HOGWARTS, PROFESSOR QUIRRELL'S OFFICE — YEAR 1

HARRY and HERMIONE enter a charmingly furnished office with many moonlit windows. There is a wall of bookshelves, a small desk, a cushioned chair with matching footstool, and a large circle rug with a cauldron at the center. A MOVING PORTRAIT of a young man with short blonde hair and brown robes is seen reading a book. HERMIONE checks the map while HARRY admires the room with an amazed expression. He runs his finger along the rim of the cauldron.

HARRY: Quirrell's office is surprisingly quaint.

HERMIONE lowers the map. She seems to be suppressing an impolite response.

What? It's nice.

HERMIONE (sighing): He's roaming the forest. We should be safe for a while.

MOVING PORTRAIT (excitedly): Greetings!

HARRY and HERMIONE jump. They spin in place. They hadn't noticed the painting.

HARRY (in a raspy voice): Dear god.

HERMIONE: His portrait. I'd forgotten.

MOVING PORTRAIT: I wasn't expecting guests. Are you both Hogwarts professors?

The figure in the painting pours itself a cup of tea.

Wonderful day we're having. All Hallows Eve comes but once a year.

He takes a sip. He sets the cup onto the saucer, pursing his lips.

I was not invited to the festivities. Much to my chagrin.

HARRY: That'll be enough, thank you.

HERMIONE: Seeing him without the turban — it's...

HARRY: I believe the word you're looking for is "unnerving".

They back away from the MOVING PORTRAIT of their former professor and approach the immense bookshelf.

HERMIONE: Search the bookcases. We need to find something on potion reversal.

HERMIONE scans the bindings.

This is a very impressive collection.

HARRY: There are some serious books here. Banned books. Cursed books.

HERMIONE: They are quite something, aren't they? Magick Moste Evile. Fifteenth-Century Fiends. Sonnets of a Sorcerer — that's not even allowed at the Ministry!

Beat, she's getting more eager by the second.

Shadows and Spirits. The Nightshade Guide to Necromancy. Most of these are illegal in the future.

HARRY: Were they ever legal?

HARRY reads the titles. Then he spots a book on the shelf that makes him frown.

The Imperius Curse and How to Abuse It. Bit obvious, that one.

HERMIONE (reading): The True History of the Opal Fire. This is fascinating. This is a find...

HARRY (reproachfully): Hermione...

HERMIONE: I know. I know.

HARRY takes the map from HERMIONE. He checks it before sidling to the next shelf.

HARRY: I genuinely don't know where to begin? Could be any of these. It's not as if the book's going to jump out at us, is it?

HERMIONE: I'll know. When I see it.

HARRY finds a book. He looks closely at the binding.

HARRY: This sounds promising. Impulsive Witchcraft and How to Rectify a Snafu.

HERMIONE: That's the one. It's got to be.

HARRY pulls the book from the shelf.

Let me. My eyesight is better than yours.

HARRY: I'm wearing eyeglasses. If anything, my...

HARRY stops. He pulls the book from the shelf again. Or tries to. It pulls back. Then HARRY falls hard against a bookcase which attempts to consume the book and swallow HARRY's arm with it.

Hermione! A little help — would be — appreciated!

HERMIONE (panicking): Um... keep pulling. We can't lose it.

She wraps her arms around HARRY's waist and pulls him free. HARRY is holding something. And it's certainly not the book.

HARRY (disheartened): At least we won't leave empty-handed.

HERMIONE: Is that...?

HARRY: The cover. The entire binding, in fact.

HERMIONE eyes the bookcase with scrutiny.

HERMIONE: That came off too easily.

There's silence. And then a second book is violently pulled back into the bookcase. Then another. And another, until there are seven gaps in total. HARRY and HERMIONE back away. They wait with anticipation until — SCHOOMP! — the seven books thump back into place — all on the same shelf — all without bindings. One of these returned to the spot on the shelf where HARRY had nearly been swallowed. He reaches for the unbound book. HERMIONE holds him back.

HERMIONE: Wait, Harry. Don't.

Suddenly a large book on the top shelf rattles. Then the book flies open — smashing the other books aside — and speaks.

BOOK:

Welcome to a library

of books in high demand.

Are you my adversary,

Or someone to befriend?

HARRY: A book that talks. Okay.

HERMIONE: Shh!

BOOK:

I do applaud ambition,

'Tis something to abide,

But you did not ask permission

And for that, you will be tried.

HARRY: Hermione... What is going on?

HERMIONE: It's a riddle. It's giving us a riddle.

BOOK:

Yes, I removed the cover

of the tome you chose to steal.

Take the test and soon discover

One of seven I concealed.

(beat)

Be ye warned and not perplexed,

It is soon to get much worse.

For the pages of the text

Hold something of a curse.

HERMIONE: Good. This is going to be good.

HARRY: Wait — curse? How is that a good thing?

HERMIONE: He's weaponized it. Quirrell weaponized his library. One of these is the right book. Solve the riddle and we can have it back.

BOOK:

With one, you're safe to reach.

The other six are rather sly.

Do listen to my speech

Before matters go awry.

Again, it swings open, knocking nearby books to the ground, and speaks with a deeper voice than previously heard.

The first of these delights in fear,

The fifth has moldy pages.

The last has not been touched in years,

The third book not in ages.

(beat)

Four of these are oh so odd.

The evens are unwell.

If you touch their pages flawed,

You're doomed to say farewell.

HARRY: What is that supposed to mean?

HERMIONE: We have to pick the right one. The other six may, possibly — most likely — kill us. Pay attention.

HARRY: I shouldn't have asked.

BOOK:

So, make your selection

If you have solved the riddle.

And delight in my collection.

I would avoid the middle.

The book on the top shelf closes with a slam. HARRY looks utterly confused — HERMIONE, calculating.

HERMIONE: Only one of these books is safe to touch. There are consequences for the other six. (beat, she starts pacing) "The evens are unwell". That means we can rule out the second book, the fourth, and the sixth.

HARRY: All right. That leaves us with... one, three, five, and seven. Three and seven haven't been touched in a long time.

HERMIONE: But you were holding the right one when the bookcase took it away from you. You touched it.

HARRY: Then it's between the first book and the fifth?

HERMIONE nods. She bites her lip.

HERMIONE: This is all wrong. It should be obvious. "The first of these delights in fear".

There is a pause.

"The fifth has moldy pages".

There is a long pause.

Think, Hermione. Think.

HARRY: Well — it's the first one.

HERMIONE: Why?

HARRY: The last clue. "Avoid the middle."

HERMIONE: It's a trick. Four is in the middle. There are three books on either side.

HARRY: Right.

HARRY scrutinizes the books in front of them.

It could still be the first one. If "moldy pages" and "pages flawed" are the same thing, that eliminates number five, right?

HERMIONE: Unless the flaw is referring to the curse. And most of these books are moldy.

HARRY: Okay. Not that. Do you think it has something to do with...?

HERMIONE (quickly irritated): It's stupid. Were this my riddle, I'd have put the solution in plain sight.

HERMIONE gasps.

Hang on. I've missed it. That's the book. It must be...

HARRY: Wait, Hermione!

HERMIONE strolls directly over to the book on the far left. She takes it down from the shelf. HARRY waits to see if a curse will take hold. It doesn't. HERMIONE is perfectly fine. In fact, she's smiling.

How'd you know?

HERMIONE (confidently): "With one, you're safe to reach. The other six are rather sly."

She takes the book binding from HARRY, it snaps into place around the bare pages like a magnet.

The answer is book number one. The riddle told us which book to choose. The rest was a distraction.

HARRY (shaking his head in amazement): Well done.

HERMIONE: We beat it. We beat the library!

HARRY: But are we sure it's the right one? What's inside that book?

HERMIONE: I think we should find out, don't you?

She opens the book and leafs through.

And there it is. Chapter Seven. "The Delicate Art of Husking: How to dismantle Polyjuice Potion of the desired form". We've found the instructions. Harry, we did it! This is everything. We've collected everything we need!

HARRY: And somehow made it through without changing the future.

HERMIONE: Now that we've got this, the next stop is —

The door bursts open. A thin, steely-eyed wizard with a hooked nose and shoulder-length greasy black hair rushes in, limping — it is PROFESSOR SNAPE.

PROFESSOR SNAPE: Quirrell! I demand an... explanation...

His eyes widen when sees HARRY and HERMIONE. He casts a spell. HERMIONE's wand is pulled away from her. HARRY's wand resists. HERMIONE and HARRY then turn as one and stare in astonishment at where the spell came from: PROFESSOR SNAPE!

James Potter — you're alive? But I...

PROFESSOR SNAPE stops. He glares at HARRY, then HERMIONE. HARRY raises his eyebrows. SNAPE's expression goes rigid.

Mister Potter. Miss Granger. You were told, after the misfortunes of the girls' bathroom, to proceed directly to Gryffindor tower. Fifty points will be taken from your house for the reckless and imbecilic use of an aging potion. And...

PROFESSOR SNAPE notices the books scattered across the rug. He sees the book in HERMIONE's hand. He squints at them, then raises his wand.

Something is not right. Reveal yourselves.

HERMIONE looks at HARRY — this is tricky.

HERMIONE: So — technically — we shouldn't be here. But if you could give me a chance to explain the situation...

HARRY reveals the Time-Turner.

HARRY: It's us, Professor. We merely came for a book —

PROFESSOR SNAPE: And you have what you came for. Now you will hand that book to me.

HARRY: No.

PROFESSOR SNAPE takes aim.

HERMIONE: Wait... we could use your help! There's a potion...

PROFESSOR SNAPE: And why — would I — help you?

HARRY: Because I know you will.

PROFESSOR SNAPE and HARRY stare intently at one another. HERMIONE looks back and forth between them, gripping the book.

HERMIONE: I think what Harry means is —

HARRY (simply): The professor knows what I mean.

PROFESSOR SNAPE is stopped.

Pause.

SNAPE exits.

After a moment, he returns with a frown.

PROFESSOR SNAPE: Very well. You will follow me. And you will not make a sound.

SNAPE exits a second time. HARRY follows, but HERMIONE holds him back.

HERMIONE: What should we do? Can we risk him knowing? Do we go... into his classroom?

HARRY: Trust me.

HERMIONE: Harry, what just happened? How did you convince Snape to help us?

HARRY: He was using Legilimency on me, so I allowed him inside. (beat) Just a glimpse.

HERMIONE (softly): What did you show him?

HARRY: The name of my son. His full name.

He exits the office. HERMIONE trails after.