Podcasts about Scrimgeour

This week, Vanessa and Casper are joined by special guest Hana Thomas Uose as they explore the theme of Progress in Chapter 7 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! They discuss Harry's 17th birthday, Hagrid's unicorns, and Scrimgeour's visit! Throughout the episode we consider the question: what are all the different ways we can measure progress?Thank you to Emily for this week's voicemail! Next week we're reading Chapter 8, The Wedding, with special guest Micaela Blei through the theme of Storytelling.Harry Potter and the Sacred Text is a Not Sorry ProductionFind us at our website | Follow us on Instagram--It's two sickles to join S.P.E.W., and only five dollars to join our Patreon for extra content every week! Please consider helping us fill our Gringotts vault so we can continue to make this show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aren't government buildings exciting? This week, the MuggleCasters jog their memories of how to do public transit because it's time to go to the Ministry for Harry's disciplinary hearing! Join Andrew, Eric, Micah and Laura as they discuss Chapter 7 of Order of the Phoenix, “The Ministry of Magic.” Show announcements including what's going on over at #Millennial and What the Hype?! as well as a unique gift idea for the upcoming Holidays. HP TV Show news! Actor Mark Rylance is reportedly a top pick for Dumbledore by the creators of the show. We can see it. Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 7: The Ministry of Magic. And our Time Turner segment has us spinning some old recordings from past discussions! Be sure to check out Episode 440 and Episode 240 for prior Chapter 7 analysis! For their journey to the Ministry, why does Arthur go it alone? Does it put Harry at undue risk? How come Arthur didn't know where he was going, and why wouldn't he plan it in advance? Micah comes for Arthur including his job title versus his lack of demonstrated competence with Muggle things. We are shook. How would a wizard react to public transit apps? Do we think the Muggle entrance to the M.O.M. has been updated since the 1990s? The hosts compare the Ministry fountains between books 5 and 7, with keen insight. Somebody get everyone some coffee! It's just another day at work for most people. Seeing Arthur's office in person, we cannot help but feel like Percy may have had a point. We adore the many layers of Arthur and Kingsley's work conversation. Odds and Ends include the first mention of Scrimgeour, the Quibbler, and more! Lynx Line: What floor of the Ministry of Magic would our Patrons most like to party on? Quizzitch: What is Amelia Bones' middle name? Reminder! The MuggleCast Merch Store is now open! Grab brand-new, original MuggleCast designs. We have t-shirts, sweaters, hoodies, hats, and more! And don't forget you can support the show over at Patreon.com/MuggleCast! You'll get great benefits such as Bonus MuggleCast, live streams, yearly stickers, Lynx Line participation, a physical gift, a video message from one of the four of us made just for you, our private Facebook and Discord groups where you can hang out with fellow Potter fans, and so much more! 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

What if the key to understanding the wizarding world's political chaos lies in the flawed leadership of Cornelius Fudge and Rufus Scrimgeour? This episode of Critical Magic Theory uncovers how these Ministers of Magic, potentially products of a society favoring pureblood supremacy, navigated a complex landscape riddled with biases. By examining their decisions and interactions we ponder whether these issues stem from the individuals or the institution they represent. Through the lens of Harry Potter's narrative, the episode reflects on the systemic shortcomings of the Ministry of Magic and emphasizes the importance of confronting reality in the face of political challenges.Drawing parallels to real-world figures, we dissect their motivations and ethical considerations, illuminating the nuanced portrayal of leadership and morality within both the wizarding world and our own. Listeners will gain insights into the contrasting leadership styles of Fudge and Scrimgeour, especially in their dealings with the Muggle Prime Minister. Explore how Fudge's strategic incompetence and reliance on scapegoats like Dumbledore served to maintain his power, while Scrimgeour's wartime resilience presented a more fitting front against dark forces. As always, much thanks to our new Patreon Deep Divers: Dylan. Feel free to join us on Patreon for our post-episode chat. 

A new approach to land zoning could be the answer to the housing crisis. New Zealand's housing crisis is locking families out of home ownership, but what would happen if local streets and neighbourhoods were the ones to decide what can be built and where? Hyperlocal zoning allows the community to vote on potential developments, balancing the preferences of locals with the need for more housing. The system has found success over in the States, with housing becoming more accessible and affordable in Houston, Texas. Maxim Institute Researcher Thomas Scrimgeour told Mike Hosking that it could either work as an opt-out system or an opt-in, but either way it would need the support of a majority of the community. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join hosts Aureo, Irvin, Sophia, and guest DJ (Denis James) as they discuss the short-lived and abrasive Minister for Magic: Rufus Scrimgeour. Join the Discussion: https://threebroomstickspod.com/episode-47-rufus-scrimgeour-sophia-for-minister/ In this episode: The dangers of shallow bottoms Rufus Scrimgeour, you had one job! Is the wizarding world a democracy?  Doubtful… Scrimgeour lasted for seven Liz Trusses We all become Minister of Magic and come up with the perfect Gryffindor plan Scrimgeour is stubborn, even in the face of death Best gossip is always served at the Three Broomsticks All could be solved if Scrimgeour was better with people As Minister, you need the tea! Imagine Minister Mad-Eye Moody! Resources: The comments on Episode 14 Ministers for Magic by J.K. Rowling More from our guest, DJ: DJ's novel: Tobias (The Arcane Rebellion) DJ's fanfic: No Parting of the Ways Find DJ on the web   Listen to the Pub's Jukebox here   Contact: Website: https://threebroomstickspod.com/ Email: 3broomstickspod@gmail.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/3broomsticks Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/threebroomstickspod/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/threebroomstickspodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/threebroompod YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@ThreeBroomsticksPodcast 

It's our third and final installment of the 109 and quarters series, where special guests pick two order members and we chat about their relationship to each other and how Dumbledore played a part in their relationship and lives. SAM IS BACK!!! We are also welcoming back Friend-of-the-pod Amy! Together again, we chat about Mad Eye Moody and Mundungus Fletcher! What do they have n common? How did they each contribute to the Order of the Phoenix? What houses were they in and did blood status play a part in their lives? Listen and decide!Don't forget to visit our social medias to answer this episode's Show Host Question: “Which former Minister of Magic would you like to take  a cross-country road trip with? Scrimgeour, Thicknesse, Fudge?”*** Spoilers, Adult Language, Adult Themes **** Music note: Tinder profile music is from "You Can Leave Your Hat On" by Joe Cocker, and the theme song uses a portion of "Modern Major General" from The Pirates of Penzance. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeart Radio podcasts! Or send us a message at PottershipPodcast@gmail.com

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

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

Today on the podcast is multiple-time All-American Chloe Scrimgeour!  Chloe competes for Georgetown University, where she's been absolutely dominant over the years.  Chloe is a 5xAll-American, a 4xBig East Champion, and the School Record Holder in the 3k, 5k, and 10k. She holds PRs of 8:50 (3k), 15:21 (5k), 32:29 (10k), and 19:28 (6k on grass).  In today's conversation, Chloe takes me through her journey in sport, her ambitions for her last year at Georgetown, how she balances school and running, why she doesn't like social-media, her NIL with Brooks, and much more! It was a fun time learning about one of the biggest up-and-coming stars in the NCAA! Take the time to listen to the story of Chloe!  Tap into the Chloe Scrimgeour Special.  If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it.  If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!  S H O W N O T E S -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ -My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -My Newsletter: https://therunningeffect.substack.com

Chapter 13 - The Secret Riddle‘Ah,' said Dumbledore, ‘perhaps she could. But it is my belief – I am guessing again, but I am sure I am right – that when her husband abandoned her, Merope stopped using magic. I do not think that she wanted to be a witch any longer. Of course, it is also possible that her unrequited love and the attendant despair sapped her of her powers; that can happen. In any case, as you are about to see, Merope refused to raise her wand even to save her own life.'‘She wouldn't even stay alive for her son?' Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. ‘Could you possibly be feeling sorry for Lord Voldemort?' ‘No,' said Harry quickly, ‘but she had a choice, didn't she, not like my mother –' ‘Your mother had a choice, too,' said Dumbledore gently. ‘Yes, Merope Riddle chose death in spite of a son who needed her, but do not judge her too harshly, Harry. She was greatly weakened by long suffering and she never had your mother's courage. And now, if you will stand …'Q1 - What does Dumbledore mean that Lily had a choice?Q2 - It mentions that Dumbledore's hair was Auburn…is he a Weasley?And then –' Mrs Cole took another swig of gin, slopping a little over her chin this time, ‘on the summer outing – we take them out, you know, once a year, to the countryside or to the seaside – well, Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop were never quite right afterwards, and all we ever got out of them was that they'd gone into a cave with Tom Riddle. He swore they'd just gone exploring, but something happened in there, I'm sure of it. And, well, there have been a lot of things, funny things …'Q3 - Should Dumbledore have denied entrance for Tom knowing these things?‘I don't believe you,' said Riddle. ‘She wants me looked at, doesn't she? Tell the truth!' He spoke the last three words with a ringing force that was almost shocking. It was a command, and it sounded as though he had given it many times before. His eyes had widened and he was glaring at Dumbledore, who made no response except to continue smiling pleasantly. After a few seconds Riddle stopped glaring, though he looked, if anything, warier still.‘I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to.'Q4 - Is it alarming that he is this advanced in magic already?‘I knew I was different,' he whispered to his own quivering fingers. ‘I knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something.'Q5 - What do you think of Tom and Dumbledore's interaction?‘He believed it much quicker than I did – I mean, when you told him he was a wizard,' said Harry. ‘I didn't believe Hagrid at first, when he told me.'Q6 - What's the difference in Harry and Tom?‘Did you know – then?' asked Harry. ‘Did I know that I had just met the most dangerous Dark wizard of all time?' said Dumbledore. ‘No, I had no idea that he was to grow up to be what he is. However, I was certainly intrigued by him. I returned to Hogwarts intending to keep an eye upon him, something I should have done in any case, given that he was alone and friendless, but which, already, I felt I ought to do for others' sake as much as his.‘Firstly, I hope you noticed Riddle's reaction when I mentioned that another shared his first name, “Tom”?' Harry nodded. ‘There he showed his contempt for anything that tied him to other people, anything that made him ordinary. Even then, he wished to be different, separate, notorious. He shed his name, as you know, within a few short years of that conversation and created the mask of “Lord Voldemort” behind which he has been hidden for so long.‘I trust that you also noticed that Tom Riddle was already highly self-sufficient, secretive and, apparently, friendless? He did not want help or companionship on his trip to Diagon Alley. He preferred to operate alone. The adult Voldemort is the same. You will hear many of his Death Eaters claiming that they are in his confidence, that they alone are close to him, even understand him. They are deluded. Lord Voldemort has never had a friend, nor do I believe that he has ever wanted one‘And lastly – I hope you are not too sleepy to pay attention to this, Harry – the young Tom Riddle liked to collect trophies. You saw the box of stolen articles he had hidden in his room. These were taken from victims of his bullying behavior, souvenirs, if you will, of particularly unpleasant bits of magic. Bear in mind this magpie-like tendency, for this, particularly, will be important later.Q7 - Why is this important?Q8 - What happened to the ring?Chapter 14 - Felix Felicis‘But I still don't get why Dumbledore's showing you all this. I mean, it's really interesting and everything, but what's the point?' ‘Dunno,' said Harry, inserting a gum shield. ‘But he says it's all important and it'll help me survive.'Q1 - Why is Dumbledore showing him all this?‘“Slug Club”,' repeated Ron with a sneer worthy of Malfoy. ‘It's pathetic. Well, I hope you enjoy your party. Why don't you try getting off with McLaggen, then Slughorn can make you King and Queen Slug –' ‘We're allowed to bring guests,' said Hermione, who for some reason had turned a bright, boiling scarlet, ‘and I was going to ask you to come, but if you think it's that stupid then I won't bother!'Q2 - Is Ron being stupid?Q3 - Is Harry an idiot for interrupting their communication session?When Harry pushed open the tapestry to take their usual short cut up to Gryffindor Tower, however, they found themselves looking at Dean and Ginny, who were locked in a close embrace and kissing fiercely as if glued together. It was as though something large and scaly erupted into life in Harry's stomach, clawing at his insides: hot blood seemed to flood his brain, so that all thought was extinguished, replaced by a savage urge to jinx Dean into a jelly.Q4 - Have you experienced the large scaly thing in your stomach?‘You go!' said Ginny. ‘I want a word with my dear brother!' Dean left, looking as though he was not sorry to depart the scene. ‘Right,' said Ginny, tossing her long red hair out of her face and glaring at Ron, ‘let's get this straight once and for all. It is none of your business who I go out with or what I do with them, Ron –' ‘Yeah, it is!' said Ron, just as angrily. ‘D'you think I want people saying my sister's a –' ‘A what?' shouted Ginny, drawing her wand. ‘A what, exactly?' ‘He doesn't mean anything, Ginny –' said Harry automatically, though the monster was roaring its approval of Ron's words.Q5 - What was Ron going to call her?‘Been kissing Pigwidgeon, have you? Or have you got a picture of Auntie Muriel stashed under your pillow?'Q6 - Is Ginny a savage?They hurried up the stairs and along a seventh-floor corridor. ‘Oi, out of the way!' Ron barked at a small girl who jumped in fright and dropped a bottle of toad-spawn. Harry hardly noticed the sound of shattering glass; he felt disorientated, dizzy; being struck by a lightning bolt must be something like this. It's just because she's Ron's sister, he told himself. You just didn't like seeing her kissing Dean because she's Ron's sister …Q7 - Harry loves Ginny, right?It seemed as though Gryffindor could do no wrong. Again and again they scored, and again and again, at the other end of the pitch, Ron saved goals with apparent ease. He was actually smiling now, and when the crowd greeted a particularly good save with a rousing chorus of the old favorite Weasley is our King, he pretended to conduct them from on high.Q8 - What was your favorite sports moment that made you feel like Ron?‘I didn't put it in!' said Harry, now grinning broadly. He slipped his hand inside his jacket pocket and drew out the tiny bottle that Hermione had seen in his hand that morning. It was full of golden potion and the cork was still tightly sealed with wax. ‘I wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking.' He looked at Ron. ‘You saved everything because you felt lucky. You did it all yourself.'Q9 - Is Liquid Luck a placebo?Q10 - What's the deal with Ron and Hermione? Chapter 15 - The Unbreakable VowHarry had to put up with the frequent presence of Lavender Brown, who seemed to regard any moment that she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted.‘She can't complain,' he told Harry. ‘She snogged Krum. So she's found out someone wants to snog me, too. Well, it's a free country. I haven't done anything wrong.'‘I never promised Hermione anything,' Ron mumbled. ‘I mean, all right, I was going to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with her, but she never said … just as friends … I'm a free agent …'Q1 - What will the outcome of this be between the two?‘There isn't anyone I want to invite,' mumbled Harry, who was still trying not to think about Ginny any more than he could help, despite the fact that she kept cropping up in his dreams in ways that made him devoutly thankful that Ron could not perform Legilimency.Q2 - What is Harry dreaming about?Q3 - What's your favorite prom/dance story?Q4 - Hermione mentions that love potions aren't dark…is she right?‘The library is now closed,' she said. ‘Mind you return anything you have borrowed to the correct – what have you been doing to that book, you depraved boy?' ‘It isn't the library's, it's mine!' said Harry hastily, snatching his copy of Advanced Potion-Making off the table as she lunged at it with a clawlike hand. ‘Despoiled!' she hissed. ‘Desecrated! Befouled!' ‘It's just a book that's been written in!' said Harry, tugging it out of her grip. She looked as though she might have a seizure; Hermione, who had hastily packed her things, grabbed Harry by the arm and frogmarched him away.Q5 - Do you write in books?Q6 - Harry mentions there might be something going on between Pince and Filch. Is that possible?‘She's a bit upset,' said Luna. ‘I thought at first it was Moaning Myrtle in there, but it turned out to be Hermione. She said something about that Ron Weasley …' ‘Yeah, they've had a row,' said Harry. ‘He says very funny things sometimes, doesn't he?' said Luna, as they set off down the corridor together. ‘But he can be a bit unkind. I noticed that last year.'Q7 - Is Ron unkind?‘Hi, Harry,' said Parvati who, like him, looked faintly embarrassed and bored by the behavior of their two friends. ‘Hi,' said Harry. ‘How're you? You're staying at Hogwarts, then? I heard your parents wanted you to leave.' ‘I managed to talk them out of it for the time being,' said Parvati. ‘That Katie thing really freaked them out, but as there hasn't been anything since … oh, hi, Hermione!'Q8 - Let's rehash what has happened at Hogwarts…There was a noise like a plunger being withdrawn from a blocked sink and Ron surfaced.Q9 - Is Hermione kinda a low-key it girl?Ron looked strangely blank and said nothing. Harry was left to ponder in silence the depths to which girls would sink to get revenge.Q10 - Is Rufus Scrimgeor a vampire?Q11 - Are Slughorn's parties good parties?Q12 - Should Harry have a biography written about him?‘Harry Potter!' said Professor Trelawney in deep, vibrant tones, noticing him for the first time. ‘Oh, hello,' said Harry unenthusiastically. ‘My dear boy!' she said in a very carrying whisper. ‘The rumors! The stories! The Chosen One! Of course, I have known for a very long time … the omens were never good, Harry … but why have you not returned to Divination? For you, of all people, the subject is of the utmost importance!'Q13 - Should Harry have taken divination this year?‘Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Harry?' asked Slughorn. ‘Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology …' ‘All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror,' said Snape, with the faintest sneer. ‘Yeah, well, that's what I'd like to be,' said Harry defiantly. ‘And a great one you'll make, too!' boomed Slughorn. ‘I don't think you should be an Auror, Harry,' said Luna unexpectedly. Everybody looked at her. ‘The Aurors are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy, I thought everyone knew that. They're working from within to bring down the Ministry of Magic using a combination of Dark magic and gum disease.'Filch's expression of outraged disappointment was perfectly predictable; but why, Harry wondered, watching him, did Malfoy look almost equally unhappy? And why was Snape looking at Malfoy as though both angry and … was it possible? … a little afraid?Q14 - Why is Snape afraid?‘Who suspects me?' said Malfoy angrily. ‘For the last time, I didn't do it, OK? That Bell girl must've had an enemy no one knows about – don't look at me like that! I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, but it won't work – I can stop you!' There was a pause and then Snape said quietly, ‘Ah … Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see. What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?'Q15 - Is it shocking to know that Draco has learned Occlumency?Q16 - Who is his master?‘Looks like you'll have to break it, then, because I don't need your protection! It's my job, he gave it to me and I'm doing it. I've got a plan and it's going to work, it's just taking a bit longer than I thought it would!'Q17 - What is going on?Chapter 16 - A Very Frosty Christmas‘An Unbreakable Vow?' said Ron, looking stunned. ‘Nah, he can't have … are you sure?' ‘Yes, I'm sure,' said Harry. ‘Why, what does it mean?' ‘Well, you can't break an Unbreakable Vow …' ‘I'd worked that much out for myself, funnily enough. What happens if you break it, then?' ‘You die,' said Ron simply. ‘Fred and George tried to get me to make one when I was about five. I nearly did, too, I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He went mental,' said Ron, with a reminiscent gleam in his eyes. ‘Only time I've ever seen Dad as angry as Mum. Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since.'Q1 - Thoughts on Fred and George wooing muggle women with magic tricks?There was silence for a moment or two, then Ron said, ‘Course, you know what they'll all say? Dad and Dumbledore and all of them? They'll say Snape isn't really trying to help Malfoy, he was just trying to find out what Malfoy's up to.' ‘They didn't hear him,' said Harry flatly. ‘No one's that good an actor, not even Snape.' ‘Yeah … I'm just saying, though,' said Ron. Harry turned to face him, frowning. ‘You think I'm right, though?' ‘Yeah, I do!' said Ron hastily. ‘Seriously, I do! But they're all convinced Snape's in the Order, aren't they?'Q2 - Do we trust Snape?‘You are determined to hate him, Harry,' said Lupin with a faint smile. ‘And I understand; with James as your father, with Sirius as your godfather, you have inherited an old prejudice.Q3 - Do you think this is true?Q4 - What do you think of Lupin's background and being bitten by Greyback?Everybody was wearing new sweaters when they all sat down for Christmas lunch, everyone except Fleur (on whom, it appeared, Mrs Weasley had not wanted to waste one) and Mrs Weasley herself, who was sporting a brand new midnight-blue witch's hat glittering with what looked like tiny starlike diamonds, and a spectacular golden necklace.Q5 - Is Fleur that unbearable?She gave Lupin an annoyed look, as though it was all his fault she was getting Fleur for a daughter-in-law instead of Tonks, but Harry, glancing across at Fleur, who was now feeding Bill bits of turkey off her own fork, thought that Mrs Weasley was fighting a long-lost battle. He was, however, reminded of a question he had with regard to Tonks, and who better to ask than Lupin, the man who knew all about Patronuses? ‘Tonks's Patronus has changed its form,' he told him. ‘Snape said so, anyway. I didn't know that could happen. Why would your Patronus change?' Lupin took his time chewing his turkey and swallowing before saying slowly, ‘Sometimes … a great shock … an emotional upheaval …' ‘It looked big, and it had four legs,' said Harry, struck by a sudden thought and lowering his voice. ‘Hey … it couldn't be –?'Q6 - What was Tonk's new patronus form?Q7 - What do you think of Scrimgeor and his proposal?Q8 - HOW is Umbridge still working at the ministry?‘I don't want to be used,' said Harry. ‘Some would say it's your duty to be used by the Ministry!'You don't care whether I live or die, but you do care that I help you convince everyone you're winning the war against Voldemort. I haven't forgotten, Minister …' He raised his right fist. There, shining white on the back of his cold hand, were the scars which Dolores Umbridge had forced him to carve into his own flesh: I must not tell lies.Q9 - Is Harry right or wrong?‘Well, it is clear to me that he has done a very good job on you,' said Scrimgeour, his eyes cold and hard behind his wire-rimmed glasses. ‘Dumbledore's man through and through, aren't you, Potter?' ‘Yeah, I am,' said Harry. ‘Glad we straightened that out.'

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?

Welcome back as we take a look at Book 6 of Harry Potter!! This week, Vanessa and Casper explore the theme of Honor in Chapter 1 of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! They discuss Scrimgeour as the new Minister of Magic, Fudge's many mistakes, and the relationship between honor and shame! Throughout the episode we consider the question: what does it mean to act with honor?Thank you to Marni for this week's voicemail! Next week we're reading Chapter 2, Spinner's End, through the theme of Honesty with Matt Potts.--It's two sickles to join S.P.E.W., and only two dollars to join our Patreon for extra bloopers every week! Please consider helping us fill our Gringotts vault so we can continue to make this show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every Friday, we're highlighting a panel from the TBRCon2024 all-virtual SF/F/H convention, looking back on the incredible variety of discussions that we had the honor of hosting. This week, moderator/blogger Neil Williams and panelists Rory August, N. C. Scrimgeour, Dito Abbott, Drew Melbourne, Cameron Cooper and Scott (Book Invasion) for a TBRCon2024 panel on "SPSFC 2 Finalists." SUPPORT THE SHOW: - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (for exclusive bonus episodes, author readings, book giveaways and more) - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (for a selection of tees, tote bags, mugs, notebooks and more) - Subscribe to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FanFiAddict YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, where this and every other episode of the show is available in full video - Rate and review SFF Addicts on your platform of choice, and share us with your friends EMAIL US WITH YOUR QUESTIONS & COMMENTS: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sffaddictspod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ FOLLOW SFF ADDICTS: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FanFiAddict Book Blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ MUSIC: Intro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Into The Grid⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by MellauSFX Outro: “⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Galactic Synthwave⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠” by Divion --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sff-addicts/message

Alice and Martha discuss the first unnamed character to win the Real Weirdo, Canonical John Major! This isn't a Fudge character study, and this isn't a Scrimgeour character study, and it isn't about the froglike man in the painting, either, although Mary GrandPre might lead us to believe otherwise.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!

Every Friday, we're highlighting a panel from the TBRCon2024 all-virtual SF/F/H convention, looking back on the incredible variety of discussions that we had the honor of hosting. This week, join moderator/author Dani Finn and authors Travis Baldree, Andrea Stewart, Michael R. Miller, J. Zachary Pike and N. C. Scrimgeour for a TBRCon2024 panel on "Writing Non-Human Characters." SUPPORT THE SHOW: - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (for exclusive bonus episodes, author readings, book giveaways and more) - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Merch shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (for a selection of tees, tote bags, mugs, notebooks and more) - Subscribe to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FanFiAddict YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, where this and every other episode of the show is available in full video - Rate and review SFF Addicts on your platform of choice, and share us with your friends EMAIL US WITH YOUR QUESTIONS & COMMENTS: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠sffaddictspod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ FOLLOW SFF ADDICTS: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠FanFiAddict Book Blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ MUSIC: Intro: "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Into The Grid⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠" by MellauSFX Outro: “⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Galactic Synthwave⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠” by Divion --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sff-addicts/message

Georgetown's Chloe Scrimgeour has been on a hot streak that few women in the NCAA can match. After earning All-American honors in the 5k last spring, taking 8th at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships and recently running 15:24 (5k), Scrimgeour has quickly become one of the more challenging distance runners to race against. The Hoya star walks our audience through her tough adjustment period to the NCAA -- running 2:20 (800) in her first-ever collegiate track race -- to toeing the line against women like Parker Valby and Katelyn Tuohy. Be sure to leave a rating as well as subscribe/follow for more in-depth interviews with the NCAA's biggest and best distance stars! https://www.thestridereport.com/

Earlier this year, Katherine Scrimgeour posted on LinkedIn about her own experiences of dealing with dyslexia. It's a condition that can undermine confidence at work, but that doesn't mean it should hold anyone back. It struck a chord with Planet Beyond host Jon Baston-Pitt, who also experiences dyslexia. In this short, Jon and Katherine talk...

Chapter 10 - Kreacher's TaleHarry wondered whether they had fallen asleep holding hands. The idea made him feel strangely lonely. The wardrobe doors stood open and the bedclothes had been ripped back. Harry remembered the overturned troll leg downstairs. Somebody had searched the house since the Order had left. Snape? Or perhaps Mundungus, who had pilfered plenty from this house both before and after Sirius died?Q1 - Has someone been looking through Grimmauld Place?Thank you, thank you, for Harry's birthday present! It was his favorite by far. One year old and already zooming along on a toy broomstick, he looked so pleased with himself, I'm enclosing a picture so you can see. You know it only rises about two feet off the ground, but he nearly killed the cat and he smashed a horrible vase Petunia sent me for Christmas (no complaints there). Q2 - Was there something behind Petunia's gift?Bathilda drops in most days, she's a fascinating old thing with the most amazing stories about Dumbledore, I'm not sure he'd be pleased if he knew! I don't know how much to believe, actually, because it seems incredible that Dumbledore…Q3 - What was this going to say? And why was Dumbledore using the cloak?He read the letter again, but could not take in any more meaning than he had done the first time, and was reduced to staring at the handwriting itself. She had made her “g”s the same way he did: He searched through the letter for every one of them, and each felt like a friendly little wave glimpsed from behind a veil. The letter was an incredible treasure, proof that Lily Potter had lived, really lived, that her warm hand had once moved across this parchment, tracing ink into these letters, these words, words about him, Harry, her son.They had had a cat . . . perhaps it had perished, like his parents, at Godric's Hollow Q4 - Is this cat Crookshanks?His parents had known Bathilda Bagshot; had Dumbledore introduced them? Dumbledore's still got his Invisibility Cloak . . . There was something funny there. . . .“Harry, do you really think you'll get the truth from a malicious old woman like Muriel, or from Rita Skeeter? How can you believe them? You knew Dumbledore!” “I thought I did,” he muttered. “But you know how much truth there was in everything Rita wrote about you! Doge is right, how can you let these people tarnish your memories of Dumbledore?” He looked away, trying not to betray the resentment he felt. There it was again: Choose what to believe. He wanted the truth. Why was everybody so determined that he should not get it? Q5 - What is the truth here?This, then, was how Voldemort had tested the defenses surrounding the Horcrux: by borrowing a disposable creature, a house-elf . . . “There was a b-basin full of potion on the island. The D-Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it. . . .” The elf quaked from head to foot. “Kreacher drank, and as he drank, he saw terrible things. . . . Kreacher's insides burned. . . . Kreacher cried for Master Regulus to save him, he cried for his Mistress Black, but the Dark Lord only laughed. . . . He made Kreacher drink all the potion. . . . He dropped a locket into the empty basin. . . . He filled it with more potion. Q6 - How much pity do you have for Kreacher?Kreacher knew how to open the concealed entrance to the underground cavern, knew how to raise the tiny boat; this time it was his beloved Regulus who sailed with him to the island with its basin of poison. . . . “And he made you drink the potion?” said Harry, disgusted. But Kreacher shook his head and wept. Hermione's hands leapt to her mouth: She seemed to have understood something. “M-Master Regulus took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had,” said Kreacher, tears pouring down either side of his snoutlike nose. “And he told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to switch the lockets. . . .”Q7 - What do you think of Kreacher's Tale?“Kreacher, I want you, please, to go and find Mundungus Fletcher. We need to find out where the locket — where Master Regulus's locket is. It's really important. We want to finish the work Master Regulus started, we want to — er — ensure that he didn't die in vain.” Kreacher dropped his fists and looked up at Harry. “Find Mundungus Fletcher?” he croaked. “And bring him here, to Grimmauld Place,” said Harry. “Do you think you could do that for us?” As Kreacher nodded and got to his feet, Harry had a sudden inspiration. He pulled out Hagrid's purse and took out the fake Horcrux, the substitute locket in which Regulus had placed the note to Voldemort. Q8 - How will they open the locket?Chapter 11 - The Bribe“Will you stop it!” she cried on the third evening of Kreacher's absence, as all light was sucked from the drawing room yet again. “Sorry, sorry!” said Ron, clicking the Deluminator and restoring the lights. “I don't know I'm doing it!” “Well, can't you find something useful to occupy yourself?” “What, like reading kids' stories?” “Dumbledore left me this book, Ron —” “— and he left me the Deluminator, maybe I'm supposed to use it!” Q1 - Any further theories on why Dumbledore left them these objects?“I had to Apparate very precisely onto the top step outside the front door to be sure that they would not see me. They can't know you're in here or I'm sure they'd have more people out there; they're staking out everywhere that's got any connection with you, Harry. Let's go downstairs, there's a lot to tell you, and I want to know what happened after you left the Burrow.”Q2 - How does the Fidelius Charm actually work?“So, you came straight here after the wedding?” “No,” said Harry, “only after we ran into a couple of Death Eaters in a café on Tottenham Court Road.” Lupin slopped most of his butterbeer down his front. “What?” They explained what had happened; when they had finished, Lupin looked aghast. “But how did they find you so quickly? It's impossible to track anyone who Apparates, unless you grab hold of them as they disappear!”Q3 - How did the Death Eaters find him?“There were about a dozen of them, but they didn't know you were there, Harry. Arthur heard a rumor that they tried to torture your whereabouts out of Scrimgeour before they killed him; if it's true, he didn't give you away.” Q4 - Does this make you think highly of Scrimgeour?Q5 - What do you think of the Muggle Born Registration Committee?“I know,” said Lupin. “Nevertheless, unless you can prove that you have at least one close Wizarding relative, you are now deemed to have obtained your magical power illegally and must suffer the punishment.” Ron glanced at Hermione, then said, “What if purebloods and half-bloods swear a Muggle-born's part of their family? I'll tell everyone Hermione's my cousin —” Q6 - How cute is Ron here? “I'll understand if you can't confirm this, Harry, but the Order is under the impression that Dumbledore left you a mission.” “He did,” Harry replied, “and Ron and Hermione are in on it and they're coming with me.” “Can you confide in me what the mission is?” Harry looked into the prematurely lined face, framed in thick but graying hair, and wished that he could return a different answer. “I can't, Remus, I'm sorry. If Dumbledore didn't tell you I don't think I can.” Q7 - Danny during the liveread you said “Don't do it.” Why?“Remus,” said Hermione tentatively, “is everything all right . . . you know . . . between you and —” “Everything is fine, thank you,” said Lupin pointedly. Hermione turned pink. There was another pause, an awkward and embarrassed one, and then Lupin said, with an air of forcing himself to admit something unpleasant, “Tonks is going to have a baby.” “Oh, how wonderful!” squealed Hermione. “Excellent!” said Ron enthusiastically. “Congratulations,” said Harry. Q8 - How'd ya guess that Jenn?“You don't understand,” said Lupin at last. “Explain, then,” said Harry. Lupin swallowed. “I — I made a grave mistake in marrying Tonks. I did it against my better judgment and I have regretted it very much ever since.” “I see,” said Harry, “so you're just going to dump her and the kid and run off with us?” Lupin sprang to his feet: His chair toppled over backward, and he glared at them so fiercely that Harry saw, for the first time ever, the shadow of the wolf upon his human face. “Don't you understand what I've done to my wife and my unborn child? I should never have married her, I've made her an outcast!”Q9 - Should Lupin have married Tonks?“Remus!” whispered Hermione, tears in her eyes. “Don't say that — how could any child be ashamed of you?” “Oh, I don't know, Hermione,” said Harry. “I'd be pretty ashamed of him.” Harry did not know where his rage was coming from, but it had propelled him to his feet too. Lupin looked as though Harry had hit himQ10 - How did Harry handle this whole situation?Q11 - What do you think was the truth about Ariana Dumledore?There was the sound of pattering feet, a blaze of shining copper, an echoing clang, and a shriek of agony: Kreacher had taken a run at Mundungus and hit him over the head with a saucepan. “Call 'im off, call 'im off, 'e should be locked up!” screamed Mundungus, cowering as Kreacher raised the heavy-bottomed pan again. “Kreacher, no!” shouted Harry. Kreacher's thin arms trembled with the weight of the pan, still held aloft. “Perhaps just one more, Master Harry, for luck?” Ron laughed. “We need him conscious, Kreacher, but if he needs persuading you can do the honors,” said Harry. “Thank you very much, Master,” said Kreacher with a bow, and he retreated a short distance, his great pale eyes still fixed upon Mundungus with loathing.Q12 - Isn't is crazy how you can go from hating a character so quick to loving him?

Chapter 8 - The WeddingHarry had taken a large dose of Polyjuice Potion and was now the double of a redheaded Muggle boy from the local village, Ottery St. Catchpole, from whom Fred had stolen hairs using a Summoning Charm.Q1 - How do you feel about this identity theft?“When I get married,” said Fred, tugging at the collar of his own robes, “I won't be bothering with any of this nonsense. You can all wear what you like, and I'll put a full Body-Bind Curse on Mum until it's all over.” Q2 - Who do you think Fred and George are going to marry?An odd symbol, rather like a triangular eye, glistened from a golden chain around his neck. “Sign?” said Harry, looking over at Xenophilius too. The strange triangular eye was gleaming on his chest. “Why? What's wrong with it?” “Grindelvald. That is Grindelvald's sign.” “Grindelwald . . . the Dark wizard Dumbledore defeated?” “Exactly.” Krum's jaw muscles worked as if he were chewing, then he said, “Grindelvald killed many people, my grandfather, for instance. Of course, he vos never poverful in this country, they said he feared Dumbledore — and rightly, seeing how he vos finished. But this” — he pointed a finger at Xenophilius — “this is his symbol, I recognized it at vunce: Grindelvald carved it into a vall at Durmstrang ven he vos a pupil there. Some idiots copied it onto their books and clothes, thinking to shock, make themselves impressive — until those of us who had lost family members to Grindelvald taught them better.” Krum cracked his knuckles menacingly and glowered at Xenophilius. Harry felt perplexed. It seemed incredibly unlikely that Luna's father was a supporter of the Dark Arts, and nobody else in the tent seemed to have recognized the triangular, runelike shape. Q3 - Victor nearly fights him because of this symbol…what is it?“Hello, Harry!” she said. “Er — my name's Barny,” said Harry, flummoxed. “Oh, have you changed that too?” she asked brightly. “How did you know — ?” “Oh, just your expression,” she said. “Hmm. Made an excuse, did he? Not as gormless as he looks in press photographs, then. I've just been instructing the bride on how best to wear my tiara,” she shouted at Harry. “Goblin-made, you know, and been in my family for centuries. She's a good-looking girl, but still — French. Well, well, find me a good seat, Ronald, I am a hundred and seven and I ought not to be on my feet too long.” Q4 - Is this tiara anything special?Harry did not answer. He pretended to watch the dancers, like Krum, but he was thinking hard. So Voldemort was looking for a celebrated wandmaker, and Harry did not have to search far for a reason: It was surely because of what Harry's wand had done on the night that Voldemort had pursued him across the skies. The holly and phoenix feather wand had conquered the borrowed wand, something that Ollivander had not anticipated or understood. Would Gregorovitch know better? Was he truly more skilled than Ollivander, did he know secrets of wands that Ollivander did not? Q5 - Does Gregorivitch know secrets of wandlore that Olivander doesn't?“Well, in that interview,” Harry went on, “Rita Skeeter hinted that Professor Dumbledore was involved in the Dark Arts when he was young.” “Don't believe a word of it!” said Doge at once. “Not a word, Harry! Let nothing tarnish your memories of Albus Dumbledore!” Q6 - What's the truth here?“Why did nobody ever see her, Elphias?” squawked Muriel. “Why did half of us never even know she existed, until they carried the coffin out of the house and held a funeral for her? Where was saintly Albus while Ariana was locked in the cellar? Off being brilliant at Hogwarts, and never mind what was going on in his own house!” “What d'you mean, locked in the cellar?” asked Harry. “What is this?” Doge looked wretched. Auntie Muriel cackled again and answered Harry. Doge looked to be on the verge of tears. Auntie Muriel, who seemed to be enjoying herself hugely, snapped her fingers for more champagne. Numbly Harry thought of how the Dursleys had once shut him up, locked him away, kept him out of sight, all for the crime of being a wizard. Had Dumbledore's sister suffered the same fate in reverse: imprisoned for her lack of magic? And had Dumbledore truly left her to her fate while he went off to Hogwarts, to prove himself brilliant and talented?Q7 - Could this be true?“And I'll tell you something else,” Muriel said, hiccuping slightly as she lowered her goblet. “I think Bathilda has spilled the beans to Rita Skeeter. All those hints in Skeeter's interview about an important source close to the Dumbledores — goodness knows she was there all through the Ariana business, and it would fit!” Q8 - Is Bathilda Bagshot the source?“Bathilda Bagshot lives in Godric's Hollow?” “Oh yes, she's been there forever! The Dumbledores moved there after Percival was imprisoned, and she was their neighbor.” “The Dumbledores lived in Godric's Hollow?” “Yes, Barry, that's what I just said,” said Auntie Muriel testily. Harry felt drained, empty. Never once, in six years, had Dumbledore told Harry that they had both lived and lost loved ones in Godric's Hollow. Why? Were Lily and James buried close to Dumbledore's mother and sister? Had Dumbledore visited their graves, perhaps walked past Lily's and James's to do so? And he had never once told Harry . . . never bothered to say . . . Q9 - Is Dumbledore a good person?Harry did not know where to begin, but it did not matter. At that moment, something large and silver came falling through the canopy over the dance floor. Graceful and gleaming, the lynx landed lightly in the middle of the astonished dancers. Heads turned, as those nearest it froze absurdly in mid-dance. Then the Patronus's mouth opened wide and it spoke in the loud, deep, slow voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt. “The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming.” Chapter 9 - A Place to Hide“When you say you've got the Cloak, and clothes . . .” said Harry, frowning at Hermione, who was carrying nothing except her small beaded handbag, in which she was now rummaging. “Yes, they're here,” said Hermione, and to Harry and Ron's utter astonishment, she pulled out a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, some maroon socks, and finally the silvery Invisibility Cloak. Q1 - Is Hermione the greatest or what?Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak around his shoulders and pulled it up over his head, vanishing from sight. He was only just beginning to appreciate what had happened. “The others — everyone at the wedding —”Q2 - You think everyone is safe?After a minute or two, Ron said, “You know, we're not far from the Leaky Cauldron here, it's only in Charing Cross —” “Ron, we can't!” said Hermione at once. “Not to stay there, but to find out what's going on!” “We know what's going on! Voldemort's taken over the Ministry, what else do we need to know?” “Okay, okay, it was just an idea!” They relapsed into a prickly silence. The gum-chewing waitress shuffled over and Hermione ordered two cappuccinos: As Harry was invisible, it would have looked odd to order him one. A pair of burly workmen entered the café and squeezed into the next booth. Hermione dropped her voice to a whisper. Q3 - How did the Death Eaters find them?“What are we going to do with them?” Ron whispered to Harry through the dark; then, even more quietly, “Kill them? They'd kill us. They had a good go just now.” Hermione shuddered and took a step backward. Harry shook his head. “We just need to wipe their memories,” said Harry. “It's better like that, it'll throw them off the scent. If we killed them it'd be obvious we were here.”Q4 - What should they do with these people?“It's no wonder I can't get it out, Hermione, you packed my old jeans, they're tight.” “Oh, I'm so sorry,” hissed Hermione, and as she dragged the waitress out of sight of the windows, Harry heard her mutter a suggestion as to where Ron could stick his wand instead. Q5 - Would you go back to the Burrow for your good pair of jeans?Gingerly Harry took another step forward. Something shifted in the shadows at the end of the hall, and before any of them could say another word, a figure had risen up out of the carpet, tall, dustcolored, and terrible: Hermione screamed and so did Mrs. Black, her curtains flying open; the gray figure was gliding toward them, faster and faster, its waist-length hair and beard streaming behind it, its face sunken, fleshless, with empty eye sockets: Horribly familiar, dreadfully altered, it raised a wasted arm, pointing at Harry. “No!” Harry shouted, and though he had raised his wand no spell occurred to him. “No! It wasn't us! We didn't kill you —” On the word kill, the figure exploded in a great cloud of dust: Coughing, his eyes watering, Harry looked around to see Hermione crouched on the floor by the door with her arms over her head, and Ron, who was shaking from head to foot, patting her clumsily on the shoulder and saying, “It's all r-right. . . . It's g-gone. . . .” Q6 - Are these good defenses?“But then you've got to close your mind!” said Hermione shrilly. “Harry, Dumbledore didn't want you to use that connection, he wanted you to shut it down, that's why you were supposed to use Occlumency! Otherwise Voldemort can plant false images in your mind, remember —” Q7 - Would Voldemort do this again and would Harry be tricked by it again?He turned his back on Ron and Hermione, pretending to examine the old tapestry of the Black family tree on the wall. Then Hermione shrieked: Harry drew his wand again and spun around to see a silver Patronus soar through the drawing room window and land upon the floor in front of them, where it solidified into the weasel that spoke with the voice of Ron's father. “Family safe, do not reply, we are being watched.” Q8 - Can you fake Patronuses?“More, Rowle, or shall we end it and feed you to Nagini? Lord Voldemort is not sure that he will forgive this time. . . . You called me back for this, to tell me that Harry Potter has escaped again? Draco, give Rowle another taste of our displeasure. . . . Do it, or feel my wrath yourself!”Q9 - Do you feel bad for Draco?

Chapter 6 - The Ghoul in Pajamas“Well, you can't do anything about the” — Ron mouthed the word Horcruxes — “till you're seventeen. You've still got the Trace on you. And we can plan here as well as anywhere, can't we? Or,” he dropped his voice to a whisper, “d'you reckon you already know where the You-Know-Whats are?” “No,” Harry admitted. Q1 - Where are the Horcruxes?Harry understood “they” to mean Fleur and Mrs. Weasley. “It's one extra day,” said Ron, when Harry looked mutinous. “Don't they realize how important — ?” “ 'Course they don't,” said Ron. “They haven't got a clue. And now you mention it, I wanted to talk to you about that.”“Ron and Hermione seem to think that the three of you are dropping out of Hogwarts,” she began in a light, casual tone. “Oh,” said Harry. “Well, yeah. We are.”Q2 - Do you find it shocking that Mrs Weasley is still sending Ginny to Hogwarts?“Now, Ron, have you cleaned out your room yet?” “Why?” exclaimed Ron, slamming his spoon down and glaring at his mother. “Why does my room have to be cleaned out? Harry and I are fine with it the way it is!” “We are holding your brother's wedding here in a few days' time, young man —” “And are they getting married in my bedroom?” asked Ron furiously. “No! So why in the name of Merlin's saggy left —” “Don't talk to your mother like that,” said Mr. Weasley firmly. “And do as you're told.” “We were just talking about Mad-Eye,” Ron told Harry. “I reckon he might have survived.” “But Bill saw him hit by the Killing Curse,” said Harry. “Yeah, but Bill was under attack too,” said Ron. “How can he be sure what he saw?” “Even if the Killing Curse missed, Mad-Eye still fell about a thousand feet,” said Hermione, now weighing Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland in her hand. “He could have used a Shield Charm —” “Fleur said his wand was blasted out of his hand,” said Harry. “Well, all right, if you want him to be dead,” said Ron grumpily, punching his pillow into a more comfortable shape. Q3 - Do you think Ron could be right?“What are you doing with all those books anyway?” Ron asked, limping back to his bed. “Just trying to decide which ones to take with us,” said Hermione. “When we're looking for the Horcruxes.” “Oh, of course,” said Ron, clapping a hand to his forehead. “I forgot we'll be hunting down Voldemort in a mobile library.” “Ha ha,” said Hermione, looking down at Spellman's Syllabary. “I wonder . . . will we need to translate runes? It's possible. . . . I think we'd better take it, to be safe.” Q4 - If you were hunting Voldemort, what 5 items would you bring?“Listen,” said Harry. He had sat up straight. Ron and Hermione looked at him with similar mixtures of resignation and defiance. “I know you said after Dumbledore's funeral that you wanted to come with me,” Harry began. “Here he goes,” Ron said to Hermione, rolling his eyes. “As we knew he would,” she sighed, turning back to the books. “You know, I think I will take Hogwarts, A History. Even if we're not going back there, I don't think I'd feel right if I didn't have it with —” “Listen!” said Harry again. “No, Harry, you listen,” said Hermione. “We're coming with you. That was decided months ago — years, really.” “But —” “Shut up,” Ron advised him. “I've also modified my parents' memories so that they're convinced they're really called Wendell and Monica Wilkins, and that their life's ambition is to move to Australia, which they have now done. That's to make it more difficult for Voldemort to track them down and interrogate them about me — or you, because unfortunately, I've told them quite a bit about you. “Assuming I survive our hunt for the Horcruxes, I'll find Mum and Dad and lift the enchantment. If I don't — well, I think I've cast a good enough charm to keep them safe and happy. Wendell and Monica Wilkins don't know that they've got a daughter, you see. Q5 - Will Hermione's plan work?There was silence in the room, broken only by gentle thuds as Hermione continued to throw books onto one pile or the other. Ron sat watching her, and Harry looked from one to the other, unable to say anything. The measures they had taken to protect their families made him realize, more than anything else could have done, that they really were going to come with him and that they knew exactly how dangerous that would be. He wanted to tell them what that meant to him, but he simply could not find words important enough. Harry, who did not believe that Hermione really understood his desire to return to Godric's Hollow. His parents' graves were only part of the attraction: He had a strong, though inexplicable, feeling that the place held answers for him. Perhaps it was simply because it was there that he had survived Voldemort's Killing Curse; now that he was facing the challenge of repeating the feat, Harry was drawn to the place where it had happened, wanting to understand. Q6 - What answers will Godric's Hollow have?“And the more I've read about them,” said Hermione, “the more horrible they seem, and the less I can believe that he actually made six. It warns in this book how unstable you make the rest of your soul by ripping it, and that's just by making one Horcrux!” Harry remembered what Dumbledore had said about Voldemort moving beyond “usual evil.” “Isn't there any way of putting yourself back together?” Ron asked. “Yes,” said Hermione with a hollow smile, “but it would be excruciatingly painful.” “Why? How do you do it?” asked Harry. “Remorse,” said Hermione. “You've got to really feel what you've done. There's a footnote. Apparently the pain of it can destroy you. I can't see Voldemort attempting it somehow, can you?” Q7 - Do you think he'd ever experience remorse for what he's done?“It has to be something so destructive that the Horcrux can't repair itself. Basilisk venom only has one antidote, and it's incredibly rare —”Q8 - What else do you think can kill a Horcrux?“Hang on,” said Ron, frowning. “The bit of soul in that diary was possessing Ginny, wasn't it? How does that work, then?” “While the magical container is still intact, the bit of soul inside it can flit in and out of someone if they get too close to the object. I don't mean holding it for too long, it's nothing to do with touching it,” she added before Ron could speak. “I mean close emotionally. Ginny poured her heart out into that diary, she made herself incredibly vulnerable. You're in trouble if you get too fond of or dependent on the Horcrux.” “I wonder how Dumbledore destroyed the ring?” said Harry. “Why didn't I ask him? I never really . . .” Q9 - Will any of them become possessed by Voldemort's soul?Q10 - How did Dumbledore kill the Horcrux?Chapter 7 - The Will of Albus DumbledoreHe was walking along a mountain road in the cool blue light of dawn. Far below, swathed in mist, was the shadow of a small town. Was the man he sought down there, the man he needed so badly he could think of little else, the man who held the answer, the answer to his problem . . . ?Q1 - What is going on?Q2 - Who's Gregorovitch?Harry seized the wand lying beside his camp bed, pointed it at the cluttered desk where he had left his glasses, and said, “Accio Glasses!” Although they were only around a foot away, there was something immensely satisfying about seeing them zoom toward him, at least until they poked him in the eye.  Q3 - What was your most memorable “18” or “21” story?“This isn't your average book,” said Ron. “It's pure gold: Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches. Explains everything you need to know about girls. If only I'd had this last year I'd have known exactly how to get rid of Lavender and I would've known how to get going with . . . Well, Fred and George gave me a copy, and I've learned a lot. You'd be surprised, it's not all about wandwork, either.” Harry sat down, took the square parcel she had indicated, and unwrapped it. Inside was a watch very like the one Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had given Ron for his seventeenth; it was gold, with stars circling around the face instead of hands. “It's traditional to give a wizard a watch when he comes of age,” said Mrs. Weasley, watching him anxiously from beside the cooker. “I'm afraid that one isn't new like Ron's, it was actually my brother Fabian's and he wasn't terribly careful with his possessions, it's a bit dented on the back, but —” The rest of her speech was lost; Harry had got up and hugged her. He tried to put a lot of unsaid things into the hug and perhaps she understood them, because she patted his cheek clumsily when he released her, then waved her wand in a slightly random way, causing half a pack of bacon to flop out of the frying pan onto the floor. Q4 - Do you remember who Fabian Pruitt is?“The Prewetts, Gideon and Fabian. It took five Death eaters to bring them down, they fought like heroes.”  (GOBLET OF FIRE)Although Lupin smiled as he shook Harry's hand, Harry thought he looked rather unhappy. It was all very odd; Tonks, beside him, looked simply radiant. Q5 - What's going on between them?“The Minister — but why — ? I don't understand —” But there was no time to discuss the matter; a second later, Mr. Weasley had appeared out of thin air at the gate, accompanied by Rufus Scrimgeour, instantly recognizable by his mane of grizzled hair. Q6 - What do you think of the Minister for Magic?“That law was created to stop wizards passing on Dark artifacts,” said Hermione, “and the Ministry is supposed to have powerful evidence that the deceased's possessions are illegal before seizing them! Are you telling me that you thought Dumbledore was trying to pass us something cursed?” “Are you planning to follow a career in Magical Law, Miss Granger?” asked Scrimgeour.Q7 - Do you think Ministry members think Dumbledore was evil?However, Scrimgeour did not seem to be listening. He put his hand inside his cloak and drew out a drawstring pouch much larger than the one Hagrid had given Harry. From it, he removed a scroll of parchment which he unrolled and read aloud. “ ‘The Last Will and Testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore' . . . Yes, here we are. . . . ‘To Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my Deluminator, in the hope that he will remember me when he uses it.' ” Scrimgeour took from the bag an object that Harry had seen before: It looked something like a silver cigarette lighter, but it had, he knew, the power to suck all light from a place, and restore it, with a simple click. Scrimgeour leaned forward and passed the Deluminator to Ron, who took it and turned it over in his fingers, looking stunned. “That is a valuable object,” said Scrimgeour, watching Ron. “It may even be unique. Certainly it is of Dumbledore's own design. Why would he have left you an item so rare?” Q8 - Why did he leave this to Ron?“ ‘To Miss Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in the hope that she will find it entertaining and instructive.' ” Scrimgeour now pulled out of the bag a small book that looked as ancient as the copy of Secrets of the Darkest Art upstairs. Its binding was stained and peeling in places. Hermione took it from Scrimgeour without a word. She held the book in her lap and gazed at it. Harry saw that the title was in runes; he had never learned to read them. As he looked, a tear splashed onto the embossed symbols. “Why do you think Dumbledore left you that book, Miss Granger?” asked Scrimgeour.Q9 - Why did he leave this to Hermione?“ ‘To Harry James Potter,' ” he read, and Harry's insides contracted with a sudden excitement, “ ‘I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill.' ” As Scrimgeour pulled out the tiny, walnut-sized golden ball, its silver wings fluttered rather feebly, and Harry could not help feeling a definite sense of anticlimax. “Why did Dumbledore leave you this Snitch?” asked Scrimgeour.Q10 - Why did he leave this to Harry?“Dumbledore left you a second bequest, Potter.” “What is it?” asked Harry, excitement rekindling. Scrimgeour did not bother to read from the will this time. “The sword of Godric Gryffindor,” he said. Q11 - Why did he leave this to Harry?“It — it was nothing,” he growled. “I . . . regret your attitude,” he said, looking Harry full in the face once more. “You seem to think that the Ministry does not desire what you — what Dumbledore — desired. We ought to be working together.” He nearly dropped the Snitch in surprise and excitement. Hermione was quite right. Engraved upon the smooth golden surface, where seconds before there had been nothing, were five words written in the thin, slanting handwriting that Harry recognized as Dumbledore's: I open at the close. Q12 - What does this mean?“Ron, you know full well Harry and I were brought up by Muggles!” said Hermione. “We didn't hear stories like that when we were little, we heard ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and ‘Cinderella' —” “What's that, an illness?” asked Ron.

Tracy and Jamie Scrimgeour, the host of the chart-topping "The KICK-ASS Stepmom Podcast, tackle the nuanced realities of step-parenting. It's all about setting boundaries, when to disengage, and the long-term commitment required to forge strong family bonds. Jamie shares her own experiences, around her blended family. Tune in for a conversation that's as real as it gets, and discover why Jamie's voice has become a leading one in the step-parenting community.

This episode is all about step families, blended families and how to deal with exes. Even if that's not your current situation, opening your eyes to the challenges that stepparents face is really important. And that's exactly what today's guest, Jamie Scrimgeor, helps us do. Jamie has a background in psychology and social service work. She is now a certified life coach who specializes in step family dynamics. Jamie also hosts her own podcast, is a content and community creator, she's a wife, a mom to three stepchildren and one of her own.In our conversation with Jamie she shares what she would like those of us who aren't stepmoms to understand about those who are. She also shares what the most common challenges are that come up for stepmoms. We know that blending a family with stepchildren and an “ours” baby can bring up a lot of emotion. Jamie shares her own personal story with this and why it's the best thing that has happened to her family.One topic that isn't often talked about is the mental load of a stepmom. Jamie shares her insights on what contributes to stepmom mental load most often and also shares her reframes to help you release the guilt, shame, and judgment of others when it comes to divorce.Links & Resources:Enroll in the HERself Self-Care CourseJamie's WebsiteJamie's PodcastJamie's MembershipLet's connect!HERSELF SHOP: https://herself-podcast-favorites.myshopify.comHERSELF PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/herselfpodcastHERSELF INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/herselfpodcastMEET AMY: http://instagram.com/ameskieferMEET ABBY: http://instagram.com/abbyrosegreenThis episode was produced and edited by @pivotballchange.

Endlich besprechen wir mal das Ministerium; wir nehmen alle Abteilungen unter die Lupe und beleuchten die Mysteriumsabteilung. Aber wieso ist das Appariertestzentrum das Beste am Ministerium? Gibt es Steuern in der Zaubererwelt und wie wird denn nun das Zaubergamot ausgesprochen?

Alex Scrimgeour is a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist based in London, UK. He has over twenty years experience as a practitioner of qigong and meditation. He  Received a BSc. in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Diploma in Tuina (Chinese Massage Therapy) from the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine.Alex completed clinical internships in Vietnam's largest teaching hospital, the Institute of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City. He understudied with renowned Dien Chan (Facial Reflexology) expert Tran Dung Thang in HCMC. Alex recently published a book "Facial Reflexology for Emotional Well-being" about the history and practice of Vietnamese Dien Chan and its Chinese analogs.To find out more about Alex please visit https://www.alexscrimgeour.com/If you would like to support the Somatic Primer Podcast please visit https://www.somaticprimer.com Support the show

Welcome back to episode 31 of the BookTok Book Club Podcast. Today we are talking about Those Left Behind by N.C. Scrimgeour with Neil Williams @NeilTheBookGuy We loved getting to know Neil and learning a little bit more about how he fell in love with books. Neil has been reading his entire life, thanks to his mom who was a kindergarten teacher who loved reading herself. The book that really inspired him to dive into the fantasy genre was Redwall by Brian Jacques. Ever since then, he hasn't been able to stop. And of course, we always get excited about new books. Join us today as we discuss Those Left Behind by N.C. Scrimgeour . Those Left Behind is an epic, galaxy-spanning space opera full of exploration, adventure, and ancient alien mysteries. Fans of Mass Effect, The Expanse and Star Wars will love this character-driven science fiction novel—the first installment in the Waystations Trilogy. Join us again next week and be sure to check out our previous episodes. Connect with us on Tiktok @cindygwrites, @cynthiagwrites and @aekingauthor  

There is a whole section of motherhood that has been left out. Your family in a blended family is not going to act like a first family. Stepfamily life can make you crazy if you want it to. A stepmom does the same thing as a mom but suffers so much judgement. A new mom gets met with tips, advice, compassion, and the village. There are many stepparents who have to go through this without feeling like they have a community. It is a double standard. Jamie Scrimgeour is wife, stepmom/mom to four kids ranging in age from 8-20 When she first became a stepmom, she quickly realized that she was in over her head. Disappointed in the type of support available for stepmoms, she decided to create the type of support she was looking for. Now, as a top charting podcast host, digital creator and Life Coach with a Specialization in Stepfamily Dynamics, Jamie has become the internet's go to for stepmom support. For more on Jamie follow her @jamiescrimgeour.Want our podcasts sent straight to your phone? Text us the word "Podcast" to +1 (917) 540-8715 and we'll text you the new episodes when they're released!Tune in for new Cat & Nat Unfiltered episodes every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday!Follow @catandnatunfiltered on Instagram: https://instagram.com/catandnatunfilteredOur new book "Mom Secrets" is now available! Head to www.catandnat.ca/book to grab your autographed copy! Come see us LIVE on tour!! To see a full list of cities and dates, go to https://catandnattour.com.Follow our parenting platform - The Common Parent - over on Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecommonparentBecome a Member of The Common Parent, our ultimate parenting toolkit for parents of teens and tweens for just $74.99/year: https://thecommonparent.comGet a FREE “Thoughts Between Us” Journal with The Common Parent Annual Membership: Click Here!Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel for our new cooking show and our #momtruth videos: https://bitly.com/catnatyoutubeCheck out our Amazon Lives here: https://bitly.com/catnatamazonliveOrder TAYLIVI here: https://taylivi.comGet personalized videos from us on Cameo: https://cameo.com/catandnatCome hang with us over on https://instagram.com/catandnat all day long.And follow us on https://tiktok.com/@catandnatofficial! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast episode, I'm joined by Jamie Scrimgeour, a stepmom and host of The Kick Ass Stepmom Podcast. We discuss Jamie's journey as a stepmom and the lessons that can be applied to relationships in general. Jamie shares her experiences as a stepmom and how she started her blog and eventually turned it into a podcast, membership, and coaching business. She reflects on her own childhood and how it impacted her as a stepmom. We also discuss the challenges of being a stepmom and finding balance in blended families. Jamie emphasizes the importance of self-care and taking breaks from personal development. We also touch on the judgment and stigma surrounding step-parenting and the pressures of being a content creator.  “If you focus so much on the things that you don't have control over, you lose sight of all that you do.” - Jamie Scrimgeour Links: Christie's Website Christie's Instagram: @sasssays Jamie's Website Jamie's Podcast Jamie's Instagram: @jamiescrimgeour Jamie's Community Ep 78 Libby Ward Christie's Interview on The KICK-ASS Stepmom Podcast  

Chapter 14 - Felix Felicis‘But I still don't get why Dumbledore's showing you all this. I mean, it's really interesting and everything, but what's the point?' ‘Dunno,' said Harry, inserting a gum shield. ‘But he says it's all important and it'll help me survive.'Q1 - Why is Dumbledore showing him all this?‘“Slug Club”,' repeated Ron with a sneer worthy of Malfoy. ‘It's pathetic. Well, I hope you enjoy your party. Why don't you try getting off with McLaggen, then Slughorn can make you King and Queen Slug –' ‘We're allowed to bring guests,' said Hermione, who for some reason had turned a bright, boiling scarlet, ‘and I was going to ask you to come, but if you think it's that stupid then I won't bother!'Q2 - Is Ron being stupid?Q3 - Is Harry an idiot for interrupting their communication session?When Harry pushed open the tapestry to take their usual short cut up to Gryffindor Tower, however, they found themselves looking at Dean and Ginny, who were locked in a close embrace and kissing fiercely as if glued together. It was as though something large and scaly erupted into life in Harry's stomach, clawing at his insides: hot blood seemed to flood his brain, so that all thought was extinguished, replaced by a savage urge to jinx Dean into a jelly.Q4 - Have you experienced the large scaly thing in your stomach?‘You go!' said Ginny. ‘I want a word with my dear brother!' Dean left, looking as though he was not sorry to depart the scene. ‘Right,' said Ginny, tossing her long red hair out of her face and glaring at Ron, ‘let's get this straight once and for all. It is none of your business who I go out with or what I do with them, Ron –' ‘Yeah, it is!' said Ron, just as angrily. ‘D'you think I want people saying my sister's a –' ‘A what?' shouted Ginny, drawing her wand. ‘A what, exactly?' ‘He doesn't mean anything, Ginny –' said Harry automatically, though the monster was roaring its approval of Ron's words.Q5 - What was Ron going to call her?‘Been kissing Pigwidgeon, have you? Or have you got a picture of Auntie Muriel stashed under your pillow?'Q6 - Is Ginny a savage?They hurried up the stairs and along a seventh-floor corridor. ‘Oi, out of the way!' Ron barked at a small girl who jumped in fright and dropped a bottle of toad-spawn. Harry hardly noticed the sound of shattering glass; he felt disorientated, dizzy; being struck by a lightning bolt must be something like this. It's just because she's Ron's sister, he told himself. You just didn't like seeing her kissing Dean because she's Ron's sister …Q7 - Harry loves Ginny, right?It seemed as though Gryffindor could do no wrong. Again and again they scored, and again and again, at the other end of the pitch, Ron saved goals with apparent ease. He was actually smiling now, and when the crowd greeted a particularly good save with a rousing chorus of the old favorite Weasley is our King, he pretended to conduct them from on high.Q8 - What was your favorite sports moment that made you feel like Ron?‘I didn't put it in!' said Harry, now grinning broadly. He slipped his hand inside his jacket pocket and drew out the tiny bottle that Hermione had seen in his hand that morning. It was full of golden potion and the cork was still tightly sealed with wax. ‘I wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking.' He looked at Ron. ‘You saved everything because you felt lucky. You did it all yourself.'Q9 - Is Liquid Luck a placebo?Q10 - What's the deal with Ron and Hermione? Chapter 15 - The Unbreakable VowHarry had to put up with the frequent presence of Lavender Brown, who seemed to regard any moment that she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted.‘She can't complain,' he told Harry. ‘She snogged Krum. So she's found out someone wants to snog me, too. Well, it's a free country. I haven't done anything wrong.'‘I never promised Hermione anything,' Ron mumbled. ‘I mean, all right, I was going to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with her, but she never said … just as friends … I'm a free agent …'Q1 - What will the outcome of this be between the two?‘There isn't anyone I want to invite,' mumbled Harry, who was still trying not to think about Ginny any more than he could help, despite the fact that she kept cropping up in his dreams in ways that made him devoutly thankful that Ron could not perform Legilimency.Q2 - What is Harry dreaming about?Q3 - What's your favorite prom/dance story?Q4 - Hermione mentions that love potions aren't dark…is she right?‘The library is now closed,' she said. ‘Mind you return anything you have borrowed to the correct – what have you been doing to that book, you depraved boy?' ‘It isn't the library's, it's mine!' said Harry hastily, snatching his copy of Advanced Potion-Making off the table as she lunged at it with a clawlike hand. ‘Despoiled!' she hissed. ‘Desecrated! Befouled!' ‘It's just a book that's been written in!' said Harry, tugging it out of her grip. She looked as though she might have a seizure; Hermione, who had hastily packed her things, grabbed Harry by the arm and frogmarched him away.Q5 - Do you write in books?Q6 - Harry mentions there might be something going on between Pince and Filch. Is that possible?‘She's a bit upset,' said Luna. ‘I thought at first it was Moaning Myrtle in there, but it turned out to be Hermione. She said something about that Ron Weasley …' ‘Yeah, they've had a row,' said Harry. ‘He says very funny things sometimes, doesn't he?' said Luna, as they set off down the corridor together. ‘But he can be a bit unkind. I noticed that last year.'Q7 - Is Ron unkind?‘Hi, Harry,' said Parvati who, like him, looked faintly embarrassed and bored by the behavior of their two friends. ‘Hi,' said Harry. ‘How're you? You're staying at Hogwarts, then? I heard your parents wanted you to leave.' ‘I managed to talk them out of it for the time being,' said Parvati. ‘That Katie thing really freaked them out, but as there hasn't been anything since … oh, hi, Hermione!'Q8 - Let's rehash what has happened at Hogwarts…There was a noise like a plunger being withdrawn from a blocked sink and Ron surfaced.Q9 - Is Hermione kinda a low-key it girl?Ron looked strangely blank and said nothing. Harry was left to ponder in silence the depths to which girls would sink to get revenge.Q10 - Is Rufus Scrimgeor a vampire?Q11 - Are Slughorn's parties good parties?Q12 - Should Harry have a biography written about him?‘Harry Potter!' said Professor Trelawney in deep, vibrant tones, noticing him for the first time. ‘Oh, hello,' said Harry unenthusiastically. ‘My dear boy!' she said in a very carrying whisper. ‘The rumors! The stories! The Chosen One! Of course, I have known for a very long time … the omens were never good, Harry … but why have you not returned to Divination? For you, of all people, the subject is of the utmost importance!'Q13 - Should Harry have taken divination this year?‘Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Harry?' asked Slughorn. ‘Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology …' ‘All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror,' said Snape, with the faintest sneer. ‘Yeah, well, that's what I'd like to be,' said Harry defiantly. ‘And a great one you'll make, too!' boomed Slughorn. ‘I don't think you should be an Auror, Harry,' said Luna unexpectedly. Everybody looked at her. ‘The Aurors are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy, I thought everyone knew that. They're working from within to bring down the Ministry of Magic using a combination of Dark magic and gum disease.'Filch's expression of outraged disappointment was perfectly predictable; but why, Harry wondered, watching him, did Malfoy look almost equally unhappy? And why was Snape looking at Malfoy as though both angry and … was it possible? … a little afraid?Q14 - Why is Snape afraid?‘Who suspects me?' said Malfoy angrily. ‘For the last time, I didn't do it, OK? That Bell girl must've had an enemy no one knows about – don't look at me like that! I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, but it won't work – I can stop you!' There was a pause and then Snape said quietly, ‘Ah … Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see. What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?'Q15 - Is it shocking to know that Draco has learned Occlumency?Q16 - Who is his master?‘Looks like you'll have to break it, then, because I don't need your protection! It's my job, he gave it to me and I'm doing it. I've got a plan and it's going to work, it's just taking a bit longer than I thought it would!'Q17 - What is going on?Chapter 16 - A Very Frosty Christmas‘An Unbreakable Vow?' said Ron, looking stunned. ‘Nah, he can't have … are you sure?' ‘Yes, I'm sure,' said Harry. ‘Why, what does it mean?' ‘Well, you can't break an Unbreakable Vow …' ‘I'd worked that much out for myself, funnily enough. What happens if you break it, then?' ‘You die,' said Ron simply. ‘Fred and George tried to get me to make one when I was about five. I nearly did, too, I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He went mental,' said Ron, with a reminiscent gleam in his eyes. ‘Only time I've ever seen Dad as angry as Mum. Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since.'Q1 - Thoughts on Fred and George wooing muggle women with magic tricks?There was silence for a moment or two, then Ron said, ‘Course, you know what they'll all say? Dad and Dumbledore and all of them? They'll say Snape isn't really trying to help Malfoy, he was just trying to find out what Malfoy's up to.' ‘They didn't hear him,' said Harry flatly. ‘No one's that good an actor, not even Snape.' ‘Yeah … I'm just saying, though,' said Ron. Harry turned to face him, frowning. ‘You think I'm right, though?' ‘Yeah, I do!' said Ron hastily. ‘Seriously, I do! But they're all convinced Snape's in the Order, aren't they?'Q2 - Do we trust Snape?‘You are determined to hate him, Harry,' said Lupin with a faint smile. ‘And I understand; with James as your father, with Sirius as your godfather, you have inherited an old prejudice.Q3 - Do you think this is true?Q4 - What do you think of Lupin's background and being bitten by Greyback?Everybody was wearing new sweaters when they all sat down for Christmas lunch, everyone except Fleur (on whom, it appeared, Mrs Weasley had not wanted to waste one) and Mrs Weasley herself, who was sporting a brand new midnight-blue witch's hat glittering with what looked like tiny starlike diamonds, and a spectacular golden necklace.Q5 - Is Fleur that unbearable?She gave Lupin an annoyed look, as though it was all his fault she was getting Fleur for a daughter-in-law instead of Tonks, but Harry, glancing across at Fleur, who was now feeding Bill bits of turkey off her own fork, thought that Mrs Weasley was fighting a long-lost battle. He was, however, reminded of a question he had with regard to Tonks, and who better to ask than Lupin, the man who knew all about Patronuses? ‘Tonks's Patronus has changed its form,' he told him. ‘Snape said so, anyway. I didn't know that could happen. Why would your Patronus change?' Lupin took his time chewing his turkey and swallowing before saying slowly, ‘Sometimes … a great shock … an emotional upheaval …' ‘It looked big, and it had four legs,' said Harry, struck by a sudden thought and lowering his voice. ‘Hey … it couldn't be –?'Q6 - What was Tonk's new patronus form?Q7 - What do you think of Scrimgeor and his proposal?Q8 - HOW is Umbridge still working at the ministry?‘I don't want to be used,' said Harry. ‘Some would say it's your duty to be used by the Ministry!'You don't care whether I live or die, but you do care that I help you convince everyone you're winning the war against Voldemort. I haven't forgotten, Minister …' He raised his right fist. There, shining white on the back of his cold hand, were the scars which Dolores Umbridge had forced him to carve into his own flesh: I must not tell lies.Q9 - Is Harry right or wrong?‘Well, it is clear to me that he has done a very good job on you,' said Scrimgeour, his eyes cold and hard behind his wire-rimmed glasses. ‘Dumbledore's man through and through, aren't you, Potter?' ‘Yeah, I am,' said Harry. ‘Glad we straightened that out.'

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 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?

Learning how to be a stepmom can be complicated. Blended families face unique challenges with relationships, contradictory expectations, and potential conflict. But with the right approach, you can navigate the dynamics and embrace your role as a stepmom.  Today, I'm joined by life coach Jamie Scrimgeour, founder of The Kick-Ass Stepmom, to discuss how to let go of perfection and expectations and show up as the stepmom you want to be. Show Notes: https://bit.ly/45qni8j Book a Free 15 min Consult with a mom therapist: momwell.com  Follow Momwell on Instagram: instagram.com/momwell  Sign up for our weekly VIP Newsletter: momwell.com/newsletter  Register for one of our popular workshops and courses: momwell.com/shop  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ellen Kamhi talks with Alex Scrimgeour, a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist, with a degree in acupuncture and a diploma in Tui-Na massage from the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine. He has studied Dien Chan (Vietnamese facial reflexology) extensively with Trần Dũng Thắng, Bùi Minh Trí, and other master clinicians at the Việt Y Ðạo Center in Vietnam. He gives treatments and teaches at many of the leading Spas and wellness centers around the world and is based in London.

This is an episode that my cousin Jamie Scrimgeour and I recorded a few weeks ago for both of our podcasts. We ask each other random questions about all the things including: Social media and the power of unfollow, block and mute Why we both agree you don't have to follow everyone (even family) on social media Divorce, getting remarried and working through the embarrassment of it all Our advice for those who are always worried about what other people think Learning to think before you speak Going back to school in your 40's The worry that comes with an age difference relationship and more! Connect With Jamie Instagram | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@jamiescrimgeour Website | www.jamiescrimgeour.com The KICK-ASS Stepmom Podcast | www.jamiescrimgeour.com/kickassstepmompodcast For More From Michelle Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.instagram.com/itsmichellepfile⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.facebook.com/michellepfilecoaching⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.michellepfile.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join The Wellness Hub: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.michellepfile.com/wellnesshub⁠⁠ Mentioned Resources Join The Marketing Impact Academy ⁠⁠here.⁠

Today we're kicking ass and taking names. Just kidding (kind of) - I'm actually having a discussion with one of the OG's in the online stepmom space, Jamie Scrimgeour, host of The Kickass Stepmom podcast. I always enjoy a chat with Jamie and we are talking about all. the. things.  Jamie is also a speaker at our third annual Stepmom Summit next week. The Stepmom Summit will feature presentations, live panels, and coaching with 25 of the world's top stepfamily experts. You can grab your FREE ticket to hear her speak HERE!  About Jamie: Jamie is wife, stepmom, and mom to four kids ranging in age from 8 to 20. When she first became a stepmom, she quickly realized that she was in over her head. Disappointed in the type of support available for stepmoms, she decided to create the type of support she was looking for. Now, Jamie is a top charting podcast host, digital creator and Life Coach with a Specialization in Stepfamily Dynamics and the internet's go to for stepmom support. Jamie's loyal community of followers see her as the go to for parenting, lifestyle and personal growth content. Through her podcast, The KICK-ASS Stepmom Podcast and membership, The Exclusive Stepmom Community, Jamie's goal is to inspire women to live their own version of a KICK-ASS Life, while bringing them along as she creates her own. Jamie is a Certified life Coach with a specialization in Stepfamily Dynamics. She has a BA Honors in Psychology, a post grad in Social Service Work, and prior to starting her digital platform, she enjoyed a career in Child Protection. Where You Can Find Jamie:  Her website: www.jamiescrimgeour.com Her podcast: www.jamiescrimgeour.com/podcast On Instagram and Facebook   At the 2023 Stepmom Summit - grab your ticket HERE! Are you enjoying The Stepmom Diaries? If so, please consider rating and reviewing the show. It will help me reach more stepmoms just like you so they can get MORE out of stepmom life! It's super easy – all you have to do is click HERE and scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “write a review.” Then just let me know what you like best!

On Episode 371 we discuss...→ Humans hate change→ Did Tonks or Moody actually do anything?→ Scrimgeour's parallel death→ How the tables turned against Harry perhaps too quickly→ Alison stans Ron - fight her→ Remus is the "adult, adult"→ Nothing is hard for Hermione→ Heated debate on the legacy of Remus Lupin→ Dumbledore does not owe Harry his entire story

It's just me this week and we are switching things up and doing an assumptions episode. You submitted your assumptions about me or our stepfamily life, and I am confirming or debunking them.  In this episode I am exposing it all - from my stepkids, to our marriage, the ex, do we have a prenup and so much more!    For more from Jamie: Website: www.jamiescrimgeour.com Follow along on Instagram @jamiescrimgeour and @kickassstepmompodcast Find me on Facebook Join The Membership Download The Secret To Improving Your Stepfamily Life   Thanks to Our Sponsors: This episode is sponsored by Better Help. Get 10% off your first month by heading to www.betterhelp.com/stepmom. Become a member of The Exclusive Stepmom Community for the stepmom support and resources you need for just $9.99/month or $99.99 a year: www.jamiescrimgeour.com/membership

Episode 3 (Minutes 19:39 to 31:34): This week arrives back at the “Burrows” to an injured George and his terrible joke. We praise Molly for being everything good in these books and movies but question who made the “Bill and Fleur” banner? Join us this week for the reading of the will and the excess of gas lamps around the Weasley home-which leads to a Probably Unanswerable Question! Join us next week for minutes 31:34 to 41:35! (Scene Marker: This chunk ends with Scrimgeour saying “He's too strong.”)

My guest today is Aidan Scrimgeour. Aidan is a terrific jazz pianist, composer, poet, and songwriter from Brooklyn, NY. We chat about music education, our shared musical upbringing, basketball and much more.

Being a step-parent is hard and there aren't a lot of resources out there. Jamie Scrimgeour has been in your shoes and wanted to change that. Jamie wanted to redefine stepmotherhood. If you are asking yourself "how do I manage being a stepmom?" or "how can I be a good stepmom?" this episode is for you. WebsitePodcastInstagram @jamiescrimgeour_______________________________________________________________Did you love this episode? BUY ME A COFFEE for support!Find me on Instagram@balkanina@mamaknowspodcastFind me on TikTokBalkaninaSubscribe to my NewsletterPrivate Facebook Motherhood-Podcast CommunityMama Knows FBDisclaimer: This podcast does not provide any medical advice, it is for informational purposes only!

- In Chapter 9 of Deathly Hallows, Harry, Ron, and Hermione disapparate to Central London as they flee Death Eaters. Realizing they've been followed, the trio head to Grimmauld Place instead.- Today's prompt is: What is the point of Moody's Tongue-Tying Curse when Snape or another intruder could use a nonverbal spell?- This episode is hosted by Tracy Dunstan.- Join in the conversation on MuggleNet's social media channels by using #PromptlyPotter

- In Chapter 8 of Deathly Hallows, Bill and Fleur's wedding day arrives and Harry joins the festivities albeit disguised. The celebration is cut short when Kingsley Shacklebolt's Patronus arrives with a warning: The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. The Death Eaters are coming.- Today's prompt is: How might Xenophilius Lovegood have conducted research on Gernumbli (gnome) magic?- This episode is hosted by Richa Venkatraman.- Join in the conversation on MuggleNet's social media channels by using #PromptlyPotter

EP207. Jamie tells us how she went from being single, living in a condo downtown to married with step-children! The transition was difficult and she quickly realized there was no online community or resources available for step-moms so, she created one! Renee and Jamie chat step-mom stereotypes, challenges, and tips for navigating blended family life. RENEE REINA Instagram: @themomroompodcast | @reneereina_ The Mom Room Shop TikTok: @reneereina_ Facebook Community Youtube: Renee Reina- The Mom Room Podcast JAMIE SCRIMGEOUR Instagram: @jamiescrimgeour SPONSORS Pull-Ups. Goli. Betterhelp. Binto. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sam, TC, Mel and occasionally one of the doggies jump into the contentious and brief relationship between Harry Potter and Rufus Scrimgeour. They debate what could have been if Scrimgeour was minister instead of Fudge earlier, if Dumbledore tainted the relationship between Harry and Rufus, and if Rufus approached Harry outside the Burrow, would that have helped? Warning drunken laughter abounds! What are your thoughts on Rufus and Harry? Listen and decide! So... All aboard! *** Spoilers, Adult Language, Adult Themes **** Music note: Tinder profile music is from "You Can Leave Your Hat On" by Joe Cocker, and the theme song uses a portion of "Modern Major General" from The Pirates of Penzance.

Jamie Scrimgeour is a wife, stepmom of three, and mom of one. Professionally she is a Life Coach with a specialization in Stepfamily Dynamics, a podcast host, and a digital content creator. After gaining an instant family, she found herself needing help with the tricky transition. Jamie inspires other Moms and Stepmoms to live a KICK-ASS life as she creates her own.   Get 120 Ways To Be A KICK-ASS Stepmom: https://jamiescrimgeour.com/ebook For more from Jamie Scrimgeour visit www.jamiescrimgeour.com Follow along on Instagram: www.instagram.com/jamiescrimgeour Follow along on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scrimgeourjamie

It's Harry's sixth magical Christmas, and we're headed to the Burrow! Join us for the latest episode of The Glittering Bell Jar: A Harry Potter Podcast, where we discuss all of the important aspects of this particularly "frosty" holiday at the Weasley's – including Harry's confidence in fellow wizards, Scrimgeour's visit, and Mr. Weasley's sleepy satsuma scene. Don't forget to support our podcast by subscribing, leaving us a rating, and giving us a five-star review. Subscribe to The Accio Box and save on a magical subscription box delivered right to your door – it's almost like Owl Post! Get your discount by visiting: followthebutterflies.com/acciobox    Learn more about this podcast: https://followthebutterflies.com/podcast/ or follow us on social media @belljarpod

Today I'm chatting about blended families and stepfamilies with Jamie Scrimgeour. She's an expert on stepfamily dynamics and the host of The KICK-ASS Stepmom Podcast. We have a great conversation about pitfalls to avoid when you join a family and how to appreciate the unique beauty of being a step-parent. Along the way, we share some of our own experiences as stepmoms! Find the show notes for today's episode at terricole.com/407

LeAnn and stepmom expert, life coach and podcast host Jamie Scrimgeour bond over the trials and tribulations of building a functional, fulfilling blended family- with humor and tons of takeaway tips for all families. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jamie shares what self care looks like for her and answers questions submitted by you on Instagram.   Links Mentioned: Check Out The Workshops: www.jamiescrimgeour.com/workshops Check Out The Membership: www.jamiescrimgeour.com/membership Jamie's Favs: www.jamiescrimgeour.com/favorites TEXT ME! 226-401-0819   Get 120 Ways To Be A KICK-ASS Stepmom: https://jamiescrimgeour.com/ebook   For more from Jamie Scrimgeour visit www.jamiescrimgeour.com Follow along on Instagram: www.instagram.com/jamiescrimgeour Follow along on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scrimgeourjamie   Book a one-on-one coaching call: www.jamiescrimgeour.com/coaching Download The Secret To Improving Your Stepfamily Life: www.jamiescrimgeour.com/freeguide   Episode Sponsors: Nucalm  www.nucalm.com Use code JAMIE10 for 10% off   Cozy Earth Pod www.jamiescrimgeour.com/cozyearth Use code JAMIES40 for 40% off

Alex and Shane chat about the stress of doing taxes, and being nostalgic for the last two years at home.   Host of The Kick-Ass Stepmom Podcast, Jamie Scrimgeour, candidly discusses her journey as a stepmom, setting boundaries, forging sometimes difficult relationships, and so much more. This conversation is a goldmine of advice and love!   Listener questions are answered in the mailbag segment, hitting topics like grieving a miscarriage, handling breakups with exes, identifying red flags, and whether or not it's better to be friends before lovers.   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    This episode is proudly supported by:   Tru Earth - save 10% off of Tru Earth's powerful, and eco-friendly products (the laundry detergent strips & surface cleaner are our favourites!) by using the promo code THISFAMILYTREE10 when you visit https://www.tru.earth/?utm_source=SOCIAL&utm_medium=PODCAST&utm_campaign=INFLUENCER&utm_term=ThisFamilyTreePodcast   Mini Mioche - use promo code THISFAMILYTREE15 at www.minimioche.com for 15% off of your ethically made, organic, and sustainable kids' apparel.   Bravado Designs - Use promo code THISFAMILYTREE20 for 20% off of what will become your favourite nursing bra at www.bravadodesigns.com, or try their new Everyday Collection (not nursing bras - no clips) at ca.bravadodesigns.com.   Seedlip - Go to www.seedlipdrinks.com or www.seedlipdrinks.ca, and use promo code THISFAMILYTREE10 for 10% off the world's first nonalcoholic spirit!