While love is always a force for good in the novel, family is not always a conduit for love. Dumbledore explains that “to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever.” Thus, love becomes essentially the ultimate force for good and a weapon against evil. Dumbledore, the headmaster at Hogwarts, later reveals to Harry that Lily’s love is indeed what protected Harry and kept Quirrell from being able to touch him. Professor Quirrell is unable to touch Harry without being burned, which ultimately prevents him from being able to kill Harry. Harry comes face-to-face with Voldemort again at the end of the novel he has returned, even though he is weak, by taking over the body of a Hogwarts professor named Quirrell. The sacrifice that Lily makes continues to protect him even later in his life. Additionally, when he tries to kill Harry, Voldemort becomes incredibly weak and disappears. Both are killed trying to protect their son, but Lily’s sacrifice in particular prevents Voldemort from being able to kill Harry, as it is implied that this love gives him a kind of magical protection. When he is only a year old, an evil wizard named Voldemort goes to the Potter home in order to kill Lily and James. Harry’s story starts in the aftermath of his parent’s death. Through Lily and James’s sacrifices for their son, they demonstrate that family can be a life-saving source of love. Ultimately, as Harry learns about his magical abilities and tries to thwart the forces of evil in the wizarding world, Rowling argues that love, family, and friendship serve as forms of protection that help Harry to overcome whatever challenges come his way.

When he goes to school at Hogwarts, Harry gains a group of friends-primarily Ron and Hermione-who demonstrate that the love at the heart of friendship can be just as important as that at the heart of familial ties. Though Harry’s parents, Lily and James, love him a great deal, they die when he is very young, and he is placed in the care of his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, Muggle relatives who treat him terribly. At the center of The Sorcerer’s Stone is the importance of love from both family and friends.

Love and friendship book summary