Happy Birthday (and Rest in Peace), Quirinus Quirrell

September 26th marks Quirinus Quirrell’s birthday. His age is unknown.

Quirrell was a mousy and bookish wizard. Known for his intelligence, he was sorted into Ravenclaw House during his time at Hogwarts.

Though he lacked social charm and was teased for being timid, he was learned and known for his wisdom in the area of theoretical magic. He was not an impressive wizard; however, he was an excellent scholar, a characteristic that led him to a career as a professor at Hogwarts. He initially taught Muggle Studies before moving on to Defence Against the Dark Arts during the 1991-1992 school year.

After teaching Muggle Studies for some time, Quirrell took a sabbatical under the guise of gaining firsthand knowledge in his field, when in reality he was travelling the world in search of Lord Voldemort, who was rumoured to still be alive. His motivation for this quest was to be glorified as the person who finally tracked Voldemort down. Indignant over having been teased relentlessly, he had also vengefully hoped Voldemort might teach him some skills that would command the respect of others.

Quirrell was easily manipulated by the charismatic Lord Voldemort, who sensed his weakness. Voldemort convinced Quirrell to be his host body when he realized that Quirrell was a professor at Hogwarts and could help him acquire the Philosopher’s Stone. Quirrell spent the final part of his life sustaining Voldemort with unicorn blood and doing Voldemort’s bidding.

Marked by the effects of bullying and a descent into megalomania, Quirrell’s life came to a nasty end in 1992, during the skirmish over the Philosopher’s Stone with Harry Potter.