The Philosopher's Stone

• Type: Legendary Alchemical Substance
• Owners: Nicolas Flamel, Albus Dumbledore (for safekeeping), Harry Potter (briefly)
• Maker: Nicolas Flamel

The Philosopher's Stone is described as being the colour of blood. Harry Potter, upon seeing it for the first time, noted that it was not very large and had a rough surface. It was kept inside the Mirror of Erised, from which Harry was able to retrieve it.

The Philosopher's Stone is a legendary substance with two primary, immensely powerful properties:

• Transmutation: The Stone has the ability to transform any base metal into pure gold. This is one of the ultimate goals of the ancient art of alchemy.
• Immortality: The Stone can be used to create the Elixir of Life, a potion that extends the drinker's life. The maker of the Stone, Nicolas Flamel, and his wife Perenelle, used the Elixir of Life to live for over six hundred years. Continued consumption of the Elixir is necessary to maintain one's life; should the user stop drinking it, they will eventually die.

Because of its ability to grant wealth and conquer death, the Philosopher's Stone was highly sought after, particularly by Dark wizards such as Lord Voldemort.

The only known Philosopher's Stone was created by the noted alchemist and close friend of Albus Dumbledore, Nicolas Flamel. For centuries, Flamel and his wife used the Stone to produce the Elixir of Life and sustain their exceptionally long lives. In 1991, Dumbledore borrowed the Stone from Flamel for safekeeping, as he correctly suspected that a weakened Lord Voldemort would attempt to steal it. The Stone was initially transported from London to Hogwarts by Rubeus Hagrid, after he retrieved it from high-security Vault 713 at Gringotts Wizarding Bank. At Hogwarts, the Stone was hidden in a chamber deep beneath the school, protected by a series of powerful and complex enchantments put in place by several professors:

1. A giant, three-headed dog named Fluffy, placed by Rubeus Hagrid.
2. A patch of Devil's Snare, placed by Professor Sprout.
3. A chamber filled with enchanted flying keys, designed by Professor Flitwick.
4. A life-sized Wizard's Chess set, enchanted by Professor McGonagall.
5. A mountain troll, which was part of Professor Quirrell's contribution but had already been defeated by him.
6. A logic puzzle involving a series of potions, brewed by Professor Snape.
7. The Mirror of Erised, enchanted by Albus Dumbledore to reveal the Stone only to a person who wanted to find it, but not use it for selfish gain.

Despite these protections, Professor Quirrell, who was secretly sharing his body with Lord Voldemort, managed to bypass all of them. He was thwarted in the final chamber by Harry Potter, who, due to his pure-hearted desire to protect the Stone rather than use it, was able to retrieve it from the mirror. Quirrell was defeated when his body could not withstand contact with Harry, who was protected by his mother's loving sacrifice. Following these events, Dumbledore and Flamel mutually agreed that the Stone was too dangerous to exist. They chose to destroy it, leaving Flamel and his wife with just enough Elixir of Life to set their affairs in order before they passed away.

The Philosopher's Stone is the central object and driving force of the plot in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The mystery surrounding the “grubby little package” from Gringotts leads Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger on their first major adventure. Their belief that Professor Snape is attempting to steal it for Voldemort establishes the primary conflict for much of the book. The Stone serves to introduce the core themes of mortality and the nature of desire. Voldemort's obsession with the Stone highlights his fear of death, a defining character trait. In contrast, Harry's ability to retrieve the Stone from the Mirror of Erised demonstrates his lack of selfish ambition, setting him apart as Voldemort's moral opposite. The ultimate decision to destroy the Stone reinforces Dumbledore's lesson to Harry that there are fates “much worse than death.”

• The concept of the Philosopher's Stone and its creator, Nicolas Flamel, is based on real-world alchemical legends. The historical Nicolas Flamel was a 14th-century French scribe who was posthumously reputed to have discovered the secrets of alchemy, including the creation of a Philosopher's Stone.
• For the book's publication in the United States, the title was changed to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and all mentions of “Philosopher's Stone” within the text were changed to “Sorcerer's Stone.” J.K. Rowling later stated in an interview that she regretted agreeing to the title change.
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the Stone is depicted as a crystalline, faceted, blood-red gem, resembling a large ruby (film).