The first chapter in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Over the course of seven books, readers witnessed Harry’s growth from a kid living under the stairs of his uncle’s house, to one of the most skilled wizards of his generation and the one who stood up to the darkest wizard of all: Lord Voldemort. The books gradually got darker, and the characters grew up along with the readers, but looking back at the very first chapter of the series, it dropped some subtle hints at what was coming.
In just a couple of pages, Rowling mentioned some important names, established the personalities of a couple of characters, and set the basis for some very important elements in the story. Here’s everything the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone sets up.
The Dursleys’ Judgmental View
The first characters readers meet are Harry’s relatives, the Dursleys: uncle Vernon, aunt Petunia, and their son Dudley. The book wastes no time in telling readers that the Dursleys are perfectly fine having normal lives and following a routine, and have very low tolerance towards people and situations out of the ordinary. Aunt Petunia is the sister of Harry’s mother, Lily, but she’s a muggle and despised her sister for being different. They didn’t talk to each other for years, and Petunia didn’t even care that Lily and James Potter had a son. Vernon’s intolerance towards people who are different is also shown in the first chapter, when he comes across with wizards wearing capes of different colors.
The sudden arrival of Harry to their lives didn’t change their minds about the Wizarding World, and never treated Harry as an equal, forcing him to sleep under the stairs and treating him like an intruder instead of a family member. Of course, they never mentioned to him that his parents were wizards, and they never changed their opinion on the Wizarding World, though Dudley and Harry did reconcile years later.
Voldemort (& Using His Name)
Of course, Voldemort is mentioned in the first chapter of the series, as it’s set following his apparent defeat. Voldemort is referred to as “you-know-who” by Professor McGonagall, which is enough to establish how powerful and feared he was, even though he was supposedly gone at the time. Dumbledore is quick to tell her to call him by his name, and that he had been trying for over a decade to persuade people to call him Voldemort. Of course, it was way too early to even know why he was referred to as “you-know-who” and “he-who-must-not-be-named”, and it wasn’t until Deathly Hallows was published that it was revealed that a Taboo curse was placed on Voldemort’s name, which made it possible for anyone who said it to be located by the Death Eaters – which was especially useful when looking for of the Order of the Phoenix. This part of the chapter also teases Dumbledore’s history with Voldemort, as he was the only wizard the Dark Lord truly feared, and he came as second to him as the most powerful wizard in history.
The Importance of Harry’s Scar
After Hagrid arrives with infant Harry Potter so Dumbledore can leave him at the Dursleys’ home, McGonagall points out the lightning bolt scar on Harry’s forehead, asking (though she’s interrupted mid sentence) if that’s where he was struck by Harry accidentally became a horcrux and forged a connection between him and Voldemort that tortured him after his return.
The Wizarding World Within The Muggle World
Through the Dursleys, readers get a small taste of two very different worlds in one: the Wizarding World and the muggle one. Following Voldemort’s apparent defeat and Harry’s survival, wizards started to feel free to walk the streets of the muggle world without even having to change into muggle clothes to blend in. This, of course, annoyed uncle Vernon, as he couldn’t stand people who dared to stand out, and even worse if they were people from Lily and James’ “group” (a.k.a. wizards). While wizards were enjoying the beginning of a new life free of the darkness that Voldemort brought years back, Vernon was silently judging them all and wondering if the “Harry Potter” he overheard while two wizards were chatting was his nephew.
Both worlds continued to be separated, and muggles had no idea there was a Wizarding World unless one of their relatives turned out to have magical abilities, but this first chapter showed viewers that there are two worlds that could co-exist harmoniously if people were less judgmental and more open.
Sirius Black
When Peter Pettigrew down, confronting him on a city street and causing an explosion through a Blasting Curse that killed 12 muggles. This event is what sent him to Azkaban, and the rest is history.
