Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling, 1997 Bloomsbury Publishing

     In the first book of the Harry Potter series, Harry is an eleven-year-old living with his cruel Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley. His parents were killed when he was only one year old and his aunt and uncle refuse to speak of it, other than to tell young Harry that his parents were worthless. To make matters even more unfair, Harry lives in a cupboard under the stairs while his cousin is spoiled with two bedrooms of his own and anything he could possibly ask for. Everything changes on Harry's eleventh birthday.
     A letter arrives in the mail, addressed directly to Harry Potter, cupboard under the stairs. The Dursleys throw the letter away before Harry can open it, and when others arrive, they dispose of them as well, until they cannot stop Harry from opening a copy of the letter inviting him to attend Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Still Harry is kept from preparing for school until a representative of the school, Hagrid, appears on Harry's birthday to tell him he is a wizard and to help him phase into the wizarding world.
     Harry catches the train to school and meets Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, with whom he becomes good friends, Draco Malfoy and his cronies Crabbe and Goyle, who become Harry's arch enemies, and a slew of other characters who continue through the story with him. When they arrive at Hogwarts the first-years are sorted into houses where they will live for their time at school. Harry and his friends are sorted into Gryffindor where the rest of Ron's family has been sorted, while Malfoy and his crowd are sent to Slytherin.
     The school year commences and Harry meets Professor Minerva McGonagall, head of Gryffindor and transfiguration professor, Professor Severus Snape, head of Slytherin and potions master, other professors, wizards and witches important to the wizarding world, Professor Quirinus Quirrell the defense against the dark arts professor, and Professor Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. McGonagall takes on a motherly role in Harry's life while Snape spends his every waking moment making Harry's life as difficult as possible, and there's just something about Quirrell that makes Harry's scar hurt.
     It isn't until Malfoy's mockery and Hermione's open-mouthed awe make him start asking questions that Harry is told about Voldemort and the significance of his lightning-bolt scar. When Harry was just a baby, Voldemort was the most dangerous and evil wizard that had ever existed seeking world domination and immortality, for some reason he came after Harry trying to kill him, and gave the infant not only the protection of his mother's sacrifice, but also the power to overthrow Voldemort himself.
     Harry and his friends go about their days, but there are little things about Hogwarts that make them question what they see. When Professor Snape starts acting strangely, they begin to suspect he is trying to steal whatever it is that's hidden on the forbidden third floor corridor. When they discover it isn't Snape, but Quirrell, and the parasitic Lord Voldemort on the back of his head, they must go after him. Through teamwork they manage to make it past the challenges set before them, but only one may continue to the end. Harry confronts Quirrell and rescues the Sorcerer's Stone, but not before being injured by the escaping spirit of Voldemort when he flees Quirrell's corpse.
     The friendship between Harry, Hermione, and Ron sets the tone for the series, providing support and strength for each of the three friends. Why three first-year wizards can make it past the guards meant to hold back one of the most dangerous wizards of all time is a troubling question, but shows their synergy and its power.