Puzzles & Spells

• Type: Magical Defenses / Obstacle Course
• Location: Beneath a trapdoor in the forbidden third-floor corridor, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
• Creators: Albus Dumbledore, Professor Minerva McGonagall, Professor Filius Flitwick, Professor Pomona Sprout, Professor Severus Snape, Professor Quirinus Quirrell, and Rubeus Hagrid
• Key Features: A sequence of seven interconnected chambers, each containing a unique magical puzzle or enchanted obstacle designed to test a variety of magical skills and character traits.

The Puzzles and Spells were a series of powerful and complex enchantments created to protect the Philosopher's Stone after it was moved to Hogwarts for safekeeping in 1991. Albus Dumbledore entrusted the Stone's protection to several members of the Hogwarts staff, with each professor contributing a defence in their area of expertise. The chambers were located beneath a trapdoor on the third floor, which was declared out-of-bounds to all students for the 1991-1992 school year. The entrance was guarded by Fluffy, a giant three-headed dog. The protections were designed so that only a highly skilled and worthy wizard could navigate them. The final enchantment, placed by Dumbledore himself, ensured that only someone who wanted to find the Stone, but not use it, could actually take it from the Mirror of Erised. During the 1991-1992 school year, Professor Quirinus Quirrell, secretly possessed by the spirit of Lord Voldemort, managed to pass through all but the final obstacle. Later that year, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger successfully navigated the chambers in their attempt to stop the Stone from being stolen.

The Puzzles and Spells serve as the climactic challenge in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The journey through the chambers is a testament to the friendship and unique skills of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Each obstacle requires the trio to rely on one another's specific strengths: Hermione's logic and encyclopedic knowledge, Ron's strategic thinking and bravery, and Harry's courage and superlative flying ability. Their success in passing these high-level magical tests, which were designed by some of the most powerful wizards at Hogwarts, demonstrates their exceptional abilities at a young age. The final puzzle with the Mirror of Erised establishes a key theme of the series: that intention and the nature of one's heart are more powerful than ambition or greed.

The protections consisted of seven distinct challenges, presented in a specific order.

• First Chamber: The Three-Headed Dog
  • Contributor: Rubeus Hagrid
  • Challenge: A monstrous three-headed dog, Fluffy, stood guard over the trapdoor.
  • Solution: The beast could be lulled to sleep by music. Professor Quirrell used an enchanted harp, while Harry Potter later used the wooden flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas.
• Second Chamber: The Devil's Snare
  • Contributor: Professor Pomona Sprout
  • Challenge: After falling through the trapdoor, one would land in a large patch of Devil's Snare, a magical plant that strangles its victims in the dark and damp.
  • Solution: The plant recoils from light and fire. Hermione Granger, remembering her Herbology lessons, conjured a jet of magical bluebell flames to force the plant to release her and Ron Weasley. Harry Potter escaped by relaxing, which caused the plant to release its grip.
• Third Chamber: The Winged Keys
  • Contributor: Professor Filius Flitwick
  • Challenge: A high-ceilinged chamber filled with hundreds of flying keys. Only one of these keys would unlock the door to the next room. The correct key was an old, silver one with a bent wing.
  • Solution: Harry, using his skills as a Seeker, spotted the correct key and, after a difficult chase on a broomstick, caught it. This task tested flying ability and keen observation.
• Fourth Chamber: The Giant Chessboard
  • Contributor: Professor Minerva McGonagall
  • Challenge: A life-sized game of Wizard's Chess. To cross the room, one had to take the place of a missing piece and win the game against the enchanted opposition. The pieces were brutally violent, smashing any captured piece.
  • Solution: Ron Weasley, an expert chess player, directed the game. He ultimately sacrificed his own piece (the knight) in a brilliant strategic move, allowing Harry to checkmate the king and proceed.
• Fifth Chamber: The Troll
  • Contributor: Professor Quirinus Quirrell
  • Challenge: A large mountain troll was placed in the fifth chamber as a guard.
  • Solution: By the time the trio arrived, the troll had already been knocked unconscious by Professor Quirrell, who had passed through earlier. The chamber reeked of the troll's foul smell.
• Sixth Chamber: The Potions Riddle
  • Contributor: Professor Severus Snape
  • Challenge: A table holding seven differently shaped bottles, with a riddle written on a piece of parchment. The riddle was a test of pure logic. Only one potion would allow the drinker to move forward through a wall of magical fire, while another would allow them to retreat. Three contained poison, and two contained harmless nettle wine.
  • Solution: Hermione Granger's intellect was key. She solved the logic puzzle, identifying the correct potion for Harry to drink to advance, and the correct one for her to drink to go back and help Ron.
• Seventh Chamber: The Mirror of Erised
  • Contributor: Albus Dumbledore
  • Challenge: The final chamber contained only the Mirror of Erised. This was the ultimate protection for the Philosopher's Stone.
  • Solution: The Stone was hidden inside the mirror and could only be retrieved by someone who looked into it and saw themselves finding the Stone, but had no intention of ever using it. When Harry Potter stood before it, wanting only to protect the Stone from Voldemort, the Stone magically transported itself into his pocket. When Quirrell looked, he saw only himself presenting the Stone to his master, and thus could not retrieve it.

• In the film adaptation, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the sequence of challenges is slightly altered. The troll and potions riddle chambers are omitted entirely. (film)
• In the book, Hermione uses “bluebell flames” to repel the Devil's Snare. In the film, she uses the spell `Lumos Solem`. (film)
• The winged key in the film has a feather-like wing, differing from the book's description of a “bright, silver” key with a “bent wing”. (film)