Quirinus Quirrell

Template:HP character Professor Quirinus Quirrell is a fictional character in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling. Though the character's first name was never mentioned in the novels, the character is given the first name "Quirinus" in the official Harry Potter Trading Card Game. Quirrell was the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during Harry's first year at the school. Previous to that, he was the Muggle Studies professor.

Professor Quirrell is played by the British actor Ian Hart in the film adaptation of the book.

Background

Life prior to his employment at Hogwarts, he is said by Hagrid to have had a "brilliant mind", and was a fine teacher "while he was studyin' outta books"; however, around a year before Harry Potter's arrival at Hogwarts, "he took a year off ter get some first-hand experience". There were rumours that he encountered vampires in the Black Forest and one in Romania, and he apparently had "a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag". After that, he was 'never the same' - he appeared perpetually nervous, had developed a stutter and nervous tics, and Hagrid was able to say even before the beginning of the autumn term that he was "scared of the students, scared of his own subject". According to JK Rowling, Quirrell was the Muggle Studies Teacher before Harry studied at Hogwarts, which explains why he was a teacher before but at the same time only a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for one year.

Quirrell is aware of the background hatred between Snape and the Potter family: when Harry comments that "Snape always seemed to hate me so much", Quirrell replies, "He was at Hogwarts with your father...they loathed each other."

Quirrell is shown making controlled use of magic without the use of a wand, performing one spell by snapping his fingers, and preparing to use a deadly curse with only his hands. He has also shown to be capable of levitating to some degree. This may have been due to Voldemort's possession of his body, increasing his powers. It had been stated by Voldemort, Snape, and even Quirrell himself, that he was a mediocre wizard at best, though this could be a simple coverup so no one suspects his secret.

Role in the story

Harry first meets Quirrell at the Leaky Cauldron, a hidden pub in London, while being escorted by Rubeus Hagrid to Diagon Alley to shop for school supplies. Quirrell's manner is timid and unassuming. Quirrell is next seen at Hogwarts conversing with Potions master Severus Snape at the start-of-term banquet, and then regularly while teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons. Quirrell's attire includes a new purple turban that he says he received as a gift from an African prince, for getting rid of a zombie.

During the school's Halloween banquet, Quirrell appears in the Great Hall to warn staff and students that a troll is in the dungeons, and then promptly faints.

Harry and his close friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger come to suspect that Snape is on a mission from Lord Voldemort to steal the Philosopher's Stone from a secret chamber in Hogwarts, where it is hidden. When Harry finally arrives in the chamber, he discovers that it is not Snape, but Quirrell who is the real villain.

J.K Rowling stated in a live web chat on July 30, 2007 that Quirrell had worked at Hogwarts as Muggle Studies teacher for a certain length of time, before taking the cursed Defence Against the Dark Arts position in the same year that Harry joined.

Revelations

During his European travels, Quirrell discovered the barely-alive Voldemort, who had been in hiding since his failed bid to kill Harry as an infant. Quirrell became attracted to Voldemort's offers of power, and returned to Britain with the Dark Lord. Though Quirrell addresses and refers to Lord Voldemort by that name, rather than "The Dark Lord" as other Death Eaters do.

Lord Voldemort on the back of Quirrell's head in Harry Potter and the Philsopher's Stone

Initially, Voldemort allowed Quirrell to act autonomously - Quirrell was able to shake hands with Harry in the Leaky Cauldron, and was not wearing the turban, meaning that Voldemort was not possessing him (though this changes in the film version, where Quirrell wears the turban at the Leaky Cauldron and refuses to shake Harry's hand). Voldemort first used Quirrell in a plan to steal the Philosopher's Stone from its vault in Gringotts Bank, where it had been deposited for safekeeping by Albus Dumbledore. But Dumbledore had already sent Hagrid on a mission to retrieve the stone, which he did while he and Harry were shopping in Diagon Alley, after they met with Quirrell in the Leaky Cauldron.

Voldemort, as punishment for Quirrell's failure to secure the stone from Gringotts, decided to keep a closer watch on his new servant. He took possession of Quirrell's body, which caused his face to appear on the back of Quirrell's head. To conceal this, Quirrell took to wearing the turban. In order to keep Voldemort alive, Quirrell had to kill unicorns in the Forbidden Forest, drinking their blood to provide temporary life-sustaining powers for Voldemort.

During the Halloween banquet, it was Quirrell who let the troll into the dungeons as a diversion, so he could freely make his way to the third-floor corridor where the Stone was hidden. Severus Snape, who, apparently, already suspected Quirrell was up to something, went to the third floor in order to stop him. Quirrell was unable to get to the stone, but in the process, Snape was bitten by Fluffy. When Harry and his friends saw that Snape has been bitten, they began to suspect Snape was after the stone for himself.

In order to discover the secret of getting past Fluffy, Quirrell got Hagrid drunk, and gave him a dragon's egg, something Hagrid had always wanted. Quirrell then sent a forged letter to Dumbledore, summoning him to the Ministry of Magic in London. Quirrell took advantage of Dumbledore's absence to make another attempt to steal the Stone, pursued by Harry, Ron and Hermione, who thought they were pursuing Snape.

During the climax of the story, as Harry and Quirrell struggle to recover the stone, Voldemort reveals himself on the back of Quirrell's head and speaks directly to Harry. Voldemort wanted the stone. He ordered Harry to give him the stone and then threatened to kill him. After Harry refused, Quirrell tried to take the stone by force. Voldemort orders Quirrell to attack Harry, who holds off Quirrell long enough for aid to arrive, at which point Voldemort flees, back in his non-physical form. Voldemort's departure causes Quirrell to die, hence Dumbledore's comment that Voldemort is as merciless to his followers as to his enemies.

Before he died, Quirrell told Harry of the rivalry between his father, the late James Potter, and Severus Snape: "Didn't you know? Snape went to school with your father. They loathed each other."

The film version climax ends a little differently: As Quirrell attacks him, Harry's blood protection, which was provided by his mother's sacrifice of her own life to save him, enables Harry to kill Quirrell himself. Harry discovers that when he comes into direct contact with Quirrell, it immediately produces a burning effect. In the final attack, Harry lays his hands on Quirrell, who burns into crumbling ash. The spirit form of Voldemort renders Harry unconscious before making his escape.

External links

• Professor Quirrell from Harry Potter Lexicon