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Exam results are revealed and Hermione, as expected, has the best marks of the year, while both Ron and Harry have managed decent passes; even Neville has scraped through. Finally it is time for the Hogwarts Express to take students home. Ron and Hermione promise to write, and Ron says he will invite them both to visit him. And though everyone has received notices warning them that no magic is permitted outside school, Harry knows the Dursleys have no idea about that. "I'm going to have a lot of fun with [[Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Dudley Dursley|Dudley]] this summer..."
== Analysis ==
The story ends on a high note, and Harry has won the battle, but the reader can see that the war has just begun. Voldemort, though thwarted, has indeed survived, and he will likely attempt other ways to restore his body, biding his time before launching another assault on Harry and the Wizarding world.
Quirrell's comment that there is no good or evil, only power, and those who are too weak to seek it, reflects Voldemort's belief that achieving his goal will justify whatever means he employs to obtain it. That goal, based on his past history, is conquering the wizard realm, and for Voldemort, good and evil truly are non-existent concepts. Instead, there is only his insatiable lust for power and a self-determined right to satisfy it. This also reflects how Voldemort's [[Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Major Events/Death Eaters|Death Eaters]], and Slytherins in general, appear to think and function, seizing whatever they want, whenever they want, and by any means deemed necessary, often taking the easiest and shortest route possible. However, an old axiom states that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Voldemort, already corrupt, is likely to become even more so, probably to where he retains little rationality or sanity. As contrasted by Dumbledore, with power comes responsibility and morality, along with continual cooperation, oversight, and loyalty in order to operate and maintain a stable and productive society. Without it, a state is destined to decay through internal conflict, strife, and greed until it totally collapses. Even if Voldemort can conquer the wizard realm, retaining his power and maintaining an orderly and productive rule while keeping his followers loyal and placated would be an indomitable, if not impossible, task for him.
In this we can see some similarities to Niccolò Machiavelli's 16th century political treatise, ''The Prince'', which advocates that to obtain or maintain power, a prince should adopt a moral public facade while secretly implementing whatever extreme amoral methods are necessary to gain and retain control, without regard to the individual or civil rights. That belief has even been utilized in the modern era by dictators such as Adolph Hitler to fuel his rise to power in mid-20th century Germany. The series' overall theme of good vs. evil, and which path, dark or light, a wizard can and will choose to follow, will seem blurred by Voldemort, who cares about neither. Though his overall plan is yet unclear, he may want to keep his presence concealed and true intentions ambiguous while insidiously plotting to take control. This would make it difficult for Voldemort's opponents to fight him if he has already solidified and entrenched his power structure once he does emerge. While Voldemort apparently cares little for appearances, when he reveals himself, his public persona, rather than a moralistic image, may instead espouse principles and ideals crafted to appeal to those already bent towards his beliefs, or those who have been denied equality under the current wizard rule and can further support the Dark Lord's rise to power. He is unconcerned about what methods he employs to achieve this, and it seems doubtful that Voldemort intends to share power once he obtains it or allow others to reap benefits from his takeover. He will, however, likely have to offer at least simplistic rewards to gain that power, and mete out penalties to retain it.
Clearly the big surprise in the story is that it was Quirrell, not Snape, who was behind the ongoing attacks on Harry. We know Snape and Harry deeply dislike one another, but Harry's animosity had biased him into wrongly believing that Snape was responsible. Harry, still too single-minded and immature, fails to consider that there could be other reasons behind Snape's behavior; Snape's hatred apparently stems from his relationship with Harry's father, James Potter, though the full circumstances are still unknown, nor why Snape would transfer this resentment to James' young son. Snape's antagonism toward Harry is widely known, even among the staff, though Dumbledore seems to discount it somewhat; Snape almost certainly was questioned following the attacks and had been cleared, though Harry apparently presumes that an interrogation never occurred, and does not realize that teachers are unlikely to discuss such matters with a first-year student, even one as directly involved as Harry is.
Life, death, and resurrection are also ongoing themes in the series, and it is reinforced here, though Quirrell's death and the Flamels' impending demise are indirectly shown, unlike the slain [[Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Magic/Unicorn|Unicorn]] seen in the [[Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Places/Forbidden Forest|Forbidden Forest]]. As Dumbledore explains it to Harry, death is but a gateway to another realm, likely one that is better and more enjoyable than the living world, and it is a natural progression that should be embraced, not feared, though both Voldemort and Flamel apparently do; this may partially explain why some who die, like [[Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Nearly Headless Nick|Nearly Headless Nick]], become [[Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Magic/Ghost|ghosts]] and remain bound to the living world, rather than moving on to the "other side." While Voldemort, whose name can be translated from French as "flight from death", seeks any means to become immortal, Flamel instead chooses to end his life for the betterment and safety of wizard society. Immortality has a high price, and anyone possessing that secret holds the most sought after and valuable prize that many would pay any amount or perform any act, including murder, to obtain. Flamel realizes that the Stone is far too dangerous to exist because innocent people will be killed as others, such as Voldemort, will always seek its power. Flamel opts to destroy the Stone, finally accepting mortality as an inevitable part of living. Even if Voldemort can obtain a new body and immortality, his life will probably always be cursed and incomplete, his shredded soul never fully restored, and unable to attain love and friendship, whose power is incomprehensible to him.
Harry also learns more about his tie to the Dark Lord, his family, and that it was his mother's love for him and sacrificing her life for his that created the magical protection against Voldemort's attack when Harry was an infant. It is this same love within Harry that burned Voldemort when Harry touched Quirrell. This protection will likely continue to play an important role in the story's plot. While Harry has a better understanding regarding his relationship with Voldemort, Dumbledore's refusal to explain why Voldemort wants to kill Harry can only add to Harry's confusion and fears.
There are a few concerns regarding "one of Dumbledore's 'better ideas'", hiding the Stone in the Mirror of Erised. Dumbledore says that anyone who wanted to use the Stone, would only see themselves using it but would be unable to take it, while someone who was only seeking it but did not wish to use it, would find it. Quirrell reports that he sees himself in the Mirror, giving the Stone to his Master, which seems to fit the requirement of not using it himself. Why did Dumbledore's spell prevent the Stone from being released to Quirrell? This question must remain unanswered, but there are at least two possible reasons. The most likely reason is that Quirrell is simply lying, saying what he thinks Voldemort wants to hear while he actually sees himself amassing piles of Stone-created gold. However, it can be argued that Voldemort can sense falsehoods, as he seems to be able to sense that Harry is lying. An alternate explanation would be that Dumbledore's spell is detecting both Quirrell handing over the Stone and Voldemort using it, and is refusing to release it to Voldemort.
Also, many fan sites have noticed a discrepancy in this chapter. Hermione says that she found Dumbledore in the Entrance Hall as she was on her way to send him an owl. Yet the trap door is located in the third-floor hallway, and the Owlery, we learn later, is high in the castle, on the seventh floor. Why would Hermione head down to the main floor on her way from the third to the seventh floor? One possible answer to this can actually be found in the Harry Potter films, in which we see a large central stairwell in the castle. Combine that with [[Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Percy Weasley|Percy]]'s [[Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Books/Philosopher's Stone/Chapter 7|earlier warning]] that the stairways like to move, and it is entirely possible that Hermione, emerging from the third floor corridor, would have found herself on the side of the central stairwell away from the Owlery with no staircases leading upwards from there. While descending to access a staircase that would bridge the gap, she might either have needed to go through the Entrance Hall, or else happened to see Dumbledore, below her, as he returned to the castle. This speculation is only intended to quiet a small issue that can hamper the story's enjoyment; it is unsupported by anything in the books.
== Questions ==
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