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Harry Potter and the First Time Readers
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Ch 9-12

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2024 81:59


Chapter 9 - A Place to Hide“When you say you've got the Cloak, and clothes . . .” said Harry, frowning at Hermione, who was carrying nothing except her small beaded handbag, in which she was now rummaging. “Yes, they're here,” said Hermione, and to Harry and Ron's utter astonishment, she pulled out a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, some maroon socks, and finally the silvery Invisibility Cloak. Q1 - Is Hermione the greatest or what?Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak around his shoulders and pulled it up over his head, vanishing from sight. He was only just beginning to appreciate what had happened. “The others — everyone at the wedding —”Q2 - You think everyone is safe?After a minute or two, Ron said, “You know, we're not far from the Leaky Cauldron here, it's only in Charing Cross —” “Ron, we can't!” said Hermione at once. “Not to stay there, but to find out what's going on!” “We know what's going on! Voldemort's taken over the Ministry, what else do we need to know?” “Okay, okay, it was just an idea!” They relapsed into a prickly silence. The gum-chewing waitress shuffled over and Hermione ordered two cappuccinos: As Harry was invisible, it would have looked odd to order him one. A pair of burly workmen entered the café and squeezed into the next booth. Hermione dropped her voice to a whisper. Q3 - How did the Death Eaters find them?“What are we going to do with them?” Ron whispered to Harry through the dark; then, even more quietly, “Kill them? They'd kill us. They had a good go just now.” Hermione shuddered and took a step backward. Harry shook his head. “We just need to wipe their memories,” said Harry. “It's better like that, it'll throw them off the scent. If we killed them it'd be obvious we were here.”Q4 - What should they do with these people?“It's no wonder I can't get it out, Hermione, you packed my old jeans, they're tight.” “Oh, I'm so sorry,” hissed Hermione, and as she dragged the waitress out of sight of the windows, Harry heard her mutter a suggestion as to where Ron could stick his wand instead. Q5 - Would you go back to the Burrow for your good pair of jeans?Gingerly Harry took another step forward. Something shifted in the shadows at the end of the hall, and before any of them could say another word, a figure had risen up out of the carpet, tall, dustcolored, and terrible: Hermione screamed and so did Mrs. Black, her curtains flying open; the gray figure was gliding toward them, faster and faster, its waist-length hair and beard streaming behind it, its face sunken, fleshless, with empty eye sockets: Horribly familiar, dreadfully altered, it raised a wasted arm, pointing at Harry. “No!” Harry shouted, and though he had raised his wand no spell occurred to him. “No! It wasn't us! We didn't kill you —” On the word kill, the figure exploded in a great cloud of dust: Coughing, his eyes watering, Harry looked around to see Hermione crouched on the floor by the door with her arms over her head, and Ron, who was shaking from head to foot, patting her clumsily on the shoulder and saying, “It's all r-right. . . . It's g-gone. . . .” Q6 - Are these good defenses?“But then you've got to close your mind!” said Hermione shrilly. “Harry, Dumbledore didn't want you to use that connection, he wanted you to shut it down, that's why you were supposed to use Occlumency! Otherwise Voldemort can plant false images in your mind, remember —” Q7 - Would Voldemort do this again and would Harry be tricked by it again?He turned his back on Ron and Hermione, pretending to examine the old tapestry of the Black family tree on the wall. Then Hermione shrieked: Harry drew his wand again and spun around to see a silver Patronus soar through the drawing room window and land upon the floor in front of them, where it solidified into the weasel that spoke with the voice of Ron's father. “Family safe, do not reply, we are being watched.” Q8 - Can you fake Patronuses?“More, Rowle, or shall we end it and feed you to Nagini? Lord Voldemort is not sure that he will forgive this time. . . . You called me back for this, to tell me that Harry Potter has escaped again? Draco, give Rowle another taste of our displeasure. . . . Do it, or feel my wrath yourself!”Q9 - Do you feel bad for Draco?Chapter 10 - Kreacher's TaleHarry wondered whether they had fallen asleep holding hands. The idea made him feel strangely lonely. The wardrobe doors stood open and the bedclothes had been ripped back. Harry remembered the overturned troll leg downstairs. Somebody had searched the house since the Order had left. Snape? Or perhaps Mundungus, who had pilfered plenty from this house both before and after Sirius died?Q1 - Has someone been looking through Grimmauld Place?Thank you, thank you, for Harry's birthday present! It was his favorite by far. One year old and already zooming along on a toy broomstick, he looked so pleased with himself, I'm enclosing a picture so you can see. You know it only rises about two feet off the ground, but he nearly killed the cat and he smashed a horrible vase Petunia sent me for Christmas (no complaints there). Q2 - Was there something behind Petunia's gift?Bathilda drops in most days, she's a fascinating old thing with the most amazing stories about Dumbledore, I'm not sure he'd be pleased if he knew! I don't know how much to believe, actually, because it seems incredible that Dumbledore…Q3 - What was this going to say? And why was Dumbledore using the cloak?He read the letter again, but could not take in any more meaning than he had done the first time, and was reduced to staring at the handwriting itself. She had made her “g”s the same way he did: He searched through the letter for every one of them, and each felt like a friendly little wave glimpsed from behind a veil. The letter was an incredible treasure, proof that Lily Potter had lived, really lived, that her warm hand had once moved across this parchment, tracing ink into these letters, these words, words about him, Harry, her son.They had had a cat . . . perhaps it had perished, like his parents, at Godric's Hollow Q4 - Is this cat Crookshanks?His parents had known Bathilda Bagshot; had Dumbledore introduced them? Dumbledore's still got his Invisibility Cloak . . . There was something funny there. . . .“Harry, do you really think you'll get the truth from a malicious old woman like Muriel, or from Rita Skeeter? How can you believe them? You knew Dumbledore!” “I thought I did,” he muttered. “But you know how much truth there was in everything Rita wrote about you! Doge is right, how can you let these people tarnish your memories of Dumbledore?” He looked away, trying not to betray the resentment he felt. There it was again: Choose what to believe. He wanted the truth. Why was everybody so determined that he should not get it? Q5 - What is the truth here?This, then, was how Voldemort had tested the defenses surrounding the Horcrux: by borrowing a disposable creature, a house-elf . . . “There was a b-basin full of potion on the island. The D-Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it. . . .” The elf quaked from head to foot. “Kreacher drank, and as he drank, he saw terrible things. . . . Kreacher's insides burned. . . . Kreacher cried for Master Regulus to save him, he cried for his Mistress Black, but the Dark Lord only laughed. . . . He made Kreacher drink all the potion. . . . He dropped a locket into the empty basin. . . . He filled it with more potion. Q6 - How much pity do you have for Kreacher?Kreacher knew how to open the concealed entrance to the underground cavern, knew how to raise the tiny boat; this time it was his beloved Regulus who sailed with him to the island with its basin of poison. . . . “And he made you drink the potion?” said Harry, disgusted. But Kreacher shook his head and wept. Hermione's hands leapt to her mouth: She seemed to have understood something. “M-Master Regulus took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had,” said Kreacher, tears pouring down either side of his snoutlike nose. “And he told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to switch the lockets. . . .”Q7 - What do you think of Kreacher's Tale?“Kreacher, I want you, please, to go and find Mundungus Fletcher. We need to find out where the locket — where Master Regulus's locket is. It's really important. We want to finish the work Master Regulus started, we want to — er — ensure that he didn't die in vain.” Kreacher dropped his fists and looked up at Harry. “Find Mundungus Fletcher?” he croaked. “And bring him here, to Grimmauld Place,” said Harry. “Do you think you could do that for us?” As Kreacher nodded and got to his feet, Harry had a sudden inspiration. He pulled out Hagrid's purse and took out the fake Horcrux, the substitute locket in which Regulus had placed the note to Voldemort. Q8 - How will they open the locket?Chapter 11 - The Bribe“Will you stop it!” she cried on the third evening of Kreacher's absence, as all light was sucked from the drawing room yet again. “Sorry, sorry!” said Ron, clicking the Deluminator and restoring the lights. “I don't know I'm doing it!” “Well, can't you find something useful to occupy yourself?” “What, like reading kids' stories?” “Dumbledore left me this book, Ron —” “— and he left me the Deluminator, maybe I'm supposed to use it!” Q1 - Any further theories on why Dumbledore left them these objects?“I had to Apparate very precisely onto the top step outside the front door to be sure that they would not see me. They can't know you're in here or I'm sure they'd have more people out there; they're staking out everywhere that's got any connection with you, Harry. Let's go downstairs, there's a lot to tell you, and I want to know what happened after you left the Burrow.”Q2 - How does the Fidelius Charm actually work?“So, you came straight here after the wedding?” “No,” said Harry, “only after we ran into a couple of Death Eaters in a café on Tottenham Court Road.” Lupin slopped most of his butterbeer down his front. “What?” They explained what had happened; when they had finished, Lupin looked aghast. “But how did they find you so quickly? It's impossible to track anyone who Apparates, unless you grab hold of them as they disappear!”Q3 - How did the Death Eaters find him?“There were about a dozen of them, but they didn't know you were there, Harry. Arthur heard a rumor that they tried to torture your whereabouts out of Scrimgeour before they killed him; if it's true, he didn't give you away.” Q4 - Does this make you think highly of Scrimgeour?Q5 - What do you think of the Muggle Born Registration Committee?“I know,” said Lupin. “Nevertheless, unless you can prove that you have at least one close Wizarding relative, you are now deemed to have obtained your magical power illegally and must suffer the punishment.” Ron glanced at Hermione, then said, “What if purebloods and half-bloods swear a Muggle-born's part of their family? I'll tell everyone Hermione's my cousin —” Q6 - How cute is Ron here? “I'll understand if you can't confirm this, Harry, but the Order is under the impression that Dumbledore left you a mission.” “He did,” Harry replied, “and Ron and Hermione are in on it and they're coming with me.” “Can you confide in me what the mission is?” Harry looked into the prematurely lined face, framed in thick but graying hair, and wished that he could return a different answer. “I can't, Remus, I'm sorry. If Dumbledore didn't tell you I don't think I can.” Q7 - Danny during the liveread you said “Don't do it.” Why?“Remus,” said Hermione tentatively, “is everything all right . . . you know . . . between you and —” “Everything is fine, thank you,” said Lupin pointedly. Hermione turned pink. There was another pause, an awkward and embarrassed one, and then Lupin said, with an air of forcing himself to admit something unpleasant, “Tonks is going to have a baby.” “Oh, how wonderful!” squealed Hermione. “Excellent!” said Ron enthusiastically. “Congratulations,” said Harry. Q8 - How'd ya guess that Jenn?“You don't understand,” said Lupin at last. “Explain, then,” said Harry. Lupin swallowed. “I — I made a grave mistake in marrying Tonks. I did it against my better judgment and I have regretted it very much ever since.” “I see,” said Harry, “so you're just going to dump her and the kid and run off with us?” Lupin sprang to his feet: His chair toppled over backward, and he glared at them so fiercely that Harry saw, for the first time ever, the shadow of the wolf upon his human face. “Don't you understand what I've done to my wife and my unborn child? I should never have married her, I've made her an outcast!”Q9 - Should Lupin have married Tonks?“Remus!” whispered Hermione, tears in her eyes. “Don't say that — how could any child be ashamed of you?” “Oh, I don't know, Hermione,” said Harry. “I'd be pretty ashamed of him.” Harry did not know where his rage was coming from, but it had propelled him to his feet too. Lupin looked as though Harry had hit himQ10 - How did Harry handle this whole situation?Q11 - What do you think was the truth about Ariana Dumledore?There was the sound of pattering feet, a blaze of shining copper, an echoing clang, and a shriek of agony: Kreacher had taken a run at Mundungus and hit him over the head with a saucepan. “Call 'im off, call 'im off, 'e should be locked up!” screamed Mundungus, cowering as Kreacher raised the heavy-bottomed pan again. “Kreacher, no!” shouted Harry. Kreacher's thin arms trembled with the weight of the pan, still held aloft. “Perhaps just one more, Master Harry, for luck?” Ron laughed. “We need him conscious, Kreacher, but if he needs persuading you can do the honors,” said Harry. “Thank you very much, Master,” said Kreacher with a bow, and he retreated a short distance, his great pale eyes still fixed upon Mundungus with loathing.Q12 - Isn't is crazy how you can go from hating a character so quick to loving him?Chapter 12 - Magic is MightA large picture of a familiar, hook-nosed, black-haired man stared up at them all, beneath a headline that read: SEVERUS SNAPE CONFIRMED AS HOGWARTS HEADMASTER Q1 - What do you think of this?“Phineas Nigellus,” Hermione explained as she threw the bag onto the kitchen table with the usual sonorous, clanking crash. “Sorry?” said Ron, but Harry understood. The painted image of Phineas Nigellus Black was able to flit between his portrait in Grimmauld Place and the one that hung in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts: the circular tower-top room where Snape was no doubt sitting right now, in triumphant possession of Dumbledore's collection of delicate, silver magical instruments, the stone Pensieve, the Sorting Hat and, unless it had been moved elsewhere, the sword of Gryffindor.Q2 - Do you think Snape had ever spied on them using that before?Q3 - They are going to storm the ministry? Should they be doing this? The door opened: A laughing woman stood there. Her face fell as she looked into Harry's face: humor gone, terror replacing it. . . . “Gregorovitch?” said a high, cold voice. She shook her head: She was trying to close the door. A white hand held it steady, prevented her shutting him out. . . . “I want Gregorovitch.” “I hate it, I hate the fact that he can get inside me, that I have to watch him when he's most dangerous. But I'm going to use it.” “Dumbledore —” “Forget Dumbledore. This is my choice, nobody else's. I want to know why he's after Gregorovitch.” Q4 - Is Harry foolish to try this?Q5 - How is their plan to get into the ministry?Harry looked more closely and realized that what he had thought were decoratively carved thrones were actually mounds of carved humans: hundreds and hundreds of naked bodies, men, women, and children, all with rather stupid, ugly faces, twisted and pressed together to support the weight of the handsomely robed wizards. The golden grilles slid apart again and Hermione gasped. Four people stood before them, two of them deep in conversation: a longhaired wizard wearing magnificent robes of black and gold, and a squat, toadlike witch wearing a velvet bow in her short hair and clutching a clipboard to her chest.

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Ch 5-8

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2024 78:02


Chapter 5 - Fallen WarriorQ1 - How convinced were you that this was Hagrid?No sooner had Mrs. Weasley bent over her son than Lupin grabbed Harry by the upper arm and dragged him, none too gently, back into the kitchen, where Hagrid was still attempting to ease his bulk through the back door. “Oi!” said Hagrid indignantly. “Le' go of him! Le' go of Harry!” Lupin ignored him. “What creature sat in the corner the first time that Harry Potter visited my office at Hogwarts?” he said, giving Harry a small shake. “Answer me!” “A — a grindylow in a tank, wasn't it?” Lupin released Harry and fell back against a kitchen cupboard. “Wha' was tha' about?” roared Hagrid. “I'm sorry, Harry, but I had to check,” said Lupin tersely. “We've been betrayed. Voldemort knew that you were being moved tonight and the only people who could have told him were directly involved in the plan. You might have been an impostor.”Q1 - Who was the betrayer?“So you think I should have killed Stan Shunpike?” said Harry angrily. “Of course not,” said Lupin, “but the Death Eaters — frankly, most people! — would have expected you to attack back! Expelliarmus is a useful spell, Harry, but the Death Eaters seem to think it is your signature move, and I urge you not to let it become so!” Q2 - Why is Harry so defensive of Stan?“The last words Albus Dumbledore spoke to the pair of us?” “ ‘Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him,' ” said Lupin calmly. Q3 - What does Dumbledore mean by this?Perhaps roused by the sound of Fred and their father's arrival, George stirred. “How do you feel, Georgie?” whispered Mrs. Weasley. George's fingers groped for the side of his head. “Saintlike,” he murmured. “What's wrong with him?” croaked Fred, looking terrified. “Is his mind affected?” “Saintlike,” repeated George, opening his eyes and looking up at his brother. “You see . . . I'm holy. Holey, Fred, geddit?” “Ron was great,” said Tonks warmly, relinquishing her hold on Lupin. “Wonderful. Stunned one of the Death Eaters, straight to the head, and when you're aiming at a moving target from a flying broom —” “You did?” said Hermione, gazing up at Ron with her arms still around his neck. “Always the tone of surprise,” he said a little grumpily, breaking free. “Are we the last back?” Q4 - Did Ron kill someone?Lupin nodded. With a wave to the others, Kingsley walked away into the darkness toward the gate. Harry thought he heard the faintest pop as Kingsley Disapparated just beyond the Burrow's boundaries. Q5 - Confirmation Kingsley's got a small butt?Mrs. Weasley ran forward, but the hug Bill bestowed upon her was perfunctory. Looking directly at his father, he said, “Mad-Eye's dead.” Q6 - What are your thoughts on Mad-Eye's death?She glared around at them all, tear tracks still etched on her beautiful face, silently daring any of them to contradict her. Nobody did. The only sound to break the silence was that of Hagrid hiccuping from behind his handkerchief. Harry glanced at Hagrid, who had just risked his own life to save Harry's — Hagrid, whom he loved, whom he trusted, who had once been tricked into giving Voldemort crucial information in exchange for a dragon's egg. . . . “No,” Harry said aloud, and they all looked at him, surprised: The firewhisky seemed to have amplified his voice. “I mean . . . if somebody made a mistake,” Harry went on, “and let something slip, I know they didn't mean to do it. It's not their fault,” he repeated, again a little louder than he would usually have spoken. “We've got to trust each other. I trust all of you, I don't think anyone in this room would ever sell me to Voldemort.” Q7 - Is Harry foolish to be saying this?The rest of them now dropped into chairs, all except for Harry, who remained standing. The suddenness and completeness of death was with them like a presence. “I've got to go too,” said Harry. Ten pairs of startled eyes looked at him. “Don't be silly, Harry,” said Mrs. Weasley. “What are you talking about?” Q8 - Is Harry and idiot?“No,” said Harry. “The bike was falling, I couldn't have told you where Voldemort was, but my wand spun in my hand and found him and shot a spell at him, and it wasn't even a spell I recognized. I've never made gold flames appear before.” Q9 - What spell did Harry perform?And then, out of nowhere, the pain in his scar peaked. As he clutched his forehead and closed his eyes, a voice screamed inside his head. “You told me the problem would be solved by using another's wand!” And into his mind burst the vision of an emaciated old man lying in rags upon a stone floor, screaming, a horrible, drawn-out scream, a scream of unendurable agony. . . . “No! No! I beg you, I beg you. . . .” “You lied to Lord Voldemort, Ollivander!” “I did not. . . . I swear I did not. . . .” “You sought to help Potter, to help him escape me!” “I swear I did not. . . . I believed a different wand would work. . . .” “Explain, then, what happened. Lucius's wand is destroyed!” “I cannot understand. . . . The connection . . . exists only . . . between your two wands. . . .” “Lies!” “Please . . . I beg you. . . .” And Harry saw the white hand raise its wand and felt Voldemort's surge of vicious anger, saw the frail old man on the floor writhe in agony — “Harry?” It was over as quickly as it had come: Q10 - What is going on here? Is Olivander lying?“But it was supposed to have stopped! Your scar — it wasn't supposed to do this anymore! You mustn't let that connection open up again — Dumbledore wanted you to close your mind!” When he did not reply, she gripped his arm. “Harry, he's taking over the Ministry and the newspapers and half the Wizarding world! Don't let him inside your head too!” Q11 - Did Voldemort want Harry to see this?Chapter 6 - The Ghoul in Pajamas“Well, you can't do anything about the” — Ron mouthed the word Horcruxes — “till you're seventeen. You've still got the Trace on you. And we can plan here as well as anywhere, can't we? Or,” he dropped his voice to a whisper, “d'you reckon you already know where the You-Know-Whats are?” “No,” Harry admitted. Q1 - Where are the Horcruxes?Harry understood “they” to mean Fleur and Mrs. Weasley. “It's one extra day,” said Ron, when Harry looked mutinous. “Don't they realize how important — ?” “ 'Course they don't,” said Ron. “They haven't got a clue. And now you mention it, I wanted to talk to you about that.”“Ron and Hermione seem to think that the three of you are dropping out of Hogwarts,” she began in a light, casual tone. “Oh,” said Harry. “Well, yeah. We are.”Q2 - Do you find it shocking that Mrs Weasley is still sending Ginny to Hogwarts?“Now, Ron, have you cleaned out your room yet?” “Why?” exclaimed Ron, slamming his spoon down and glaring at his mother. “Why does my room have to be cleaned out? Harry and I are fine with it the way it is!” “We are holding your brother's wedding here in a few days' time, young man —” “And are they getting married in my bedroom?” asked Ron furiously. “No! So why in the name of Merlin's saggy left —” “Don't talk to your mother like that,” said Mr. Weasley firmly. “And do as you're told.” “We were just talking about Mad-Eye,” Ron told Harry. “I reckon he might have survived.” “But Bill saw him hit by the Killing Curse,” said Harry. “Yeah, but Bill was under attack too,” said Ron. “How can he be sure what he saw?” “Even if the Killing Curse missed, Mad-Eye still fell about a thousand feet,” said Hermione, now weighing Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland in her hand. “He could have used a Shield Charm —” “Fleur said his wand was blasted out of his hand,” said Harry. “Well, all right, if you want him to be dead,” said Ron grumpily, punching his pillow into a more comfortable shape. Q3 - Do you think Ron could be right?“What are you doing with all those books anyway?” Ron asked, limping back to his bed. “Just trying to decide which ones to take with us,” said Hermione. “When we're looking for the Horcruxes.” “Oh, of course,” said Ron, clapping a hand to his forehead. “I forgot we'll be hunting down Voldemort in a mobile library.” “Ha ha,” said Hermione, looking down at Spellman's Syllabary. “I wonder . . . will we need to translate runes? It's possible. . . . I think we'd better take it, to be safe.” Q4 - If you were hunting Voldemort, what 5 items would you bring?“Listen,” said Harry. He had sat up straight. Ron and Hermione looked at him with similar mixtures of resignation and defiance. “I know you said after Dumbledore's funeral that you wanted to come with me,” Harry began. “Here he goes,” Ron said to Hermione, rolling his eyes. “As we knew he would,” she sighed, turning back to the books. “You know, I think I will take Hogwarts, A History. Even if we're not going back there, I don't think I'd feel right if I didn't have it with —” “Listen!” said Harry again. “No, Harry, you listen,” said Hermione. “We're coming with you. That was decided months ago — years, really.” “But —” “Shut up,” Ron advised him. “I've also modified my parents' memories so that they're convinced they're really called Wendell and Monica Wilkins, and that their life's ambition is to move to Australia, which they have now done. That's to make it more difficult for Voldemort to track them down and interrogate them about me — or you, because unfortunately, I've told them quite a bit about you. “Assuming I survive our hunt for the Horcruxes, I'll find Mum and Dad and lift the enchantment. If I don't — well, I think I've cast a good enough charm to keep them safe and happy. Wendell and Monica Wilkins don't know that they've got a daughter, you see. Q5 - Will Hermione's plan work?There was silence in the room, broken only by gentle thuds as Hermione continued to throw books onto one pile or the other. Ron sat watching her, and Harry looked from one to the other, unable to say anything. The measures they had taken to protect their families made him realize, more than anything else could have done, that they really were going to come with him and that they knew exactly how dangerous that would be. He wanted to tell them what that meant to him, but he simply could not find words important enough. Harry, who did not believe that Hermione really understood his desire to return to Godric's Hollow. His parents' graves were only part of the attraction: He had a strong, though inexplicable, feeling that the place held answers for him. Perhaps it was simply because it was there that he had survived Voldemort's Killing Curse; now that he was facing the challenge of repeating the feat, Harry was drawn to the place where it had happened, wanting to understand. Q6 - What answers will Godric's Hollow have?“And the more I've read about them,” said Hermione, “the more horrible they seem, and the less I can believe that he actually made six. It warns in this book how unstable you make the rest of your soul by ripping it, and that's just by making one Horcrux!” Harry remembered what Dumbledore had said about Voldemort moving beyond “usual evil.” “Isn't there any way of putting yourself back together?” Ron asked. “Yes,” said Hermione with a hollow smile, “but it would be excruciatingly painful.” “Why? How do you do it?” asked Harry. “Remorse,” said Hermione. “You've got to really feel what you've done. There's a footnote. Apparently the pain of it can destroy you. I can't see Voldemort attempting it somehow, can you?” Q7 - Do you think he'd ever experience remorse for what he's done?“It has to be something so destructive that the Horcrux can't repair itself. Basilisk venom only has one antidote, and it's incredibly rare —”Q8 - What else do you think can kill a Horcrux?“Hang on,” said Ron, frowning. “The bit of soul in that diary was possessing Ginny, wasn't it? How does that work, then?” “While the magical container is still intact, the bit of soul inside it can flit in and out of someone if they get too close to the object. I don't mean holding it for too long, it's nothing to do with touching it,” she added before Ron could speak. “I mean close emotionally. Ginny poured her heart out into that diary, she made herself incredibly vulnerable. You're in trouble if you get too fond of or dependent on the Horcrux.” “I wonder how Dumbledore destroyed the ring?” said Harry. “Why didn't I ask him? I never really . . .” Q9 - Will any of them become possessed by Voldemort's soul?Q10 - How did Dumbledore kill the Horcrux?Chapter 7 - The Will of Albus DumbledoreHe was walking along a mountain road in the cool blue light of dawn. Far below, swathed in mist, was the shadow of a small town. Was the man he sought down there, the man he needed so badly he could think of little else, the man who held the answer, the answer to his problem . . . ?Q1 - What is going on?Q2 - Who's Gregorovitch?Harry seized the wand lying beside his camp bed, pointed it at the cluttered desk where he had left his glasses, and said, “Accio Glasses!” Although they were only around a foot away, there was something immensely satisfying about seeing them zoom toward him, at least until they poked him in the eye.  Q3 - What was your most memorable “18” or “21” story?“This isn't your average book,” said Ron. “It's pure gold: Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches. Explains everything you need to know about girls. If only I'd had this last year I'd have known exactly how to get rid of Lavender and I would've known how to get going with . . . Well, Fred and George gave me a copy, and I've learned a lot. You'd be surprised, it's not all about wandwork, either.” Harry sat down, took the square parcel she had indicated, and unwrapped it. Inside was a watch very like the one Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had given Ron for his seventeenth; it was gold, with stars circling around the face instead of hands. “It's traditional to give a wizard a watch when he comes of age,” said Mrs. Weasley, watching him anxiously from beside the cooker. “I'm afraid that one isn't new like Ron's, it was actually my brother Fabian's and he wasn't terribly careful with his possessions, it's a bit dented on the back, but —” The rest of her speech was lost; Harry had got up and hugged her. He tried to put a lot of unsaid things into the hug and perhaps she understood them, because she patted his cheek clumsily when he released her, then waved her wand in a slightly random way, causing half a pack of bacon to flop out of the frying pan onto the floor. Q4 - Do you remember who Fabian Pruitt is?“The Prewetts, Gideon and Fabian. It took five Death eaters to bring them down, they fought like heroes.”  (GOBLET OF FIRE)Although Lupin smiled as he shook Harry's hand, Harry thought he looked rather unhappy. It was all very odd; Tonks, beside him, looked simply radiant. Q5 - What's going on between them?“The Minister — but why — ? I don't understand —” But there was no time to discuss the matter; a second later, Mr. Weasley had appeared out of thin air at the gate, accompanied by Rufus Scrimgeour, instantly recognizable by his mane of grizzled hair. Q6 - What do you think of the Minister for Magic?“That law was created to stop wizards passing on Dark artifacts,” said Hermione, “and the Ministry is supposed to have powerful evidence that the deceased's possessions are illegal before seizing them! Are you telling me that you thought Dumbledore was trying to pass us something cursed?” “Are you planning to follow a career in Magical Law, Miss Granger?” asked Scrimgeour.Q7 - Do you think Ministry members think Dumbledore was evil?However, Scrimgeour did not seem to be listening. He put his hand inside his cloak and drew out a drawstring pouch much larger than the one Hagrid had given Harry. From it, he removed a scroll of parchment which he unrolled and read aloud. “ ‘The Last Will and Testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore' . . . Yes, here we are. . . . ‘To Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my Deluminator, in the hope that he will remember me when he uses it.' ” Scrimgeour took from the bag an object that Harry had seen before: It looked something like a silver cigarette lighter, but it had, he knew, the power to suck all light from a place, and restore it, with a simple click. Scrimgeour leaned forward and passed the Deluminator to Ron, who took it and turned it over in his fingers, looking stunned. “That is a valuable object,” said Scrimgeour, watching Ron. “It may even be unique. Certainly it is of Dumbledore's own design. Why would he have left you an item so rare?” Q8 - Why did he leave this to Ron?“ ‘To Miss Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in the hope that she will find it entertaining and instructive.' ” Scrimgeour now pulled out of the bag a small book that looked as ancient as the copy of Secrets of the Darkest Art upstairs. Its binding was stained and peeling in places. Hermione took it from Scrimgeour without a word. She held the book in her lap and gazed at it. Harry saw that the title was in runes; he had never learned to read them. As he looked, a tear splashed onto the embossed symbols. “Why do you think Dumbledore left you that book, Miss Granger?” asked Scrimgeour.Q9 - Why did he leave this to Hermione?“ ‘To Harry James Potter,' ” he read, and Harry's insides contracted with a sudden excitement, “ ‘I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill.' ” As Scrimgeour pulled out the tiny, walnut-sized golden ball, its silver wings fluttered rather feebly, and Harry could not help feeling a definite sense of anticlimax. “Why did Dumbledore leave you this Snitch?” asked Scrimgeour.Q10 - Why did he leave this to Harry?“Dumbledore left you a second bequest, Potter.” “What is it?” asked Harry, excitement rekindling. Scrimgeour did not bother to read from the will this time. “The sword of Godric Gryffindor,” he said. Q11 - Why did he leave this to Harry?“It — it was nothing,” he growled. “I . . . regret your attitude,” he said, looking Harry full in the face once more. “You seem to think that the Ministry does not desire what you — what Dumbledore — desired. We ought to be working together.” He nearly dropped the Snitch in surprise and excitement. Hermione was quite right. Engraved upon the smooth golden surface, where seconds before there had been nothing, were five words written in the thin, slanting handwriting that Harry recognized as Dumbledore's: I open at the close. Q12 - What does this mean?“Ron, you know full well Harry and I were brought up by Muggles!” said Hermione. “We didn't hear stories like that when we were little, we heard ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and ‘Cinderella' —” “What's that, an illness?” asked Ron.Chapter 8 - The WeddingHarry had taken a large dose of Polyjuice Potion and was now the double of a redheaded Muggle boy from the local village, Ottery St. Catchpole, from whom Fred had stolen hairs using a Summoning Charm.Q1 - How do you feel about this identity theft?“When I get married,” said Fred, tugging at the collar of his own robes, “I won't be bothering with any of this nonsense. You can all wear what you like, and I'll put a full Body-Bind Curse on Mum until it's all over.” Q2 - Who do you think Fred and George are going to marry?An odd symbol, rather like a triangular eye, glistened from a golden chain around his neck. “Sign?” said Harry, looking over at Xenophilius too. The strange triangular eye was gleaming on his chest. “Why? What's wrong with it?” “Grindelvald. That is Grindelvald's sign.” “Grindelwald . . . the Dark wizard Dumbledore defeated?” “Exactly.” Krum's jaw muscles worked as if he were chewing, then he said, “Grindelvald killed many people, my grandfather, for instance. Of course, he vos never poverful in this country, they said he feared Dumbledore — and rightly, seeing how he vos finished. But this” — he pointed a finger at Xenophilius — “this is his symbol, I recognized it at vunce: Grindelvald carved it into a vall at Durmstrang ven he vos a pupil there. Some idiots copied it onto their books and clothes, thinking to shock, make themselves impressive — until those of us who had lost family members to Grindelvald taught them better.” Krum cracked his knuckles menacingly and glowered at Xenophilius. Harry felt perplexed. It seemed incredibly unlikely that Luna's father was a supporter of the Dark Arts, and nobody else in the tent seemed to have recognized the triangular, runelike shape. Q3 - Victor nearly fights him because of this symbol…what is it?“Hello, Harry!” she said. “Er — my name's Barny,” said Harry, flummoxed. “Oh, have you changed that too?” she asked brightly. “How did you know — ?” “Oh, just your expression,” she said. “Hmm. Made an excuse, did he? Not as gormless as he looks in press photographs, then. I've just been instructing the bride on how best to wear my tiara,” she shouted at Harry. “Goblin-made, you know, and been in my family for centuries. She's a good-looking girl, but still — French. Well, well, find me a good seat, Ronald, I am a hundred and seven and I ought not to be on my feet too long.” Q4 - Is this tiara anything special?Harry did not answer. He pretended to watch the dancers, like Krum, but he was thinking hard. So Voldemort was looking for a celebrated wandmaker, and Harry did not have to search far for a reason: It was surely because of what Harry's wand had done on the night that Voldemort had pursued him across the skies. The holly and phoenix feather wand had conquered the borrowed wand, something that Ollivander had not anticipated or understood. Would Gregorovitch know better? Was he truly more skilled than Ollivander, did he know secrets of wands that Ollivander did not? Q5 - Does Gregorivitch know secrets of wandlore that Olivander doesn't?“Well, in that interview,” Harry went on, “Rita Skeeter hinted that Professor Dumbledore was involved in the Dark Arts when he was young.” “Don't believe a word of it!” said Doge at once. “Not a word, Harry! Let nothing tarnish your memories of Albus Dumbledore!” Q6 - What's the truth here?“Why did nobody ever see her, Elphias?” squawked Muriel. “Why did half of us never even know she existed, until they carried the coffin out of the house and held a funeral for her? Where was saintly Albus while Ariana was locked in the cellar? Off being brilliant at Hogwarts, and never mind what was going on in his own house!” “What d'you mean, locked in the cellar?” asked Harry. “What is this?” Doge looked wretched. Auntie Muriel cackled again and answered Harry. Doge looked to be on the verge of tears. Auntie Muriel, who seemed to be enjoying herself hugely, snapped her fingers for more champagne. Numbly Harry thought of how the Dursleys had once shut him up, locked him away, kept him out of sight, all for the crime of being a wizard. Had Dumbledore's sister suffered the same fate in reverse: imprisoned for her lack of magic? And had Dumbledore truly left her to her fate while he went off to Hogwarts, to prove himself brilliant and talented?Q7 - Could this be true?“And I'll tell you something else,” Muriel said, hiccuping slightly as she lowered her goblet. “I think Bathilda has spilled the beans to Rita Skeeter. All those hints in Skeeter's interview about an important source close to the Dumbledores — goodness knows she was there all through the Ariana business, and it would fit!” Q8 - Is Bathilda Bagshot the source?“Bathilda Bagshot lives in Godric's Hollow?” “Oh yes, she's been there forever! The Dumbledores moved there after Percival was imprisoned, and she was their neighbor.” “The Dumbledores lived in Godric's Hollow?” “Yes, Barry, that's what I just said,” said Auntie Muriel testily. Harry felt drained, empty. Never once, in six years, had Dumbledore told Harry that they had both lived and lost loved ones in Godric's Hollow. Why? Were Lily and James buried close to Dumbledore's mother and sister? Had Dumbledore visited their graves, perhaps walked past Lily's and James's to do so? And he had never once told Harry . . . never bothered to say . . . Q9 - Is Dumbledore a good person?Harry did not know where to begin, but it did not matter. At that moment, something large and silver came falling through the canopy over the dance floor. Graceful and gleaming, the lynx landed lightly in the middle of the astonished dancers. Heads turned, as those nearest it froze absurdly in mid-dance. Then the Patronus's mouth opened wide and it spoke in the loud, deep, slow voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt. “The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming.” 

早餐英语|实用英文口语
难以捉摸的Million怎么读才地道呢?

早餐英语|实用英文口语

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2024 2:38


更多卡卡老师分享公众号:卡卡课堂 卡卡老师微信:kakayingyu001送你一份卡卡老师学习大礼包,帮助你在英文学习路上少走弯路不少同学听到“Million”这个单词,都会发现,这个单词怎么发音有些难以捉摸。今天卡卡老师带你学习这个单词的地道发音。million [ˈmɪljən]n. 百万;无数adj. 数百万的;大量的。这个单词的英式发音和美式发音是有区别的,主要体现在音节的划分上:英式发音读作mi+llion原声例句:Jo Rowling has given away millions of pounds.乔·罗琳已经捐赠了数百万英镑。而美式发音读作:mill+ion原声例句:Twitter has more than 300 million monthly active users.推特的月度活跃用户超过3亿。

jo rowling
Harry Potter and the First Time Readers
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: Ch 9-12

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2024 80:16


Chapter 9 - The Half-Blood PrinceHermione's remonstration was drowned by a loud giggle; Lavender Brown had apparently found Ron's remark highly amusing. She continued to laugh as she passed them, glancing back at Ron over her shoulder. Ron looked rather pleased with himself.Q1 - Does Lavender like Ron?‘Humph,' snorted Professor McGonagall. ‘It's high time your grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she's got, rather than the one she thinks she ought to have – particularly after what happened at the Ministry.'Q2 - Do you ever think McGonagall could go bad?Q3 - Do you think Gryffindor will win the Quidditch Cup this year?Snape set off around the edge of the room, speaking now in a lower voice; the class craned their necks to keep him in view. ‘The Dark Arts,' said Snape, ‘are many, varied, ever-changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible.' Harry stared at Snape. It was surely one thing to respect the Dark Arts as a dangerous enemy, another to speak of them, as Snape was doing, with a loving caress in his voice?His Shield Charm was so strong Snape was knocked off-balance and hit a desk. The whole class had looked round and now watched as Snape righted himself, scowling. ‘Do you remember me telling you we are practicing non-verbal spells, Potter?' ‘Yes,' said Harry stiffly. ‘Yes sir.' ‘There's no need to call me “sir”, Professor.'Q4 - Do you view Harry as a better wizard than Snape?This left Harry, Ron and Hermione to share a table with Ernie. They chose the one nearest a gold-coloured cauldron that was emitting one of the most seductive scents Harry had ever inhaled: somehow it reminded him simultaneously of treacle tart, the woody smell of a broomstick handle and something flowery he thought he might have smelled at The Burrow. He found that he was breathing very slowly and deeply and that the potion's fumes seemed to be filling him up like drink. A great contentment stole over him; he grinned across at Ron, who grinned lazily back.Q5 - What do you think of the Amortentia?It's supposed to smell differently to each of us, according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and –' But she turned slightly pink and did not complete the sentence.Q6 - What is the last smell Hermione smells?‘No, I don't think so, sir. I'm Muggle-born, you see.' Harry saw Malfoy lean close to Nott and whisper something; both of them sniggered, but Slughorn showed no dismay; on the contrary, he beamed and looked from Hermione to Harry, who was sitting next to her. ‘Oho! “One of my best friends is Muggle-born and she's the best in our year!” I'm assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?' ‘Yes, sir,' said Harry. ‘Well, well, take twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger,' said Slughorn genially.Q7 - Is Slughorn growing on you?‘Amortentia doesn't really create love, of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room – oh yes,' he said, nodding gravely at Malfoy and Nott, both of whom were smirking skeptically. ‘When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love …Q8 - What do you think of this line?Q9 - What do you think of Liquid Luck?Q10 - What is a time when you beat everyone in class at something?‘The clear winner!' he cried to the dungeon. ‘Excellent, excellent, Harry! Good Lord, it's clear you've inherited your mother's talent, she was a dab hand at Potions, Lily was! Here you are, then, here you are – one bottle of Felix Felicis, as promised, and use it well!'Nobody else was looking. Harry bent low to retrieve the book and, as he did so, he saw something scribbled along the bottom of the back cover in the same small, cramped handwriting as the instructions that had won him his bottle of Felix Felicis, now safely hidden inside a pair of socks in his trunk upstairs. This Book is the Property of the Half-Blood PrinceQ11 - Who is the Half-Blood Prince?Chapter 10 - The House of GauntQ1 - Should Harry be following the book's advice?Q2 - What do you think of Snape and Slughorn in their roles?‘Well, I have decided that it is time, now that you know what prompted Lord Voldemort to try and kill you fifteen years ago, for you to be given certain information.'Q3 - Jenn, did your heart rate go up here?‘I told you everything I know. From this point forth, we shall be leaving the firm foundation of fact and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into thickets of wildest guesswork. From hereon in, Harry, I may be as woefully wrong as Humphrey Belcher, who believed the time was ripe for a cheese cauldron.'Q4 - Where have you seen Little Hangleton before?There was a scuffling noise in the corner beside the open window and Harry realized that there was somebody else in the room, a girl whose ragged gray dress was the exact color of the dirty stone wall behind her. She was standing beside a steaming pot on a grimy black stove, and was fiddling around with the shelf of squalid-looking pots and pans above it. Her hair was lank and dull and she had a plain, pale, rather heavy face. Her eyes, like her brother's, stared in opposite directions. She looked a little cleaner than the two men, but Harry thought he had never seen a more defeated-looking person.Q5 - What do you think of Merope and Morfin?Q6 - Is a Squib made from abuse?Q7 - What do you think of Tom Riddle's origin story?‘Sir … is it important to know all this about Voldemort's past?' ‘Very important, I think,' said Dumbledore. ‘And it … it's got something to do with the prophecy?' ‘It has everything to do with the prophecy.'Q8 - Why is this important?Q9 - What is the ring and what happened to Dumbledore's hand?Chapter 11 - Hermione's Helping HandNon-verbal spells were now expected, not only in Defence Against the Dark Arts, but in Charms and Transfiguration too. Harry frequently looked over at his classmates in the common room or at mealtimes to see them purple in the face and straining as though they had overdosed on U-No-Poo.‘We've got to go and explain,' said Hermione, looking up at Hagrid's huge empty chair at the staff table the following Saturday at breakfast. ‘We've got Quidditch tryouts this morning!' said Ron. ‘And we're supposed to be practicing that Aguamenti charm for Flitwick! Anyway, explain what? How are we going to tell him we hated his stupid subject?'Q1 - What is the Aguamenti charm?Q2 - Is Hagrid childish for this?‘Oh, come on, Harry,' said Hermione, suddenly impatient. ‘It's not Quidditch that's popular, it's you! You've never been more interesting and, frankly, you've never been more fanciable.' Ron gagged on a large piece of kipper. Hermione spared him one look of disdain before turning back to Harry.Q3 - Why is Ron gagging?Q4 - Harry mentioned he hoped Lupin would write…why doesn't Lupin write?Q5 - Do you think Stan Shunpike is a Death Eater?‘People are terrified – you know the Patil twins' parents want them to go home? And Eloise Midgeon has already been withdrawn. Her father picked her up last night.'Q6 - If you had kids, would you take them out of Hogwarts?Q7 - Dumbledore is gone missing a lot…what is he doing?Q8 - How do you think this years Gryffindor quidditch team looks?Q9 - What do you think about Hermione confounding Cormac?‘But how can he have done, Harry?' said Hermione, putting down the newspaper with a surprised look. ‘We were all searched when we arrived, weren't we?' ‘Were you?' said Harry, taken aback. ‘I wasn't!' ‘Oh no, of course you weren't, I forgot you were late … well, Filch ran over all of us with Secrecy Sensors when we got into the Entrance Hall. Any Dark object would have been found, I know for a fact Crabbe had a shrunken head confiscated. So you see, Malfoy can't have brought in anything dangerous!'Q10 - What was this Shrunken head? And did Malfoy sneak anything in?Q11 - What's the best party you've ever been to?Chapter 12 - Silver and OpalsWhere was Dumbledore and what was he doing?Q1 - Where was Dumbledore and what was he doing?Q2 - Is the Half-Blood Prince a dark person?Harry rather doubted he would be able to bring off this particular spell; he was still having difficulty with non-verbal spells, something Snape had been quick to comment on in every DADA class. On the other hand, the Prince had proved a much more effective teacher than Snape so far.Q3 - Do you think Snape really is a good teacher and Harry is just blinded?Q4 - Is Harry dumb to be practicing these spells on his friends?Q5 - Harry thinks that the Prince could be his dad, do you think he's right?Harry had pinned Mundungus against the wall of the pub by the throat. Holding him fast with one hand, he pulled out his wand. ‘Harry!' squealed Hermione. ‘You took that from Sirius's house,' said Harry, who was almost nose-to-nose with Mundungus and was breathing in an unpleasant smell of old tobacco and spirits. ‘That had the Black family crest on it.'Q6 - What is Mundungus stealing from the Black house?At once, Katie rose into the air, not as Ron had done, suspended comically by the ankle, but gracefully, her arms outstretched, as though she were about to fly. Yet there was something wrong, something eerie … her hair was whipped around her by the fierce wind, but her eyes were closed and her face was quite empty of expression. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Leanne had all halted in their tracks, watching. Then, six feet above the ground, Katie let out a terrible scream. Her eyes flew open but whatever she could see, or whatever she was feeling, was clearly causing her terrible anguish. She screamed and screamed; Leanne started to scream too, and seized Katie's ankles, trying to tug her back to the ground. Harry, Ron and Hermione rushed forwards to help, but even as they grabbed Katie's legs, she fell on top of them; Harry and Ron managed to catch her but she was writhing so much they could hardly hold her. Instead they lowered her to the ground where she thrashed and screamed, apparently unable to recognise any of them.Q7 - What kind of magic is this?Q8 - What's the worst amount of pain you've ever been in?Q9 - Why would someone want to curse an object? What else do you think you could do with objects in the wizarding world?Q10 - Who gave Katie the necklace and where was Katie delivering it?

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Ch 13-16

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2024 51:46


Chapter 13 - Detention with DoloresQ1 - Why do you think Dumbledore hired Dolores Jane Umbridge?Q2 - They are writing an essay on moonstones…do you think this will play into the future somehow?ʹBowtruckles,ʹ said Hermione. Theyʹre tree guardians, usually live in wand-trees. ʹFive points for Gryffindor,ʹ said Professor Grubbly-Plank. ʹQ3 - How rigged is the point system?Q4 - What direction do you hope the books go in? What has interested you the most at this point?The door of the nearest greenhouse opened and some fourth years spilled out of it, including Ginny. ʹHi,ʹ she said brightly as she passed. A few seconds later, Luna Lovegood emerged, trailing behind the rest of the class, a smudge of earth on her nose, and her hair tied in a knot on the top of her head. When she saw Harry, her prominent eyes seemed to bulge excitedly and she made a beeline straight for him. Many of his classmates turned curiously to watch. Luna took a great breath and then said, without so much as a preliminary hello, ʹI believe He Who Must Not Be Named is back and I believe you fought him and escaped from him.ʹQ5 - Harry's story is becoming a conspiracy theory…do you believe any conspiracy theories?Q6 - What do you think of Umbridge and her detention with Harry?Q7 - If you had a detention with a student, what would you have them do?ʹAt least itʹs only lines,ʹ said Hermione consolingly, as Harry sank back on to his bench and looked down at his steak and kidney pie, which he no longer fancied very much. ʹItʹs not as if itʹs a dreadful punishment, really…ʺ  Harry opened his mouth, closed it again and nodded. He was not really sure why he was not telling Ron and Hermione exactly what was happening in Umbridgeʹs room: he only knew that he did not want to see their looks of horror; that would make the whole thing seem worse and therefore more difficult to face. He also felt dimly that this was between himself and Umbridge, a private battle of wills, and he was not going to give her the satisfaction of hearing that he had complained about it.Q8 - Would you stand true like Harry, or fake that she made her point?She moved towards him, stretching out her short ringed fingers for his arm. And then, as she took hold of him to examine the words now cut into his skin, pain seared, not across the back of his hand, but across the scar on his forehead. At the same time, he had a most peculiar sensation somewhere around his midriff.Q9 - Why did his scar hurt here?Chapter 14 - Percy and PadfootQ1 - How do Hogwarts students do their laundry?Q2 - How many house elves do you think Hermione has freed?Harryʹs insides reinflated so rapidly he felt as though he might actually float a few inches off the dropping-strewn floor. Who cared about a stupid flying horse; Cho thought he had been really brave. For a moment, he considered accidentally- on-purpose showing her his cut hand as he helped her tie her parcel on to her owl… but the very instant this thrilling thought occurred, the Owlery door opened again.Q3 - What's the most you've tried to show off to someone you had a crush on?Q4 - What is the deal with Sturgis Podmore?Q5 - Who do you think will win the Quidditch cup this year?From something the Minister let slip when telling me you are now a prefect, I gather that you are still seeing a lot of Harry Potter. I must tell you, Ron, that nothing could put you in danger of losing your badge more than continued fraternization with that boy. Yes, I am sure you are surprised to hear this no doubt you will say that Potter has always been Dumbledoreʹs favorite — but I feel bound to tell you that Dumbledore may not be in charge at Hogwarts much longer and the people who count have a very different and probably more accurate view of Potterʹs behavior. I shall say no more here, but if you look at the Daily Prophet.Q6 - What does Percy mean here?Q7 - Do you think Dumbldore will be sacked by the end of this?And I do hope, Ron, that you will not allow family ties to blind you to the misguided nature of our parentsʹ beliefs and actions, either. I sincerely hope that, in time, they will realize how mistaken they were and I shall, of course, be ready to accept a full apology when that day comes.ʹHermione, you are honestly the most wonderful person Iʹve ever met,ʹ said Ron weakly, ʹand if Iʹm ever rude to you againʹ‐ Iʹll know youʹre back to normal,ʹ said Hermione. ʹHarry, yours is OK except for this bit at the end, I think you must have misheard Professor Sinistra, Europaʹs covered in ice, not mice Harry?ʹQ8 - Harry thought a moon was covered in mice…ʹYes, but the world isnʹt split into good people and Death Eaters,ʹ said Sirius with a wry smile. ʹI know sheʹs a nasty piece of work, though — you should hear Remus talk about her.ʹ ʹFudge thinks Dumbledore will stop at nothing to seize power. Heʹs getting more paranoid about Dumbledore by the day. Itʹs a matter of time before he has Dumbledore arrested on some trumped up charge.ʹ There was a pause in which Sirius looked out of the fire at Harry, a crease between his sunken eyes. ʹYouʹre less like your father than I thought,ʹ he said finally, a definite coolness in his voice. The risk wouldʹve been what made it fun for James.ʹ Q9 - What do you think of what Sirius said?Chapter 15 - The Hogwarts High InquisitorQ1 - What do you think of Umbridge's appointment as High Inquisitor?Q2 - What do you think of the article in the Prophet?O - OutstandingE - Exceed ExpectationsA - AcceptableP - PoorD - Dreadful T - TrollQ3 - What do you think about the OWL grading system?Q4 - Do you feel bad for Trelawney here?Q5 - Do you think any teacher will get fired?ʹYes?ʹ said Professor McGonagall, turning round, her eyebrows so close together they seemed to form one long, severe line. ʹI was just wondering, Professor, whether you received my note telling you of the date and time of your inspec—ʹ  ʹObviously I received it, or I would have asked you what you are doing in my classroom,ʹ said Professor McGonagall, turning her back firmly on Professor Umbridge. Many of the students exchanged looks of glee. ʹAs I was saying: today, we shall be practicing the altogether more difficult Vanishment of mice. Now, the Vanishing Spell.ʹSheʹs an awful woman,ʹ said Hermione in a small voice. ʹAwful. You know, 1 was just saying to Ron when you came in… weʹve got to do something about her.ʹ  ʹI suggested poison,ʹ said Ron grimly.Hermione heaved a very deep sigh. ʹIsnʹt it obvious?ʹ she said. ʹIʹm talking about you, Harry.ʹ Q6 - Do you think Harry would be a good teacher?ʹYou donʹt know what itʹs like! You neither of you youʹve never had to face him, have you? You think itʹs just memorizing a bunch of spells and throwing them at him, like youʹre in class or something? The whole time youʹre sure you know thereʹs nothing between you and dying except your own your own brain or guts or whatever like you can think straight when you know youʹre about a nanosecond from being murdered, or tortured, or watching your friends die theyʹve never taught us that in their classes, what itʹs like to deal with things like that and you two sit there acting like Iʹm a clever little boy to be standing here, alive, like Diggory was stupid, like he messed up — you just donʹt get it, that could just as easily have been me, it would have been if Voldemort hadnʹt needed me. ʹReparo,ʹ Harry muttered, pointing his wand at the broken pieces of china. They flew back together, good as new, but there was no returning the Murtlap essence to the bowl. He was suddenly so tired he was tempted to sink back into his armchair and sleep there, but instead he forced himself to his feet and followed Ron upstairs. His restless night was punctuated once more by dreams of long corridors and locked doors and he awoke next day with his scar prickling again.Q7 - Unpack line above.Chapter 16 - In the Hog's HeadQ1 - What was the deal with Filch and the dungbombs and Hermione thinking through that story?A battered wooden sign hung from a rusty bracket over the door, with a picture on it of a wild boarʹs severed head, leaking blood on to the white cloth around it. The sign creaked in the wind as they approached. All three of them hesitated outside the door…The Hogʹs Head bar comprised one small, dingy and very dirty room that smelled strongly of something that might have been goats.Q2 - If you owned a Wizard Brewery, what would you call it?The barman sidled towards them out of a back room. He was a grumpy-looking old man with a great deal of long grey hair and beard. He was tall and thin and looked vaguely familiar to Harry.Q3 - Have we met this barman before?ʹWhereʹs the proof You-Know-Whoʹs back?ʹ said the blond Hufflepuff player in a rather aggressive voice. ʹWell, Dumbledore believes it,” Hermione began. ʹYou mean, Dumbledore believes him,ʹ said the blond boy, nodding at Harry. ʹWho are you?ʹ said Ron, rather rudely. ʹZacharias Smith,ʹ said the boy, ʹand I think weʹve got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Whoʹs back.ʹ  Q4 - Is this an unreasonable request from Smith?ʹAre you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?ʹ said Zacharias Smith. ʹHereʹs an idea,ʹ said Ron loudly, before Harry could speak, ʹwhy donʹt you shut your mouth?ʹ Q5 - Who is the better friend to Harry?ʹWhat are Heliopaths?ʹ asked Neville, looking blank. Theyʹre spirits of fire,ʹ said Luna, her protuberant eyes widening so that she looked madder than ever, ʹgreat tall flaming creatures that gallop across the ground burning everything in front of—”They donʹt exist, Neville,ʹ said Hermione tartly. ʹOh, yes, they do!ʹ said Luna angrily. ʹIʹm sorry, but whereʹs the proof of that?ʹ snapped Hermione. There are plenty of eye-witness accounts. Just because youʹre so narrow‐minded you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you.”Q6 - Do Heliopaths exist?ʹWell,ʹ said Hermione, smiling slightly, ʹshe just couldnʹt keep her eyes off you, could she?ʹ  Harry had never before appreciated just how beautiful the village of Hogsmeade was.Q7 - What do you think about all these people wanting to joining this group?Q8 - What is a moment you were on cloud 9 from a crush?

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Ch 32-37

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2024 78:18


Chapter 32 - Flesh, Blood, and BoneSquinting tensely through the darkness, they watched the figure drawing nearer, walking steadily toward them between the graves. Harry couldn't make out a face, but from the way it was walking and holding its arms, he could tell that it was carrying something. Whoever it was, he was short, and wearing a hooded cloak pulled up over his head to obscure his face. And - several paces nearer, the gap between them closing all the time - Harry saw that the thing in the person's arms looked like a baby...or was it merely a bundle of robes?From far away, above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, "Kill the spare." A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night: "Avada Kedavra!" A blast of green light blazed through Harry's eyelids, and he heard something heavy fall to the ground beside him; the pain in his scar reached such a pitch that he retched, and then it diminished; terrified of what he was about to see, he opened his stinging eyes. Cedric was lying spread-eagled on the ground beside him. He was dead.Q1 - What is your favorite Cedric moment?Q2 - Did you expect Cedric was going to die.Q3 - When Wormtail is doing this potion, have you ever seen magic like this?But then, through the mist in front of him, he saw, with an icy surge of terror, the dark outline of a man, tall and skeletally thin, rising slowly from inside the cauldron. "Robe me," said the high, cold voice from behind the steam, and Wormtail, sobbing and moaning, still cradling his mutilated arm, scrambled to pick up the black robes from the ground, got to his feet, reached up, and pulled them one-handed over his master's head. The thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring at Harry...and Harry stared back into the face that had haunted his nightmares for three years. Whiter than a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snake with slits for nostrils... Lord Voldemort had risen again.Q4 - Did you think Voldemort was going to come back this early on?Chapter 33 - The Death EatersWormtail's robes were shining with blood now; he had wrapped the stump of his arm in them. "My Lord..." he choked, "my Lord...you promised...you did promise..." "Hold out your arm," said Voldemort lazily. "Oh Master...thank you, Master..." He extended the bleeding stump, but Voldemort laughed again. "The other arm, Wormtail." "Master, please...please..." Voldemort bent down and pulled out Wormtail's left arm; he forced the sleeve of Wormtail's robes up past his elbow, and Harry saw something upon the skin there, something like a vivid red tattoo - a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth - the image that had appeared in the sky at the Quidditch World Cup: the Dark Mark. Voldemort examined it carefully, ignoring Wormtail's uncontrollable weeping.Q1 - Jenn, how did you know about the tattoo?"You stand, Harry Potter, upon the remains of my late father," he hissed softly. "A Muggle and a fool...very like your dear mother. But they both had their uses, did they not? Your mother died to defend you as a child...and I killed my father, and see how useful he has proved himself, in death...."Q2 - Why does Voldemort call Lily a Muggle?Q3 - At this point, what is your initial impression of Voldemort?"And then I ask myself, but how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living?Q4 - Is this why Voldemort didn't die? What is he really talking about here?“You ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years...I want thirteen years' repayment before I forgive you. Wormtail here has paid some of his debt already, have you not, Wormtail?"Q5 - Wormtail gets a hand…have you ever seen this kind of magic?Q6 - Lucious was the originator of the Quidditch World Cup fiasco…did you expect him to be a Death Eater?The Dementors will join us…they are our natural allies…we will recall the banished giants…I shall have my devoted servant returned to me, and an army of creatures whom all fear.Q7 - What other creatures is he talking about?"And here we have six missing Death Eaters...three dead in my service. One, too cowardly to return...he will pay. One, who I believe has left me forever...he will be killed, of course...and one, who remains my most faithful servant, and who has already reentered my service."Q8 - Who is he referring to?"He is at Hogwarts, that faithful servant, and it was through his efforts that our young friend arrived here tonight....Q9 - Who is this?!"I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it. My curse was deflected by the woman's foolish sacrifice, and it rebounded upon myself. Aaah...pain beyond pain, my friends; nothing could have prepared me for it. I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost...but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know...I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal - to conquer death. And now, I was tested, and it appeared that one or more of my experiments had worked...for I had not been killed, though the curse should have done it. Nevertheless, I was as powerless as the weakest creature alive, and without the means to help myself...for I had no body, and every spell that might have helped me required the use of a wand.... "I remember only forcing myself, sleeplessly, endlessly, second by second, to exist....I settled in a faraway place, in a forest, and I waited....Surely, one of my faithful Death Eaters would try and find me...one of them would come and perform the magic I could not, to restore me to a body..., but I waited in vain...."Q10 - What questions is this answering and leaving?Wormtail would have had me use any wizard, would you not, Wormtail? Any wizard who had hated me...as so many of them still do. But I knew the one I must use, if I was to rise again, more powerful than I had been when I had fallen. I wanted Harry Potters blood. I wanted the blood of the one who had stripped me of power thirteen years ago...for the lingering protection his mother once gave him would then reside in my veins too....Q11 - Does Voldy have the protection of Lily now?Dumbledore invoked an ancient magic, to ensure the boy's protection as long as he is in his relations' care. Not even I can touch him there.Q12 - What is he talking about here? Did Dumbly actually prepare?Chapter 34 - Priori Incantatem"We bow to each other. Harry," said Voldemort, bending a little, but keeping his snakelike face upturned to Harry. "Come, the niceties must be observed....Dumbledore would like you to show manners....Bow to death, Harry...."Q1 - What do you think of Voldemort and Harry's character here?"We are not playing hide-and-seek, Harry," said Voldemort's soft, cold voice, drawing nearer, as the Death Eaters laughed. "You cannot hide from me. Does this mean you are tired of our duel? Does this mean that you would prefer me to finish it now, Harry? Come out, Harry...come out and play, then...it will be quick...it might even be painless...I would not know...I have never died...." Harry crouched behind the headstone and knew the end had come. There was no hope...no help to be had. And as he heard Voldemort draw nearer still, he knew one thing only, and it was beyond fear or reason: He was not going to die crouching here like a child playing hide-and-seek; he was not going to die kneeling at Voldemort's feet...he was going to die upright like his father, and he was going to die trying to defend himself, even if no defense was possible....Q2 - What is happening to Harry and Voldemort as they duel?He concentrated every last particle of his mind upon forcing the bead back toward Voldemort, his ears full of phoenix song, his eyes furious, fixed...and slowly, very slowly, the beads quivered to a halt, and then, just as slowly, they began to move the other way...and it was Voldemort's wand that was vibrating extra-hard now...Voldemort who looked astonished, and almost fearful....Q3 - Is this how Ghosts are made?And now another head was emerging from the tip of Voldemort's wand...and Harry knew when he saw it who it would be...he knew, as though he had expected it from the moment when Cedric had appeared from the wand...knew, because the woman appearing was the one he'd thought of more than any other tonight....Q4 - Did you expect his mother and father to show up?Q5 - Did you expect Harry to escape?Q6 - What happened in this chapter?Chapter 35 - VeritaserumHarry let go of the cup, but he clutched Cedric to him even more tightly. He raised his free hand and seized Dumbledore's wrist, while Dumbledore's face swam in and out of focus. "He's back," Harry whispered. "He's back. Voldemort."Q1 - Why did Fudge want to tell Amos his son died before he got to his son? Meta Question…"Karkaroff's gone? He ran away? But then - he didn't put my name in the goblet?" "No," said Moody slowly. "No, he didn't. It was I who did that." Harry heard, but didn't believe. "No, you didn't," he said. "You didn't do that...you can't have done..."Q2 - What were you thinking when he was saying all this?Decent people are so easy to manipulate, Potter. I was sure Cedric would want to repay you for telling him about the dragons, and so he did.Q3 - Do you still suspect Krum?At that moment, Harry fully understood for the first time why people said Dumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared. The look upon Dumbledore's face as he stared down at the unconscious form of Mad-Eye Moody was more terrible than Harry could have ever imagined. There was no benign smile upon Dumbledore's face, no twinkle in the eyes behind the spectacles. There was cold fury in every line of the ancient face; a sense of power radiated from Dumbledore as though he were giving off burning heat.Q4 - Is this cool, or terrifying?Q5 - If Crouch had to take it every hour, did he become crouch when he slept?Q6 - What do you think of Crouch Jr's whole story?Q7 - Are there any unanswered questions?Chapter 36 - The Parting of the Ways"If I thought I could help you," Dumbledore said gently, "by putting you into an enchanted sleep and allowing you to postpone the moment when you would have to think about what has happened tonight, I would do it. But I know better. Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you. I ask you to demonstrate your courage one more time. I ask you to tell us what happened."Q1 - Is Sirius right, to want to let Harry sleep, or Dumbledore?"He said my blood would make him stronger than if he'd used someone else's," Harry told Dumbledore. "He said the protection my - my mother left in me - he'd have it too. And he was right - he could touch me without hurting himself, he touched my face." For a fleeting instant, Harry thought he saw a gleam of something like triumph in Dumbledore's eyes. But next second. Harry was sure he had imagined it, for when Dumbledore had returned to his seat behind the desk, he looked as old and weary as Harry had ever seen him.Q2 - What is this gleam of triumph?"No spell can reawaken the dead," said Dumbledore heavily. "All that would have happened is a kind of reverse echo. A shadow of the living Cedric would have emerged from the wand...am I correct, Harry?"Q3 - Do you understand what happened here?Q4 - Is Fudge a coward?"You are blinded," said Dumbledore, his voice rising now, the aura of power around him palpable, his eyes blazing once more, "by the love of the office you hold, Cornelius! You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be! Your dementor has just destroyed the last remaining member of a pure-blood family as old as any - and see what that man chose to make of his life! I tell you now- take the steps I have suggested, and you will be remembered, in office or out, as one of the bravest and greatest Ministers of Magic we have ever known. Fail to act - and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!"Q5 - Why doesn't Fudge believe this?Q6 - What do you think of Dumbledore here?Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth do not stand united, there is no hope for any us."Severus," said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, "you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready...if you are prepared..." "I am," said Snape. He looked slightly paler than usual, and his cold, black eyes glittered strangely. "Then good luck," said Dumbledore, and he watched, with a trace of apprehension on his face, as Snape swept wordlessly after Sirius.Q7 - What is happening here?Q8 - How do you think Harry is going to deal with his survivors' guilt?There was a loud slamming noise, and Mrs. Weasley and Harry broke apart. Hermione was standing by the window. She was holding something tight in her hand.Q9 - What is she holding?Q10 - Does all this make sense?Chapter 37 - The BeginningThey did not blame him for what had happened; on the contrary, both thanked him for returning Cedric's body to them. Mr. Diggory sobbed through most of the interview. Mrs. Diggory's grief seemed to be beyond tears.Q1 - What are your thoughts on the Diggory's?"She went to ask him if you could come straight to us this summer," he said. "But he wants you to go back to the Dursleys, at least at first."Q2 - Why does Dumbledore want Harry to go back?"No good sittin' worryin' abou' it," he said. "What's comin' will come, an we'll meet it when it does. Dumbledore told me wha' you did. Harry."Harry caught a glimpse of Cho through the crowd. There were tears pouring silently down her face. He looked down at the table as they all sat down again.Q3 - What kind of crier are you guys?"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."Q4 - Do you think people will believe Dumbledore, or not?Q5 - What do you think about Hermione keep Rita in a jar with a few twigs?Q6 - What questions do you still have?

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Ch 14-15

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2023 104:10


Chapter 14 - The Thief“As we Disapparated, Yaxley caught hold of me and I couldn't get rid of him, he was too strong, and he was still holding on when we arrived at Grimmauld Place, and then — well, I think he must have seen the door, and thought we were stopping there, so he slackened his grip and I managed to shake him off and I brought us here instead!” “But then, where's he? Hang on. . . . You don't mean he's at Grimmauld Place? He can't get in there?” Q1 - Can they return to Grimmauld Place?Q2 - Did they leave anything of importance behind?“That's as much as I can do. At the very least, we should know they're coming, I can't guarantee it will keep out Vol —” “Don't say the name!” Ron cut across her, his voice harsh. Harry and Hermione looked at each other. “I'm sorry,” Ron said, moaning a little as he raised himself to look at them, “but it feels like a — a jinx or something. Can't we call him You-Know-Who — please?” “Dumbledore said fear of a name —” began Harry. “In case you hadn't noticed, mate, calling You-Know-Who by his name didn't do Dumbledore much good in the end,” Ron snapped back. “Just — just show You-Know-Who some respect, will you?”Q3 - Has Ron gone crazy?“Can you feel it, though?” Ron asked in a hushed voice, as he held it tight in his clenched fist. “What d'you mean?” Ron passed the Horcrux to Harry. After a moment or two, Harry thought he knew what Ron meant. Was it his own blood pulsing through his veins that he could feel, or was it something beating inside the locket, like a tiny metal heart?Q4 - How are they going to open this to destroy it?The surrounding silence was broken by odd rustlings and what sounded like crackings of twigs: Harry thought that they were caused by animals rather than people, yet he kept his wand held tight at the ready. His insides, already uncomfortable due to their inadequate helping of rubbery mushrooms, tingled with unease. Q5 - Do you think someone is watching them?Nameless forebodings crept upon him as he sat there in the dark: He tried to resist them, push them away, yet they came at him relentlessly. Neither can live while the other survives. Ron and Hermione, now talking softly behind him in the tent, could walk away if they wanted to: He could not. And it seemed to Harry as he sat there trying to master his own fear and exhaustion, that the Horcrux against his chest was ticking away the time he had left. . . . Stupid idea, he told himself, don't think that. . . .Q6 - What are each of the trios biggest fear?Harry's voice was high, clear, and cold, his wand held in front of him by a long-fingered white hand. The man at whom he was pointing was suspended upside down in midair, though there were no ropes holding him; he swung there, invisibly and eerily bound, his limbs wrapped about him, his terrified face, on a level with Harry's, ruddy due to the blood that had rushed to his head. He had pure-white hair and a thick, bushy beard: a trussed-up Father Christmas. “I have it not, I have it no more! It was, many years ago, stolen from me!”Q7 - What does he want?“He read Gregorovitch's mind, and I saw this young bloke perched on a windowsill, and he fired a curse at Gregorovitch and jumped out of sight. He stole it, he stole whatever You-Know-Who's after. And I . . . I think I've seen him somewhere. . . .” Q8 - Who is the thief?What was Voldemort trying to find? Why, with the Ministry of Magic and the Wizarding world at his feet, was he far away, intent on the pursuit of an object that Gregorovitch had once owned, and which had been stolen by the unknown thief? Harry could still see the blond-haired youth's face; it was merry, wild; there was a Fred and George-ish air of triumphant trickery about him. He had soared from the windowsill like a bird, and Harry had seen him before, but he could not think where. . . . With Gregorovitch dead, it was the merry-faced thief who was in danger now, and it was on him that Harry's thoughts dwelled, as Ron's snores began to rumble from the lower bunk and as he himself drifted slowly into sleep once more. Chapter 15 - The Goblin's RevengeHarry and Hermione felt that it was best not to stay anywhere too long, and Ron agreed, with the sole proviso that their next move took them within reach of a bacon sandwich. “But you can make a brilliant Patronus!” protested Ron, when Harry arrived back at the tent empty-handed, out of breath, and mouthing the single word, dementors. “I couldn't . . . make one,” he panted, clutching the stitch in his side. “Wouldn't . . . come.” Q1 - Why wasn't Harry able to cast a Patronus?Q2 - What is the Horcrux actually doing to them?Q3 - Is it dumb to wear it everywhere?“You told us that You-Know-Who asked Dumbledore to give him a job after he left,” said Hermione. “That's right,” said Harry. “And Dumbledore thought he only wanted to come back to try and find something, probably another founder's object, to make into another Horcrux?” Q4 - Is there something in Hogwarts that's a Horcrux?Q5 - Why did Ginny and co try to steal the sword?Phineas snorted impatiently. “I believe that the last time I saw the sword of Gryffindor leave its case was when Professor Dumbledore used it to break open a ring.” Hermione whipped around to look at Harry. Neither of them dared say more in front of Phineas Nigellus, who had at last managed to locate the exit. “And Dumbledore didn't give it to me because he still needed it, he wanted to use it on the locket —” “— and he must have realized they wouldn't let you have it if he put it in his will —” “— so he made a copy —” “— and put a fake in the glass case —” “— and he left the real one — where?” They gazed at each other; Harry felt that the answer was dangling invisibly in the air above them, tantalizingly close. Why hadn't Dumbledore told him? Or had he, in fact, told Harry, but Harry had not realized it at the time? “Think!” whispered Hermione. “Think! Where would he have left it?” Q6 - Where do you think Dumbledore left the sword?“Leave the Horcrux,” Harry said. Ron wrenched the chain from over his head and cast the locket into a nearby chair. He turned to Hermione. “What are you doing?” “What do you mean?” “Are you staying, or what?” “I . . .” She looked anguished. “Yes — yes, I'm staying. Ron, we said we'd go with Harry, we said we'd help —” “I get it. You choose him.” “Ron, no — please — come back, come back!” She was impeded by her own Shield Charm; by the time she had removed it he had already stormed into the night. Harry stood quite still and silent, listening to her sobbing and calling Ron's name amongst the trees. Q7 - How surprising is it that Ron has left? Will he come back?

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Full Book Recap

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2023 70:01


We've got a new—and very skeptical—reader for Season 2! That's right. We are in Season 2 right now even though Season 1 hasn't even finished yet. But join us as we review all of Sorcerer's Stone with our two friends Brandon and Christine.

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers
S2 | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Ch 8-10

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2023 86:31


Chapter 8 - The Potions MasterQ1 - If you had a scar, where would you want it and what would you want it of?Q2 - Do you think Harry is going to get married? If so, do you think he'd marry any of the people who were introduced in the book so far?At the start-of-term Banquet, Harry had got the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he'd been wrong. Snape didn't dislike Harry — he hated him.Q3 - Do you think there's any reason why Snape would hate Harry or is just one of those let-me-pick-a-student-to-be-mean-to-on-the-first-day kind of thing?Q4 - Is Fang a boar or a dog?Q5 - First impression of McGonagall and Snape?Chapter 9 - The Midnight DuelHarry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley, but that was before he met Draco Malfoy.Q1 - Would you like to have a remembrall?Q2 - So far in the Hogwarts experience, what event/class would you be most excited for and why?WHAM! — a thus and a nasty crack and Neville lay, face down, on the grass in a heap. His broomstick was still rising higher and higher and started to drift lazily toward the Forbidden Forest and out of sight.Q3 - Was it Nevilles issue for falling off his broom or was it his broomstick?Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. He leant forward and pointed his broom handle down — next second he was gathering speed in a steep dive, racing the ball — wind whistled in his ears, mingles with the screams of people watching — he stretched out his hand — a foot from the ground he caught it, just in time to pull his broom straight, and he toppled gently on to the grass with the Remembrall clutched safely in his hand.Q4 - What did you initially think was going to happen to Harry after McGonagall caught him flying?“Wood?” Thought Harry, bewildered; was Wood a cane she was going to use on him?Q5 - Is it a bit too early to make Harry Seeker after one nice catch of a Remembrall?Q6 - Would you like to learn how to fly on a broom?“And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?” “Throw it away and punch him on the nose,” Ron suggested.Q7 - What are your thoughts on Draco Malfoy?“What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?” Ron said finally.Q8 - Is Hogwarts really safe…like really?Q9 - Does Steak and Kidney pie actually sound good?Chapter 10 - Hallowe'enQ1 - Is it shady that McG has bought a Nimbus Two Thousand — the current best broomstick in the world — for Harry?“Potter's been sent a broomstick, Professor,” said Malfoy quickly. “Yes, yes, that's right,” said Professor Flitwick, beaming at Harry. “Professor McGonagall told me all about the special circumstances, Potter. And what Model is it?” “A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir,” said Harry, fighting not to laugh at the look of horror on Malfoy's face. “And it's really thanks to Malfoy here that I've got it,” he added.Q2 - Is the Snitch worth too many points?Ron looked still more awkward at this [news Hermione was crying and wanted to be left alone], but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Hallowe'en decorations put Hermione out of their minds.Q3 - What position would you want to play in Quidditch?Q4 - Theories on how on earth someone could smuggle a troll into the castle?Q5 - Why didn't Hermione tell the truth?Q6 - Is five points a little too skimpy for two first years taking on a mountain troll and winning?Q7 - The point system at Hogwarts seems absolutely arbitrary, do you think there is a rule book for the point system?But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Ch 2-3

Harry Potter and the First Time Readers

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2023 119:31


Chapter 2 - Spinner's EndThe harsh cry startles the fox, now crouching almost flat in the undergrowth. It leapt from its hiding place and up the bank. There was a flash of green light, a yelp, and the fox fell back to the ground, dead.Q1 - Why did they kill the fox?“He lives here?” asked Bella in a voice of contempt. “Here? In this muggle dunghill? We must be the first of our kind ever to set foot —”Q2 - Why does Snape live here?Some of the streetlamps were broken; the two women were running between patches of light and deep darkness. The pursuer caught up with her prey just as she turned another corner, this time succeeding in catching hold of her arm and swinging her round so that they faced each other. ‘Cissy, you must not do this, you can't trust him –' ‘The Dark Lord trusts him, doesn't he?' ‘The Dark Lord is … I believe … mistaken,' Bella panted, and her eyes gleamed momentarily under her hood as she looked around to check that they were indeed alone. ‘In any case, we were told not to speak of the plan to anyone. This is a betrayal of the Dark Lord's –' ‘Let go, Bella!' snarled Narcissa and she drew a wand from beneath her cloak, holding it threateningly in the other's face. Bella merely laughed. ‘Cissy, your own sister? You wouldn't –' ‘There is nothing I wouldn't do any more!' Narcissa breathed, a note of hysteria in her voice.Q3 - What is the difference between Narcissa and Lily here?‘So, what can I do for you?' Snape asked, settling himself in the armchair opposite the two sisters. ‘We … we are alone, aren't we?' Narcissa asked quietly. ‘Yes, of course. Well, Wormtail's here, but we're not counting vermin, are we?' He pointed his wand at the wall of books behind him and, with a bang, a hidden door flew open, revealing a narrow staircase upon which a small man stood frozen…‘Wormtail will get us drinks, if you'd like them,' said Snape. ‘And then he will return to his bedroom.' Wormtail winced as though Snape had thrown something at him. ‘I am not your servant!' he squeaked, avoiding Snape's eye. ‘Really? I was under the impression that the Dark Lord placed you here to assist me.' Q4 - What is Wormtail helping Snape with?‘Narcissa, I think we ought to hear what Bellatrix is bursting to say; it will save tedious interruptions. Well, continue, Bellatrix,' said Snape. ‘Why is it that you do not trust me?' ‘A hundred reasons!' she said loudly, striding out from behind the sofa to slam her glass upon the table. ‘Where to start! Where were you when the Dark Lord fell? Why did you never make any attempt to find him when he vanished? What have you been doing all these years that you've lived in Dumbledore's pocket? Why did you stop the Dark Lord procuring the Philosopher's Stone? Why did you not return at once when the Dark Lord was reborn? Where were you a few weeks ago, when we battled to retrieve the prophecy for the Dark Lord? And why, Snape, is Harry Potter still alive, when you have had him at your mercy for five years?' She paused, her chest rising and falling rapidly, the color high in her cheeks. Behind her Narcissa sat motionless, her face still hidden in her hands. Snape smiled. ‘Before I answer you – oh, yes, Bellatrix, I am going to answer! You can carry my words back to the others who whisper behind my back, and carry false tales of my treachery to the Dark Lord! Before I answer you, I say, let me ask a question in turn. Do you really think that the Dark Lord has not asked me each and every one of those questions? And do you really think that, had I not been able to give satisfactory answers, I would be sitting here talking to you?' She hesitated. ‘I know he believes you, but –' ‘You think he is mistaken? Or that I have somehow hoodwinked him? Fooled the Dark Lord, the greatest wizard, the most accomplished Legilimens the world has ever seen?'Q5 - Is Snape fooling Dumbledore or Voldemort?Q6 - Why didn't Snape attempt to find the Dark Lord?Why did Snape stand between the Dark Lord and the Sorcerer's stone?Why didn't he return when the dark mark burned?Why didn't he fight at the ministry?Why has Snape not killed Harry Potter?Q7 - Are Snape's answer's satisfying to you?‘You are avoiding my last question, Snape. Harry Potter. You could have killed him at any point in the past five years. You have not done it. Why?' ‘Have you discussed this matter with the Dark Lord?' asked Snape. ‘He … lately, we … I am asking you, Snape!' ‘If I had murdered Harry Potter, the Dark Lord could not have used his blood to regenerate, making him invincible –'Q8 - Is the Dark Lord invincible with Harry's blood?‘And through all this we are supposed to believe Dumbledore has never suspected you?' asked Bellatrix. ‘He has no idea of your true allegiance, he trusts you implicitly still?' ‘I have played my part well,' said Snape. ‘And you overlook Dumbledore's greatest weakness: he has to believe the best of people. I spun him a tale of deepest remorse when I joined his staff, fresh from my Death Eater days, and he embraced me with open arms – though, as I say, never allowing me nearer the Dark Arts than he could help. Dumbledore has been a great wizard – oh yes, he has' (for Bellatrix had made a scathing noise) ‘the Dark Lord acknowledges it. I am pleased to say, however, that Dumbledore is growing old. The duel with the Dark Lord last month shook him. He has since sustained a serious injury because his reactions are slower than they once were. But through all these years, he has never stopped trusting Severus Snape, and therein lies my great value to the Dark Lord.'Q9 - Is Dumbledore weak?Narcissa looked up at him, her face eloquent with despair. ‘Yes, Severus. I – I think you are the only one who can help me, I have nowhere else to turn. Lucius is in jail and …' She closed her eyes and two large tears seeped from beneath her eyelids. ‘The Dark Lord has forbidden me to speak of it,' Narcissa continued, her eyes still closed. ‘He wishes none to know of the plan. It is … very secret. But –' ‘If he has forbidden it, you ought not to speak,' said Snape at once. ‘The Dark Lord's word is law.'Q10 - What is this plan?‘Severus,' she whispered, tears sliding down her pale cheeks. ‘My son … my only son …' ‘Draco should be proud,' said Bellatrix indifferently. ‘The Dark Lord is granting him a great honor. And I will say this for Draco: he isn't shrinking away from his duty, he seems glad of a chance to prove himself, excited at the prospect –'Q11 - What is Draco doing? Why is he part of this?‘Severus – oh, Severus – you would help him? Would you look after him, see he comes to no harm?' ‘I can try.' She flung away her glass; it skidded across the table as she slid off the sofa into a kneeling position at Snape's feet, seized his hand in both of hers and pressed her lips to it. ‘If you are there to protect him … Severus, will you swear it? Will you make the Unbreakable Vow?' ‘The Unbreakable Vow?' Snape's expression was blank, unreadable: Bellatrix, however, let out a cackle of triumphant laughter.Q12 - What is the unbreakable vow?Q13 - Can you break it, or what would happen if you do break it?Chapter 3 - Will and WontQ1 - Is it good to get back into Harry's head?Though Ministry spokeswizards have hitherto refused even to confirm the existence of such a place, a growing number of the wizarding community believe that the Death Eaters now serving sentences in Azkaban for trespass and attempted theft were attempting to steal a prophecy. The nature of that prophecy is unknown, although speculation is rife that it concerns Harry Potter, the only person ever known to have survived the Killing Curse, and who is also known to have been at the Ministry on the night in question. Some are going so far as to call Potter the ‘Chosen One', believing that the prophecy names him as the only one who will be able to rid us of He Who Must Not Be Named.Q2 - Is Harry the Chosen one? Q3 - What do you think about the ministry trying to cover up all this? Should this information be in the public domain?Rufus Scrimgeour, previously Head of the Auror Office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, has succeeded Cornelius Fudge as Minister for Magic. The appointment has largely been greeted with enthusiasm by the wizarding community, though rumors of a rift between the new Minister and Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, surfaced within hours of Scrimgeour taking office.Q4 - What is the rift between the two?Q5 - The ministry leaflet talks about Inferi, what do you think these are?Dear Harry, If it is convenient to you, I shall call at number four, Privet Drive this coming Friday at eleven p.m. to escort you to The Burrow, where you have been invited to spend the remainder of your school holidays. If you are agreeable, I should also be glad of your assistance in a matter to which I hope to attend on the way to The Burrow. I shall explain this more fully when I see you. Kindly send your answer by return of this owl. Hoping to see you this Friday, I am, yours most sincerely Albus DumbledoreQ6 - What do you think of this letter, and what is the matter he wants to attend to with Harry?‘I don't mean to be rude –' he began, in a tone that threatened rudeness in every syllable. ‘– yet, sadly, accidental rudeness occurs alarmingly often,' Dumbledore finished the sentence gravely. ‘Best to say nothing at all, my dear man. Ah, and this must be Petunia.' The kitchen door had opened, and there stood Harry's aunt, wearing rubber gloves and a housecoat over her nightdress, clearly halfway through her usual pre-bedtime wipe-down of all the kitchen surfaces. Her rather horsy face registered nothing but shock. ‘Albus Dumbledore,' said Dumbledore, when Uncle Vernon failed to effect an introduction. ‘We have corresponded, of course.' Harry thought this an odd way of reminding Aunt Petunia that he had once sent her an exploding letter, but Aunt Petunia did not challenge the term. ‘And this must be your son Dudley?'Q7 - What do you think of this intro?As he replaced his wand in his pocket, Harry saw that his hand was blackened and shrivelled; it looked as though his flesh had been burned away. ‘Sir – what happened to your –?'Q8 - What happened to Dumbledore's hand?‘This is, in the main, fairly straightforward,' Dumbledore went on. ‘You add a reasonable amount of gold to your account at Gringotts and you inherit all of Sirius's personal possessions. The slightly problematic part of the legacy –' ‘His godfather's dead?' said Uncle Vernon loudly from the sofa. Dumbledore and Harry both turned to look at him. The glass of mead was now knocking quite insistently on the side of Vernon's head; he attempted to beat it away. ‘He's dead? His godfather?' ‘Yes,' said Dumbledore. He did not ask Harry why he had not confided in the Dursleys. ‘Our problem,' he continued to Harry, as if there had been no interruption, ‘is that Sirius also left you number twelve, Grimmauld Place.'‘But how are you going to find out if I'm allowed to own it?' ‘Fortunately,' said Dumbledore, ‘there is a simple test.' He placed his empty glass on a small table beside his chair, but before he could do anything else, Uncle Vernon shouted, ‘Will you get these ruddy things off us?' Harry looked round; all three of the Dursleys were cowering with their arms over their heads as their glasses bounced up and down on their skulls, the contents flying everywhere.‘You see,' Dumbledore said, turning back to Harry and again speaking as though Uncle Vernon had not uttered, ‘if you have indeed inherited the house, you have also inherited –' He flicked his wand for a fifth time. There was a loud crack and a house-elf appeared, with a snout for a nose, giant bat's ears and enormous bloodshot eyes, crouching on the Dursleys' shag carpet and covered in grimy rags.Q9 - How is Dumbledore able to summon Kreacher like this?‘Now, as you already know, the wizard called Lord Voldemort has returned to this country. The wizarding community is currently in a state of open warfare. Harry, whom Lord Voldemort has already attempted to kill on a number of occasions, is in even greater danger now than the day when I left him upon your doorstep fifteen years ago, with a letter explaining about his parents' murder and expressing the hope that you would care for him as though he were your own.' Dumbledore paused, and although his voice remained light and calm, and he gave no obvious sign of anger, Harry felt a kind of chill emanating from him and noticed that the Dursleys drew very slightly closer together. ‘You did not do as I asked. You have never treated Harry as a son. He has known nothing but neglect and often cruelty at your hands. The best that can be said is that he has at least escaped the appalling damage you have inflicted upon the unfortunate boy sitting between you.'Q10 - What do you think of this?None of the Dursleys said anything. Dudley was frowning slightly, as though he was still trying to work out when he had ever been mistreated. Uncle Vernon looked as though he had something stuck in his throat; Aunt Petunia, however, was oddly flushed.Q11 - Why was Petunia flushed?‘And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.'Q12 - Where are they going?

Blocked and Reported
Episode 163: The Fox and the Clown

Blocked and Reported

Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2023 69:37


This week on the show, Jesse Singal and Katie Herzog discuss the recent killing of a homeless man on the New York City subway and the less recent killing of a fox in the UK. Featuring: A Michael Jackson impersonator, a marine, the American media, Jo Maugham and Jo Rowling (no relation). Also, please come to this FIRE event with Katie at the University of Washington on May 12th. It's about free speech and it's, appropriately, free. Part 1:The subway video New York Magazine: “Daniel Penny Identified As the Man Who Choked Jordan Neely to Death”CNN: "Man dies after being put in a chokehold by another rider on New York City subway, officials say. The DA is investigating”NBC News: "Video shows NYC subway confrontation end with fatal chokehold"NYT: "No Arrest in New York Subway Chokehold Death, and Many Want to Know Why"Roxanne Gay: “Making People Uncomfortable Can Now Get You Killed”Jonathan Rosen: “American Madness”Part 2: Jolyon's windmillJolyon's recordJolyon's partyJolyon's ProjectThe LGB AllianceThe Critic Magazine: Taking the clown seriouslyThe Daily Mail: Is Jolyon the fox-killing Brexit-loathing barrister with a penchant for silk kimonos the most ludicrous man in Britain?The Spectator: Jolyon Maugham's opening sentence might be the worst of all time This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

Il était une fois l'entrepreneur
Comment JK Rowling est devenue l'écrivaine la plus riche au monde ?

Il était une fois l'entrepreneur

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2022 22:40


Le podcast "Il était une fois l'entrepreneur" est l'ex podcast "l'apprenti", le podcast des histoires d'entrepreneurs. Joanne Rowling est la 1ère écrivaine au monde à devenir milliardaire en moins de 10 ans avec 500 millions d'exemplaires vendus de Harry Potter. Pourtant rien ne prédestinait Jo Rowling à devenir JK Rowling. De sa jeunesse près de Bristol à Tutshill, c'est une jeune fille introvertie et timide qui imagine des histoires. Encouragée par sa mère, Anne Rowling, elle crée des histoires pour sa soeur Dianne, pour ses amis. Tout son monde s'écroule quand à l'âge de 15 ans, sa mère est diagnostiquée d'une sclérose en plaques. Après avoir eu son diplôme en littérature, elle s'installe à Londres comme secrétaire bilingue pour Amnesty International. Mais l'écriture et son désir d'être écrivain ne l'ont pas lâché. Elle écrit durant ses pauses déjeuner. Puis, fatiguée de Londres, elle décide de chercher un logement à Manchester… ce qui lui permet de se rapprocher de sa soeur et de sa mère. Et c'est lors d'un de ses voyages en train entre Londres et Manchester, qu'elle imagine un jeune garçon avec une cicatrice sur le front. Un certain Harry Potter. Après le décès de sa mère en 1990, elle part au Portugal pour noyer son chagrin. Là-bas, elle continue d'écrire les 1ers chapitres de son histoire et rencontre Jorge Arantes avec lequel elle a une fille, Jessica. Mais Jorge est violent et 1 an après, elle revient en Écosse avec sa fille. Commence alors une période compliquée pour Jo Rowling. Elle mange à peine à sa fin et doit vivre avec les aides sociales. Elle continue d'écrire les derniers chapitres de Harry Potter dans le pub de son beau-frère. Dianne la pousse alors à publier son histoire. Après plusieurs refus, elle finit par trouver un agent littéraire, Christopher Little. Mais le manuscrit de Harry Potter n'intéresse personne ! Trop long, trop complexe… C'est la fille du directeur de la maison d'édition, Barry Cunningham qui le convainc de publier. Et c'est un carton quasi instantané ! Les ventes explosent. En 3 ans et 3 livres, L'école des sorciers, La chambre des secrets et Le sorcier d'Azkaban, elle devient un phénomène mondial…. et milliardaire par la même occasion. L'introvertie Jo se retrouve vite dépassée. Inspire Média, le média des histoires d'entreprises et d'entrepreneurs. Notes J. K. Rowling : Fortune et Parcours de la Créatrice d'Harry Potter | Riche Et Célèbre https://www.radioclassique.fr/magazine/articles/apres-harry-potter-j-k-rowling-sort-jack-et-la-grande-aventure-du-cochon-de-noel/#:~:text=J.K. Robert Galbraith, le pseudonyme de Rowling, éventé par la BBC ? J. K. Rowling - Wikipédia The 7 year old girl who got Harry Potter published - Fact Fiend The eight-year-old who gave publisher Bloomsbury Pottermania J.K Rowling se sépare de l'agent littéraire qui avait propulsé Harry Potter

This Might Sound F'd Up.
Deadpool Draft, Do Cruises Suck?, Quidditch

This Might Sound F'd Up.

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2022 75:12


Last week we discussed it, this week we made it happen. We also discuss the idea of personal "Mt. Rushmore's" and which celebrity deaths would actually or have already impacted you personally. (8:30) Join the official TMSFU deadpool now. Hit us in the DM's for details. Next up Kody asks what the appeal is to going on a vacation cruise because he thinks they suck. What do you think (20:20)? Finally, we watched the Harry Potter special and talk about Quidditch, Jo Rowling's quest to stay in the news, and RIP Ron Weasley (31:15).Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tmsfu)

The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed

Joanne Rowling, known as JK Rowling, is known globally for writing one of the best selling book series in history. Harry Potter and his classmates now have their firm place in the collective imagination of a generation of readers. She also writes crime fiction under the pen name Robert Galbraith. In the shed, Jo Rowling discusses the joys and the pains of writing with fellow author Simon Armitage, explaining how she picked up a pen to start again after the huge success of her first series. She discusses myths and the truths that have grown up around the books, including the idea that she conceived the idea for the Harry Potter series while on a delayed train from Manchester to London. Jo brings a very special 'show and tell' into the shed when she gives Simon the chance to dip into her very first notebooks, never before shown publicly, which she used to collect early ideas that might end up in a first Potter book, including the names of the pupils in Harry's class. The seven-year period that followed saw the death of her mother, birth of her first child, divorce from her first husband, and relative poverty until the first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was published in 1997. There were six further books in the series, of which the last was released in 2007. Since then, Jo has written several books for adult readers: The Casual Vacancy (2012) and - under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith - the crime-fiction Cormoran Strike series. She has lived a "rags to riches" life in which she progressed from living on benefits to being one of the best- selling writers of all time, giving away much of her earnings to charity. Produced by Susan Roberts

Dear Fandom
Dear Fandom Episode 24 - The Thing About Harry Potter Part 2

Dear Fandom

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2020 50:52


In today's episode, which is part two of a two parter tackling Harry Potter, Megan and Hilary delve more into the fandom side of things and also why Jo Rowling sucks.

Harry Potter and the Anxious Millennials

Our longest episode yet! Take a listen as Allie and Adam discuss the security protocols of both Hogwarts and Gringotts, one young pale faced boy at Madam Malkins, and if Harry displays fiscal responsibility (hint: he doesn't). Moving forward each week, we will be highlighting and amplifying BIPOC, LGBTQ+, or systemically marginalized groups with links to funds, pieces of art, or articles that are helping us grow. This week, in light of Jo Rowling's recent comments regarding trans people, we have donated to the Black Trans Travel Fund, an organization where funds are allocated to give Black trans women safer access to different alternatives to travel where they will be less likely to experience verbal harassment or physical harm. We urge you to consider donating as well at: https://www.blacktranstravelfund.com/donate Rate! Review! Subscribe! Twitter: @hpanxious @AdamNoecker The Snow Queen by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4511-the-snow-queen License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ We are a proud member of the Not A Bit Network IG: @notabitnetwork

Fantasy Flix League
Pop Culture Weekend

Fantasy Flix League

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2019 55:19


Seasoned League veteran Reagan accompanies the commissioners through the past holiday weekend. Days filled with not-so-sweet potatoes, getting distracted from The Irishman, and crying for 72 hours straight after watching Frozen 2. We also take a quick pop quiz on JoJo Rabbit's infamous supporting character, and get a special guess appearance from Jo Rowling. Yes, that Jo Rowling! RATE/REVIEW FOR MORE FANTASY FLIX LEAGUE!CHECK FANTASY FLIX LEAGUE OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA:https://www.twitter.com/fantasyflix/https://www.instagram.com/fantasyflixleague/GET IN TOUCH WITH THE LEAGUE!Send your questions, comments, and inside info on YOUR draft to ryan@fantasyflixleague.com, and start your league today! https://www.fantasyflixleague.com/THEME BY DANNY COHENPRODUCED BY JOE CHISARI AND AMY RUFFLE See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

SpeakBeasty: A Fantastic Beasts Podcast by MuggleNet.com
Episode 97: Mission Not Quite Accomplished (feat. William Nadylam)

SpeakBeasty: A Fantastic Beasts Podcast by MuggleNet.com

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2019 99:01


This time on SpeakBeasty: Welcome back Jennifer! The Phoenix Register: Mina Lima wallpaper (#drool), Interactive Merchandise (screaming mandrakes, bendable Cornish Pixies, Dobby, etc.), and the Wizarding World app...over or underwhelmed? Owl Post: Response to Episode 95’s podcast question from our own host Ann Lysy! Marjolaine’s interview with William Nadylam- Yusuf Kama! Including- his thoughts on his character, Yusuf Kama, the Potterverse as a whole, the Golden Trio of David Heyman, David Yates, and Jo Rowling, the multifaceted idea of global acting, and his thoughts on Dan Fogler, Eddie Redmayne, and Ezra Miller. Also, Marjolaine translates main points of the interview with William Nadylam and Brontis Jodorowsky (Nicolas Flamel), and ends the translation with a few painful anecdotes: “I saw it coming,” and “This one has my blood on it, so it’s now truly magical.” William NAMES TWO BABY NIFFLERS. His reasonings are simply adorable, and incredibly thought-provoking. Podcast Question: Would you like to see Yusuf Kama in Fantastic Beasts 3, and what do you think his role could be in future movies?  

The Blackadder Podcast
Blackadder’s Christmas Carol – Episode 17

The Blackadder Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2017 43:25


Blackadder's Christmas Carol was a special festive episode of the show and features three of literature's most memorable spirits combined as one and a monarch with the common touch. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider whether Jo Rowling took significant influence from this episode when she created a popular member of her Harry Potter ensemble.     Alongside […] The post Blackadder's Christmas Carol – Episode 17 appeared first on Blackadder Podcast.

PointOfViewWeekly
Episode 120: Poufwa Reviews The Cursed Child

PointOfViewWeekly

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2016 120:20


Recorded 8/9/16 Jo Rowling released a new book, so Poufwa gathered together to discuss it. In this podcast you will hear our thoughts on the new story, Ryan’s ramblings when left alone and what happens when Sue has too much … Continue reading →

cursed child jo rowling
Alohomora!: A Global Reread of Harry Potter
Bonus: Fantastic Beasts in Space!

Alohomora!: A Global Reread of Harry Potter

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2013 62:21


→ OMG! NEW MOVIE! SERIES! JO ROWLING!→ Why are we psyched the material is not a book?→ Breakdown of the official Press Release→ A history lesson in Newt(on)→ Could the movie be socially & politically based?→ Fan Comments→ What beasts do we want to see come to life?

The School of Movies Archive
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows [Part 2]

The School of Movies Archive

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2012 161:17


[Digital Gonzo 2012] In watching this final part, it actually managed to gain the top spot as my favourite, just edging out Hallows Part 1, due to even more fantastic acting from all involved and some of the sharpest emotional peaks in the series. This is, however not a perfect film for many lovers of the book and we go in-depth on the various differences that make this a slightly different angle on Jo Rowling's close-of-play on Potter. Also up for discussion are Goblins, Gringotts, hearing horcruxes, the battle of Hogwarts, the Prince's Tale, self-sacrifice, fear, courage, death and the afterlife, Neville Longbottom, Jo Rowling's humble beginnings, the final conflict, the epilogue and the possibility of future books… so not much then. The final recording weighed in at over five hours long so I am positively astonished that I managed to get it down to this length plus the History of Hogwarts. A massive, massive thank you to everyone involved this week as well as everyone who has appeared on previous episodes; namely Chris and Kelly Brown of The Married Gamers, James Batchelor, Gary Blower and Neil Taylor of GameBurst and KDS 2.0 and Chris Eason of Ninja Fat Pigeons and the Gonzo Planet Community Cast This has been one of the most special projects of my podcasting career. I'm so happy to be able to share the immense passion, enthusiasm and knowledge of everyone involved. Guests: Sharon Shaw of School of Movies Leah Haydu of Some Other Castle Daniel Floyd of Extra Credits JamesCarter of Cane and Rinse Graham Snape of Last Save Loaded 

PotterCast: The Harry Potter Podcast (since 2005)
#216: Do House Elves Lay Eggs?

PotterCast: The Harry Potter Podcast (since 2005)

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2010 57:07


PotterCast, our Harry Potter podcast, is here today to bring you its 216th episode of Harry Potter news, discussion, and fun.  First, the PotterCasters sort through the latest news, which include stories about Jo Rowling becoming a special edition Barbie doll, Deathly Hallows, filming news from Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), and more.   Episode 216 — Do House Elves Lay Eggs? Find the latest episode and explore PotterCast interviews, discussions and more at PotterCast.com Visit the-leaky-cauldron.org for the latest and greatest from Harry Potter's Wizard World.

Potter Phreak
Potter Phreak Podcast 0005: Witchcraft and Rebellion. Order of the Phoneix Mini Review

Potter Phreak

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2006


Hey there Potter Peeps!  Sorry for the long delay between shows.  This episode I’m talk a little about Jo Rowling’s comments at her reading, a bit about what witchcraft and rebellion mean (OK, quite a bit  – about 15-20 minuets of breakdown!) and finally the Order of the Phoenix mini review. Thanks for staying subscribed! […]