Easter eggs, unanswered questions and fun facts from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone:
Arabella Figg is actually a squib: In the first Harry Potter book, it’s revealed that Harry is often forced to spend time with a severely un-fun neighbor while the Dursleys go on fun trips without him. It’s not until the fifth book in the series that we realize Mrs. Figg is a squib, a non-magical witch, and has been tasked with keeping an eye on Harry on behalf of Dumbledore and the rest of the Order of the Phoenix.
That snake at the zoo is probably not Nagini: A fan theory suggests that the snake that Harry frees at the zoo in Sorcerer’s Stone is the same snake as Nagini, Voldemort’s BFF that also becomes a Horcrux — but we’re gonna go ahead and call BS on that theory. Not only are there no clues to support it in the books, it also doesn’t make sense that a snake that owes Harry a favor would team up with his greatest enemy.
“Erised” is “desire” backwards: Um, duh. Harry Potter was only 11 in the first book, so let’s forgive him for not figuring out that the mirror that shows you a vision of what you want most in the world is conveniently named the Mirror of Erised, aka the Mirror of Desire. Pretty chill.
Lingering questions and concerns:
What’s up with Hagrid? Hagrid definitely does some illegal magic in the first book in the series, using his “umbrella” to give Dudley a pig’s tail. But we know that Hagrid was kicked out of Hogwarts, and he’s technically not allowed to do magic. So what’s up with that? Why wasn’t Hagrid exonerated when it was revealed he didn’t actually open the Chamber of Secrets? Does anyone care that he still has his broken wand hidden in his umbrella? What, exactly, are the rules that govern who can and can’t perform magic? Are witches and wizards who don’t graduate from a magical academy forbidden from doing magic?
Why don’t they teach anything else at Hogwarts? Harry and the gang arrive at Hogwarts when they’re only eleven, and they’re immediately expected to write essays. Who’s teaching them to write? Are there any non-magic classes offered at Hogwarts? What about algebra or creative writing? Do they graduate from Hogwarts knowing how to turn a teacup into a mouse but not understanding basic cell biology? Did wizard-born kids go to muggle schools before Hogwarts?
What’s up with wizard money? The first Harry Potter book introduces a lot of basic details about the wizarding world — which means that it also brings up a lot of logistical questions, many of which are too small and specific to bring up. But one pressing question that must be addressed is wizarding money: Why is it so weird? There are 17 Sickles in a Galleon and 29 Knuts in a Sickle. Why?
What about Harry’s grandparents? In the first book Harry discovers (some of) his family story, as well as his family wealth, but it’s never explained why none of Harry’s grandparents, on either side, are still around. It becomes clear over the course of the series that Aunt Petunia is Harry’s only living blood relative, but did Harry’s grandparents die peacefully of old age? Or were they casualties of the devastating war that divided the wizarding world around the time of Harry’s birth?
What’s up with wizard religion? Everyone at Hogwarts seems to celebrate Christmas and not really any other holidays (except Valentine’s Day) — which begs the question, do witches and wizards have religion? Do they celebrate Christmas just for fun? It seems as though there’s pretty clear evidence of some kind of afterlife for wizards, but is there any particular unified belief system in the wizarding world?
Next up: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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