I have a lock on my screen and cant log in

I have an A1278 MacBook Pro.  I had to replace the hard drive and decided to order one off of ebay.  I am trying to get back into my computer with my new hard drive so that I can load from my factory disk, but it is going to a gray screen with a flashing file folder that has a question mark on it.  I did some research and found that when I boot while holding down the "Option" key I should be able to select to start from the DVD drive.  However, it is going to a gray screen with a lock and a box to enter a password.
I have tried my password, but it is not working.  I contacted the seller of the harddrive, but he cannot what his password was when he removed it from his old computer.
I don't have Apple Care and I am not in the position to pay hundreds of dollars for the genius bar to fix it for me.  Can anyone tell me what I can do?
Please HELP!!!
Thanks

It won't cost hundreds of dollars for the Genius Bar to fix it. The service is free.

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