As Harry is about to sacrifice himself.
We see him dropping the Resurrection Stone.
This artifact is a much sought-after and a very valuable possession.
So why did Harry leave it somewhere on the forest floor?
Read on to learn:
- Why the Stone would only cause issues in the future.
- 7 surprising reasons why Harry dropped the Resurrection Stone.
- How Harry’s nervousness played a significant role in him dropping the Stone.
- And more…
Why did Harry drop the Resurrection Stone?
Harry dropped the Ressurection stone to ensure Voldemort would not get his hands on it. He also saw to it that the Stone won’t distract him from his goal of sacrificing himself.
#1: He made sure it won’t be found again
The Resurrection Stone is 1 of the 3 Deathly Hallows.
Altogether, these 3 possess incredible power.
So to prevent someone from harnessing all that power, Harry dropped the Stone.
After all, he’s in the middle of the Forbidden Forest.
And what better place to hide a rock than on the bottom of the forest floor?
By dropping the Stone here, Harry ensured no one would find it.
Therefore, the Stone can’t be used for evil again.
#2: He’s nervous
While most speculate Harry dropped the Stone out of morality.
There’s another side to the story.
See, Harry was about to face death.
He knew he needed to sacrifice himself to defeat Voldemort.
And on the way there, he found the Stone.
While the item did give him the much-needed courage and closure, Harry was still nervous.
And how couldn’t he be?
According to this study, the fear of death is something we all have.
Naturally, you become slightly numb.
And that makes it easy for an item to simply slip out of your hands.
Here’s a quote from the series itself:
“The Resurrection Stone slipped from between his numb fingers…“
It clearly says that the Stone simply fell out of his hands. No further thought behind it.
But knowing Harry, he probably would’ve still hidden the Stone. Regardless of how nervous he was.
#3: The Stone could be a distraction
Being able to talk to your dead parents is something magical.
However, the Stone didn’t work that way.
See, the Stone would call back the spirit of the departed. And that meant you can’t actually be with them.
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Harry is drawn into the Mirror of Erised.
This mirror would show you your deepest desires. And he saw his parents.
Harry was utterly obsessed with this.
He would sit there for hours. Every day.
Now, the Resurrection Stone actually allowed him to talk to his parents.
So that would make for an even better connection.
To take away that temptation, it was best for Harry to drop the Stone.
So he did.
#4: He had a job to finish
Harry walked into the Forbidden Forest with 1 job.
To sacrifice himself for the greater good…
And that’s an incredibly tough decision to make.
The Resurrection Stone could have distracted him along the way.
Because for the first time ever, he could actually talk to his parents.
He could also see Sirius Black and Remus Lupin again.
Their ghosts could’ve distracted him from his 1 goal.
And to make sure they didn’t, he dropped the Stone.
On top of that, it’d be hard for the parents to see their son die.
#5: It could’ve prevented something crucial
All 3 of the Deathly Hallows were items not much was known about.
I mean, Voldemort only found out about the Elder Wand in the last book/movie.
And the same is true for the Resurrection Stone.
While its existence is known, how it works isn’t. At least not to the fullest extent.
So when Harry walked towards his certain death, it’s best not to have the Stone with him.
It’s called the” Resurrection Stone”. And Harry had to die.
So if he carried the artifact with him, there’s a chance it would prevent him from dying.
And the Horcrux inside him won’t be destroyed.
To avoid that, it’s best for him to just drop the Stone.
#6: The Stone wouldn’t give him anything in the future
While the name of the Stone suggests it resurrects people, it’s not actually the case.
See, the item merely calls back the spirit.
And in the original tale of the Deathly Hallows, it’s shown that this is done against the spirits’ will.
Now, when Harry needed his parents in his final moments, I’m sure his parents didn’t mind.
But his parents accepted their fates. And they moved on.
To continuously call them back from death, though, would be a different story.
This video nicely explains why recalling the dead is not a good idea:
On top of that, the Stone itself is said to lead people to their own death.
This is often done by forming a bond with the spirits.
And it’s also shown in the series.
After all, Harry’s parents do nothing more than encourage him to sacrifice himself.
The Deathly Hallows aren’t called” Deathly” for fun. There’s magic surrounding them.
And if Harry had kept the Stone for the future, it won’t give him much.
He’d call his parents’ spirits back against their will. And he’d lead himself to an early death.
#7: It would leave an option for a sequel
This may be a bit of a weird reason. But by leaving the Resurrection Stone in the Forbidden Forest, there’s the option for a sequel.
See, as tricky as it may be, the Stone can be found.
Magic would make finding it a lot easier. You could just say “Accio Resurrection Stone“, for example.
So by leaving the artifact intact, J.K. Rowling leaves the option to continue the story.
Now, where this story goes is entirely dependent on the author.
And chances are she may never revisit this part.
In any way, by leaving the Stone in an obscure place, she left herself 2 options.
Either someone finds the Stone, and she continues the story.
Or the Stone is so well hidden that no one ever finds it again.
This study shows us why sequels are so popular.
Firstly, it continues a much-loved story.
But sequels tend to outperform the originals.
It also leads to more views of the initial work.
All in all, they massively boost the entire series’ performance.
It’s a win-win for everyone.
Will the Resurrection Stone ever be found?
Harry dropped the Resurrection Stone in the middle of the Forbidden Forest.
So essentially, he dropped a stone in the middle of many more stones.
It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack.
So for anyone to find the Stone would be an impressive feat.
However, we must not forget the inclusion of magic.
See, there’s this handy spell called “Accio“.
By using this charm, you can retrieve any item.
If you say “Accio plate“, a plate will come flying to you.
So who’s to say that no one will use this spell to retrieve the Stone?
It would only require 3 simple words: “Accio Resurrection Stone“.
In theory, this would bring the Stone back.
But then again, it was dropped somewhere in the middle of a large forest.
And you can’t just use this spell to summon things from long ranges.
It would still take months, if not years, to find it.
But it isn’t entirely impossible.
Unlikely, yes…
But possible.