MuggleCast: Creating Our Own Hogwarts Houses (December 2, 2025)

Main Theme & Purpose

In this special bonus episode, the MuggleCast crew dives into a playful and creative exercise: reimagining the Hogwarts house system! Not satisfied with the classic four, the hosts each invent their own new house, complete with names, colors, values, symbols, common room entrances, and even head of house and house ghost. The segment blends sincere personal reflection with the signature wittiness and warmth that makes MuggleCast a favorite in the Harry Potter fandom.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rethinking the Sorting System (02:41–03:19)

• The show opens with Andrew expressing a bit of restlessness with the traditional Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff system:
  • "I'm just not happy with the houses. I think it's time that we give a makeover...and add a fifth house while we're at it." (02:49, Andrew)
• The team jokes about the sorting hat's bandwidth and mental health, keeping the tone light.

2. House Proposals: Deep Dives Into Imagination

a. Luminara (Andrew)

Values: Wisdom, Clarity, Forward-thinking, Acts of Service
(03:19–07:17)

• Name & Origin:

  • “I’m calling my house Luminara and it starts from lumen, meaning light. My house is formed around clarity, wisdom, thinking ahead.” (03:31, Andrew)

• Colors:

  • Dark Green (nod to Slytherin roots) & Sky Blue (for limitless ambition).

• Values:

  • Intelligence, Thoughtfulness, Success through Integrity, Volunteering, and Acts of Service:
    • "If you're in this house this is one of your top love languages." (04:24, Andrew)

• Crest/Sigil:

  • Silver owl on a scroll, blue and green flames.

• Head of House:

  • Professor Sinistra (Astronomy).

• Location & Entrance:

  • Hidden door in Hogwarts Gardens; accessed by “Aguamenti charm – two drops of water on a specific flower,” which changes seasonally.

• Common Room:

  • Outdoorsy, enchanted to feel like you’re camping (safely, comfortably).

• House Ghost:

  • None—ghosts refused to stay outside with the earthy theme:
    • “The Hogwarts house ghosts actually prefer to roam around inside the castle... which I think is very rude of them but it’s fine.” (07:04, Andrew)

b. Be Kindicus (Eric)

Values: Empathy, Philosophy, Imagination
(07:53–11:19)

• Name:

  • “My Hogwarts house is named Be Kindicus and I can tell what the values are.” (07:53, Eric)

• Colors:

  • Teal and Coral.

• Values:

  • Empathy, Philosophy, Imagination.
  • "The phrase 'curiosity killed the cat' is only half the sentence. The other half is 'satisfaction brought it back.'" (08:44, Eric)

• Crest/Sigil:

  • Cat, symbolizing curiosity.

• Location & Entrance:

  • Next to the Room of Requirement; entrance involves answering a randomized “Dear Abby” empathy prompt from a talking door knocker.
  • On Fridays, becomes an “Am I the Asshole” Reddit-style scenario.

• House Ghost:

  • Mirabel, a ghost cat: “It cuddles you, but you wouldn’t like it because it’s cold.” (11:19, Eric)

c. Veritas (Laura)

Values: Honesty, Wit, Empathy, Courage to Call Out BS
(13:23–18:33)

• Name & Colors:

  • House Veritas (from Latin “truth”); Charcoal gray and rose gold, or as Laura calls it, “burnout chic.”

• Inspiration:

  • For all “corporate girlies” and side-hustlers living two realities.

• Values:

  • Honesty, Wit, Empathy, Courage, Strategic Real Talk:
    • "It's important to be empathetic, but you have to know...when to pick the strategic moment, give some real talk." (15:06, Laura)

• Crest/Sigil:

  • Owl with one arched eyebrow (wisdom, skepticism).

• Head of House:

  • Andrew, crowned as a "natural leader":
    • "You're a natural leader. Think about it. I think you belong here and you are someone who is. You keep it real." (15:36, Laura)

• Location & Entrance:

  • Cozy co-working space wedged between the library and kitchens.
  • Guarded by a sassy gargoyle; requires sharing “piping hot” fresh gossip (no old tea) every time for entry.
    • “You can't use repeat tea...it needs to be piping hot, fresh every single time.” (17:53, Laura)

• House Ghost:

  • The Ghost of Group Projects Past:
    • “Constantly complaining 'I did all the work and still got an E.'” (18:09, Laura)

d. Mist Stride (Ivana)

Values: Vigilance, Clarity, Balance
(18:49–22:08)

• Background:

  • Adapted from Ivana's fanfic concept for an Ilvermorny house.

• Colors:

  • Indigo and gray.

• Values:

  • “Reminiscent of those who watch over,” combining vigilance and balance.

• Sigil:

  • Mistbane Hound—a magical wolf/blue heron hybrid.

• Head of House:

  • Riften Bramblescry, taken from her fiction.

• Location & Guard:

  • Astronomy wing. Entrance appears through mist; only those with the correct password (and know where/how to say it) can clear the fog.
    • “If you aren’t in Mist Stride, you get lost in the fog. If you have a password, it clears.” (20:11, Ivana)

• House Ghost:

  • Lark Everfell, a healer in life.

e. Emberwake (Micah)

Values: Resilience, Passion, Sarcasm
(22:13–24:53)

• Name & Colors:

  • Emberwake; Orange and blue (nod to Syracuse roots).

• Values:

  • “Resilience, passion, and sarcasm. Have to have a little bit of humor involved in this house.” (22:32, Micah)

• Sigil:

  • Phoenix rising from the ocean (prophecy reference).

• Head of House:

  • Pele Prometheus (“a lot of fire references going on here”).

• Location & Guard:

  • Inactive volcano on the edge of the Forbidden Forest; accessed through enchanted tunnels.
  • Entry requires placing your dominant hand on a charred palm print; wrong print means being “spit out into the lake.”
    • "If it’s not correct, you will be sucked into the volcano and spit out into the excellent lake." (24:31, Micah)

• House Ghost:

  • No ghost, but mischievous fire imps serve a similar, playful function.

3. Reflections, Verdicts, and Possibilities (24:53–26:14)

• The group discusses which house (besides their own) they'd most like to join:
  • "I said Ivana’s. I just – very Zen and she’s the guest so I’m voting that one." (25:04, Andrew)
  • Others shout out various houses’ cool features.
  • “All of these sound great and we should actually write fan fiction…what would the Harry Potter series have been like in these houses instead?” (25:18, Eric)
• Brief conversation about AI art tools and visualizing crests.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Andrew, on creating Luminara:

  • “I'm just looking for an enlightened house, like, experience. Huh. Own it.” (03:39)
  • “We tried to get a house ghost but the Hogwarts house ghosts actually prefer to roam around inside the castle and none of them want to want to be outside to gain access to the common room which I think is very rude of them but it's fine.” (07:04)

• Eric, on Be Kindicus' entrance:

  • “You have to give your advice. Doesn't even need to really be good advice but you need to think about it and care about giving your reply.” (10:18)
  • "It cuddles you, but you wouldn’t like it because it’s cold." (11:19)

• Laura, on Veritas’ practicality:

  • "If you're gonna be a Karen, like, use those powers for good." (16:41)
  • "You can't use repeat tea...it needs to be piping hot, fresh every single time." (17:53)
  • The House Ghost: "Our house ghost would be the ghost of group projects past who is constantly complaining, 'I did all the work and still got an E.'" (18:09)

• Ivana’s mystical introduction:

  • “Mist comes and appears as you get close to the door. And if you aren't in mistride, you get lost in the fog.” (20:11)
  • “In life, they [the house ghost] were a healer.” (22:08)

• Micah’s fiery innovation:

  • “In terms of the phoenix rising from the ocean, it made me think of the very famous prophecy by Tycho...Rising up, unforgettable rise, great avenger.” (23:44)
  • On house security: “If it’s not correct, you will be sucked into the volcano and spit out into the excellent lake.” (24:31)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:41 — Episode start, premise: “Let’s create our own Hogwarts houses”
• 03:19 — Andrew introduces House Luminara
• 07:53 — Eric presents Be Kindicus
• 13:23 — Laura unveils Veritas
• 18:49 — Ivana introduces Mist Stride
• 22:13 — Micah concludes with Emberwake
• 24:53 — Team discusses their favorites and potential fanfiction
• 26:14 — Episode wrap-up

Tone & Takeaways

The episode is playful, immersive, and quintessentially “MuggleCast”: lots of personality, some nostalgia, and winking self-awareness. The hosts’ new house proposals are equal parts self-indulgent fantasy and insightful reflection on what values truly matter at Hogwarts—and beyond.

Listener value: A great episode for any Potter fan who’s ever wondered which house they really belong to, or wanted to build a magical world tailored to their own unique strengths.

Did you love a house or want to share your own? The hosts encourage feedback and creative listener contributions!