less composed (due to those two reasons) they didn’t apparate as well, and, like TarsieF said, ‘practice makes perfect.’ And Dumbledore would certainly not let himself get so distracted if complete and utter concentration were needed to be a quiet apparator.
Natalia said this on August 4, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Also, and I need to check book three, but if McGonagall knew that Sirius Black was supposed to be Secret Keeper for the Potters, surely Dumbledore knew? And, if so, why didn’t he react when Hagrid said he had Sirius’ motorbike?
Natalia said this on August 10, 2009 at 2:20 pm
I love these drawings and paintings theyre so realistic (i love harry potter)
rossy said this on August 25, 2009 at 6:40 pm
I have read just about everything written about HP and in this first chapter I saw two new things:
-McGonnigal being away from Hogwarts all day
-the non-reaction to Hagrid having Sirius’ motorcycle
Fantastic!
Caroline said this on August 27, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Didn’t McGonagall say that day might be know as Harry Potter Day in the future? That could be the reason behind the Halloween Feast since that is the day Voldemort died, sort of.
Jeremy said this on October 1, 2009 at 11:52 am
I’m new to this site and hooked! I love seeing Harry Potter and his world come to life this way. Who better to put to the task of illustrating than rabid fans whose love for the series is evident in their work. Congratulations to every artist and the webmaster behind the idea. This site is really something special.
woadisme said this on October 23, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Thank you so much for this site! Its concept, artwork, & everything about it is wonderful! I just discovered this site via facebook a couple of weeks ago. I’m glad that I did; the colder months coupled with longer nights are perfect for HP-related reading. I’m looking forward to re-experiencing HP through your site, each chapter at a time. Keep up the great work, for all our sakes!
Teasha said this on October 27, 2009 at 12:57 pm
McGonagall doesn’t want Dumbledore to leave Harry with the Dursleys. She tells him that they are dreadful people and that he is “too … noble” to notice.
What was she going to say? “Noble” is clearly not her first choice of word! “Too naive”, perhaps? But she can’t be too cheeky to her headmaster, so “noble” will have to do.
Any other ideas about what Minerva wanted to say? It’s been bugging me for years!
Deborah Hubbard said this on December 8, 2009 at 5:01 am
“Naive” or “nice” have always been my first choices, although I can’t see McGonagall using such a simple word as “nice.”
Natalia said this on December 8, 2009 at 5:12 pm
I think it’s a lucky thing that Harry Potter was awoken on the doorstep at the end of the chapter by Aunt Petunia’s scream. Harry was 15 months old and already able to speed around on a toy broomstick when he was dropped off at the Dursleys. As almost any parent of a 15-month-old will attest, children that age can climb and wriggle and disappear quickly when your back is turned. Imagine if Harry had awoken early and toddled off before the Dursleys ever found him. After all the protection Dumbledore hoped to provide for Harry, it doesn’t seem very responsible of him to leave Harry unattended.
Of course, it is a classic image to find a baby on a doorstep. And one could argue that baby Harry was so tired from his ordeal that Dumbledore knew he would sleep until he was found.
Andrea said this on February 7, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Discovered this site mid-2009 – and love it. Am just starting to read from Philosopher’s Stone again, and step by stepping with these comments – makes for a great deal of interest.
Regarding the “noble” comment – I understood that McGonagall was using this when Dumbledore claimed that “Voldemort had powers I will never have.” not regarding leaving Harry at the Dursleys. So not sure that naive would work there.
Electa said this on March 31, 2010 at 4:35 pm
@ Andrea. Hopefully Harry was in a magical sleep with a magical forcefield around him – both of which would only be dispelled by Petunia finding him.
Jonathan said this on May 17, 2010 at 4:38 pm