After being raised in the miserably unfair home of his Uncle Vernon Dursley, Harry practically begins life anew when he discovers that he is a wizard and is invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Among Harry’s first-year adventures are making new friends (Hagrid, Ron and Hermione), standing up to the torments of school bully Draco Malfoy, and becoming the star player on his Quidditch team (the favored sport in the magical world). Harry’s life as a Hogwarts “first-year” is more interesting than that of most attendees, because he is already famous for surviving the attack of the evil Lord Voldemort, who tried to kill him as an infant. Everyone in the wizard world knows more about Harry’s family and his story than he does, so a great deal of the book is about Harry growing into his heritage.

By far the most important happening of Harry’s first year is unraveling the mystery of the Sorcerer’s Stone and coming face to face with Voldemort. The Sorcerer’s Stone has the power to turn things to gold and to give immortality to humans. Voldemort, who lost most of his power in the battle with Harry’s parents, is desperate to find the stone and use it for his own evil purposes. He enlists the help of one Hogwarts professor, and in the end, Harry meets both of them in hand-to-hand combat. Of course, Harry wins, but Voldemort is not defeated forever.