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Elizabeth returns to discuss the fallout after the intense escape from Privet Drive. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hogwarts-a-podcast/support
The Potter Discussion: Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and the Wizarding World Fandom
Send us a textIn this episode, we discuss the best superhero moments in Harry Potter. Enjoy!Topics/Summary:· 1:35 Harry and Hermione Rescuing Sirius. They had just executed Dumbledore's well thought out plan perfectly. However, they aren't exactly heroes which is why this moment is number one, but it is still Harry and Hermione coming to the rescue.· 6:18 Harry returns to the DA in Deathly Hallows. Harry is the founder of the DA and he represents the resistance against Voldemort, so why he returns, the moment means so much because it spells out the beginning of the end, one way or the other.· Listen to episode 225 about Dudley and the Dursleys here!· 12:52 7 Potters. Harry says goodbye to the Dursleys, then heads off the great wide world. We see number 4 empty at last, then are brought back to the real world when the Order arrives and they begin to prepare to leave, beginning the final course of events.· 17:34 The Hut on the Rock. Hagrid walks up the door, breaks it down, and tells Harry the truth about who he is and where he must take him. This is the very first time Harry has been exposed to this kind of thing, and by proxy, it is the readers first experience with magic.· 20:48 Dobby at Malfoy Manor. Dobby is so unassuming, he is a hero if that makes sense. He isn't very strong or magical, but he is loyal. He will stand up for you if you stand up for him. Here, he sacrifices his life for Harry to win against Voldemort.· 23:45 Fred, George, and Ron rescuing Harry from Privet Drive in The Chamber of Secrets. Harry sees the headlights coming, and they rip the bars off. Harry throws his trunk and Hedwig into the car, jumps through the window, and they zoom off into the night.· 26:00 Battle of the Order of the Phoenix at the Ministry of Magic. Not only are there two hero moments, but two. The DA is saved by the Order swooping in and dueling the Death Eaters away, then when Harry runs after Bellatrix who just killed Sirius, and is faced by Voldemort. Before he can make a move, Dumbledore emerges and saves the day.Having anything you want to hear or say? Click here for a voice submission or here for text. ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.comthepotterdiscussion.comNox
Julie and Dan discuss a thrilling chapter in which the Order devises an interesting plan for Harry's departure from Privet Drive. However, things don't go as planned, and the chapter becomes a chaotic chase sequence. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hogwarts-a-podcast/support
On this week's episode, Harry is rude to his owl. Then someone breaks into his home. It's very exciting to be leaving Privet Drive! Join us for a chapter of highs and lows as Chapter-by-Chapter covers Chapter 3 of "Order of the Phoenix," and the hosts as well as Slug Club member Katie discuss the recent passing of Maggie Smith, take answers from our Lynx Line, and generally have a nice time as usual. Welcome to our Slug Club guest Katie! The hosts reflect on the amazing life of Dame Maggie Smith, who has passed away. Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 3: The Advance Guard. And our Time Turner segment has us spinning some old recordings from past discussions! Check out Episode 435 and Episode 229! Harry interrupts Hedwig's dinner. Is this one step too far on making his friends' lives miserable? Andrew loves Harry's plan to ensure his friends give him answers, but it may remind us all of Professor Umbridge. Does the delay between the last chapter and the night the Advance Guard arrives exist because Dumbledore needed time to implement the escape route? Is the real Moody overcompensating on security? The Dursleys are back to their old tricks, of abusing Harry… and Harry is back to his old tricks of appearing indifferent to them. The hosts rank this rescue effort against all the other times Harry was saved from Privet Drive. Should Harry have been more aggressive about intruders in his home? Doesn't everybody at this point know Harry's Patronus? How secure is Lupin's question exactly? If this is the Advance Guard, who is in the Rear Guard? Lynx Line: What five Potter characters would our patrons have in their Advance Guard? Where's Dumbledore?, the segment, returns! Our Most Trustworthy Advance Guard Member of the Week: the hosts explain. Quizzitch: “What well-kept lawn in London has been home to a zebra, an elephant, and a helicopter landing pad?” Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dan and Elizabeth discuss a chapter where Harry prepares to leave Privet Drive. As Harry decides what is worth bringing with him on his journey, he takes time to review a few Daily Prophet articles about Albus. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hogwarts-a-podcast/support
On this week's episode, we learn things are never as they appear to be as Ms. Figg reveals herself as a Dumbledore informant and Petunia recalls her last correspondence with the Wizarding World! Plus, there are owls... EVERYWHERE! Welcome back, Meg! Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 2: A Peck of Owls. And our Time Turner segment has us spinning some old recordings from past discussions! Check out Episode 434 and Episode 228! Did Dumbledore suspect that Harry would be attacked on Privet Drive? If so, why was more (competent) manpower not invested in Harry's protection? Why is Harry facing criminal charges for doing a bit of simple, defensive magic? Given how fast the owls show up, are they using some form of magic themselves? Say what?! Petunia knows about Dementors... and Azkaban! When Petunia references that awful boy, does she mean James... or Snape? Remember My Last! Was Petunia actually excited to receive a letter from the Wizarding World? Has she ever heard Dumbledore's voice in person? Do Petunia and Snape share a similar love for Lily and disdain for Harry? Shouldn't Vernon have every right to want to protect his family? Especially, after he learns of Voldemort's return? Lynx Line: How would we improve on the Ministry of Magic's disciplinary process for Harry? Our Most Wicked Figg Line of the Week: the hosts do their best impressions! Quizzitch: In Scotland, the peck was used as a dry measure until the introduction of imperial units as a result of the Weights and Measures Act of what year? Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1 - The Dark Lord AscendingThe dedication of this book Is split seven ways: To Neil, To Jessica, To David, To Kenzie, To Di, To Anne, And to you, If you have stuck with Harry until the very end. Oh, the torment bred in the race, the grinding scream of death and the stroke that hits the vein, the haemorrhage none can staunch, the grief, the curse no man can bear. But there is a cure in the house and not outside it, no, not from others but from them, their bloody strife. We sing to you, dark gods beneath the earth. Now hear, you blissful powers underground — answer the call, send help. Bless the children, give them triumph now. Aeschylus, The Libation BearersDeath is but crossing the world, as friends do the seas; they live in one another still. For they must needs be present, that love and live in that which is omnipresent. In this divine glass they see face to face; and their converse is free, as well as pure. This is the comfort of friends, that though they may be said to die, yet their friendship and society are, in the best sense, ever present, because immortal. William Penn, More Fruits of Solitude Q1 - What do you think of the forward and dedication?The drawing room was full of silent people, sitting at a long and ornate table. The room's usual furniture had been pushed carelessly up against the walls. Illumination came from a roaring fire beneath a handsome marble mantelpiece surmounted by a gilded mirror. Snape and Yaxley lingered for a moment on the threshold. As their eyes grew accustomed to the lack of light, they were drawn upward to the strangest feature of the scene: an apparently unconscious human figure hanging upside down over the table, revolving slowly as if suspended by an invisible rope, and reflected in the mirror and in the bare, polished surface of the table below. None of the people seated underneath this singular sight was looking at it except for a pale young man sitting almost directly below it. He seemed unable to prevent himself from glancing upward every minute or so.Q2 - What do you think of this scene?“Severus, here,” said Voldemort, indicating the seat on his immediate right. “Yaxley — beside Dolohov.” The two men took their allotted places. Most of the eyes around the table followed Snape, and it was to him that Voldemort spoke first. “So?” “My Lord, the Order of the Phoenix intends to move Harry Potter from his current place of safety on Saturday next, at nightfall.” The interest around the table sharpened palpably: Some stiffened, others fidgeted, all gazing at Snape and Voldemort. “Saturday . . . at nightfall,” repeated Voldemort. His red eyes fastened upon Snape's black ones with such intensity that some of the watchers looked away, apparently fearful that they themselves would be scorched by the ferocity of the gaze. Snape, however, looked calmly back into Voldemort's face and, after a moment or two, Voldemort's lipless mouth curved into something like a smile. “Good. Very good. And this information comes —” “— from the source we discussed,” said Snape. Q3 - What is going on here and who is their source?Again, Voldemort looked up at the slowly revolving body as he went on, “I shall attend to the boy in person. There have been too many mistakes where Harry Potter is concerned. Some of them have been my own. That Potter lives is due more to my errors than to his triumphs.” “I have been careless, and so have been thwarted by luck and chance, those wreckers of all but the best-laid plans. But I know better now. I understand those things that I did not understand before. I must be the one to kill Harry Potter, and I shall be.” Q4 - Is Voldemort right here?At these words, seemingly in response to them, a sudden wail sounded, a terrible, drawn-out cry of misery and pain. Many of those at the table looked downward, startled, for the sound had seemed to issue from below their feet. “Wormtail,” said Voldemort, with no change in his quiet, thoughtful tone, and without removing his eyes from the revolving body above, “have I not spoken to you about keeping our prisoner quiet?”Q5 - Who is their prisoner?“As I was saying,” continued Voldemort, looking again at the tense faces of his followers, “I understand better now. I shall need, for instance, to borrow a wand from one of you before I go to kill Potter.” The faces around him displayed nothing but shock; he might have announced that he wanted to borrow one of their arms. Q6 - Why does he need to borrow one of their wands?“No higher pleasure,” repeated Voldemort, his head tilted a little to one side as he considered Bellatrix. “That means a great deal, Bellatrix, from you.” Her face flooded with color; her eyes welled with tears of delight. “My Lord knows I speak nothing but the truth!” “No higher pleasure . . . even compared with the happy event that, I hear, has taken place in your family this week?” She stared at him, her lips parted, evidently confused. “I don't know what you mean, my Lord.” “I'm talking about your niece, Bellatrix. And yours, Lucius and Narcissa. She has just married the werewolf, Remus Lupin. You must be so proud.” Q7 - To Jenn's point, why do they follow Voldemort?“You must prune yours, must you not, to keep it healthy? Cut away those parts that threaten the health of the rest.” “Yes, my Lord,” whispered Bellatrix, and her eyes swam with tears of gratitude again. “At the first chance!” “You shall have it,” said Voldemort. “And in your family, so in the world . . . we shall cut away the canker that infects us until only those of the true blood remain. . . .”Q8 - Is he talking about killing Lupin and Tonks?“For those of you who do not know, we are joined here tonight by Charity Burbage who, until recently, taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”Q9 - Did Snape give up his coworker here?Nobody laughed this time: There was no mistaking the anger and contempt in Voldemort's voice. For the third time, Charity Burbage revolved to face Snape. Tears were pouring from her eyes into her hair. Snape looked back at her, quite impassive, as she turned slowly away from him again. “Avada Kedavra.”Q10 - How evil is this scene?Chapter 2 - In MemoriamHarry had spent the morning completely emptying his school trunk for the first time since he had packed it six years ago.Q1 - How gross is Harry?He recognized it at once. It was a two-inch-long fragment of the enchanted mirror that his dead godfather, Sirius, had given him. Harry laid it aside and felt cautiously around the trunk for the rest, but nothing more remained of his godfather's last gift except powdered glass, which clung to the deepest layer of debris like glittering grit. Q2 - Will this come back in the end of the story?For his part, Albus had arrived at Hogwarts under the burden of unwanted notoriety. Scarcely a year previously, his father, Percival, had been convicted of a savage and well-publicized attack upon three young Muggles. Albus never attempted to deny that his father (who was to die in Azkaban) had committed this crime; on the contrary, when I plucked up courage to ask him, he assured me that he knew his father to be guilty. Beyond that, Dumbledore refused to speak of the sad business, though many attempted to make him do so. Q3 - Is this true? Why didn't Harry know anything about this?In a matter of months, however, Albus's own fame had begun to eclipse that of his father. By the end of his first year he would never again be known as the son of a Muggle-hater, but as nothing more or less than the most brilliant student ever seen at the school. Q4 - Is this a realistic depiction of Albus? Can a first year be the best student in the school?When Albus and I left Hogwarts we intended to take the then-traditional tour of the world together, visiting and observing foreign wizards, before pursuing our separate careers. However, tragedy intervened. On the very eve of our trip, Albus's mother, Kendra, died, leaving Albus the head, and sole breadwinner, of the family. I postponed my departure long enough to pay my respects at Kendra's funeral, then left for what was now to be a solitary journey. With a younger brother and sister to care for, and little gold left to them, there could no longer be any question of Albus accompanying me. Q5 - Did you know Dumbledore had a sister?Though Ariana had been in poor health for a long time, the blow, coming so soon after the loss of their mother, had a profound effect on both of her brothers. All those closest to Albus — and I count myself one of that lucky number — agree that Ariana's death, and Albus's feeling of personal responsibility for it (though, of course, he was guiltless), left their mark upon him forevermore. Q6 - Why would Dumbledore feel personally responsible?He died as he lived: working always for the greater good and, to his last hour, as willing to stretch out a hand to a small boy with dragon pox as he was on the day that I met him. Q7 - What do you think of the line “for the greater good.”He had never thought to ask Dumbledore about his past. No doubt it would have felt strange, impertinent even, but after all, it had been common knowledge that Dumbledore had taken part in that legendary duel with Grindelwald, and Harry had not thought to ask Dumbledore what that had been like, nor about any of his other famous achievements. No, they had always discussed Harry, Harry's past, Harry's future, Harry's plans . . . and it seemed to Harry now, despite the fact that his future was so dangerous and so uncertain, that he had missed irreplaceable opportunities when he had failed to ask Dumbledore more about himself, even though the only personal question he had ever asked his headmaster was also the only one he suspected that Dumbledore had not answered honestly: “What do you see when you look in the mirror?” “I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks.”Q8 - What do you think he saw in the mirror?In person, Rita Skeeter is much warmer and softer than her famously ferocious quill-portraits might suggest. Greeting me in the hallway of her cozy home, she leads me straight into the kitchen for a cup of tea, a slice of pound cake and, it goes without saying, a steaming vat of freshest gossip. Q9 - Will any of this biography be true?Skeeter was certainly quick off the mark. Her nine-hundred-page book was completed a mere four weeks after Dumbledore's mysterious death in June. But old Dodgy Doge can get off his high hippogriff, because I've had access to a source most journalists would swap their wands for, one who has never spoken in public before and who was close to Dumbledore during the most turbulent and disturbing phase of his youth.”Q10 - Who is this source?No, it's the mother and the sister that intrigued me, and a little digging uncovered a positive nest of nastiness — but, as I say, you'll have to wait for chapters nine to twelve for full details. All I can say now is, it's no wonder Dumbledore never talked about how his nose got broken.” Q11 - Will any of this be true? What is she talking about here?It's been called unhealthy, even sinister. . . . Q12 - How would you describe their relationship with each other?Harry sat down hard on the bed. The broken bit of mirror danced away from him; he picked it up and turned it over in his fingers, thinking, thinking of Dumbledore and the lies with which Rita Skeeter was defaming him. . . . A flash of brightest blue. Harry froze, his cut finger slipping on the jagged edge of the mirror again. He had imagined it, he must have done. He glanced over his shoulder, but the wall was a sickly peach color of Aunt Petunia's choosing: There was nothing blue there for the mirror to reflect. He peered into the mirror fragment again, and saw nothing but his own bright green eye looking back at him. He had imagined it, there was no other explanation; imagined it, because he had been thinking of his dead headmaster. If anything was certain, it was that the bright blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore would never pierce him again. Q13 - What just happened?Chapter 3 - The Dursleys DepartingHarry pressed on remorselessly. “Once I'm seventeen, the protective charm that keeps me safe will break, and that exposes you as well as me. The Order is sure Voldemort will target you, whether to torture you to try and find out where I am, or because he thinks by holding you hostage I'd come and try to rescue you.”Q1 - What do you think of this?Q2 - Do you think the Dursleys are ridiculous? Do you have any sympathy for them?The prospect of parting — probably forever — from his aunt, uncle, and cousin was one that he was able to contemplate quite cheerfully, but there was nevertheless a certain awkwardness in the air. What did you say to one another at the end of sixteen years' solid dislike? “Well, this is good-bye, then, boy.” He swung his right arm upward to shake Harry's hand, but at the last moment seemed unable to face it, and merely closed his fist and began swinging it backward and forward like a metronome. “Ready, Diddy?” asked Aunt Petunia, fussily checking the clasp of her handbag so as to avoid looking at Harry altogether. Dudley did not answer, but stood there with his mouth slightly ajar, reminding Harry a little of the giant, Grawp. “Come along, then,” said Uncle Vernon. He had already reached the living room door when Dudley mumbled, “I don't understand.” “What don't you understand, popkin?” asked Aunt Petunia, looking up at her son. Dudley raised a large, hamlike hand to point at Harry. “Why isn't he coming with us?” Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia froze where they stood, staring at Dudley as though he had just expressed a desire to become a ballerina. “What?” said Uncle Vernon loudly. “Why isn't he coming too?” asked Dudley. “Well, he — he doesn't want to,” said Uncle Vernon, turning to glare at Harry and adding, “You don't want to, do you?” “Not in the slightest,” said Harry. “There you are,” Uncle Vernon told Dudley. “Now come on, we're off.” He marched out of the room. They heard the front door open, but Dudley did not move and after a few faltering steps Aunt Petunia stopped too. “What now?” barked Uncle Vernon, reappearing in the doorway. It seemed that Dudley was struggling with concepts too difficult to put into words. After several moments of apparently painful internal struggle he said, “But where's he going to go?” Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon looked at each other. It was clear that Dudley was frightening them. Hestia Jones broke the silence. “But . . . surely you know where your nephew is going?” she asked, looking bewildered. “Certainly we know,” said Vernon Dursley. “He's off with some of your lot, isn't he? Right, Dudley, let's get in the car, you heard the man, we're in a hurry.” Again, Vernon Dursley marched as far as the front door, but Dudley did not follow. “Off with some of our lot?” Hestia looked outraged. Harry had met this attitude before: Witches and wizards seemed stunned that his closest living relatives took so little interest in the famous Harry Potter. “It's fine,” Harry assured her. “It doesn't matter, honestly.” “Doesn't matter?” repeated Hestia, her voice rising ominously. “Don't these people realize what you've been through? What danger you are in? The unique position you hold in the hearts of the antiVoldemort movement?” “Er — no, they don't,” said Harry. “They think I'm a waste of space, actually, but I'm used to —” “I don't think you're a waste of space.” If Harry had not seen Dudley's lips move, he might not have believed it. As it was, he stared at Dudley for several seconds before accepting that it must have been his cousin who had spoken; for one thing, Dudley had turned red. Harry was embarrassed and astonished himself. “Well . . . er . . . thanks, Dudley.” Again, Dudley appeared to grapple with thoughts too unwieldy for expression before mumbling, “You saved my life.” “Not really,” said Harry. “It was your soul the dementor would have taken. . . .” He looked curiously at his cousin. They had had virtually no contact during this summer or last, as Harry had come back to Privet Drive so briefly and kept to his room so much. It now dawned on Harry, however, that the cup of cold tea on which he had trodden that morning might not have been a booby trap at all. Although rather touched, he was nevertheless quite relieved that Dudley appeared to have exhausted his ability to express his feelings. After opening his mouth once or twice more, Dudley subsided into scarletfaced silence.Q3 - What do you think of Dudley doing this? Aunt Petunia, whose face had been buried in her handkerchief, looked around at the sound. She did not seem to have expected to find herself alone with Harry. Hastily stowing her wet handkerchief into her pocket, she said, “Well — good-bye,” and marched toward the door without looking at him. “Good-bye,” said Harry. She stopped and looked back. For a moment Harry had the strangest feeling that she wanted to say something to him: She gave him an odd, tremulous look and seemed to teeter on the edge of speech, but then, with a little jerk of her head, she bustled out of the room after her husband and son. Q4 - What do you think she wanted to say to him?Chapter 4 - The Seven PottersQ1 - What did you think this chapter initially meant?It gave him an odd, empty feeling to remember those times; it was like remembering a younger brother whom he had lost. Harry looked around at the stacked shoes and umbrellas, remembering how he used to wake every morning looking up at the underside of the staircase, which was more often than not adorned with a spider or two. Those had been the days before he had known anything about his true identity; before he had found out how his parents had died or why such strange things often happened around him. But Harry could still remember the dreams that had dogged him, even in those days: confused dreams involving flashes of green light and once — Uncle Vernon had nearly crashed the car when Harry had recounted it — a flying motorbike . . . Q2 - Is there anything else about that flash of green light you think is important?Harry's heart seemed to expand and glow at the sight: He felt incredibly fond of all of them, even Mundungus, whom he had tried to strangle the last time they had met. “You got married?” Harry yelped, looking from her to Lupin. “I'm sorry you couldn't be there, Harry, it was very quiet.” “That's brilliant, congrat —” “All right, all right, we'll have time for a cozy catch-up later!”Q3 - What do you think of Lupin and Tonks getting married?“So this time, when you leave, there'll be no going back, and the charm will break the moment you get outside its range. We're choosing to break it early, because the alternative is waiting for You-KnowWho to come and seize you the moment you turn seventeen. Q4 - What would your plan be to get Harry out safely?From inside his cloak Moody now withdrew a flask of what looked like mud. There was no need for him to say another word; Harry understood the rest of the plan immediately. “No!” he said loudly, his voice ringing through the kitchen. “No way!” “I told them you'd take it like this,” said Hermione with a hint of complacency. “If you think I'm going to let six people risk their lives — !” “— because it's the first time for all of us,” said Ron. “This is different, pretending to be me —” “Well, none of us really fancy it, Harry,” said Fred earnestly. “Imagine if something went wrong and we were stuck as specky, scrawny gits forever.” Harry did not smile. Q5 - Jenn you mentioned this is unsafe in that Harry doesn't even know who they are? Are any of them using polyjuice here to cover themselves up?They might not be able to get at you or this house while your mother's charm holds, but it's about to break and they know the rough position of the place. Our only chance is to use decoys. Even You-Know-Who can't split himself into seven.” Harry caught Hermione's eye and looked away at once. “So, Potter — some of your hair, if you please.” Q6 - What would the harm be in telling everyone about Voldemort's Horcruxes?Harry dropped the hair into the mudlike liquid. The moment it made contact with its surface, the potion began to froth and smoke, then, all at once, it turned a clear, bright gold. Q7 - Any significance of it turning gold here?When he straightened up again, there were six Harry Potters gasping and panting in front of him. Fred and George turned to each other and said together, “Wow — we're identical!” “I dunno, though, I think I'm still better-looking,” said Fred, examining his reflection in the kettle. “Bah,” said Fleur, checking herself in the microwave door, “Bill, don't look at me — I'm 'ideous.” Q8 - How about the slight dig that Fleur gives here?Q9 - Who would you want guarding you if you were one of the seven potters?The broomstick spun to earth, but he just managed to seize the strap of his rucksack and the top of the cage as the motorbike swung the right way up again. A second's relief, and then another burst of green light. The owl screeched and fell to the floor of the cage. “No — NO!” The motorbike zoomed forward; Harry glimpsed hooded Death Eaters scattering as Hagrid blasted through their circle. “Hedwig — Hedwig —” But the owl lay motionless and pathetic as a toy on the floor of her cage. Q10 - How do you feel about Hedwig's death?Harry saw the strangely blank face of Stanley Shunpike — Stan — “Expelliarmus!” Harry yelled. “That's him, it's him, it's the real one!” The hooded Death Eater's shout reached Harry even above the thunder of the motorbike's engine: Next moment, both pursuers had fallen back and disappeared from view. Q11 - Is Stan Shunpike an actual Death Eater?Q12 - Why has Expelliarmus become Harry's calling card?Harry felt the bike drop a little, though the lights down on the ground still seemed remote as stars. Then the scar on his forehead burned like fire; as a Death Eater appeared on either side of the bike, two Killing Curses missed Harry by millimeters, cast from behind — And then Harry saw him. Voldemort was flying like smoke on the wind, without broomstick or thestral to hold him, his snakelike face gleaming out of the blackness, his white fingers raising his wand again —Q13 - How terrifying is this scene?It was over: He could not see or hear where Voldemort was; he glimpsed another Death Eater swooping out of the way and heard, “Avada —” As the pain from Harry's scar forced his eyes shut, his wand acted of its own accord. He felt it drag his hand around like some great magnet, saw a spurt of golden fire through his half-closed eyelids, heard a crack and a scream of fury. The remaining Death Eater yelled; Voldemort screamed, “No!”: Somehow, Harry found his nose an inch from the dragon-fire button. He punched it with his wand-free hand and the bike shot more flames into the air, hurtling straight toward the ground. Q14 - How did this happen?He felt Voldemort before he saw him. Looking sideways, he stared into the red eyes and was sure they would be the last thing he ever saw: Voldemort preparing to curse him once more — And then Voldemort vanished. Harry looked down and saw Hagrid spread-eagled on the ground below him. He pulled hard at the handlebars to avoid hitting him, groped for the brake, but with an earsplitting, ground-trembling crash, he smashed into a muddy pond. Q15 - How good of an ending is this chapter and the title of the next…
This week, our Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix re-read begins! We examine the protections surrounding Harry now that Voldemort is back, and ask whether Dudley Dursley is a good boy now. News: There is an open casting call for children to become the next Potter trio for the HBO series. We'll be talking more about it in Bonus MuggleCast, available on Apple Podcasts and our Patreon. Chapter-by-Chapter begins again with Book 5, and our brand new MuggleCast Time Turner segment has us spinning some old recordings from past discussions. This week, Episode 433 and Episode 228. Harry's mood has soured significantly! Were we repelled by the book's immediately sadder protagonist? How much of Harry's rage is justified? How much is due to his horcrux connection? Could Harry have been removed from Privet Drive after just 24 hours? If so, why wasn't he? Is Dumbledore to blame for all of harry's problems? Feeling disconnected, Harry hears a loud noise but it makes him feel more desperate. The noise was the sound of our breaking hearts. Dudley's attempts to de-escalate the situation with Harry are applaudable, but unsuccessful. Has Dudley already grown most of the way to a mature person? Are we laughing at Harry's jokes? Lynx Line question: how could Dumbledore improve Harry's protection? New segments: Where's Dumbledore?! And Make the Personal Connection This week's MVP award category is: Most Fake Character Quizzitch: In honor of the drought that's happening in the beginning of Book 5, what is the hottest temperature ever recorded in the United Kingdom? Guesses within 3 degrees Fahrenheit will be accepted. You may answer in Fahrenheit or Celsius. Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Potter Discussion: Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and the Wizarding World Fandom
Send us a Text Message.In this episode, we discuss the curse of July 31. Enjoy!Topics/Summary:· 1:49 1991. Harry realizes he is a wizard, but the very day he buys his very first wand and gets ready for his first year at Hogwarts, Quirrell breaks into Gringotts and tries to take the stone.· 9:41 1992. Dobby arrives at 4 Privet Drive and urges Harry to stay away from Hogwarts that year, claiming that great danger is coming to Hogwarts. Harry doesn't believe him, but later finds out that Dobby was correct.· 15:06 1993. Aunt Marge arrives, and leaves a few days later in the air. Harry decides to run for it and sees a death omen, the Grim, in the street. The Knight Bus picks him up, but he doesn't forget.· 19:11 1994. The best one yet, following the worst year. Harry gets sweets and letters from all of his friends and has a peaceful birthday. This throws the end of the book with Voldemort's return and Cedric's death into great contrast.· 22:02 1995. Order of the Phoenix if similar to the Goblet of Fire, but Harry throws out the sweets. He is angry that he is being kept in the dark, and he regrets this later. Sirius's death is later in that book, which is mirroring the decision with the sweet. It was rash, and he regretted it greatly.· 26:05 1996. Harry spends this birthday at the Burrow, but Lupin brings news of a dementor attack, leaving Igor Karkaroff worse than dead in a shack up north. The Burrow is attacked in the film and burned down.· 28:42 1997. The minister shows up and reads the will of Dumbledore to the trio. Bill and Fleur have their wedding, but it is ambushed by Death Eaters. Harry, Ron, and Hermione narrowly escape them and begin their lives on the run, hunting horcruxes. Having anything you want to hear or say? Click here for a voice submission or here for text. ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.com@thepotterdiscussion on InstagramSign up for The Quill and Ink Newsletterthepotterdiscussion.com
Chapter 1 - The Other MinisterIt was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind. Q1 - What do you think of the book opening like this?He turned over the second page of the memo, saw how much longer it went on, and gave it up as a bad job. Stretching his arms above his head he looked around his office mournfully. It was a handsome room, with a fine marble fireplace facing the long sash windows, firmly closed against the unseasonable chill. With a slight shiver, the Prime Minister got up and moved over to the windows, looking out at the thin mist that was pressing itself against the glass. It was then, as he stood with his back to the room, that he heard a soft cough behind him.Q2 - Did you think Umbridge was back?It was coming – as the Prime Minister had known at the first cough – from the froglike little man wearing a long silver wig who was depicted in a small and dirty oil-painting in the far corner of the room. ‘To the Prime Minister of Muggles. Urgent we meet. Kindly respond immediately. Sincerely, Fudge.' The man in the painting looked enquiringly at the Prime Minister.He was not remotely pleased to see Fudge, whose occasional appearances, apart from being downright alarming in themselves, generally meant that he was about to hear some very bad news. Furthermore, Fudge was looking distinctly careworn. He was thinner, balder and greyer, and his face had a crumpled look. The Prime Minister had seen that kind of look in politicians before, and it never boded well.At this, the Prime Minister had found his voice at last. ‘You're – you're not a hoax, then?' It had been his last, desperate hope. ‘No,' said Fudge gently. ‘No, I'm afraid I'm not. Look.' And he had turned the Prime Minister's teacup into a gerbil. ‘But,' said the Prime Minister breathlessly, watching his teacup chewing on the corner of his next speech, ‘but why – why has nobody told me –?' ‘The Minister for Magic only reveals him or herself to the Muggle Prime Minister of the day,' said Fudge, poking his wand back inside his jacket. ‘We find it the best way to maintain secrecy.' ‘But then,' bleated the Prime Minister, ‘why hasn't a former Prime Minister warned me –?' At this, Fudge had actually laughed. ‘My dear Prime Minister, are you ever going to tell anybody?'Q3 - Do you think the President gets a familiar visit from the US magical authorities?‘So you think that …' he had squinted down at the name in his left hand, ‘Lord Vol—' ‘He Who Must Not Be Named!' snarled Fudge. ‘I'm sorry … you think that He Who Must Not Be Named is still alive, then?' ‘Well, Dumbledore says he is,' said Fudge, as he had fastened his pinstriped cloak under his chin, ‘but we've never found him. If you ask me, he's not dangerous unless he's got support, so it's Black we ought to be worrying about. You'll put out that warning, then? Excellent. Well, I hope we don't see each other again, Prime Minister! Goodnight.'Q4 - Do you think Fudge here believes Dumbledore?Whatever the press and the opposition might say, the Prime Minister was not a foolish man. It had not escaped his notice that, despite Fudge's assurances at their first meeting, they were now seeing rather a lot of each other, nor that Fudge was becoming more flustered with each visit. Little though he liked to think about the Minister for Magic (or, as he always called Fudge in his head, the Other Minister), the Prime Minister could not help but fear that the next time Fudge appeared it would be with graver news still. Q5 - Cool point about who the other minister is…Fudge took a great, deep breath and said, ‘Prime Minister, I am very sorry to have to tell you that he's back. He Who Must Not Be Named is back.' ‘Yes, alive,' said Fudge. ‘That is – I don't know – is a man alive if he can't be killed? I don't really understand it, and Dumbledore won't explain properly – but anyway, he's certainly got a body and is walking and talking and killing, so I suppose, for the purposes of our discussion, yes, he's alive.'Q6 - Why won't Dumbledore explain it, and what is he explaining?‘I thought Dementors guard the prisoners in Azkaban?' he said cautiously. ‘They did,' said Fudge wearily. ‘But not any more. They've deserted the prison and joined He Who Must Not Be Named. I won't pretend that wasn't a blow.' ‘But,' said the Prime Minister, with a sense of dawning horror, ‘didn't you tell me they're the creatures that drain hope and happiness out of people?' ‘That's right. And they're breeding. That's what's causing all this mist.'Q7 - Will you ever look at mist the same way again?‘Now see here, Fudge – you've got to do something! It's your responsibility as Minister for Magic!' ‘My dear Prime Minister, you can't honestly think I'm still Minister for Magic after all this? I was sacked three days ago! The whole wizarding community has been screaming for my resignation for a fortnight. I've never known them so united in my whole term of office!' said Fudge, with a brave attempt at a smile.Q8 - What do you think of Fudges sacking? Do you have pity for him at all?‘I wish him luck,' said Fudge, sounding bitter for the first time. ‘I've been writing to Dumbledore twice a day for the past fortnight, but he won't budge. If he'd just been prepared to persuade the boy, I might still be … well, maybe Scrimgeour will have more success.'Q9 - What does Fudge mean, “persuade the boy?”The Prime Minister's first, foolish thought was that Rufus Scrimgeour looked rather like an old lion. There were streaks of grey in his mane of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy, loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp. There was an immediate impression of shrewdness and toughness; the Prime Minister thought he understood why the wizarding community preferred Scrimgeour to Fudge as a leader in these dangerous times.Q10 - What are your impressions of Scrimgeour?The Prime Minister gazed hopelessly at the pair of them for a moment, then the words he had fought to suppress all evening burst from him at last. ‘But for heaven's sake – you're wizards! You can do magic! Surely you can sort out – well – anything!' Scrimgeour turned slowly on the spot and exchanged an incredulous look with Fudge, who really did manage a smile this time as he said kindly, ‘The trouble is, the other side can do magic too, Prime Minister.' And with that, the two wizards stepped one after the other into the bright green fire and vanished.Q11 - What do you think of the first chapter?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?
Chapter 21 - The Eye of the SnakeʹOi!ʹ bellowed Ron, finally losing patience and sticking his head out of the window, ʹI am a prefect and if one more snowball hits this window—OUCH!ʹ He withdrew his head sharply, his face covered in snow. ʹItʹs Fred and George,ʹ he said bitterly, slamming the window behind him. ʹGits…ʹ ʹDonʹ worry, it wonʹ hurt yen,ʹ said Hagrid patiently. ʹRighʹ, now, who can tell me why some oʹ yeh can see ʹem anʹ some canʹt?ʹ Hermione raised her hand. ʹGo on then,ʹ said Hagrid, beaming at her. The only people who can see Thestrals,ʹ she said, ʹare people who have seen death.ʹ Thaʹs exactly right,ʹ said Hagrid solemnly, ʹten points ter Gryffindor. Now, Thestrals— ʹHem, hem.ʹ Professor Umbridge had arrived.Q1 - What do you think of ThestralsQ2 - Is Umbridge still okay after this?ʹYou can see the Thestrals, Longbottom, can you?ʹ she said. Neville nodded. ʹWho did you see die?ʹ she asked, her tone indifferent. ʹMy… my grandad,ʹ said Neville.Q3 - Harry is going to the Burrow for Christmas…what's the most memorable Christmas you've had?ʹWell,ʹ said Angelina dully, pulling off her cloak and throwing it into a corner, ʹweʹve finally replaced you.ʹ ʹReplaced me?ʹ said Harry blankly. ʹYou and Fred and George,ʹ she said impatiently. ʹWeʹve got another Seeker!ʹ ʹWho?ʹ said Harry quickly. ʹGinny Weasley,ʹ said Katie.Q4 - You think Ginny will be good at Quidditch?Q5 - When Cho was hanging back during the DA meeting, did you know everything that was going to happen, like Hermione did, or were you oblivious like Ron.ʹWell?ʹ Ron said finally, looking up at Harry. ʹHow was it?ʹ Harry considered for a moment. ʹWet,ʹ he said truthfully. Ron made a noise that might have indicated jubilation or disgust, it was hard to tell. ʹBecause she was crying,ʹ Harry continued heavily. ʹOh,ʹ said Ron, his smile fading slightly. ʹAre you that bad at kissing?ʹʹWell, obviously, sheʹs feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect sheʹs feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she canʹt work out who she likes best. Then sheʹll be feeling guilty, thinking itʹs an insult to Cedricʹs memory to be kissing Harry at all, and sheʹll be worrying about what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably canʹt work out what her feelings towards Harry are, anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so thatʹs all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and sheʹs afraid sheʹs going to be thrown off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because sheʹs been flying so badly.ʹ A slightly stunned silence greeted the end of this speech, then Ron said, ʹOne person canʹt feel all that at once, theyʹd explode.ʹ ʹJust because youʹve got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesnʹt mean we all have,ʹ said Hermione nastily picking up her quill again.Q6 - Is Hermione the best?He had to tell Ron, it was very important that he tell him… taking great gulps of air, Harry pushed himself up in bed, willing himself not to throw up again, the pain half‐blinding him. ʹYour dad,ʹ he panted, his chest heaving. ʹYour dadʹs… been attacked…ʹ ʹWhat?ʹ said Ron uncomprehendingly. ʹYour dad! Heʹs been bitten, itʹs serious, there was blood everywhere…ʺ Q7 - Was this dream real?ʹNo!ʹ said Harry angrily; would none of them understand? ʹI was having a dream at first about something completely different, something stupid… and then this interrupted it. It was real, I didnʹt imagine it. Mr Weasley was asleep on the floor and he was attacked by a gigantic snake, there was a load of blood, he collapsed, someoneʹs got to find out where he is…ʹ Professor McGonagall was gazing at him through her lopsided spectacles as though horrified at what she was seeing. ʹIʹm not lying and Iʹm not mad!ʹ Harry told her, his voice rising to a shout. ʹI tell you, I saw it happen!ʹ ʹI believe you, Potter,ʹ said Professor McGonagall curtly. ʹPut on your dressing gown—weʹre going to see the Headmaster.ʹQ8 - Was Harry the snake or was he watching the whole thing happen?Chapter 22 - St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and InjuriesProfessor McGonagall rapped three times with the griffin knocker and the voices ceased abruptly as though someone had switched them all off. The door opened of its own accord and Professor McGonagall led Harry and Ron inside.Q1 - What are those voices? And what are they talking about?ʹHow did you see this?ʹ Dumbledore asked quietly, still not looking at Harry. ʹWell… I donʹt know,ʹ said Harry, rather angrily ‐ what did it matter? ʹInside my head, I suppose—” ʹYou misunderstand me,ʹ said Dumbledore, still in the same calm tone. ʹI mean… can you remember —er— where you were positioned as you watched this attack happen? Were you perhaps standing beside the victim, or else looking down on the scene from above?ʹ This was such a curious question that Harry gaped at Dumbledore; it was almost as though he knew…Q2 - What does Dumbledore know?Q3 - Dumbledore tells Fawkes that they will need a warning…what is he talking about?The instrument tinkled into life at once with rhythmic clinking noises. Tiny puffs of pale green smoke issued from the minuscule silver tube at the top. Dumbledore watched the smoke closely, his brow furrowed. After a few seconds, the tiny puffs became a steady stream of smoke that thickened and coiled in the air… a serpentʹs head grew out of the end of it, opening its mouth wide. Harry wondered whether the instrument was confirming his story: he looked eagerly at Dumbledore for a sign that he was right, but Dumbledore did not look up. ʹNaturally, naturally,ʹ murmured Dumbledore apparently to himself, still observing the stream of smoke without the slightest sign of surprise. ʹBut in essence divided?ʹ Harry could make neither head nor tail of this question. The smoke serpent, however, split itself instantly into two snakes, both coiling and undulating in the dark air. With a look of grim satisfaction, Dumbledore gave the instrument another gentle tap with his wand: the clinking noise slowed and died and the smoke serpents grew faint, became a formless haze and vanished.Q4 - What does Dumbledore mean, in essence divided? What is happening here?ʹYour father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix,ʹ said Dumbledore, before Harry could speak. ʹHe has been taken to St Mungoʹs Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I am sending you back to Siriusʹs house, which is much more convenient for the hospital than The Burrow. You will meet your mother there.ʹ ʹHowʹre we going?ʹ asked Fred, looking shaken. Floo powder?ʹ ʹNo,ʹ said Dumbledore, Floo powder is not safe at the moment, the Network is being watched. You will be taking a Portkey.ʹ He indicated the old kettle lying innocently on his desk. ʹWe are just waiting for Phineas Nigellus to report back… I want to be sure that the coast is clear before sending you—” There was a flash of flame in the very middle of the office, leaving behind a single golden feather that floated gently to the floor. ʹIt is Fawkesʹs warning,ʹ said Dumbledore, catching the feather as it fell. ʹProfessor Umbridge must know youʹre out of your beds… Minerva, go and head her off—tell her any story.”ʹQ5 - Does it scare you that Dumbledore is being this intense?It happened in a fraction of a second: in the infinitesimal pause before Dumbledore said ʹthreeʹ, Harry looked up at him—they were very close together—and Dumbledoreʹs clear blue gaze moved from the Portkey to Harryʹs face. At once, Harryʹs scar burned white-hot, as though the old wound had burst open again ‐ and unbidden, unwanted, but terrifyingly strong, there rose within Harry a hatred so powerful he felt, for that instant, he would like nothing better than to strike—to bite—to sink his fangs into the man before him — ʹ… three.ʹ Q6 - What is going on here?Q7 - Do you side with Sirius or the Weasleys wanting to go see their dad?If Harry had ever sat through a longer night than this one, he could not remember it. Sirius suggested once, without any real conviction, that they all go to bed, but the Weasleysʹ looks of disgust were answer enough. They mostly sat in silence around the table, watching the candle wick sinking lower and lower into liquid wax, occasionally raising a bottle to their lips, speaking only to check the time, to wonder aloud what was happening, and to reassure each other that if there was bad news, they would know straightaway, for Mrs Weasley must long since have arrived at St Mungoʹs.Q8 - Maybe this is too personal but have you ever had a moment of waiting for bad news like this?Fred fell back into his chair with his hands over his face. George and Ginny got up, walked swiftly over to their mother and hugged her. Ron gave a very shaky laugh and downed the rest of his Butterbeer in one. ʹBreakfast!ʹ said Sirius loudly and joyfully, jumping to his feet. ʹWhereʹs that accursed house‐elf? Kreacher! KREACHER!ʹ But Kreacher did not answer the summons. ʹOh, forget it, then,ʹ muttered Sirius, counting the people in front of him. ʹSo, itʹs breakfast for— letʹs see— seven… bacon and eggs, I think, and some tea, and toast—”ʹBut thatʹs not all,ʹ said Harry, in a voice only a little above a whisper. ʹSirius, I… I think Iʹm going mad. Back in Dumbledoreʹs office, just before we took the Portkey… for a couple of seconds there I thought I was a snake, I felt like one ‐ my scar really hurt when I was looking at Dumbledore ‐ Sirius, I wanted to attack him!ʹ He could only see a sliver of Siriuss face; the rest was in darkness. ʹIt must have been the aftermath of the vision, thatʹs all,ʹ said Sirius. ʹYou were still thinking of the dream or whatever it was and—” ʹIt wasnʹt that,ʹ said Harry, shaking his head, ʹit was like something rose up inside me, like thereʹs a snake inside me.ʹ Q9 - What do you think is happening here?ARTEFACT ACCIDENTS… Ground floor Cauldron explosion, wand backfiring, broom crashes, etc. CREATURE‐INDUCED INJURIES… First floor Bites, stings, burns, embedded spines, etc. MAGICAL BUGS… Second floor Contagious maladies, e.g. dragon pox, vanishing sickness, scrojungulus, etc. POTION AND PLANT POISONING… Third floor Rashes, regurgitation, uncontrollable 2, etc. SPELL DAMAGE… Fourth floor Unliftable jinxes, hexes, incorrectly applied charms, etc. VISITORSʹ TEAROOM / HOSPITAL SHOP… Fifth floorQ10 - What floor would you want to work on?Q11 - What was Mr Weasley guarding?ʹCourse heʹs worried,ʹ growled Moody. ʹThe boyʹs seeing things from inside You- Know-Who's snake. Obviously, Potter doesnʹt realize what that means, but if You-Know-Who's possessing him —ʹQ12 - What does this mean?Chapter 23 - Christmas on the Closed WardQ1 - What is Voldemort after? Is Harry really the weapon?ʹYou know,ʹ said Phineas Nigellus, even more loudly than Harry ʹthis is precisely why I loathed being a teacher! Young people are so infernally convinced that they are absolutely right about everything. Has it not occurred to you, my poor puffed‐up popinjay, that there might be an excellent reason why the Headmaster of Hogwarts is not confiding every tiny detail of his plans to you? Have you never paused, while feeling hard‐done‐by, to note that following Dumbledore's orders has never yet led you into harm? No. No, like all young people, you are quite sure that you alone feel and think, you alone recognise danger, you alone are the only one clever enough to realize what the Dark Lord may be planning—”Q2 - Is Dumbledore right to keep his secrets?The feeling of being unclean intensified. He half-wished he had not obeyed Dumbledore… if this was how life was going to be for him in Grimmauld Place from now on, maybe he would be better off in Privet Drive after all.Q3 - Is it crazy to you that Harry would rather be back with the Dursleys now?Q4 - It's great that Hermione comes, but is she being a bad kid to her parents?ʹWell, that was a bit stupid of you,ʹ said Ginny angrily, ʹseeing as you donʹt know anyone but me whoʹs been possessed by You‐Know‐Who, and I can tell you how it feels.ʹ Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Then he wheeled round. ʹI forgot,ʹ he said. ʹLucky you,ʹ said Ginny coolly.Q5 - What's the best gift you've ever given?Thanks for the book, Harryʹ she said happily. ʹIʹve been wanting that New Theory on Numerology for ages! And that perfumeʹs really unusual, Ron.ʹ Q6 - Thoughts on Ron giving Hermione perfume?Q7 - One of the healers thought Ron had Spattergroit…do you think he does?Q8 - What do you think about them seeing Lockhart again?ʹWhat?ʹ said Ron, looking amazed. (Harry wanted to stamp on Ronʹs foot, but that sort of thing is much harder to bring off unnoticed when youʹre wearing jeans rather than robes.) ʹIs that your dad down the end, Neville?ʹ ʹWhatʹs this?ʹ said Mrs Longbottom sharply. ʹHavenʹt you told your friends about your parents, Neville?ʹ Neville took a deep breath, looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. Harry could not remember ever feeling sorrier for anyone, but he could not think of any way of helping Neville out of the situation. ʹWell, itʹs nothing to be ashamed of!ʹ said Mrs Longbottom angrily. ʹYou should be proud, Neville, proud. They didnʹt give their health and their sanity so their only son would be ashamed of them, you know!ʹ ʹIʹm not ashamed,ʹ said Neville, very faintly, still looking anywhere but at Harry and the others. Ron was now standing on tiptoe to look over at the inhabitants of the two beds.Q9 - What do you think of the group meeting Neville here?Nevilleʹs mother had come edging down the ward in her nightdress. She no longer had the plump, happy‐looking face Harry had seen in Moodyʹs old photograph of the original Order of the Phoenix. Her face was thin and worn now, her eyes seemed overlarge and her hair, which had turned white, was wispy and dead‐looking. She did not seem to want to speak, or perhaps she was not able to, but she made timid motions towards Neville, holding something in her outstretched hand. ʹAgain?ʹ said Mrs Longbottom, sounding slightly weary. ʹVery well, Alice dear, very well ‐ Neville, take it, whatever it is.ʹ But Neville had already stretched out his hand, into which his mother dropped an empty Droobleʹs Best Blowing Gum wrapper. ʹVery nice, dear,ʹ said Nevilleʹs grandmother in a falsely cheery voice, patting his mother on the shoulder. But Neville said quietly, Thanks, Mum.ʹ His mother tottered away, back up the ward, humming to herself. Neville looked around at the others, his expression defiant, as though daring them to laugh, but Harry did not think heʹd ever found anything less funny in his life. ʹWell, weʹd better get back,ʹ sighed Mrs Longbottom, drawing on long green gloves. ʹVery nice to have met you all. Neville, put that wrapper in the bin, she must have given you enough of them to paper your bedroom by now.ʹ But as they left, Harry was sure he saw Neville slip the sweet wrapper into his pocket.Q10 - What do you think of Neville after this?Chapter 24 - OcclumencyQ1 - What is Kreacher up to?“Occlumency, Potter. The magical defense of the mind against external penetration. An obscure branch of magic, but a highly useful one.”Q2 - Thoughts on Occlumency?Q3 - What's in the package that Sirius gave Harry?Q4 - What's the best story you have of asking someone on a date?“Only muggles talk of ‘mind reading.' The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure, Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by any invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Potter — or at least most minds are.” He smirked. “It is true, however, that those who have mastered Legilimency are able, under certain conditions, to delve into the minds of their victims and to interpret their findings correctly. The Dark Lord, for instance, almost always knows when somebody is lying to him. Only those skilled at Occlumency are able to shut down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie, and so can utter falsehoods in his presence without detection.”Q5 - Would you want to be good at Occlumency or Legilimency?“Then you will find yourself easy prey for the Dark Lord!" said Snape savagely. "Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked so easily - weak people, in other words - they stand no chance against his powers! He will penetrate your mind with absurd ease, Potter!”Q6 - Would you be good at controlling your emotions like this?Q7 - What's in the department of mysteries?Q8 - Why is Snape hiding his memories?Q9 - Why is Voldemort so happy at the end of this chapter?
Chapter 1 - Dudley DementedThe hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive . . . The only person left outside was a teenage boy who was lying flat on his back in a flowerbed outside number four.Q1 - What do you think of Mrs Figg?Every day this summer had been the same: the tension, the expectation, the temporary relief, and then mounting tension again … and always, growing more insistent all the time, the question of why nothing had happened yet.Q2 - Why hasn't anything happened yet?He had moved about two inches when several things happened in very quick succession. A loud, echoing crack broke the sleepy silence like a gunshot; a cat streaked out from under a parked car and flew out of sight; a shriek, a bellowed oath and the sound of breaking china came from the Dursleys' living room, and as though this was the signal Harry had been waiting for he jumped to his feet, at the same time pulling from the waistband of his jeans a thin wooden wand as if he were unsheathing a sword – but before he could draw himself up to full height, the top of his head collided with the Dursleys' open window. The resultant crash made Aunt Petunia scream even louder.Q3 - What is everything that's happening here?Q4 - What do you think of Harry here? What about Ron and Hermione?Q5 - What are Ron and Hermione busy doing?In the meantime, he had nothing to look forward to but another restless, disturbed night, because even when he escaped the nightmares about Cedric he had unsettling dreams about long dark corridors, all finishing in dead ends and locked doors, which he supposed had something to do with the trapped feeling he had when he was awake.Q6 - What is Harry dreaming about here?Harry watched the dark figures crossing the grass and wondered who they had been beating up tonight. Look round, Harry found himself thinking as he watched them. Come on … look round … I'm sitting here all alone … come and have a go …Q7 - Why is Harry thinking this? And what's with his goading of Dudley?Q8 - How did the Dementors get to Harry?Q9 - Why wasn't Harry able to cast the Patronus?Chapter 2 - A Peck of OwlsQ1 - Did you expect Mrs Figg was involved in the wizarding world?Q2 - What are your thoughts on Mundungus Fletcher?'I'll take you to the door,' said Mrs Figg, as they turned into Privet Drive. 'Just in case there are more of them around… oh my word, what a catastrophe… and you had to fight them off yourself… and Dumbledore said we were to keep you from doing magic at all costs… well, it's no good crying over spilt potion, I suppose… but the cat's among the pixies now.' Q3 - Why does Dumbledore want to keep Harry from doing magic at all costs?Q4 - What's a time in your life when your stomach just dropped out of your body?'How many times do I have to tell you?' said Harry, temper and voice both rising. 'It wasn't me! It was a couple of Dementors!' 'A couple of - what's this codswallop?' 'De - men - tors,' said Harry slowly and clearly. 'Two of them.' 'And what the ruddy hell are Dementors?' 'They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban,' said Aunt Petunia. Two seconds of ringing silence followed these words before Aunt Petunia clapped her hand over her mouth as though she had let slip a disgusting swear word. Uncle Vernon was goggling at her. Harrys brain reeled. Mrs Figg was one thing - but Aunt Petunia'? Q5 - How does Petunia know this?Q6 - Why were there Dementors in Little Whinging?Q7 - Does Harry have a right to be this angry?'Back?' whispered Aunt Petunia. She was looking at Harry as she had never looked at him before. And all of a sudden, for the very first time in his life, Harry fully appreciated that Aunt Petunia was his mother's sister. He could not have said why this hit him so very powerfully at this moment. All he knew was that he was not the only person in the room who had an inkling of what Lord Voldemort being back might mean. Aunt Petunia had never in her life looked at him like that before. Her large, pale eyes (so unlike her sister's) were not narrowed in dislike or anger, they were wide and fearful. The furious pretence that Aunt Petunia had maintained all Harry's life - that there was no magic and no world other than the world she inhabited with Uncle Vernon - seemed to have fallen away. 'Yes,' Harry said, talking directly to Aunt Petunia now. 'He came back a month ago. I saw him.' Q8 - What do you think of Aunt Petunia this chapter?Q9 - What do the words “Remember my last, Petunia” mean? Who sent it?Chapter 3 - The Advance GuardQ1 - Is Harry justified to be this angry?So it went on for three whole days. Harry was alternately filled with restless energy that made him unable to settle to anything, during which time he paced his bedroom, furious at the whole lot of them for leaving him to stew in this mess; and with a lethargy so complete that he could lie on his bed for an hour at a time, staring dazedly into space, aching with dread at the thought of the Ministry hearing. Q2 - Do you have more or less sympathy for the Dursleys?Q3 - What do you think of Tonks?Q4 - Do you think Moody is serious about dying trying to fly Harry to safety?Q5 - Why is Harry in such dire danger?Harry looked down at the piece of paper. The narrow handwriting was vaguely familiar. It said: The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, LondonQ6 - So what is the Order of the Phoenix?Chapter 4 - Number Twelve, Grimmauld PlaceThe othersʹ hushed voices were giving Harry an odd feeling of foreboding; it was as though they had just entered the house of a dying person.Q1 - What do you think of this house?The warm glow that had flared inside him at the sight of his two best friends was extinguished as something icy flooded the pit of his stomach. All of a sudden — after yearning to see them for a solid month — he felt he would rather Ron and Hermione left him alone. Q2 - Is Harry and extravert or an introvert?Q3 - Should Ron and Hermione have informed Harry anyway?ʹSome of them are working on recruiting more people to the Order said Hermione. ʹAnd some of them are standing guard over something,ʹ said Ron. Theyʹre always talking about guard duty.ʹ ʹCouldnʹt have been me, could it?ʹ said Harry sarcastically. ʹOh, yeah,ʹ said Ron, with a look of dawning comprehension.Q4 - Is Harry what they were guarding?ʹYou donʹt want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry, let it all out,ʹ said Fred, also beaming. There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didnʹt hear you.ʹ Q5 - Is joking the best way to stop anger?Q6 - What do you think of Percy abandoning the family?ʹWell, theyʹre writing about you as though youʹre this deluded, attention seeking person who thinks heʹs a great tragic hero or something,ʹ said Hermione, very fast, as though it would be less unpleasant for Harry to hear these facts quickly. ʹThey keep slipping in snide comments about you. If some far fetched story appears, they say something like, ʺA tale worthy of Harry Potterʺ, and if anyone has a funny accident or anything itʹs, ʺLetʹs hope he hasnʹt got a scar on his forehead or weʹll be asked to worship him nextʺ ‐ʹ Q7 - What do you think about the Ministry doing this?Q8 - Have you ever been in the paper?
Chapter 16 - The Goblet of Fire“Oh I haven't got a single quill on me—” “Do you think he'd sign y hat in lipstick?” “Really,” Hermione said loftily, as they passed the girls, not squabbling over the lipstick. “I'm getting his autograph if I can,” said Ron, “you haven't got a quill, have you, Harry?”Q1 - Who is the most famous person you have ever met?“What's that?” said Ron, pointing at a large dish of some sort of shellfish stew that stood beside a large steak-and-kidney pudding. “Bouillabaisse,” said Hermione. “Bless you,” siad Ron.”'Q2 - Which students do you like more so far? Also, give me a power ranking of the houses of Hogwarts now?“Excuse me, are you wanting ze bouillabaisse?" It was the girl from Beauxbatons who had laughed during Dumbledore's speech. She had finally removed her muffler. A long sheet of silvery-blonde hair fell almost to her waist. She had large, deep blue eyes, and very white, even teeth. Ron went purple. He stared up at her, opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out except a faint gurgling noise. "Yeah, have it," said Harry, pushing the dish toward the girl. "You 'ave finished wiz it?" "Yeah," Ron said breathlessly. "Yeah, it was excellent." The girl picked up the dish and carried it carefully off to the Ravenclaw table. Ron was still goggling at the girl as though he had never seen one before. Harry started to laugh. The sound seemed to jog Ron back to his senses. "She's a veela!" he said hoarsely to Harry.Q3 - How had your opinions of Ron, Hermione, and Harry changed over the last few books?“Placing your name in the Goblet constitutes a binding magical contract.”Q4 - What kinds of magical binding contracts do you think exist?Q5 - Is it insane that they have to bind to a contract and they don't know what they have to face yet?Q6 - What is the difference between Harry's fame and Krums?The entrance hall rang with laughter. Even Fred and George joined in, once they had gotten to their feet and taken a good look at each other's beards. "I did warn you," said a deep, amused voice, and everyone turned to see Professor Dumbledore coming out of the Great Hall. He surveyed Fred and George, his eyes twinkling. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr. Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours."Q7 - How great is Dumbledore?They couldn't hear what Hagrid was saying, but he was talking to Madame Maxime with a rapt, misty-eyed expression Harry had only ever seen him wear once before — when he had been looking at the baby dragon, Norbert.”“The Hogwarts champion,” he called, “is Cedric Diggory.” “No! “ said Ron loudly, but nobody heard him except Harry; the uproar from the next table was too great. Every single Hufflepuff had jumped to his or her feet, screaming and stamping, as Cedric made his way past them, grinning broadly, and headed off toward the chamber behind the teachers' table. Indeed, the applause for Cedric went on so long that it was some time before Dumbledore could make himself heard again.Q8 - How do you feel about Cedric being the Hogwarts Champion?Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out—”Harry Potter.”Q9 - Thoughts about Harry in the tournament?Chapter 17 - The Four ChampionsQ1 - Harry has to be embarrassed here…what is the most embarrassed you've ever been?“Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Harry?” Dumbeldore asked calmly.Q2 - How do you think Harry's name got in the Goblet of fire?“Maybe someone's hoping Potter is going to die for it,” said Moody, with the merest trace of a growl.Q3 - Would you want to enter into the Triwizard Tournament?Q4 - Who do you think is going to win out of the four champions?“Listen,” said Harry, “I didn't put my name in that Goblet. Someone else mustv'e done it.”Q5 - Why doesn't Ron believe Harry?Q6 - Is Moody's eye massively inappropriate at a school full of children?Chapter 18 - The Weighing of the Wands“Hello,” she said, holding up a stack of toast, which she was carrying in a napkin. “ brought you this…want to go for a walk?”Q1 - How amazing is Hermione?Hagrid's beetle black eyes looked anxious under his wild eyebrows. “No idea who put yeh in fer it, Harry?” “You believe I didn't do it, then?” Said Harry, concealing with difficulty the rush of gratitude he felt at Hagrid's words.Harry didn't answer. Yes, everything did see to happen to him…that was more or less what Hermione had said as they had walked around the lake, and that was the reason, according to her, that Ron was no longer talking to him.He thought he could have coped with the rest of the schools behavior if he could just have Ron back as a friend.Q2 - Harry mentions that he wanted to use the cruciatus curse on Snape…do you think he's serious?“Testing…my name is Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet reporter.” … “Attractive blond Rita Skeeter, forty three, whose savage quill had punctured many inflated reputations —”Q3 - How do you like Rita Skeeter after this interview?Q4 - Fleur's wand contains another magical object, do you think Veela hair would make a good wand core?Q5 - Do you think Gregorovitch wands are as good as Olivanders?Q6 - Why do you think Olivander spends more time examining Harry's wand?Q7 - Do you think Sirius is coming back to the castle?Chapter 19 - The Hungarian HorntailQ1 - So Rita Skeeter is putting words in Harry's mouth, which is wrong, but is what she's saying making Harry more likeable?“I didn't start this,” Harry said stubbornly. “It's his problem.” “You miss him!” Hermione said impatiently. “And I know he misses you—”Let's give an ode to friends that we miss!Q2 - Harry cloak seems pretty special…do you think anyone else has invisibility cloaks at the school?Q3 - The school got nesting mother dragons that the champions need to get past…is this tournament really that safe?Q4 - Would you be happy or more stressed that you saw the dragons before the task?Q5 - What is the scariest thing you've ever done?Q6 - How would you get past a dragon?Q7 - What do you think of the info that Sirius gave about Karkaroff?“We know he's a good actor,” said Sirius, “because he convinced the Ministry of Magic to set him free, didn't he?”Q8 - Who do you think that intruder who tried to stop Moody was?“Right — these dragons,” said Sirius speaking very quickly now. “There's a way, Harry…You can do it alone. There is a way, and a simple spell's all you need. Just —” But Harry held up a hand to silence him, his heart suddenly pounding as though it would burst. He could hear footsteps coming down the spiral staircase behind him.Q9 - Would you have let Sirius finish his sentence, or done what Harry did?Chapter 20 - The First TaskSomehow the knowledge that he would rather be here and facing a dragon than back in Privet Drive with Dudley was good to know; it made him feel slightly calmer.Q1 - How would you feel if you just got a new handbag and Harry Potter comes and splits it down the middle?Harry wouldn't have let his worst enemy face those monsters unprepared — well, perhaps Malfoy or Snape…Q2 - What is the character qualities of Harry that you like and dislike?Q3 - How do you like Moody's dark detectors?Q4 - What do you think of the cheating going on at the Tournament?Q5 - What do you think of Bagman trying to help Harry with this task?“Harry,” he said, very seriously, “whoever put your name in that Goblet — I — I reckon they're trying to do you in!” It was as though the last few weeks had never happened — as though Harry was meeting Ron for the first time, right after he'd been made champion…Ron grinned nervously at him and Harry grinned back. Hermione burst into tears. “There's nothing to cry about!” Harry told her, bewildered. “You two are so stupid!”Q6 - Thoughts on Cedred sacrificing a labrador?Chapter 21 - The House-Elf Liberation FrontQ1 - Do you think Karkaroff is the one who put Harry's name in?It was hollow and completely empty — but the moment Harry opened it, the most horrible noise, a loud and screechy wail, filled the room. The nearest thing to it Harry had ever heard was the ghost orchestra at Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Party, who had all been playing the musical saw.Q2 - What do you think is the clue in the egg?Q3 - Where do you think Hagrid got these Blast-Ended Screwts?“I arose, I settled myself before it, and I gazed into its crystalline depths…and what do you think I saw gazing back at me?” “An ugly old bat in outsized specs?” Ron muttered under his breath. Harry fought hard to keep his face straight. “Death my dears.” Pavarti and Lavendar both put their hands over their mouths, looking horrified. “Yes,” said Professor Trelawney, nodding impressively, “It comes, ever close, it circles overheard like a vulture, ever lower…ever lower over the castle….”Q4 - Thoughts about this prediction?He had one brief glimpse of an enormous, high-ceilinged room, large as the Great Hall above it, with mounds of glittering brass pots and pans heaped around the stone walls, and a great brick fireplace at the other end, when something small hurtled toward him from the middle of the room, squealing, “Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!” Next second all the wind had been knocked out of him as the squealing elf hit him hard in the midriff, hugging him so tightly he thought his ribs would break. “D-Dobby?” Harry gasped. “It is Dobby, sir, it is!” squealed the voice from somewhere around his navel. “Dobby has been hoping and hoping to see Harry Potter, sir, and Harry Potter has come to see him, sir!”Q5 - What are your thoughts on Dobby being back in the story?“And Professor Dumbledore says he will pay Dobby, sir, if Dobby wants paying! And so Dobby is a free elf, sir, and Dobby gets a Galleon a week and one day off a month!” “That's not very much!” Hermione shouted indignantly from the floor, over Winky's continued screaming and fist-beating. “Professor Dumbledore offered Dobby ten Galleons a week, and weekends off,” said Dobby, suddenly giving a little shiver, as though the prospect of so much leisure and riches were frightening, “but Dobby beat him down, miss. … Dobby likes freedom, miss, but he isn't wanting too much, miss, he likes work better.”Q6 - Does this change your thoughts on Dumbledore or on house elves (SPEW)?“Dobby likes Professor Dumbledore very much, sir, and is proud to keep his secrets for him.”Q7 - What does Dobby mean here?Q8 - Thoughts on Winky and her dislike of Bagman?Chapter 22 - The Unexpected Task“It is traditional,” said Professor McGonagall firmly. “You are a Hogwarts champion, and you will do what is expected of you as a representative of the school. So make sure you get yourself a partner, Potter.”Q1 - What are your thoughts on McGonagall?Q2 - Do you ever remember getting rejected for asking someone out?“Ron, can we borrow Pigwidgeon?” George asked. “No, he's off delivering a letter,” said Ron. “Why?” “Because George wants to invite him to the ball,” said Fred sarcastically. “Because we want to send a letter, you stupid great prat,” said George. “Who d'you two keep writing to, eh?” said Ron. “Nose out, Ron, or I'll burn that for you too,” said Fred, waving his wand threateningly. “So … you lot got dates for the ball yet?” “Nope,” said Ron. “Well, you'd better hurry up, mate, or all the good ones will be gone,” said Fred. “Who're you going with, then?” said Ron. “Angelina,” said Fred promptly, without a trace of embarrassment. “What?” said Ron, taken aback. “You've already asked her?” “Good point,” said Fred. He turned his head and called across the common room. “Oi! Angelina!” Angelina, who had been chatting with Alicia Spinnet near the fire, looked over at him. “What?” she called back. “Want to come to the ball with me?” Angelina gave Fred an appraising sort of look. “All right, then,” she said, and she turned back to Alicia and carried on chatting with a bit of a grin on her face. “There you go,” said Fred to Harry and Ron, “piece of cake.”Q3 - Who are Fred and George writing to?Q4 - Who is your favorite character outside of the trio?But every time he glimpsed Cho that day — during break, and then lunchtime, and once on the way to History of Magic — she was surrounded by friends. Didn't she ever go anywhere alone? Could he perhaps ambush her as she was going into a bathroom? But no — she even seemed to go there with an escort of four or five girls. Yet if he didn't do it soon, she was bound to have been asked by somebody else.Q5 - We've come into contact with a Bezoar before…do you know what it is and what it does?Giggling should be made illegal, Harry thought furiously, as all the girls around Cho started doing it. She didn't, though. She said, “Okay,” and followed him out of earshot of her classmates.Q6 - How do you like Cho so far?Entering the common room, Harry looked around, and to his surprise he saw Ron sitting ashen-faced in a distant corner. Ginny was sitting with him, talking to him in what seemed to be a low, soothing voice. “What's up, Ron?” said Harry, joining them.Q7 - At this point in the story, who did you think Hermione was going with?Q8 - How do you like Ginny?Q9 - What do you think of Parvati and Harry?
Chapter 1 - The Riddle HouseThe villagers of Little Hangleton still called it “the Riddle House,” even though it had been many years since the Riddle family had lived there.Fifty years before, at daybreak on a fine summer's morning, when the Riddle House had still been well kept and impressive, and a maid had entered the drawing room to find all three Riddles dead.Q1 - What do you think happened to the three Riddles?“Frank!” cried several people. “Never!” … By the following morning, hardly anyone in Little Hangleton doubted that Frank Bryce had killed the Riddles.Q2 - Are you guys into true crime podcasts?Q3 - Have you ever been to a spooky or haunted place?Q4 - What are Wormtail and Voldemort talking about?“I will allow you to perform an essential task for me, one that many of my followers would give their right hand to perform.”Q5 - What do you think this task is?“But I am not a man, Muggle,” said the cold voice, barely audible now over the crackling of the flames. “I am much, much more than a man.”Q6 - What does Voldemort mean that he is much more than a man?Q7 - Who is Voldemort's most faithful servant?Q8 - What happened in this chapter and how did you like this opening chapter compared with the other books?Chapter 2 - The ScarNo, the thing that was bothering Harry was that the last time his scar had hurt him, it had been because Voldemort had been close by… but Voldemort couldn't be here, now…the idea of Voldemort lurking in Privet Drive was absurd, impossible…Q1 - Why do you think Harry's scar hurts whenever things like that happen?Q2 - Do you think Voldemort knows where Harry lives, and would he ever attack the house?As far as he knew, he was the only living person to have survived a curse like Voldemort's.Q3 - Do you think there is anyone else alive or even dead who has survived a curse like Voldemorts?Q4 - If you had to choose a bird to deliver mail to you, which bird are you picking?Chapter 3 - The InvitationThe school nurse had seen what Aunt Petunia's eyes – so sharp when it came to spotting fingerprints on her gleaming walls, and in observing the comings and goings of the neighbors – simply refused to see: that, far from needing extra nourishment, Dudley had reached roughly the size and weight of a young killer whale.Q1 - What are your thoughts on Dudley? Q2 - So far in this series, if there is a character who is irredeemable, who would it be?Q3 - Is it animal abuse to keep sending Errol to deliver your mail?Q4 - What do you normally eat for breakfast?“Look at this,” he growled. He held up the envelope in which Mrs Weasley's letter had come, and Harry had to fight down a laugh. Every bit of the letter was covered in stamps except for a square inch on the front, into which Mrs Weasley had squeezed the Dursleys' address in minute writing.Q5 - Who do you think is going to win the Quidditch World Cup?A slight spasm crossed Uncle Vernon's large purple face. The mustache bristled. Harry thought he knew what was going on behind the mustache: a furious battle as two of Uncle Vernon's most fundamental instincts came into conflict. Allowing Harry to go would make Harry happy, something Uncle Vernon had struggled against for thirteen years. On the other hand, allowing Harry to disappear to the Weasleys' for the rest of the summer would get rid of him two weeks earlier than anyone could have hoped, and Uncle Vernon hated having Harry in the house. To give himself thinking time, it seemed, he looked down at Mrs. Weasley's letter again.“If they say yes, send Pig back with your answer pronto, and we'll come get you at five o'clock on Sunday. If they say no, send Pig back pronto and we'll come get you at five o'clock on Sunday anyway.”Q6 - Harry eats his birthday cake…how long can he hide birthday cake under his floorboards before it starts to get moldy and inedible?He was going to the Quidditch World Cup. It was hard, just not, to feel worried about anything — even Lord Voldemort.Q7 - Should Harry be more worried about Lord Voldemort and his scar?Chapter 4 - Back to the BurrowQ1 - Thoughts on the Dursley's nerve and annoyance in the beginning of this chapter?Q2 - Are the Weasleys wrong for being so late?Q3 - Is the Floo Network a normal practice…to show up in someone's living room just unannounced?The electric fireplace shot across the room as the boarded-up fireplace burst outwards, expelling Mr Weasley, Fred, George, and Ron in a cloud of loose chippings.Q4 - What are your feelings on all of this happening?Indeed, from the tone of his voice when he next spoke, Harry was quite sure that Mr Weasley thought Dudley was quite as mad as the Dursleys thought he was, except that Mr Weasley felt sympathy rather than fear.Q5 - What do you think of the idea of having sympathy on people who are different from you? What should you do?Q6 - What is the rudest anyone has ever acted toward you?Q7 - Petunia in particular seems very terrified of magic, why do you think that she is?Chapter 5 - Weasleys' Wizard WheezesQ1 - Would you rather work with dragons or work at gringotts?“It isn't funny!” Mr Weasley shouted. “That sort of behavior seriously undermines wizard-muggle relations! I spend half my life campaigning against the mistreatment of Muggles, and my own sons —”Q2 - What is the Wizard perception of Muggles?Q3 - What do you think the of Fred and George's inventions? Q4 - What else do you think they'd make, or that you would make, if you were making a joke shop for wizards?“A report for the Department of International Magical Cooperation,” said Percy smugly. “We're trying to standardize cauldron thickness. Some of these foreign imports are just a shade too thin — leakages have been increasing at a rate of almost three percent a year —”Q5 - What do you think of Percy and his new job?“Just don't get him onto the subject of his boss. According to Mr Crouch…as I was saying to Mr Crouch…Mr Crouch is of the opinion…Mr Crouch was telling me…They'll be announcing their engagement any day now.”NOTE: Harry did not send any thank you letters or mail to his friends.Q6 - What are your thoughts on Mr and Mrs Weasley?PREDICTION: Scotland slaughtered by Luxembourg.Q7 - Is there a specific time you remember having a really good meal with people you loved?“I shudder to think what the state of my in-tray would be if I was away from work for five days.” “Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh, Perce?” said Fred. “That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!” said Percy, going very red in the face. “It was nothing personal.” “It was,” Fred Whispered to Harry, as they got up from the table. “We sent it.”
Chapter 1 - The Worst Birthday“I want more bacon” “There's more in the frying pan, sweetums,” said Aunt Petunia, turning misty eyes on her massive son.Q1 - Has your opinion of the Dursley's changed at all?Harry stared from his purple-faced uncle to his pale aunt, who was trying to heave Dudley to his feet.Q2 - Why do you think Vernon is purple and Petunia is pale?Q3 - Why do you think Harry wants the Dursley's to recognize his birthday?Q4 - Are you a birthday person or not?Aunt Petunia knew he hadn't really done magic, but he still had to duck as she aimed a heavy blow at his head with the soapy frying pan.Chapter 2 - Dobby's WarningQ1 - First thoughts on Dobby?“Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew.”Q2 - Where do you think Dobby came from?Q3 - Do you think a wizards word is more binding than a muggles? Why didn't Harry just say you have my word and lie to Dobby?See why I've got to go back to Hogwarts? It's the only place I've got — well, I think I've got friends.Q4 - When was the last time you wrote and mailed a hand-written letter to someone?Harry, whose insides were aching with hunger, jumped off his bed and seized it. The soup was stone cold, but he drank half of it in one gulp. Then he crossed the room to Hedwig's cage and tipped the soggy vegetables at the bottom of the bowl into her empty food tray. She ruffled her feathers and gave him a look of deep disgust.Q5 - What is Harry thinking and feeling at this moment?Q6 - Which family does Dobby serve? Why can't he just leave the family? Q7 - Why does Dobby want to warn Harry? And why Harry specifically?Chapter 3 - The BurrowQ1 - How do we like the Weasley's rescuing Harry?A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of Muggle trick, but we feel they're skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow.”Q2 - From the little you know of the characters, what do you think their professions will be?Q3 - Do you think Harry forgetting Hedwig makes him a bad pet owner?Q4 - If you could bewitch any object in your house, what would you do and why?Mrs Weasley was marching across the yard, scattering chickens, and for a short, plump, kind-faced woman, it was remarkable how much she looked like a saber tooth tiger.Q5 - Does de-gnoming a garden sound fun?Q6 - Do you think you've ever been the victim of a shrinking door key?“Bless them, they'll go to any lengths to ignore magic, even if it's staring them in the face.”“Your sons flew that car to Harry's house and back last night!” shouted Mrs Weasley. “What have you got to say about that, eh?” “Did you really?” said Mr Weasley eagerly. “Did it go alright? I-I mean,” he faltered, as sparks flew from Mrs Weasley's eyes, “That was very wrong. Boys — very wrong indeed.”Q7 - How do you like Mr and Mrs Weasley?Q8 - How do you like the Burrow?Chapter 4 - At Flourish and BlottsLife at the burrow was as different as possible from life in Privet Drive.What Harry found most unusual about life at Ron's. However, wasn't the talking mirror or the clanking ghoul: it was the fact that everybody there seemed to like him.Q1 - What book sounds most interesting from the second-year reading list:The Standard Book of SpellsBreak with a BansheeGadding with GhoulsHolidays with HagsTravels with TrollsVoyages with VampiresWanderings with WerewolvesYear with the YetiQ2 - Why doesn't Harry at least try to give the Weasley's a bit of money?Q3 - Would you ever want to go shopping in Borgin and Burkes?Q4 - First impressions of Mr Malfoy?Q5 - Did you catch the diagonally and nocturnally?Q6 - Why do you think Wizards don't use ball point pens?“We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy,” he said.Chapter Five - The Whomping WillowThe end of the summer holidays came too quickly for Harry's liking. He was looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts, but his month at The Burrow had been the happiest of his life.Q1 - What do you think are the contents of Ginny's diary?Q2 - How dumb are Ron and Harry for not just waiting?Q3 - Why would they plant a tree at Hogwarts that could kill a student? No safer place than Hogwarts…“Or he might have been sacked!” said Ron enthusiastically, “I mean everyone hates him—” “Or maybe,” said a very cold voice right behind them, “he's waiting to hear why you two didn't arrive on the school train.”Q4 - Given the option, would you want to fly to Hogwarts in the car, or would you rather take the train? What other way would you want to get to the castle?“So,” he said softly, “the train isn't good enough for the famous Harry Potter and his faithful sidekick Weasley. Wanted to arrive with a bang, did we, boys?”Professor McGonagall gave him a piercing look, but he was sure she had almost smiled.SummaryBest MomentFavorite ChapterBest CharacterWhat is your favorite location so far in the Wizarding world?
Chapter 1 - The Boy Who LivedHe hurried to his car and set off home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.“You can't blame them,” said Dumbledore gently, “We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years.”Q1 - What are your general impressions of McGonagall, Dumbledore, Hagrid, and the Dursleys?Q2 - Why can McGonagall transform into a cat? And if you could transform into an animal which would you choose?Q3 - Why do you think Voldemort could not kill Harry?Q4 - Do you think Dumbledore was right to separate Harry from the magical world?“You think it – wise – to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?” “I would Trust Hagrid with my life,” said Dumbledore.“Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found,” Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm…“Good luck, Harry,” he murmured.Q5 - What year do you think all this happened?Q6 - Is Dumbledore irresponsible for leaving Harry on the doorstep with just a letter?Q7 - Why do you think it took so long for Dumbly and Hagrid to get to Privet Drive?Chapter 2 - The Vanishing GlassNearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living-room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-coloured bobble hats – but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large, blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a roundabout at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too. Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice which made the first noise of the day. ‘Up! Get up! Now!'Q1 - Who is the nastiest to Harry?‘Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday.' Harry groaned. Q2 - When you were a kid what was your favorite breakfast?He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorbikes.Q3 - Out of all the magical things Harry can do in chapter 2, which do you think was the coolest?Hair GrowthShrinking SweaterAppearing on the roofTalking with a snakeMaking the glass disappearQ4 - What are your first thoughts about Harry?Q5 - What was the best birthday gift you ever got?Q6 - Do you think it's normal for a wizard to be able to talk to snakes?He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house. Q7 - What is this flash of green light and pain on his forehead?Chapter 3 - The Letters From No OneQ1 - Do you think the knobbly sticks are a useful teaching/character building tool?“What's this?” he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question. “Your new school uniform,” she said. Harry looked at the bowl again. “Oh,” he said. “I didn't realize it had to be so wet.”Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was holidaying on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill and – a letter for Harry? Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter ‘H'. Q2 - Why do the Dursleys not want him to get this letter?Q3 - Do you think you can “stamp out” being a wizard? What do you think happens to people who suppress their magic?He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.Q4 - Do you wonder if these letters are duplicated by magic or if Hogwarts is handwriting all these letters to Harry?Q5 - How would you have gotten the letter if you were Harry?Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday – and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days of the week, because of television – then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun – last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat-hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Still, you weren't eleven every day. Q6 - What's your most memorable birthday?One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds ... twenty ... ten – nine – maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him – three – two – one – BOOM. The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in. Q7 - What's going to happen next?Chapter 4 - The Keeper of KeysBOOM. They knocked again. Dudley Jerked awake. “Where's the cannon?” he said stupidly.Q1 - What was Dudley dreaming about?“Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby,” said the giant. “Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes.”“Harry – yer a wizard.”Q2 - If you are starving in a hut and a massive giant breaks in and starts cooking up a meal, what would you hope that he made?Q3 - What are your first impressions of Hagrid? What's up with his assault of Dudley?Q4 - The logistics and maybe ethics of Hagrid throwing an owl out of the door in the middle of a raging storm is interesting. Let's discuss.She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.Q5 - Is it alarming or endearing that Hagrid can't spell Voldemort?Q6 - Why do you think Voldemort tried to kill Harry and killed Lily and James?Q7 - Do you have any theories about what stumped Voldy about Harry?Q8 - Hagrid says that us Muggles would want all our problems solved with magic. Do you think this is true? And what is the first problem you are fixing with magic?Chapter 5 - Diagon AlleyQ1- Should the wizarding world have more than one bank? That seems like a bad monopoly.“Gringotts is the safest place in the world for anything yeh want ter keep safe – ‘cept maybe Hogwarts.”Q2 - Hagrid and Harry took the boat off the island. How long were the Dursleys stranded there before they got off?Q3 - Which book sounds the most interesting from Harry's book list?Standard Book of SpellsA History of MagicMagical TheoryBeginners Guide to TransfigurationOne Thousand Magical Herbs and FungiMagical Drafts and PotionsFantastic Beasts and Where to Find ThemThe Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-ProtectionEven though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him.Q4 - What is the weirdest thing you think Hagrid keeps in his pocket?“If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there,” said Griphook. “How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?” Harry asked. “About once every ten years,” said Griphook, with a rather nasty grin.Q5 - Does Draco have the wrong wand? His mother picked it up for him…“But I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been – imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?”“Where are your parents?” “They're dead,” said Harry shortly.“Ah yes,” said the man. “Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter.”“It's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course.”Q6 - If you could choose your wand, which wand core would you want and why?“I remember every want I've ever sold, Mr Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather – just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother, why its brother gave you that scar.”Q7 - How do we like Hagrid?
The Daily Quiz - Art and Literature Today's Questions: Question 1: Which author wrote 'Crime and Punishment'? Question 2: Which of these famous Russian novels was written by Leo Tolstoy? Question 3: Which author wrote 'The Snow Queen'? Question 4: Which piece of written work starts with the line 'The villagers of Little Hangleton still called it "the Riddle House" even though it has been many years since the Riddle family had lived there.'? Question 5: Which piece of written work starts with the line 'Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.'? Question 6: Who is the author of the novels 'Von Humboldt Fleisher', 'Augie March', and 'Moses Herzog'? Question 7: In which book does 'Mary Bennet' appear? Question 8: In which book series does 'Dr. John Watson' appear? This podcast is produced by Klassic Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dan is joined by Jenn & Mollie to discuss a chapter that features a visit from Dumbledore to Privet Drive. The Durselys endure the visit, and Harry sets off with Albus. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hogwarts-a-podcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hogwarts-a-podcast/support
Episode OutlineChapter SummaryKey Theme– InitiationCharacter Development– The Advance Guard (Nymphadora Tonks, Alistair Moody (the real one), Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, Hestia Jones, Remus LupinWorld Building– Spells (Packing spell, Disillusion Charm, Scurgify, Locomotor Trunk). Identity verification questionSignificance– Harry leaves Privet Drive and arrives at the Headquarters for the order of the Phoenix Support Muffliato PodcastHead over to our Buy Me a Coffee page: www.buymeacoffee.com/muffliatopodInstagram: www.instagram.com/muffliatopodcast/
Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today, we'll be discussing why Professor Albus Dumbledore was in limbo. Throughout the Harry Potter series, Albus Dumbledore journeys to many a strange and magical place throughout both the wizarding and Muggle worlds. From the mundane streets of Privet Drive to the Inferi-riddled cave that housed one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, it sometimes seemed like no location was off limits for the great and powerful Professor Dumbledore. And yet, I think it's safe to say that more than a few fans were a little dumbfounded when dear ol' Dumbledore showed up AFTER he had died in an utterly bizarre version of what many have deemed to be a sort of limbo. But...Why was Dumbledore in limbo? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Harry Potter Theory. Today, we'll be discussing why Professor Albus Dumbledore was in limbo.Throughout the Harry Potter series, Albus Dumbledore journeys to many a strange and magical place throughout both the wizarding and Muggle worlds. From the mundane streets of Privet Drive to the Inferi-riddled cave that housed one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, it sometimes seemed like no location was off limits for the great and powerful Professor Dumbledore. And yet, I think it's safe to say that more than a few fans were a little dumbfounded when dear ol' Dumbledore showed up AFTER he had died in an utterly bizarre version of what many have deemed to be a sort of limbo. But...Why was Dumbledore in limbo? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In the second episode of #JusticeForDeanThomas, our hosts Kevin, Natasha, Chantae, and CJ embark on a captivating exploration of the first four chapters of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." This deep dive seeks to uncover layers of injustice for Harry Potter and Hagrid.The episode shines a light on the theme of justice for Harry, delving into his struggle for identity, recognition, and the right to his heritage as well as Hagrid and his role as Dumbledore's errand boy. The hosts engage in a lively debate, contrasting Harry's hidden life at Privet Drive with Hagrid's role as the first genuine connection to the wizarding world.Listeners are invited to reflect on these initial chapters in a new light, pondering how early injustices set the stage for Harry's journey and the series' larger themes. The episode concludes with an invitation for audience engagement, urging listeners to share their perspectives on Harry's early experiences and the concept of justice in his life.Tune in to this thought-provoking episode as #JusticeForDeanThomas continues to unravel the complexities of the Wizarding World through a unique, reflective lens.All Social Media: @JusticeForDTPod
The Potter Discussion: Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and the Wizarding World Fandom
In this episode, we discuss some enemies that could have been friends. Enjoy!· 2:11 Harry and Dudley. What the deleted scene here. The main benefit of this friendship would be an ally for Harry on Privet Drive. Every summer, he dreads the return and getting bullied by Dudley, but if he had a friend in Dudley instead, he might not find his summer home so horrible.· 9:12 Harry and Bellatrix. If Harry and Bellatrix were friends, the story would be very different. When she kills Sirius, would Harry begin to hate her guts like he did when she was his enemy from the start? Their storyline would be much more interesting if Voldemort forced Bellatrix to kill Sirius. We have to assume that Sirius and Bellatrix were on good terms before that which only adds another layer of complexity. This could never happen! But if it could…· 14:56 Snape and Hermione. This occurred to me because I never understood why Snape never saw Lily in Hermione as well as Harry. This is something that should have come out because though Harry is more closely related to Lily, Hermione is much closer to her at face value. It would be an unlikely friendship for sure, but it is one that could help bridge the gap of hate between Harry and Snape.19:04 Dumbledore and Voldemort. One of the most interesting parts of the Fantastic Beasts films is the relationship between Grindelwald and Dumbledore. If Grindelwald was replaced by Voldemort, how would the story change? Dumbledore would probably find the war more difficult because instead of fighting an evil wizard he's fighting the little boy from the orphanage who is angry at the world. Having anything you want to hear or say? Click here for a voice submission or here for text. ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.com@thepotterdiscussion on InstagramSign up for The Quill and Ink Newsletterthepotterdiscussion.com
It's time to unblock your fireplace and let our hosts into your living room! Join Andrew, Eric, Micah and Laura as things heat up inside No. 4 Privet Drive! And make sure to mind the flying ornaments and Ton-Tongue Toffee! Quizzitch Live is returning! October 28th at 11 AM ET will see the latest Halloween edition of our trivia game where listeners can participate live and win prizes! Study up on your O.W.L. level Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, Defense Against The Dark Arts and more! Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Goblet of Fire, Chapter 4: Back to the Burrow 7-Word Summary: Arthur attempts to help with Dudley's tongue We all know that the Weasleys cause some good old-fashioned havoc on Privet Drive, but was it all quite necessary? Offenses include: Sending multiple delegates - did Ron, Fred and George need to be there? Why didn't Molly accompany Arthur? Being insensitive to Dudley's trauma - who, if anybody is aware of the pig tail situation? And baiting Dudley - we debate the actions of Fred and George toward Harry's cousin. Were they intentionally feeding his addiction to sweets? With all the magic going on at Privet Drive, why doesn't the Ministry show up? Despite all of the chaos, Arthur still calls the Dursleys manners into question! What Muggle items do we think Arthur would have enjoyed most at the Dursely home? WHAT IF... only Arthur and Molly came to pick up Harry? Would it have improved relations between Harry's surrogate parents and his guardians? Odds & Ends cover the relentless fat shaming of both Dudley and Vernon Quizzitch: How many times did Harry physically visit The Burrow during the 7-book series? Transcripts are now available for our most recent episodes of MuggleCast, with more coming each week! This week's episode is brought to you by MasterClass (get 15% off an annual membership at MasterClass.com/MuggleCast) and BetterHelp (visit BetterHelp.com/mugglecast today to get 10% off your first month)! And don't forget you can join our community at Patreon.com/MuggleCast and receive magical benefits, including Bonus MuggleCast! We have two brand-new ones headed your way this October, including a Halloween costume special and another edition of Favorite Headcannons!
The recaps are back! We thought we had escaped getting summaries for Harry's friends, his lifestyle, his family, and his situation but we were vastly mistaken. Join Andrew, Eric, Laura and Micah as they delve into Chapters 2 and 3 of Goblet of Fire, covering chapters "The Scar" and "The Invitation"! We discuss the Dursleys motives and if everything would have been better had Harry contacted Dumbledore about his 'dream.' A MuggleCast Girls' Takeover is coming! Patrons have two chances to catch Laura, Chloe, and friends of the show Pam and Meg hanging out and talking all things girly. Celebrations begin October 19! For more info, check our social channels. Transcripts are now available for our most recent episodes of MuggleCast, with more coming each week! Quizzitch Live is returning! October 28th will see our latest Halloween edition of the live trivia game where listeners can participate live! Main Discussion 1: Chapter 2 of Goblet of Fire, "The Scar." 7-Word Summary for Chapter 2: Dumbledore sometimes is on the beach relaxing We review the stresses that went in to crafting such a large book in less time for its author. Whose POV was Harry's dream actually from, and how does it work? Did the rules surrounding H*rcr*xes change? How would things be different if Harry had chosen to write Dumbledore? Would he care? We review Dudley's choice in video games. Main Discussion 2: Chapter 3 of Goblet of Fire, "The Invitation." 7-Word Summary for Chapter 3: Molly tries to save Harry's summer funnily Is Vernon's behavior and his intolerance for magic similar to that of folks who are anti-LGBT? We review how Harry always miraculously escapes Privet Drive with a bang. Finally, we ask the most important question: how is Harry preserving all that birthday cake under his floorboards? Quizzitch: what does Arthur Weasley ask Dudley Dursley? This week's episode is brought to you by Indeed (claim your $75 credit at Indeed.com/MuggleCast), and Better Help (Visit BetterHelp.com/mugglecast today to get 10% off your first month) and MeUndies (get 25% off your first order, plus free standard shipping at MeUndies.com/MuggleCast).
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start. Become a member of this channel to get access to chapters before they release: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrCSWO8jSpo58HyfyBy9XDg/join
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
The time for fun and games has come to an end as Alice and Martha conclude their discussion on Queen Hedwig and she flies off into the sunset. Though Hedwig faces some horrible trials in the fifth, sixth, and seventh books, she gets a brief reprieve when she comes face to face with another powerfully magic woman, Queen GP! Ultimately, though, nothing could save Hedwig from an awful fate (there was just no other way for her to leave Privet Drive...), and it's time to finally properly eulogize her. Please consider supporting us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/realweirdsistersNew episodes are released every Monday and special topics shows are released periodically. Don't forget to subscribe to our show to make sure you never miss an episode!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3296753/advertisement
Chapter 1 - The Boy Who LivedHe hurried to his car and set off home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.“You can't blame them,” said Dumbledore gently, “We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years.”Q1 - What are your general impressions of McGonagall, Dumbledore, Hagrid, and the Dursleys?Q2 - Why can McGonagall transform into a cat? And if you could transform into an animal which would you choose?Q3 - Why do you think Voldemort could not kill Harry?Q4 - Do you think Dumbledore was right to separate Harry from the magical world?“You think it – wise – to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?” “I would Trust Hagrid with my life,” said Dumbledore.“Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found,” Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm…“Good luck, Harry,” he murmured.Q5 - What year do you think all this happened?Q6 - Is Dumbledore irresponsible for leaving Harry on the doorstep with just a letter?Q7 - Why do you think it took so long for Dumbly and Hagrid to get to Privet Drive?Chapter 2 - The Vanishing GlassNearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living-room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-coloured bobble hats – but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large, blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a roundabout at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too. Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice which made the first noise of the day. ‘Up! Get up! Now!'Q1 - Who is the nastiest to Harry?‘Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday.' Harry groaned. Q2 - When you were a kid what was your favorite breakfast?He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorbikes.Q3 - Out of all the magical things Harry can do in chapter 2, which do you think was the coolest?Hair GrowthShrinking SweaterAppearing on the roofTalking with a snakeMaking the glass disappearQ4 - What are your first thoughts about Harry?Q5 - What was the best birthday gift you ever got?Q6 - Do you think it's normal for a wizard to be able to talk to snakes?He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house. Q7 - What is this flash of green light and pain on his forehead?Chapter 3 - The Letters From No OneQ1 - Do you think the knobbly sticks are a useful teaching/character building tool?“What's this?” he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question. “Your new school uniform,” she said. Harry looked at the bowl again. “Oh,” he said. “I didn't realize it had to be so wet.”Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was holidaying on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill and – a letter for Harry? Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter ‘H'. Q2 - Why do the Dursleys not want him to get this letter?Q3 - Do you think you can “stamp out” being a wizard? What do you think happens to people who suppress their magic?He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did. Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.Q4 - Do you wonder if these letters are duplicated by magic or if Hogwarts is handwriting all these letters to Harry?Q5 - How would you have gotten the letter if you were Harry?Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday – and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days of the week, because of television – then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday. Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun – last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat-hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Still, you weren't eleven every day. Q6 - What's your most memorable birthday?One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds ... twenty ... ten – nine – maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him – three – two – one – BOOM. The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in. Q7 - What's going to happen next?
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/harrypotterfanficaudiobooks Summary: Book 2 in the The Prince of Slytherin Chronicles: The Secret Enemy. Harry Potter returns to school after a first year filled with peril, brotherly battles and a changing world. Conflict follows from school to Privet Drive and back to school, where an altogether too mysterious man of fame and fortune is their new Defence teacher - and it only becomes worse when the Petrifications start.
The Potter Discussion: Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and the Wizarding World Fandom
In this episode, we discuss if the first book of the Harry Potter was a fitting beginning to the series. Enjoy!Topics/Summary:· 1:38 Did Dumbledore make the right choice? This is a big topic and it is difficult to pin down a single answer. This was one of the only options because if he brought Harry to an orphanage, he might have become the new Voldemort. Luckily, he didn't bring Harry to an orphanage, but the choice then becomes which family does he bring him to. But if McGonagall told him horror stories about the Dursleys, why would Dumbledore send him there? Well, his mother's protection applies at 4 Privet Drive. And for that reason, we can say that Dumbledore made the right decision.· 8:01 Do we get properly introduced to the characters? This is a much easier decision. We get a great introduction to all of the characters and though we don't get to see all that much of each one, but despite that we get a window into each of the people that will become main characters later in the story. Harry is the only characters that we don't fully meet in my opinion. We don't see his bravery or any of the other traits that make him the person we later get to know.· 13:13 It would have been great to see Harry to more magic. I know he did vanish the glass, but its more difficult to make the connection that its Harry. We don't know Harry's a wizard and it would be difficult to put two and two together. The vanishing spell is pretty advanced, and we're basing our entire knowledge of the wizarding world on this one interaction.· 17:34 It was a good choice to begin the story with Mr. Dursley instead of Harry. He knows the same amount about magic than us, so it is a great contrast between the muggle world and the magical one. He sees owls and wizards in the streets, and we can appreciate how strange it is along with him. Magic stands out much more when looking through Mr. Dursley's eyes that Harry. Of course, it is a strange thing, but Mr. Dursley finds it even more alien. · 21:29 Hagrid was a good liaison into the magical world. Hagrid is close enough to a normal person that muggles would look twice, but he is still a bit odd. He also knows how to talk to muggles and there's nothing terribly magical about him so he can blend in. If Dumbledore apparated into the middle of the cottage and starts pulling out his magical watches and maps and all that stuff, the Dursleys would have a heart attack. Hagrid is also a good person and Dumbledore knew that he would become good friends with the trio.· 26:58 Was the first book a fitting beginning to Harry Potter? Absolutely! It may not be 100% perfect, but this book is a positively fantastic entry to the story beyond. Having anything you want to hear or say? Click here for a voice submission or here for text. ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.com@thepotterdiscussion on Instagramthepotterdiscussion.com
A Hogsmeade weekend approaches! Will Harry get his permission slip signed by a stand-in guardian in time? This week we are joined by Slug Club guest Ashley as we discuss Chapter 8 of Prisoner of Azkaban, Flight of the Fat Lady! We discuss Snape's continued bad attitude, Lupin's secret, and whether Harry could've gotten more out of him during their unplanned tea time. Enjoy! Main Discussion: Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 8: Flight of the Fat Lady Welcome Slug Club guest Ashley! Host the show just like Ashley by joining us at Patreon.com/MuggleCast 7-Word Summary, Justice for Micah Edition: Teachers forbid Harry from going to Hogsmeade Snape picks on Neville worse than ever because he's Snape. But does Trelawney pick on Harry due to her prophecy? Did we ever have a teacher we were close with in the way that Parvati and Lavender are with Trelawney? Is Oliver Wood justified in feeling desperate about this year's Quidditch Cup? Is McGonagall mean for not signing Harry's permission slip? She knows about the Dursleys after all. Hosts connect some great threads between Book 3 and Book 5. Harry's Hogsmeade FOMO hits us in the feels. What makes Remus Lupin able and willing to say Voldemort's name? What If: Harry told Lupin about seeing the black dog off Privet Drive? Is Hermione wrong to point out the evidence against Trelawney's prediction about Binky? Could her doing so point to neurodivergent behavior? Rename the Chapter returns! And hosts assign MVP of the Week. Quzzitch: What does Hannah Abbott tell the students that Sirius Black can transform into? Next week: Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 9: Grim Defeat This week's show is brought to you by Indeed (visit Indeed.com/MuggleCast to start hiring now) and HelloFresh (use code "muggle16" for 16 free meals at HelloFresh.com/Muggle16), and by ZocDoc. Visit Zocdoc dot com slash mugglecast, download the app, and schedule your next health appointment today. And don't forget! There's much more MuggleCast waiting for you on Patreon, including Bonus MuggleCast segments! This week, we discuss how the Harry Potter TV show could appeal more to adults! Become a patron of ours today at Patreon.com/MuggleCast! As always, we appreciate your support of the show!
On this week's episode, we make our first visit to The Burrow and meet several characters for the first time in Diagon Alley! Plus, hold onto your Sorting Hat as we connect a handful of threads between Chamber of Secrets and Half-Blood Prince! Micah visits Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience in New York! Main Discussion #1: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 3: The Burrow 7-Word Summary: Weasley's House Features New Magic And... Gnomes Fred & George are truly their father's sons (be sure to check out our Weasley Twins episode from April 2021) Right family, wrong motive - Dobby DOES belong to the Malfoys! What if... Molly and Arthur had gone to pickup Harry at Privet Drive? Comparing and contrasting Harry and Ron's view of The Burrow Main Discussion #2: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 4: At Flourish & Blotts 7-Word Summary: Lucius takes Ginny's father in a fight Should the Weasleys have given Harry a bit more assistance with Floo Powder? Inside Borgin and Burkes: vanishing cabinets, necklaces and hands of glory, oh my! What is Lucius Malfoy's true motive in getting Tom Riddle's diary to Hogwarts? Several characters are exhibiting odd behavior, Percy and Hagrid included! What are our first impressions of Gilderoy Lockhart? 7 BOOKS?!?! Why is Hogwarts bankrolling Gilderoy's bad habits? Bookstore Throwdown: Lucius and Arthur get into it! Next Week: Chapters 5 & 6 of Chamber of Secrets This week's episode is brought to you by Stamps.com (visit Stamps.com, click on the microphone, and enter code MUGGLECAST for a special offer that includes a 4-week trial, plus free postage, and a free digital scale), BetterHelp (save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/MuggleCast) and MeUndies (get 20% off your first order, free shipping, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee at MeUndies.com/MuggleCast)! On Bonus MuggleCast, we uncover and discuss some exciting new info about what Harry Potter attraction is coming to Epic Universe! Bonus MuggleCast is just one of many great benefits of becoming a patron of the show! And special thank you to those who have shared that MuggleCast appeared in their Spotify Wrapped's this year! The show was the top podcast for 1,500 listeners, in the Top 5 for 4,600 listeners, and in the Top 10 for 6,700 listeners
Join us as we begin Chapter-by-Chapter of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets! Harry's abuse rises to new levels, the Dursleys obtain Death Eater status, and Dobby complicates Harry's life despite his good intentions. From horcruxes to house-elves, from animal cruelty to servitude, there's lots to unpack from on this weeks' episode! We reflect on reading Chamber of Secrets for the first time and what we're expecting to get out of our re-read Main Discussion #1: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 1: The Worst Birthday 7-Word Summary: The Day Harry Was Beaten By Family We deeply analyze the Dursley's mistreatment of Harry and add animal cruelty to the list of offenses Wouldn't Petunia know that Harry can't do magic outside of school? Perhaps she does not want to reveal her knowledge of the wizarding world to Vernon? How could Harry overcome the Dursleys' restrictions except for the rescue from the Weasleys? How does Dumbledore allow for this level of abuse to go on for so long? Don't use THAT word (MAGIC)... are the Dursleys the Death Eater equivalent in the Muggle world? Can we glean anything positive from Dudley remembering Harry's birthday? Main Discussion #2: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 2: Dobby's Warning 7-Word Summary: Surprises await Harry in his bedroom tonight We analyze the Mystery of Dobby's Ownership When would Lucius Malfoy have begun planning to unleash the Diary Horcrux? Connecting the Threads: we compare the behavior of Dobby in this book to Kreacher in Order of the Phoenix What is our general consensus on Dobby? Helpful or super, super annoying? Harry and Dobby: both are servants in their respective households, both are bound by magical contracts and both are treated horribly! Next week: we're off for Thanksgiving... (or are we)? Quizzitch: In Chapter 3 of Chamber of Secrets, what is the last of Harry's possessions to leave Privet Drive? This week's episode is brought to you by BetterHelp (get 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/MuggleCast)!