I N T R O D U C I N G . . .

Conrad Khan as Young Theodore
Val Kilmer as Horatius Nott
Elisabeth Debicki as Katrina Yaxley . . .

IT IS NOVEMBER 1988, When nine year old Theodore is summoned to the Nott London house in Kensington and Chelsea. The little boy, wearing his favourite blood orange jacket, which he bought on a day out at a muggle market,stares up at the unpleasant colonnades. So white and stark. This is his father's Business house. His board game, his playroom. Home is for family, here is for business. His mother always looks grey whenever she comes here. When Theodore asks why, she says it's because it makes her feel cold. Theodore does not understand why. London is much warmer than Donegal.

Burridge stand beside him; their Porter. Father used to say house elves weren't a good market, and Burridge had proved reliable enough in carting Mr Nott's things up and down the country.

"Well, master Nott?" Asked Burridge, his gloves hand clutching the suitcases. "Shall we go in? Your father is expecting you."

Theodore swallowed. That was exactly what scared him. Why had he been summoned here? Perhaps he and mother were going to surprise him. But that didn't seem much like his father at all.

Burridge rings the doorbell, and Theodore is let in to the dark, mahogany hallway of the ground floor by their Doorman, Khan, who bows his head. Theodore hates these formalities, but be obliges. His bags are taken away, and Theodore tries to ignore the beady eyes of Sister Clodagh (a distant relative, never happy about the fact she was moved to London) follow him across the hallway, offering spiteful remarks about the state of his repulsive muggle clothing.

Theodore makes his way up the old staircase, and inquires where his father is, before making his way up to the reading room on the second floor.

He opens the door, and is hit by stench of Horatius' Nott's cigar smoke which clouds the room. He is talking to someone, though through the smoke and the light from the windows Theodore cannot make out who.

"Theodore." Horatius announces, accompanied by a gruff little clearing of his throat.

"What are you wearing? Take that stupid coat of." He says, his fat face slipping in to a condescending smirk that he sends towards his guest. Theodore hesitates, but does as he says. Father does not take kindly to disobeying his orders in from of others. "Now, Katrina and I have been talking. Your mother is... incapacitated, so Ms Yaxley has kindly agreed to be a guardian in her stead. A Governess, if you like."

"I don't need a governess." Theodore replies sharply. He doesn't like the sound of this. "Where's mother?"

"Don't be rude, boy. What do you say?"

"Where's mother, Sir?"

Theodore watches as he stubs his cigar out with a little sizzle. He has grown to notice the rising and falling of his temper, his little marks of frustration. Horatius Nott does not like being challenged.

"Your mother is incapacitated. You may think of Madame Yaxley as your Mother, if you so wish."

At age nine, though wise beyond his years, Theodore Nott does not understand what this means.

He looks at the woman whose face becomes clearer now. He is not sure how old she is, but she is nothing like father. She is beautiful, like his mother, only with less kindness in her eyes. He does not trust her smile, he can feel it trying to lure him in.

"Hello, Theodore." She smiles brightly, wide blue eyes twinkling disconcertingly, and kisses Theodore on the cheeks, whispering so that only he can hear. "You and I are going to get along just fine."