Podcasts about PotterCast

Book 6, Chapter 25: The Seer Overheard

Book 6, Chapter 24: Sectumsempra

Book 6, Chapter 23: Horcruxes

Book 6, Chapter 22: After The Burial

Book 6, Chapter 21: The Unknowable Room

Book 6, Chapter 20: Lord Voldemort's Request

Book 6, Chapter 19: Elf Tails

Book 6, Chapter 18: Birthday Surprises

Book 6, Chapter 17: A Sluggish Memory

Book 6, Chapter 16: A Very Frosty Christmas

Book 6, Chapter 15: The Unbreakable Vow

Book 6, Chapter 14: Felix Felicis

Book 6, Chapter 13: The Secret Riddle

Book 6, Chapter 12: Silver And Opals

Book 6, Chapter 11: Hermione's Helping Hand

Book 6, Chapter 10: The House Of Gaunt

Book 6, Chapter 9: The Half-Blood Prince

Book 6, Chapter 8: Snape Victorious

Book 6, Chapter 7: The Slug Club

Book 6, Chapter 6: Draco's Detour

Book 6, Chapter 5: An Excess Of Phlegm

Book 6, Chapter 4: Horace Slughorn

Book 6, Chapter 3: Will And Won't

Book 6, Chapter 2: Spinner's End

Book 6, Chapter 1: The Other Minister

Book 5, Chapter 38: The Second War Begins

Book 5, Chapter 37: The Lost Prophecy

Book 5, Chapter 36: The Only One He Ever Feared

Book 5, Chapter 35: Beyond The Veil

Book 5, Chapter 34: The Department Of Mysteries

Book 5, Chapter 33: Fight And Flight

Book 5, Chapter 32: Out Of The Fire

Chapter 26 - The CaveHe was standing upon a high outcrop of dark rock, water foaming and churning below him. He glanced over his shoulder. A towering cliff stood behind them, a sheer drop, black and faceless. A few large chunks of rock, such as the one upon which Harry and Dumbledore were standing, looked as though they had broken away from the cliff face at some point in the past. It was a bleak, harsh view, the sea and the rock unrelieved by any tree or sweep of grass or sand. “What do you think?” asked Dumbledore. He might have been asking Harry's opinion on whether it was a good site for a picnic. Q1 - What do you think of Dumbledore and Harry's interactions?I imagine that Riddle climbed down; magic would have served better than ropes. And he brought two small children with him, probably for the pleasure of terrorizing them. I think the journey alone would have done it, don't you?” Q2 - Shouldn't Riddle have been found out with underage magic? What happened here?“Yes, this is the place,” said Dumbledore. “How can you tell?” Harry spoke in a whisper. “It has known magic,” said Dumbledore simply….“Here,” he said. “We go on through here. The entrance is concealed.” Harry did not ask how Dumbledore knew. He had never seen a wizard work things out like this, simply by looking and touching; but Harry had long since learned that bangs and smoke were more often the marks of ineptitude than expertise. Q3 - How do you sense magic?Q4 - How good of a wizard is Dumbledore?“You are very kind, Harry,” said Dumbledore, now passing the tip of his wand over the deep cut he had made in his own arm, so that it healed instantly, just as Snape had healed Malfoy's wounds. “But your blood is worth more than mine. Ah, that seems to have done the trick, doesn't it?Harry had not expected this, but cleared his throat and said loudly, wand aloft, “Accio Horcrux!” With a noise like an explosion, something very large and pale erupted out of the dark water some twenty feet away; before Harry could see what it was, it had vanished again with a crashing splash that made great, deep ripples on the mirrored surface. Harry leapt backward in shock and hit the wall; his heart was still thundering as he turned to Dumbledore. “What was that?” “Something, I think, that is ready to respond should we attempt to seize the Horcrux.” Harry looked back at the water. The surface of the lake was once more shining black glass: The ripples had vanished unnaturally fast; Harry's heart, however, was still pounding. Q5 - How chilling is this?“I do not think you will count, Harry: You are underage and unqualified. Voldemort would never have expected a sixteen-year-old to reach this place: I think it unlikely that your powers will register compared to mine.” These words did nothing to raise Harry's morale; perhaps Dumbledore knew it, for he added, “Voldemort's mistake, Harry, Voldemort's mistake . . . Age is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates youth. . . . Now, you first this time, and be careful not to touch the water.” And then Harry saw it, marble white, floating inches below the surface. “Professor!” he said, and his startled voice echoed loudly over the silent water. “Harry?” “I think I saw a hand in the water — a human hand!” “Yes, I am sure you did,” said Dumbledore calmly. Harry stared down into the water, looking for the vanished hand, and a sick feeling rose in his throat. “So that thing that jumped out of the water — ?” But Harry had his answer before Dumbledore could reply; the wandlight had slid over a fresh patch of water and showed him, this time, a dead man lying faceup inches beneath the surface, his open eyes misted as though with cobwebs, his hair and his robes swirling around him like smoke. Q6 - What do you think about Voldemort's protections?Q7 - Who's bodies are these?“There is nothing to be feared from a body, Harry, any more than there is anything to be feared from the darkness. Lord Voldemort, who of course secretly fears both, disagrees. But once again he reveals his own lack of wisdom. It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.” “Lord Voldemort would not want to kill the person who reached this island.” Harry couldn't believe it. Was this more of Dumbledore's insane determination to see good in everyone? “Sir,” said Harry, trying to keep his voice reasonable, “sir, this is Voldemort we're —” “I'm sorry, Harry; I should have said, he would not want to immediately kill the person who reached this island,” Dumbledore corrected himself. “He would want to keep them alive long enough to find out how they managed to penetrate so far through his defenses and, most importantly of all, why they were so intent upon emptying the basin. Do not forget that Lord Voldemort believes that he alone knows about his Horcruxes.” Q8 - Who else knows?“Undoubtedly,” he said, finally, “this potion must act in a way that will prevent me taking the Horcrux. It might paralyze me, cause me to forget what I am here for, create so much pain I am distracted, or render me incapable in some other way. This being the case, Harry, it will be your job to make sure I keep drinking, even if you have to tip the potion into my protesting mouth. You understand?” Their eyes met over the basin, each pale face lit with that strange, green light. Harry did not speak. Was this why he had been invited along — so that he could force-feed Dumbledore a potion that might cause him unendurable pain? “You remember,” said Dumbledore, “the condition on which I brought you with me?” Harry hesitated, looking into the blue eyes that had turned green in the reflected light of the basin. “But what if — ?” “You swore, did you not, to follow any command I gave you?” “Yes, but —” “I warned you, did I not, that there might be danger?” “Yes,” said Harry, “but —” “Well, then,” said Dumbledore, shaking back his sleeves once more and raising the empty goblet, “you have my orders.” “Why can't I drink the potion instead?” asked Harry desperately. “Because I am much older, much cleverer, and much less valuable,” said Dumbledore. “Once and for all, Harry, do I have your word that you will do all in your power to make me keep drinking?” “Couldn't — ?” “Do I have it?” “But —” “Your word, Harry.” “I — all right, but —” Before Harry could make any further protest, Dumbledore lowered the crystal goblet into the potion. For a split second, Harry hoped that he would not be able to touch the potion with the goblet, but the crystal sank into the surface as nothing else had; when the glass was full to the brim, Dumbledore lifted it to his mouth. “Your good health, Harry.”Q9 - Should Harry have drunk this?And obediently, Dumbledore drank, as though it was an antidote Harry offered him, but upon draining the goblet, he sank to his knees, shaking uncontrollably. “It's all my fault, all my fault,” he sobbed. “Please make it stop, I know I did wrong, oh please make it stop and I'll never, never again . . .” Dumbledore began to cower as though invisible torturers surrounded him; his flailing hand almost knocked the refilled goblet from Harry's trembling hands as he moaned, “Don't hurt them, don't hurt them, please, please, it's my fault, hurt me instead . . .” Q10 - What is Dumbledore seeing here?“Drink this, Professor. Drink this. . . .” Dumbledore drank, and no sooner had he finished than he yelled, “KILL ME!” “This — this one will!” gasped Harry. “Just drink this . . . It'll be over . . . all over!” Dumbledore gulped at the goblet, drained every last drop, and then, with a great, rattling gasp, rolled over onto his face. “No!” shouted Harry, who had stood to refill the goblet again; instead he dropped the cup into the basin, flung himself down beside Dumbledore, and heaved him over onto his back; Dumbledore's glasses were askew, his mouth agape, his eyes closed. “No,” said Harry, shaking Dumbledore, “no, you're not dead, you said it wasn't poison, wake up, wake up — Rennervate!” he cried, his wand pointing at Dumbledore's chest; there was a flash of red light but nothing happened. “Rennervate — sir — please —” Dumbledore's eyelids flickered; Harry's heart leapt. “Sir, are you — ?” “Water,” croaked Dumbledore.The goblet filled and emptied once more. And now Dumbledore's breathing was fading. His brain whirling in panic, Harry knew, instinctively, the only way left to get water, because Voldemort had planned it so . . . Q11 - How sick is Voldemort?Q12 - Could you have done what Harry is doing?And pulling Dumbledore's uninjured arm around his shoulders, Harry guided his headmaster back around the lake, bearing most of his weight. “The protection was . . . after all . . . well-designed,” said Dumbledore faintly. “One alone could not have done it. . . . You did well, very well, Harry. . . .” “It's going to be all right, sir,” Harry said over and over again, more worried by Dumbledore's silence than he had been by his weakened voice. “We're nearly there. . . . I can Apparate us both back. . . . Don't worry. . . .” “I am not worried, Harry,” said Dumbledore, his voice a little stronger despite the freezing water. “I am with you.” Q13 - How intense was this chapter?Q14 - If the cave was protected like this, was it the same for the Gaunt shack and all the other horcruxes?Chapter 27 - The Lightning Struck Tower“What has happened?” asked Dumbledore. “Rosmerta, what's wrong?” “The — the Dark Mark, Albus.” And she pointed into the sky, in the direction of Hogwarts. Dread flooded Harry at the sound of the words. . . . He turned and looked. There it was, hanging in the sky above the school: the blazing green skull with a serpent tongue, the mark Death Eaters left behind whenever they had entered a building . . . wherever they had murdered. . . . Q1 - Dumbledore is exhausted here, what's the tiredest you've ever been?Harry hurried over to the door leading to the spiral staircase, but his hand had only just closed upon the iron ring of the door when he heard running footsteps on the other side. He looked around at Dumbledore, who gestured him to retreat. Harry backed away, drawing his wand as he did so. The door burst open and somebody erupted through it and shouted, “Expelliarmus!” Harry's body became instantly rigid and immobile, and he felt himself fall back against the tower wall, propped like an unsteady statue, unable to move or speak. He could not understand how it had happened — Expelliarmus was not a Freezing Charm — Then, by the light of the Mark, he saw Dumbledore's wand flying in an arc over the edge of the ramparts and understood. . . . Dumbledore had wordlessly immobilized Harry, and the second he had taken to perform the spell had cost him the chance of defending himself. Q2 - Why did Dumbledore do this to Harry?Q3 - What do you think of Draco disarming Dumbledore? Draco Malfoy did nothing but stare at Albus Dumbledore, who, incredibly, smiled. “Draco, Draco, you are not a killer.” “How do you know?” said Malfoy at once. “But why? I don't think you will kill me, Draco. Killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe. . . . So tell me, while we wait for your friends . . . how did you smuggle them in here? It seems to have taken you a long time to work out how to do it.” Q4 - What do you think of Dumbledore's attitude here?“I tried, Draco. Professor Snape has been keeping watch over you on my orders —” “He hasn't been doing your orders, he promised my mother —” “Of course that is what he would tell you, Draco, but —” “He's a double agent, you stupid old man, he isn't working for you, you just think he is!” “We must agree to differ on that, Draco. It so happens that I trust Professor Snape —” “Well, you're losing your grip, then!” sneered Malfoy.Q5 - How much does it hurt to hear these words?“Someone's dead,” said Malfoy, and his voice seemed to go up an octave as he said it. “One of your people . . . I don't know who, it was dark. . . . I stepped over the body. . . . I was supposed to be waiting up here when you got back, only your Phoenix lot got in the way. . . .” Q6 - Has someone actually died?“Come over to the right side, Draco, and we can hide you more completely than you can possibly imagine. What is more, I can send members of the Order to your mother tonight to hide her likewise. Your father is safe at the moment in Azkaban. . . . When the time comes, we can protect him too. Come over to the right side, Draco . . . you are not a killer. . . .” Malfoy stared at Dumbledore. “But I got this far, didn't I?” he said slowly. “They thought I'd die in the attempt, but I'm here . . . and you're in my power. . . . I'm the one with the wand. . . . You're at my mercy. . . .” “No, Draco,” said Dumbledore quietly. “It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now.” Q7 - Is Malfoy redeemable?“We've got a problem, Snape,” said the lumpy Amycus, whose eyes and wand were fixed alike upon Dumbledore, “the boy doesn't seem able —” But somebody else had spoken Snape's name, quite softly. “Severus . . .” The sound frightened Harry beyond anything he had experienced all evening. For the first time, Dumbledore was pleading. Snape said nothing, but walked forward and pushed Malfoy roughly out of the way. The three Death Eaters fell back without a word. Even the werewolf seemed cowed. Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face. “Severus . . . please . . .” Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore. “Avada Kedavra!”Q8 - How evil is Snape?

Book 5, Chapter 31: O.W.L.s

Chapter 23 - Horcruxes‘Good gracious, Harry,' said Dumbledore in surprise. ‘To what do I owe this very late pleasure?' ‘Sir – I've got it. I've got the memory from Slughorn.' Harry pulled out the tiny glass bottle and showed it to Dumbledore. For a moment or two, the Headmaster looked stunned. Then his face split in a wide smile. ‘Harry, this is spectacular news! Very well done indeed! I knew you could do it!'‘Well,' said Slughorn, not looking at Riddle, but fiddling with the ribbon on top of his box of crystallised pineapple, ‘well, it can't hurt to give you an overview, of course. Just so that you understand the term. A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul.' ‘I don't quite understand how that works, though, sir,' said Riddle. His voice was carefully controlled, but Harry could sense his excitement. ‘Well, you split your soul, you see,' said Slughorn, ‘and hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one's body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But, of course, existence in such a form …' Q1 - What do you think of Horcruxes now?‘How do you split your soul?' ‘Well,' said Slughorn uncomfortably, ‘you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature.'‘Yes, sir,' said Riddle. ‘What I don't understand, though – just out of curiosity – I mean, would one Horcrux be much use? Can you only split your soul once? Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces? I mean, for instance, isn't seven the most powerfully magical number, wouldn't seven –?' ‘Merlin's beard, Tom!' yelped Slughorn. ‘Seven! Isn't it bad enough to think of killing one person? And in any case … bad enough to divide the soul … but to rip it into seven pieces …'Q2 - Do you think Voldemort ripped his soul into seven pieces?‘But now, Harry, armed with this information, the crucial memory you have succeeded in procuring for us, we are closer to the secret of finishing Lord Voldemort than anyone has ever been before. You heard him, Harry: “Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces … isn't seven the most powerfully magical number …” Isn't seven the most powerfully magical number. Yes, I think the idea of a seven-part soul would greatly appeal to Lord Voldemort.' ‘He made seven Horcruxes?' said Harry, horror-struck, while several of the portraits on the walls made similar noises of shock and outrage. ‘But they could be anywhere in the world – hidden – buried or invisible –' ‘I am glad to see you appreciate the magnitude of the problem,' said Dumbledore calmly. ‘But firstly, no, Harry, not seven Horcruxes: six. The seventh part of his soul, however maimed, resides inside his regenerated body. That was the part of him that lived a spectral existence for so many years during his exile; without that, he has no self at all. That seventh piece of soul will be the last that anybody wishing to kill Voldemort must attack – the piece that lives in his body.'Q3 - Is Dumbledore right?‘But the six Horcruxes, then,' said Harry, a little desperately, ‘how are we supposed to find them?' ‘You are forgetting … you have already destroyed one of them. And I have destroyed another.' ‘You have?' said Harry eagerly. ‘Yes indeed,' said Dumbledore, and he raised his blackened, burned-looking hand. ‘The ring, Harry. Marvolo's ring. And a terrible curse there was upon it too. Had it not been – forgive me the lack of seemly modesty – for my own prodigious skill, and for Professor Snape's timely action when I returned to Hogwarts, desperately injured, I might not have lived to tell the tale. However, a withered hand does not seem an unreasonable exchange for a seventh of Voldemort's soul. The ring is no longer a Horcrux.'Q4 - What AND where are the other Horcruxes?Q5 - Does this make you trust Snape a bit more?‘He seems to have reserved the process of making Horcruxes for particularly significant deaths. You would certainly have been that. He believed that in killing you, he was destroying the danger the prophecy had outlined. He believed he was making himself invincible. I am sure that he was intending to make his final Horcrux with your death.Q6 - Did he have an object with him then and what would he have used for a Horcrux after killing Harry?‘Yes, I think so,' said Dumbledore. ‘Without his Horcruxes, Voldemort will be a mortal man with a maimed and diminished soul. Never forget, though, that while his soul may be damaged beyond repair, his brain and his magical power remain intact. It will take uncommon skill and power to kill a wizard like Voldemort, even without his Horcruxes.' ‘But I haven't got uncommon skill and power,' said Harry, before he could stop himself. ‘Yes, you have,' said Dumbledore firmly. ‘You have a power that Voldemort has never had. You can –' ‘I know!' said Harry impatiently. ‘I can love!' It was only with difficulty that he stopped himself adding, ‘Big deal!' ‘Yes, Harry, you can love,' said Dumbledore, who looked as though he knew perfectly well what Harry had just refrained from saying. ‘Which, given everything that has happened to you, is a great and remarkable thing. You are still too young to understand how unusual you are, Harry.'Q7 - What is the deeper thing here? Why is Harry too young to understand this?He heard the prophecy and he leapt into action, with the result that he not only handpicked the man most likely to finish him, he handed him uniquely deadly weapons!' ‘But –' ‘It is essential that you understand this!' said Dumbledore, standing up and striding about the room, his glittering robes swooshing in his wake; Harry had never seen him so agitated. ‘By attempting to kill you, Voldemort himself singled out the remarkable person who sits here in front of me, and gave him the tools for the job! It is Voldemort's fault that you were able to see into his thoughts, his ambitions, that you even understand the snakelike language in which he gives orders, and yet, Harry, despite your privileged insight into Voldemort's world (which, incidentally, is a gift any Death Eater would kill to have), you have never been seduced by the Dark Arts, never, even for a second, shown the slightest desire to become one of Voldemort's followers!'Q8 - How did Voldemort actually give him these powers and this connection?I do not think he understands why, Harry, but he was in such a hurry to mutilate his own soul, he never paused to understand the incomparable power of a soul that is untarnished and whole.'Harry watched Dumbledore striding up and down in front of him, and thought. He thought of his mother, his father and Sirius. He thought of Cedric Diggory. He thought of all the terrible deeds he knew Lord Voldemort had done. A flame seemed to leap inside his chest, searing his throat. ‘I'd want him finished,' said Harry quietly. ‘And I'd want to do it.' ‘Of course you would!' cried Dumbledore. ‘You see, the prophecy does not mean you have to do anything! But the prophecy caused Lord Voldemort to mark you as his equal … in other words, you are free to choose your way, quite free to turn your back on the prophecy! But Voldemort continues to set store by the prophecy. He will continue to hunt you … which makes it certain, really, that –' ‘That one of us is going to end up killing the other,' said Harry. ‘Yes.' But he understood at last what Dumbledore had been trying to tell him. It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew – and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents – that there was all the difference in the world.Q9 - How do you destroy a Horcrux?Q10 - What do you think of this and everything in this chapter?Chapter 24 - SectumsempraQ1 - Why isn't Dumbledore just doing this himself? Why is he roping Harry into this whole thing?‘I think I'm going to take another swig of Felix,' said Harry, ‘and have a go at the Room of Requirement again.' ‘That would be a complete waste of potion,' said Hermione flatly, putting down the copy of Spellman's Syllabary she had just taken out of her bag. ‘Luck can only get you so far, Harry. The situation with Slughorn was different; you always had the ability to persuade him, you just needed to tweak the circumstances a bit. Luck isn't enough to get you through a powerful enchantment, though. Don't go wasting the rest of that potion! You'll need all the luck you can get if Dumbledore takes you along with him …' She dropped her voice to a whisper.Q2 - How do you think Harry is going to use the last of the Felix Felicis?‘No one can help me,' said Malfoy. His whole body was shaking. ‘I can't do it … I can't … it won't work … and unless I do it soon … he says he'll kill me …' And Harry realised, with a shock so huge it seemed to root him to the spot, that Malfoy was crying – actually crying – tears streaming down his pale face into the grimy basin. Malfoy gasped and gulped and then, with a great shudder, looked up into the cracked mirror and saw Harry staring at him over his shoulder.Q3 - Is it shocking to see Draco in this state?Q4 - What is he talking about here?There was a loud bang and the bin behind Harry exploded; Harry attempted a Leg-Locker Curse that backfired off the wall behind Malfoy's ear and smashed the cistern beneath Moaning Myrtle, who screamed loudly; water poured everywhere and Harry slipped over as Malfoy, his face contorted, cried, ‘Cruci—' ‘SECTUMSEMPRA!' bellowed Harry from the floor, waving his wand wildly.Q5 - Thoughts on Draco using Crucio?The door banged open behind Harry and he looked up, terrified: Snape had burst into the room, his face livid. Pushing Harry roughly aside, he knelt over Malfoy, drew his wand and traced it over the deep wounds Harry's curse had made, muttering an incantation that sounded almost like song. The flow of blood seemed to ease; Snape wiped the residue from Malfoy's face and repeated his spell. Now the wounds seemed to be knitting.He gasped. Despite his haste, his panic, his fear of what awaited him back in the bathroom, he could not help but be overawed by what he was looking at. He was standing in a room the size of a large cathedral, whose high windows were sending shafts of light down upon what looked like a city with towering walls, built of what Harry knew must be objects hidden by generations of Hogwarts inhab- itants. There were alleyways and roads bordered by teetering piles of broken and damaged furniture, stowed away, perhaps, to hide the evidence of mishandled magic, or else hidden by castle-proud houseelves. There were thousands and thousands of books, no doubt banned or graffitied or stolen. There were winged catapults and Fanged Frisbees, some still with enough life in them to hover half-heartedly over the mountains of other forbidden items; there were chipped bottles of congealed potions, hats, jewels, cloaks; there were what looked like dragon-egg shells, corked bottles whose contents still shimmered evilly, several rusting swords and a heavy, blood-stained axe.Q6 - What do you think of this room?Harry hurried forwards into one of the many alleyways between all this hidden treasure. He turned right past an enormous stuffed troll, ran on a short way, took a left at the broken Vanishing Cabinet in which Montague had got lost the previous year, finally pausing beside a large cupboard which seemed to have had acid thrown at its blistered surface. He opened one of the cupboard's creaking doors: it had already been used as a hiding place for something in a cage that had long-since died; its skeleton had five legs. He stuffed the Half-Blood Prince's book behind the cage and slammed the door. He paused for a moment, his heart thumping horribly, gazing around at the clutter … would he be able to find this spot again, amidst all this junk? Seizing the chipped bust of an ugly old warlock from on top of a nearby crate, he stood it on the cupboard where the book was now hidden, perched a dusty old wig and a tarnished tiara on the statue's head to make it more distinctive, then sprinted back through the alleyways of hidden junk as fast as he could go, back to the door, back out on to the corridor, where he slammed the door behind him and it turned at once back into stone.Q7 - What's the coolest thing you've ever just found?One by one Snape extracted Harry's books and examined them. Finally the only book left was the Potions book, which he looked at very carefully before speaking. ‘This is your copy of Advanced Potion-Making, is it, Potter?' ‘Yes,' said Harry, still breathing hard. ‘You're quite sure of that, are you, Potter?' ‘Yes,' said Harry, with a touch more defiance. ‘This is the copy of Advanced Potion-Making that you purchased from Flourish and Blotts?' ‘Yes,' said Harry firmly. ‘Then why,' asked Snape, ‘does it have the name “Roonil Wazlib” written inside the front cover?' Harry's heart missed a beat. ‘That's my nickname,' he said. ‘Your nickname,' repeated Snape. ‘Yeah … that's what my friends call me,' said Harry. ‘I understand what a nickname is,' said Snape. The cold, black eyes were boring once more into Harry's; he tried not to look into them. Close your mind … close your mind … but he had never learned how to do it properly … ‘Do you know what I think, Potter?' said Snape, very quietly. ‘I think that you are a liar and a cheat and that you deserve detention with me every Saturday until the end of term. What do you think, Potter?' ‘I – I don't agree, sir,' said Harry, still refusing to look into Snape's eyes.Q8 - Hermione reprimands Harry for following the Prince…but who is the Prince?Harry looked around; there was Ginny running towards him; she had a hard, blazing look in her face as she threw her arms around him. And without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that fifty people were watching, Harry kissed her. The creature in his chest roaring in triumph, Harry grinned down at Ginny and gestured wordlessly out of the portrait hole. A long walk in the grounds seemed indicated, during which – if they had time – they might discuss the match.Q9 - Love at last?Chapter 25 - The Seer OverheardHarry found himself newly and happily impervious to gossip over the next few weeks. After all, it made a very nice change to be talked about because of something that was making him happier than he could remember being for a very long time, rather than because he had been involved in horrific scenes of Dark Magic. Q1 - What is the happiest you've been in recent memory?“Well, why not? Harry, there aren't any real princes in the Wizarding world! It's either a nickname, a made-up title somebody's given themselves, or it could be their actual name, couldn't it? No, listen! If, say, her father was a wizard whose surname was Prince, and her mother was a Muggle, then that would make her a ‘halfblood Prince'!” Q2 - Could Hermione be right here?“The headmaster has intimated that he would prefer fewer visits from me,” she said coldly. “I am not one to press my company upon those who do not value it. If Dumbledore chooses to ignore the warnings the cards show —” Her bony hand closed suddenly around Harry's wrist. “Again and again, no matter how I lay them out —” And she pulled a card dramatically from underneath her shawls. “— the lightning-struck tower,” she whispered. “Calamity. Disaster. Coming nearer all the time . . .” Q3 - What is she talking about here?I must confess that, at first, I thought he seemed ill-disposed toward Divination . . . and I remember I was starting to feel a little odd, I had not eaten much that day . . . but then . . .” And now Harry was paying attention properly for the first time, for he knew what had happened then: Professor Trelawney had made the prophecy that had altered the course of his whole life, the prophecy about him and Voldemort. “. . . but then we were rudely interrupted by Severus Snape!” It was Snape who had overheard the prophecy. It was Snape who had carried the news of the prophecy to Voldemort. Snape and Peter Pettigrew together had sent Voldemort hunting after Lily and James and their son. . . . Q4 - What do you think about Snape interrupting?Q5 - Why did Dumbledore hire Snape?“Professor Snape made a terrible mistake. He was still in Lord Voldemort's employ on the night he heard the first half of Professor Trelawney's prophecy. Naturally, he hastened to tell his master what he had heard, for it concerned his master most deeply. But he did not know — he had no possible way of knowing — which boy Voldemort would hunt from then onward, or that the parents he would destroy in his murderous quest were people that Professor Snape knew, that they were your mother and father —” “You have no idea of the remorse Professor Snape felt when he realized how Lord Voldemort had interpreted the prophecy, Harry. I believe it to be the greatest regret of his life and the reason that he returned —” “But he's a very good Occlumens, isn't he, sir?” said Harry, whose voice was shaking with the effort of keeping it steady. “And isn't Voldemort convinced that Snape's on his side, even now? Professor . . . how can you be sure Snape's on our side?” Dumbledore did not speak for a moment; he looked as though he was trying to make up his mind about something. At last he said, “I am sure. I trust Severus Snape completely.” Q6 - Why does he trust Snape? And why does he say Snape regrets it?“I . . . they're up to something!” said Harry, and his hands curled into fists as he said it. “Professor Trelawney was just in the Room of Requirement, trying to hide her sherry bottles, and she heard Malfoy whooping, celebrating! He's trying to mend something dangerous in there and if you ask me, he's fixed it at last and you're about to just walk out of school without —” “Enough,” said Dumbledore. He said it quite calmly, and yet Harry fell silent at once; he knew that he had finally crossed some invisible line. “Do you think that I have once left the school unprotected during my absences this year? I have not. Tonight, when I leave, there will again be additional protection in place. Please do not suggest that I do not take the safety of my students seriously, Harry.” Q7 - What did Draco just do?“If I tell you to hide, you will do so?” “Yes.” “If I tell you to flee, you will obey?” “Yes.” “If I tell you to leave me and save yourself, you will do as I tell you? “I —” “Harry?” They looked at each other for a moment. “Yes, sir.”Q8 - Is this stuff actually going to happen?“No!” said Hermione, as Ron unwrapped the tiny little bottle of golden potion, looking awestruck. “We don't want it, you take it, who knows what you're going to be facing?” “I'll be fine, I'll be with Dumbledore,” said Harry. “I want to know you lot are okay. . . . Don't look like that, Hermione, I'll see you later. . . .”Harry turned. At once, there was that horrible sensation that he was being squeezed through a thick rubber tube; he could not draw breath, every part of him was being compressed almost past endurance and then, just when he thought he must suffocate, the invisible bands seemed to burst open, and he was standing in cool darkness, breathing in lungfuls of fresh, salty air. Q9 - What is going to happen in the cave?

Book 5, Chapter 30: Grawp

Book 5, Chapter 29: Career Advice

Book 5, Chapter 28: Snape's Worst Memory

Book 5, Chapter 27: The Centaur And The Sneak

Book 5, Chapter 26: Seen And Unforeseen

Book 5, Chapter 25: The Beetle At Bay

Book 5, Chapter 24: Occlumency

Book 5, Chapter 23: Christmas On The Closed Ward

Book 5, Chapter 22: St. Mungo's Hospital For Magical Maladies And Injuries

Chapter 28 - Snape's Worst Memory“Umbridge tried to get back into his office last night after theyʹd searched the castle and grounds for him. Couldnʹt get past the gargoyle. The Headʹs office has sealed itself against her.ʹ Ernie smirked. ʹApparently, she had a right little tantrum.”Q1 - Do you think Dumbledore did this or is this just the magic of the castle?ʹMalfoy just docked us all about fifty points,ʹ said Harry furiously, as they watched several more stones fly upwards from the Gryffindor hour‐glass. ʹYeah, Montague tried to do us during break,ʹ said George. ʹWhat do you mean, ʺtriedʺ?ʹ said Ron quickly. ʹHe never managed to get all the words out,ʹ said Fred, ʹdue to the fact that we forced him head‐first into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor.ʹ Q2 - Where do you think Montague vanished to?Q3 - What do you think about the new point system?The upshot of it all was that Professor Umbridge spent her first afternoon as Headmistress running all over the school answering the summonses of the other teachers, none of whom seemed able to rid their rooms of the fireworks without her. When the final bell rang and they were heading back to Gryffindor Tower with their bags, Harry saw, with immense satisfaction, a dishevelled and soot-blackened Umbridge tottering sweaty‐faced from Professor Flitwickʹs classroom.And now he was in a dimly lit room as high and wide as a church, full of nothing but rows and rows of towering shelves, each laden with small, dusty, spun‐glass spheres… now Harrys heart was beating fast with excitement… he knew where to go… he ran forwards, but his footsteps made no noise in the enormous, deserted room… There was something in this room he wanted very, very much…Q4 - What is Harry looking at here?Sheʹs a lovely person really,ʹ said Cho. ʹShe just made a mistake ‐ʹ  Harry looked at her incredulously. ʹA lovely person who made a mistake? She sold us all out, including you!ʹ  ʹWell… we all got away, didnʹt we?ʹ said Cho pleadingly. ʹYou know, her mum works for the Ministry, itʹs really difficult for her ‐ʹ  ʹRonʹs dad works for the Ministry too!ʹ Harry said furiously. ʹAnd in case you hadnʹt noticed, he hasnʹt got sneak written across his face ‐ʹ  That was a really horrible trick of Hermione Grangerʹs,ʹ said Cho fiercely. ʹShe should have told us sheʹd jinxed that list ‐ʹ  ʹI think it was a brilliant idea,ʹ said Harry coldly. Cho flushed and her eyes grew brighter. ʹOh yes, I forgot ‐ of course, if it was darling Hermioneʹs idea ‐ʹ  ʹDonʹt start crying again,ʹ said Harry warningly. ʹI wasnʹt going to!ʹ she shouted. ʹYeah… well… good,ʹ he said. Iʹve got enough to cope with at the moment.ʹ  ʹGo and cope with it then!ʹ Cho said furiously, turning on her heel and stalking off.Q5 - Who is right in this debate?Q6 - Should Harry have looked into Snape's memories?ʹLeave him ALONE!ʹ  James and Sirius looked round. Jamesʹs free hand immediately jumped to his hair. It was one of the girls from the lake edge. She had thick, dark red hair that fell to her shoulders, and startlingly green almond-shaped eyes—Harryʹs eyes. Harryʹs mother.Q7 - Jenn and Danny, what do you think about the color and shape of the eyes?Q8 - What do you think of the young marauders and of Lily and Snape?ʹYou think youʹre funny,ʹ she said coldly. ʹBut youʹre just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone.ʹ  ʹI will if you go out with me, Evans,ʹ said James quickly. ʹGo on… go out with me and Iʹll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again.ʹ Q9 - Were James and Lily married because of this bet?Q10 - Is James Potter a jerk?Chapter 29 - Careers AdviceQ1 - What is going on with Harry at the start of this chapter? (Is he only depressed because of the memory he saw?)Q2 - Is Harry an idiot to be breaking into Umbridge's office to talk with Sirius?Q3 - What would the trio be good at for their jobs?Q4 - What would you want to do in the wizarding world?Professor Umbridge gave her most pronounced cough yet. ʹMay I offer you a cough drop, Dolores?ʹ Professor McGonagall asked curtly, without looking at Professor Umbridge.ʹI should have made my meaning plainer,ʹ said Professor McGonagall, turning at last to look Umbridge directly in the eyes. ʹHe has achieved high marks in all Defence Against the Dark Arts tests set by a competent teacher.ʹ  Professor Umbridgeʹs smile vanished as suddenly as a light bulb blowing.ʹPotter,ʹ she said in ringing tones, ʹI will assist you to become an Auror if it is the last thing I do! If I have to coach you nightly, I will make sure you achieve the required results!ʹQ5 - Thoughts on the showdown with McG and Umbridge?ʹHe kept messing up his hair,ʹ said Harry in a pained voice. Sirius and Lupin laughed. ʹIʹd forgotten he used to do that,ʹ said Sirius affectionately. ʹWas he playing with the Snitch?ʹ said Lupin eagerly. ʹYeah,ʹ said Harry, watching uncomprehendingly as Sirius and Lupin beamed reminiscently. ʹWell… I thought he was a bit of an idiot.ʹ Q6 - How do you look at your past self?Q7 - Are Sirius and Lupin right to laugh it off like this?ʹSTOP THEM!ʹ shrieked Umbridge, but it was too late. As the Inquisitorial Squad closed in, Fred and George kicked off from the floor, shooting fifteen feet into the air, the iron peg swinging dangerously below. Fred looked across the hall at the poltergeist bobbing on his level above the crowd. ʹGive her hell from us, Peeves.ʹ  And Peeves, who Harry had never seen take an order from a student before, swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from the students below and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious sunset.Q8 - What do you think about this?Chapter 30 - GrawpEventually the area was roped off and Filch, gnashing his teeth furiously, was given the task of punting students across it to their classrooms. Harry was certain that teachers like McGonagall or Flitwick could have removed the swamp in an instant but, just as in the case of Fred and Georges Wildfire Whiz‐bangs, they seemed to prefer to watch Umbridge struggle.Q1 - What prank would you play on Umbridge now?None of the staff but Filch seemed to be stirring themselves to help her. Indeed, a week after Fred and Georgeʹs departure Harry witnessed Professor McGonagall walking right past Peeves, who was determinedly loosening a crystal chandelier, and could have sworn he heard her tell the poltergeist out of the corner of her mouth, ʹIt unscrews the other way.ʹQ2 - Should Harry be that serious about occlumency and going back to Snape?Q3 - Hagrid mentions he's going to help Dumbledore when he gets sacked…what is he going to do?ʹWhat are those ropes for, then?ʹ Harry asked. He had just noticed ropes thick as saplings stretching from around the trunks of the largest nearby trees towards the place where Grawp lay curled on the ground with his back to them. ʹYou have to keep him tied up?ʹ said Hermione faintly. ʹWell… yeah…ʹ said Hagrid, looking anxious. ʹSee ‐ itʹs like I say ‐ he doesnʹ  really know ʹis own strength.ʹ Q4 - Is Hagrid right to have his brother like this?Q5 - What do you think about Centaurs?ʹOh, come off it, Harry!ʹ said Hermione angrily, stopping dead in her tracks so that the people behind had to swerve to avoid her. ʹOf course heʹs going to be chucked out and, to be perfectly honest, after what weʹve just seen, who can blame Umbridge?ʹ  There was a pause in which Harry glared at her, and her eyes filled slowly with tears. ʹYou didnʹt mean that,ʹ said Harry quietly. ʹNo… well… all right… I didnʹt,ʹ she said, wiping her eyes angrily. ʹBut why does he have to make life so difficult for himself ‐ for us?ʹ Q6 - Why is Hermione so mad here?Q7 - What do you think about Ron having a good match?

Book 5, Chapter 21: The Eye Of The Snake

Join us for the second part of our recepts of The Last of Us, as we break down what happened to Tess and discuss how useful we would be in the apocalypse. This episode is hosted by Frak, John, and Melissa! ~*~ Don't forget to follow us on @pottercast on Twitter and @pottercastpod on Instagram!   This episode was produced by Melissa Anelli.  PotterCast is (c) PotterCast 2005-2023

Something a little different this week! We are going to start talking about the things other than Potter that are currently occupying our thoughts and minds. Right now we're deep into The Last of Us, a show based on a game that most of us have been playing repeatedly for the better part of a decade. If you've ever enjoyed our banter about anything, and are watching or are interested in this show, this is for you. This episode is hosted by Frak, John, and Melissa, with guest host Bre! ~*~ Don't forget to follow us on @pottercast on Twitter and @pottercastpod on Instagram!   This episode was produced by Melissa Anelli.  PotterCast is (c) PotterCast 2005-2023

Book 5, Chapter 20: Hagrid's Tale

It's our live show from LeakyCon Orlando 2022! This episode features Chris Rankin, Mike Schubert of Potterless, and Hannah and Charlie of the Goblet of Wine pod! We talk about the weekend we had, we play some games, it's a lot of fun.  Our next episode is not far away, and it's going to be a fun one. Thanks for hanging in with us as always, Potterheads! Don't forget that you can still go to LeakyCon this year, Oct 14-16 in Denver, CO! Also, we're having a big end-of-summer sale at mischiefmerch.com; use code ENDOFSEASON50 for 20% off orders over $50, or ENDOFSEASON100 for 30% off orders over $100 as we do some cleaning out for fall!  ~*~ Don't forget to follow us on @pottercast on Twitter and @pottercastpod on Instagram! Join our patreon! patreon.com/pottercast - Now, you can also join our Discord community there! This episode was produced by Melissa Anelli.  PotterCast is (c) PotterCast 2005-2022.