|
"Are you a wizard, or what?"
The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is a conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information released from canonical sources. If this occurs, please move this page to the appropriate title. |
The Philosopher's Stone Obstacles were a series of chambers underneath Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that contained the Philosopher's Stone. There were seven chambers total that contained an obstacles or task that guarded the stone from being stolen.
Obstacles
First Obstacle
The only known access way was from a trapdoor in the Third Floor Corridor, which was guarded by the three-headed dog, Fluffy. This obstacle was given by Hagrid. To get past this, one must "play a bit of music" and put Fluffy to sleep. Fluffy guards a trap door that leads to the next task. Harry plays a wooden flute to get past Fluffy and there was another instrument on the ground which was a harp, used by Professor Quirrell
Second Obstacle
- Hermione: "Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... What did Professor Sprout say? It likes the dark and the damp-"
- Harry: "So light a fire!"
- Hermione: "Yes-of course-but there's no wood!"
- Ron: "HAVE YOU GONE MAD? ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?"
- — Through the Devil's Snare's chamber[src]
After going through the trapdoor, a long drop led to a chamber filled with Devil's Snare, planted by the Herbology teacher, Professor Sprout. The Devil's Snare was designed to ensnare and tangle up any intruders. If unfamiliar with the plant, one will be strangled to death. The way to get past the plant was to produce light. To pass the Snare, Hermione uses a spell that created a jet of bluebell flames.
Third Obstacle
A downward sloping passage led to another chamber filled with flying keys, charmed by Professor Flitwick. A large wooden door led to another chamber. The door would not open with the use of any charm such as Alohomora, one needed the correct key to get through. To pass, one must use the broomstick provided to catch the correct key. However, once airborne, the other keys will try and attack the pursuer.
Fourth Obstacle
The next chamber is dark and resembled a graveyard, it contained a Giant Wizard's Chess set, enchanted by Professor McGonagall. To defeat the game, one had to play themselves across the board and checkmate the King according to the rules of Chess. One cannot walk across the board an pass, so an adequate knowledge in Wizard's Chess is needed to pass this task.
Fifth Obstacle
The following chamber contained a Mountain Troll that needed to be defeated in order to pass. This was provided by Professor Quirrell. When Harry and Hermione got there, the troll was already knocked out thanks to Professor Quirrell.
Sixth Obstacle
The next obstacle guarding the Stone was a logical riddle(Hermione said that great wizards haven't got an ounce of logic) that one had to solve in order to progress, set by Severus Snape. Upon entering the chamber, the doorway through which one entered is blocked by a purple flame. The other entry way leading to the Philosopher's Stone, was blocked with black flame. A table with seven bottle of differing shapes sat in the middle of the room.
Each bottle contained a liquid, but the bottles were not labeled with their contents. Three were poison, two contained nettle wine, one contained a potion to safely traverse the black flame, and the last contained a potion that allowed passage back through the purple flames. The riddle, when properly worked out, revealed the contents of each bottle, and which one was safe to drink to allow onward progress:
"Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us seven will let you move ahead,
Another will transport the drinker back instead,
Two among our number hold only nettle wine,
Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to stay here for evermore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide
You will always find some on nettle wines left side;
Second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would move onwards neither is your friend;
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,
Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."
Based on Hermione's deductions, these were potion lineup:
1- Poison
2- Nettle Wine
3- Potion to move the drinker forward through black flames
4- Poison
5- Poison
6- Nettle Wine
7- Potion to move the drinker backwards through purple flames
Seventh Obstacle
The final obstacle was the Mirror of Erised, the challenge was designed by Albus Dumbledore, and probably the most difficult. The only way to obtain the stone was too look into the mirror, see yourself having it, but not use it.
If one saw themselves have the Stone, they would only see themselves using it in ways such as turning things to gold, or giving it to someone. This is what Quirrell saw. Harry however, was able to get the Stone because he only wanted to save it and not use it.
Behind the scenes
- It's very curious as to why J.K. Rowling chose to have the number of Obstacles as she did. Seven Obstacles were in place to get to the Philosopher's Stone and seven different potions were available in Snape's logic riddle. Seven, as deduced by Arithmancer Bridget Wenlock, has magical proporties to it. It is believed that the number Seven is the most magical number.
- The Sixth and Fifth Obstacles were cut from the film.
- There were a lot of differences in the Chambers between the books, films and video games. The following table shows some:
| Book | Film | PC Game | PS Game | GBC/GBA Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluffy's Chamber and Through the Trapdoor (Harry plays the flute Hagrid gave him) | Fluffy's Chamber and Through the Trapdoor (Quirrel bewitches a harp) | Fluffy's Chamber and Through the Trapdoor (Harry plays the flute Hagrid gave him) | PS1: Fluffy's Chamber and Through the Trapdoor (Harry plays the flute Hagrid gave him) | Fluffy's Chamber and Through the Trapdoor (Harry plays the flute Hagrid gave him) |
| Devil's Snare (The three are grabbed by the Devil's Snare; Hermione defeats it with some sort of fire) | Devil's Snare (The three are grabbed by the Devil's Snare; Hermione defeats it with an illuminating charm) | Devil's Snare (Only Ron and Hermione are grabbed by the Devil's Snare; Harry defeats it with fire) | PS1: Devil's Snare (Only Ron and Hermione are grabbed by the Devil's Snare; Harry defeats it with fire) | GBC: Devil's Snare (Only Ron and Hermione are grabbed by the Devil's Snare; Harry defeats it dueling)
GBA: Devil's Snare (Only Ron and Hermione are grabbed by the Devil's Snare; Harry defeats it burning it with torches) |
| Winged Keys (Harry, Ron and Hermione catch the key) | Winged Keys (Harry catches the key) | Winged Keys (Harry catches the key) | PS1: Winged Keys (Harry catches the key) | Winged Keys (Harry catches the key) |
| Giant Chess Board (Harry is a bishop, Hermione is a rook, Ron gets injured and he's a Knight) | Giant Chess Board (Harry is a bishop, Hermione is a rook, Ron gets injured and he's a Knight) | Giant Chess Board (Ron defeats most of the pieces and gets injured, Harry defeats the rest, Hermione doesn't play) | PS1: Giant Chess Board (There are three boards; Ron defeats most of the pieces and gets injured, Harry defeats the rest, Hermione doesn't play) | GBC: Giant Chess Board (Ron defeats the Queen and gets injured, Harry defeats the rest, Hermione doesn't play)
GBA: Giant Chess Board (Harry paralises all the pieces on top of door-opening platforms, realising the lack of pieces to all the platforms, Ron stays on top of the last one) |
| Mountain Troll Chamber (The Troll is collapsed on the floor when Harry and Hermione get there) | None | None | PS1: Mountain Troll Chamber (The Troll was collapsed but wakes up when Harry and Hermione get there. The Troll is still groggy so while Hermione trys to unlock the next door, Harry levitates the litter present in the room from out of the Troll's way, without making noise. The Troll doesn't notice a hole on the floor and falls into it.) | GBC: Mountain Troll Chamber (The Troll is collapsed on the floor when Harry and Hermione get there)
GBA: None |
| Potion Riddle (Hermione solves the riddle; Harry goes through the Black Flames, Hermione goes through the Purple Flames) | None | Potion Riddle (Harry solves the riddle; Harry goes through the Black Flames, the Purple Flames disappear) | PS1: Potion Riddle (Harry has to guess which knight has the Ice Potion) | GBC: Potion Riddle (Harry has to mix and brew the potion, solving the riddle)
GBA: Potion Riddle (Harry and Hermione have to look for the four potion ingredients, scattered trough the dungeon) |
| None | None | Mirror of Erised Antechamber (Harry has to push the blocks to get to the Mirror of Erised room, while Quirrel pushes the blocks back and tries to curse him) | PS1: Mirror of Erised Antechamber (Quirrel brings suits of armor to life and summons a gigantic suit of armor) | GBC: Mirror of Erised Chamber (Harry duels with Quirrel)
GBC: Mirror of Erised Antechamber (Harry dodges Quirrel's curses, making him destroy the floor. Then, they both fall to the Mirror of Erised Chamber |
| Mirror of Erised Chamber (Harry struggles against Quirrel and Voldemort, but passes out before Quirrel dies) | Mirror of Erised Chamber (Harry struggles against Quirrel and Voldemort, watches Quirrel die, and passes out when Voldemort's soul passes through him) | Mirror of Erised Chamber (Harry trys to kill Quirrel/Voldemort by collapsing pillars on top of him and he also tries to deflect Voldemort's curses with the Mirror. Harry passes out at the same time Quirrel dies. Dumbledore then bursts in to the room) | PS1:Mirror of Erised Chamber (Harry trys to kill Quirrel/Voldemort by collapsing pillars on top of him and he also tries to boost his jinxes with the Mirror, and then directing it to Voldemort. Harry watches Quirrel die) | GBC:Mirror of Erised Chamber (Harry duels with Voldemort and passes out when he touches him. He doesn't see Quirrel die)
GBA:Mirror of Erised Chamber (Harry deflects Voldemort's curses with the Mirror and passes out when he touches him. He doesn't see Quirrel die) |