Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Chapters 5–7

by J.K. Rowling
On his eleventh birthday, orphan Harry Potter learns the shocking truth: he's a wizard about to begin his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–7, Chapters 8–11, Chapters 12–14, Chapters 15–17

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ministry
    a government department
    “Ministry o’ Magic messin’ things up as usual,” Hagrid muttered, turning the page.
  2. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street.
  3. grubby
    thickly covered with ingrained dirt
    It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub.
  4. cauldron
    a very large pot that is used for boiling
    The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons—All Sizes—Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver—Self-Stirring—Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.
  5. apothecary
    a retail shop where medicine and other articles are sold
    A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, “Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they’re mad....”
  6. burnish
    polish and make shiny
    Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was—
  7. swarthy
    naturally having skin of a dark color
    He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet.
  8. ledger
    a record in which commercial accounts are recorded
    About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses.
  9. stalagmite
    a cylinder of calcium carbonate projecting from a cave floor
    Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late—they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.
  10. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped.
  11. mauve
    a moderate purple
    Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.
  12. drawl
    speak in a slow and drawn out way
    He had a bored, drawling voice.
  13. befuddle
    be confusing or perplexing to
    Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian.
  14. minuscule
    very small
    While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).
  15. spindly
    long, thin, and often weak or fragile
    It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait.
  16. pliable
    capable of being bent or flexed or twisted without breaking
    Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration.
  17. supple
    capable of moving or bending freely
    Not to worry, we’ll find the perfect match here somewhere—I wonder, now—yes, why not—unusual combination—holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple.
  18. laden
    filled with a great quantity
    Harry didn’t speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn’t even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry’s lap.
  19. disgruntled
    in a state of sulky dissatisfaction
    Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.
  20. prefect
    an older student who monitors or supervises other students
    He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a shiny red-and-gold badge on his chest with the letter P on it.
    “Can’t stay long, Mother,” he said. “I’m up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves—”
  21. alchemy
    a pseudoscientific forerunner of chemistry in medieval times
    Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel.
  22. tripe
    lining of the stomach of a cow (used as food)
    When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor—you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe.
  23. riffraff
    common or disreputable people
    You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it’ll rub off on you.
  24. throng
    press tightly together or cram
    They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.
  25. turret
    a small tower extending above a building
    Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
  26. blissful
    completely happy and contented
    “Trevor!” cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands.
  27. frayed
    worn away or tattered along the edges
    This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty.
  28. chivalry
    the medieval principles governing knightly conduct
    You might belong in Gryffindor,
    Where dwell the brave at heart,
    Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
    Set Gryffindors apart
  29. toil
    productive work, especially physical work done for wages
    You might belong in Hufflepuff,
    Where they are just and loyal,
    Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
    And unafraid of toil
  30. cunning
    marked by skill in deception
    Or perhaps in Slytherin
    You’ll make your real friends,
    Those cunning folk use any means
    To achieve their ends.
  31. queasy
    causing or fraught with or showing anxiety
    The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn’t feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a House for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.
  32. swagger
    walk with a lofty proud gait
    Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, “SLYTHERIN!”
  33. pompous
    puffed up with vanity
    “Well done, Ron, excellent,” said Percy Weasley pompously across Harry as “Zabini, Blaise,” was made a Slytherin.
  34. airily
    in a manner that is overly casual or lacking seriousness
    “Is he—a bit mad?” he asked Percy uncertainly.
    “Mad?” said Percy airily. “He’s a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?”
  35. miffed
    aroused to impatience or anger
    Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn’t going at all the way he wanted.
  36. gaunt
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood.
  37. delicate
    difficult to handle; requiring great tact
    “How did he get covered in blood?” asked Seamus with great interest.
    “I’ve never asked,” said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.
  38. treacle
    a syrup made of sugar cane
    A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding...
  39. sallow
    unhealthy looking
    Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.
  40. poltergeist
    a ghost that creates disorder and noise
    A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.
    “Peeves,” Percy whispered to the first years. “A poltergeist.”
Created on Mon Jul 08 16:35:44 EDT 2013 (updated Fri Jun 10 10:59:41 EDT 2022)

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