- "Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step ..."
- — J. K. Rowling
The Vanishing Glass was the second chapter in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The chapter was named for the glass pane that Harry Potter vanished when Dudley Dursley was leaning into it.
Events[]
Ten years since the previous chapter, Harry Potter lives at 4 Privet Drive. He's treated unkindly by the Dursley family, forced to sleep in a Cupboard under the Stairs, and had no idea that he was a wizard and the wizarding world even existed. They hated anything strange happening round him, he was bullied by Dudley Dursley.
It was Dudley's 11th birthday and Harry was supposed to stay at Arabella Figg's house when Vernon and Petunia took Dudley and a friend, Piers Polkiss to the zoo. Harry had a dream the night before about a flying bike and flashing, green light. However, even mentioning peculiar things and magic was not a good idea because Vernon and Petunia would get angry.
Arabella phoned and was unable to take Harry for the day and Vernon and Petunia were forced to take Harry to the zoo. Harry was having one of the best days he had ever had. But when they were in the reptile enclosure, Harry spoke to a snake and was shocked that it understood what he was saying. Dudley and Piers noticed that the snake was awake, and they knocked Harry to the ground to get a look. Harry then unintentionally caused the glass pane to vanish when they were leaning into the glass. The snake escaped and the zoo apologised to Vernon and Petunia.
At first, Vernon and Petunia had no understanding of what had happened, but in the car when they headed home, Piers says that he thought he had saw Harry speaking to the snake. Vernon was very angry and when Piers went home, Harry was shouted at, thrown in the cupboard, grounded for months and not given any dinner that evening.
Characters[]
| Notable appearances | Notable mentions |
|---|---|
| Piers Polkiss | Arabella Figg |
| Harry Potter | Marjorie Dursley |
| Vernon Dursley | |
| Petunia Dursley | |
| Dudley Dursley |
Chapter Guide[]
| Chapters in Harry Potter books | |
|---|---|
| Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
| 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 16 • 17 |
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 16 • 17 • 18 |
| Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
| 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 21 • 22 |
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 |
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |
| 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 |
1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 |
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | Companion novels |
| 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 Epilogue |
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them • Quidditch Through the Ages • The Tales of Beedle the Bard |