Harry Potter: 10 Best Scenes From The Philosopher’s Stone Book The Movie Left Out

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone first released in 1997. The story of the young wizard Harry Potter exceeded expectations as readers swarmed bookstores all over the world to buy a copy of the first installment in the Harry Potter series.

In 2001, the film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released, sending those same fans to movie theaters to see how director, Chris Columbus, producer, David Heyman, and screenwriter, Steve Kloves adapted the wizarding world and how they brought Hogwarts to life.

Due to time constraints, while the film did stay true to the book, the adaptation could not include every scene from the original novel.

10 NEVILLE AND RON FIGHT DRCAO, CRABBE, AND GOYLE

By only watching the films, it is clear that Harry and Draco are each other’s nemesis, and as much as Draco enjoys insulting Ron and Hermione, it makes it more fun for Draco when Harry is around.

However, the novel emphasizes Draco’s dislike of Ron, Neville, and Hermione while Harry is playing a game of Quidditch. Comments from Draco push Ron and Neville too far, and the three eleven-year-olds turn the viewing area into an all-out brawl. As they fight each other right beside her, Hermione ignores them in favor of cheering for Harry in the stands.

9 HERMIONE SOLVES THE POTIONS OBSTACLE

Hermione’s cleverness comes to the rescue on one of the novel’s obstacles between Fluffy and the Philosopher’s Stone. Professor Snape’s barrier is a set of potions with a riddle to determine which elixir does what.

While Harry watches, Hermione carefully examines the puzzle, determined to figure out which potion will allow them to move forward toward the stone, and which will let them go backward. After the novel spent time making many comments at Hermione’s book-smart attitude, that exact mentality is what saves the day. Hermione, determining which potion does what allows Harry and Hermione to go forward safely and backward from the potions restriction.

8 EXCITEMENT AT VOLDEMORT’S FALL

The opening scene to the film shows Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Hagrid as they drop off baby Harry with the Dursley’s. However, the novel starts the story following Vernon Dursley during what he thinks is an average day.

As Vernon gets through the day, he finds that people are excitedly running around in cloaks and acting in other ways outside the normal. Unaware of what they are celebrating, Vernon hears bits and pieces of conversation referring to James, Lily, and Harry Potter and their connection to the fall of Lord Voldemort.

7 HARRY EAVSDROPS AT KINGS CROSS

Waiting for the Hogwarts Express to leave, Harry finds himself listening in on the Weasley family as they say good-bye before Mrs. Weasley and Ginny go back home. In the short burst of time it takes, Harry overhears them speaking of him as well. However, something so exceptional about this scene was that it emphasized Harry’s desire to have a family.

Listening to the Weasleys was likely the closest he had ever come to hearing a loving family interact. Later on, the scene can be considered the first time Harry listens to the people he would count as his own family.

6 HARRY, HERMIONE, AND NORBERT

In the film, Norbert is introduced and then later mentioned to have been sent to Romania by the decision of Albus Dumbledore. However, this is a vast difference from how the novel explained Norbert’s disappearance. In “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” Harry and Hermione use Harry’s invisibility cloak to hide themselves and Norbert as they travel through the castle.

Once they reach the top, Harry and Hermione hand over Norbert to Charlie Weasley and his friends. As they walk through the castle, Harry and Hermione attempt to avoid getting caught. Unfortunately, on the way back from the tower, Harry and Hermione realize they had left the invisibility cloak on the tower and are given detention with Neville and Draco.

5 HARRY THANKS DRACO

Harry’s flying skills during class pay off in an unexpected way when Harry is asked by Professor McGonagall to join the Gryffindor Quidditch team as the new seeker. In the film, this is official when Hedwig lands in front of Harry with a wrapped Nimbus 2000. Harry shares a meaningful look with his Head of House before the film moves on.

In the novel, Harry is caught with a broomstick first years aren’t supposed to have by Draco Malfoy. Excited at getting Harry in trouble, Draco turns to Professor Flitwick to watch Harry get punished. However, this backfires, and instead, Professor Flitwick had known about Harry’s involvement on the Quidditch team. The confrontation doesn’t end there, though. Harry insists that Draco is the reason he has the broom, making it sound like a thank you.

4 HARRY’S SPEECH

Over the years, Harry, Ron, and Hermione fell into their roles as friends and saviors of the wizarding world. However, hints were dropped as early as their first year that would set the tone for who they would grow up to be. In the novel, Harry becomes the natural leader of the group when he declares that nothing can stop him from reaching the stone before Snape.

As a scene that represents how important it is that he stop Voldemort from returning, at the age of eleven, Harry knows what he is willing to risk. It is also the moment that signifies how loyal Ron and Hermione are to Harry, that even after not wishing for Harry to try such a plan, they are willing to go with him, not wanting Harry to go alone.

3 HARRY WANTS HIS BOOK BACK

After Snape had taken “Quidditch Through The Ages” from Harry, Harry had decided he wanted the book back. However, once he reached the staff room, Harry was met with a horrifying sight. Snape and Filch were inside the room alone with Snape’s robes above his knees and his leg bloody and injured.

Snape also mentioned that he had been dealing with Fluffy. While this scene may have been left out due to its content, it does harden Harry’s theory about Snape trying to steal the stone. Snape’s injury comes off much more painful than how the movie shows him limping.

2 MIDNIGHT DUEL

In the film, Harry, Ron, and Hermione come across Fluffy on accident after trying to escape Filch on the forbidden third floor. However, the novel had a different approach to getting the trio into the same room as Fluffy. The tense atmosphere between Harry and Draco is fueled by Draco challenging Harry to a wizards duel, which Ron accepts and declares himself to be Harry’s second.

Unlike the film, Neville is with them when they discover Fluffy as he had not been able to get into the Common Room, having forgotten the password.

1 “I’M WORTH TWELVE OF YOU, MALFOY”

It took Neville longer than others to grow his confidence to the point of being able to stand up for himself and his friends. A scene from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone shows a young Neville learning to grow into that person.

Having had enough of hearing Draco make fun of Neville, Harry insists that his friend is worth twelve of the young Malfoy. Later on, Neville directly tells this to Draco. While the moment may not have been as necessary cinematically, it is the beginning hints of who Neville would grow up to be later.

About The Author

Lindsay Press
(274 Articles Published)

Lindsay Press is a freelance writer. As a graduate of SUNY Purchase College with a degree in Screenwriting and Playwriting, Lindsay has loved television shows and movies since childhood. In addition, she loves to create stories and enjoys dystopian futures, teen drama, and fantasy worlds.

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