The Philosopher's Stone (known as in USA: The Sorcerer's Stone) is the main object in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It was created by the famous alchemist Nicholas Flamel.
Background[]
Physical appearance[]
The stone is colored in ruby-red that shines like a diamond.
Powers and Abilities[]
The stone is used to create the Elixir of Life which can make one immortal, and transforms any metal into pure gold.
History[]
The stone became the target of Lord Voldemort in order to create a new body for his soul, due to his failed attack on Godric's Hollow. Voldemort used Quirinus Quirrell to seek it out at Hogwarts where it is being held. The stone is originally stored in Vault 713 in Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Suspecting a possible threat, Dumbledore sent Rubeus Hagrid to retrieve the stone from the vault on the day of the attempted robbery.
Dumbledore stored the stone in a special chamber of the third floor, guarded by enchantments: The Devil's Snare, a life-sized Wizard's chess, and the Mirror of Erised placed there by Dumbledore. Hagrid's gigantic three-headed dog Fluffy guarded the trapdoor to the chamber. To protect them from the enchantments and Fluffy, Dumbledore forbade the Third-Floor Corridor to all students.
Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger suspected that the stone would be stolen. In overhearing out-of-context conversations, they believed the thief would be Severus Snape, their potions teacher.
Harry felt compelled to protect the stone and he and his friends, using intellectual power and heroism far exceeding their years, fought past the obstacles, until finally Harry was forced to face Quirrell and Lord Voldemort himself. In the final showdown, Quirrell expires, and Lord Voldemort lost his meagre hold on the physical world once again.
After securing the stone, Dumbledore and Flamel discussed its future, and agreed that it was best to destroy it. Flamel ensured he had enough remaining elixir to set his affairs in order before he and his wife would ultimately die, a fate with which they were quite content. According to Dumbledore, their deaths would be like "going to bed after a very, very long day", after living for over 600 years.
Trivia[]
- It is known as "The Philosopher's Stone" in the British games of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.