Guest Author - Lisa Shea
In the very first Harry Potter book, there were a lot of new characters, ideas and locations coming at you. So it's no wonder that on first reading, Professor Quirrell seemed like a quiet, background character. He taught Defense of the Dark Arts, and he was a nervous, stuttering man. Always wearing a turban, he was the teacher that blended into the background, while Snape seemed to be the cruel, dark, antagonistic teacher that was actively trying to hurt Harry.
It came as a huge surprise, then, to most readers that at the end of book 1, it was Professor Quirrell who was the bad guy! The stuttering and quiet behavior was all a deliberate act, meant to lull the school into discounting him.
It turns out in the Quidditch match where Harry thought Snape was trying to jinx him, Snape was actually trying to SAVE him from Quirrell's charms. Quirrell's turban hides a horrible sight - it is Lord Voldemort staying alive on the back of Quirrell's head.
Voldemort orders Quirrell to attack Harry, but when Quirrell touches Harry, he screams in agony and dies. It turns out that Harry is so blessed by the love of his mother that Quirrell could not stand to be in contact with him.
Note that Quirrell's name reinforces his personality - the word "querulous" means whining, weak, complaining.
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