
Loading summary
Announcer
Ready to soundtrack your summer with Red Bull Summer All Day Play. You choose a playlist that fits your summer vibe the best. Are you a festival fanatic, a deep end dj, a road dog, or a trail mixer? Just add a song to your chosen playlist and put your summer on track. Red Bull Summer All Day Play. Red Bull gives you wings. Visit red bull.com brightsummerahead to learn more. See you this summer. This episode is brought to you by Prime Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice off campus Elle every year after the Love Hypothesis, Sterling point and more Slow burns, second chances chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting.
Eric
Watch only on Prime Focus Features in Blumhouse Present Obsession.
Laura
When I have a crush on a
Micah
guy no one knows, Be careful. I wish Nikki loved me more than anyone in the entire world.
Laura
Who you wish for?
Eric
Obsession is 96% fresh on rotten Tomatoes. I love you so so so so much. It's blood soaked nightmare fuel. Brooke, I just bullied you. Put on her. You have been warned. Obsession rated R under 17.
Laura
Anime without parent only theaters May 15
Eric
with special engagements in Dolby.
Andrew
I've got from some of my friends over the years about dating my sister.
Micah
Why are you looking at me?
Andrew
And I.
Eric
No, no, Micah. He's just looking into his camera. Are you feeling guilty, bro?
Andrew
Welcome to Mugglecast, your ride into the world of Harry Potter. I'm Andrew.
Eric
I'm Eric.
Micah
I'm Micah.
Laura
And I'm Laura.
Andrew
And we're your Harry Potter friends, gathering to talk about the books and the movies and the TV show. So follow us in your podcast app and you'll never miss an episode. And this week, don't get on Harry's bad side because we're discussing chapter 24 of Half Blood Sectem Sempra. But before we continue, if you love Mugglecast as much as Voldemort loves turning his jewelry into soul backups, head over to patreon.com mugglecast and support us there. To thank you, you'll receive bonus episodes of the show ad free episodes, a monthly zoom hangout with us and your fellow Harry Potter friends, and on air shout outs and lots more. We can't do this without you. So thank you so much in advance.
Micah
You know, Andrew, I didn't realize until you just said that how much of a fashionista Voldemort actually is if you think about all of his Horcruxes yes, yes.
Andrew
And the cloak that he wears. Like, say what you want about him, but Voldemort's got style. Thank you to recent patrons, including Jess, Nicole, Megan, Daniel. Voldemort. Wow. Shelby, Roxanne. And we should just throw in a random Harry Potter character.
Eric
Daedalus Diggle. Thanks.
Andrew
Wow, that's awkward. J.K. rowling
Micah
blocked.
Andrew
Coming up in bonus Mugglecast this week. You guys, Mugglenet's like dead. Did you see this? This week it's like gone. The Muggle net we knew and loved is gone. So we're going to talk about that and what happened. Some volunteers are suing too, so we'll get into that a little bit. Were you all sad when you saw this news? We got our start at Mugglenet.
Eric
I'm living this news, actually. The whole process has been crazy to see kind of what's happened. But yeah, they scrubbed the site. Uh, so the parent company has erased all fan generated content and replaced it with just all this official crap. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Laura
I saw their top post was about Cinnabon coming out with butterbeer flavored food items.
Eric
Didn't Micah try some of that stuff? Is that coffee, mate? That was creamer.
Micah
Yeah, but I, I wouldn't be surprised if we looked in our email inbox if there was a.
Eric
A note, an invitation to collab. Yeah, let's not do that because we should support the many years that we ourselves poured into that website and not allow or not, I don't know, sit by while this kind of thing happens. So I'll say more in the bonus.
Andrew
Yeah, we'll talk about it in bonus Mogulcast this week. I think we all have some thoughts to get off our chest and certainly it's an end of an era. So that'll be available@patreon.com mugglecast this week. And we'd also appreciate listeners if you left us a review in your favorite podcast app or told a fellow Muggle about our show. And you can visit mugglecastmerch.com to buy official show gear like a choo choo shirt or a security nightmare hat. Now it's time for chapter by chapter, and this week we're discussing Half Blood Prince Chapter 24 Sectum Sempra. Before we start, I did just want to say that the full cast audiobook of Half Blood Prince was released this month. If you've been tempted to try these out, now might be a good time. You can listen to each full cast chapter before listening to the corresponding episode of Mugglecast.
Laura
Ooh, good idea.
Eric
Right, Right.
Andrew
These are exclusively available on Audible. And I'm doing this now. I've listened to the last two chapters through with the full cast audiobook.
Eric
Nice.
Andrew
It's a fun experience.
Micah
Yeah, I'm still back in Philosopher's Stone. I need to do a little bit of catching up.
Eric
It came out pretty quick.
Micah
Yeah, yeah.
Eric
Once a month.
Micah
There's also a lot of news that's being generated around these audiobooks as it relates to the TV show. Because I've seen rumors out there that Kit Harington is potentially under consideration for Gilderoy Lockhart in the TV show. And we know that he voiced him in the Chamber of Secrets audiobook. So I feel like we're going to start to see maybe a little bit more of this crossover like we did with the Hermione actress.
Andrew
Right, the actress who did the first three audiobooks and then they switched to older cast members. She's going to be Hermione in the TV show. By the way, when we watched that documentary a few weeks ago about the TV show, it sounded to me like Arabella Stanton was first cast for the TV show and then she got cast for the audiobook. That was the impression I was. I was sort of getting.
Eric
Anywho, let's get over to our mugglecast Pensive segment. And this week's chapter Horcruxes was last discussed on episode 415 of Mugglecast. That episode was titled the Worst at Everything he does, and it aired on April 29, 2019. And this clip in our Pensive segment is my number two favorite clip.
Laura
What you're looking at are memories.
Eric
This is the most important memory I've collected. It is from mugucast episode 415.
Micah
So he sees Draco in a bathroom. And first off, Draco could have just been doing some business down there, taking a dump. And Harry is just like, oh, let me go check in on Draco. Open the door on him.
Andrew
Well, wait a second. Is this a private one person bathroom?
Micah
But he still could have been taking his shit.
Andrew
Well, and then if he saw the door was locked, maybe he would have respected his privacy.
Micah
No, no, he could have walked in. Right.
Andrew
It was.
Micah
I'm assuming it had multiple stalls available, but.
Andrew
Right, that's my point. The stall was locked. Go on.
Micah
I mean, yes, he was one of
Laura
those really awkward cracks between the door and, like the stall wall that you can totally see through if you're being a creepy.
Andrew
That's why I bring a blanket. I cover those up.
Micah
You couldn't wait for him to come out of the bathroom.
Eric
This memory is everything.
Micah
Where else would you get that analysis?
Eric
How do we. That content, that quality content has been on our feed for seven years.
Micah
What's amazing is that didn't cross my mind once while rereading the chapter.
Andrew
That's gross. Oh, well, that's gross.
Laura
Exactly. You know, you know better. You do better. You know what I mean? And who would have known seven years ago that the topic of bathrooms would have become such a controversy in this fandom? But here we are.
Andrew
Yeah. Well, we are going to start today's chapter by chapter with this chapter's namesake, Sectum Sempra. Harry is in full stalker mode, constantly checking the Marauder's Map to see where Draco might be to figure out what the heck he's been up to. And one day, while looking at the map, he sees Draco in the sixth floor boy's bathroom, and he's with Moaning Myrtle. So Harry decides to go and creep in on this meeting. And Harry sees Myrtle, the therapist, trying to help Draco. But Draco says, no one can help me and I can't do a thing. And that's when he spots Harry in the mirror and things get heated fast. Now, Maika, we heard your thoughts seven years ago. I think you have some related thoughts in terms of, you know, entering this room.
Micah
Yeah, these are a little bit more mature thoughts than what I presented last time. As you said, growth is important. But I am curious what Harry hoped to achieve by just busting into this very private moment between Draco and Moaning Myrtle. And I think his mind is just a little bit too preoccupied with Quidditch and Ginny and Horcruxes to really be thinking straight. Do you agree?
Andrew
Oh, yeah, I absolutely agree. But Harry is being driven crazy by Draco and he's just not thinking clearly in terms of a strategy.
Micah
Right. Which he probably should have, given how much time he spends obsessing over Draco in this book. He had no plan for. For when he finally confronts him.
Eric
It's so interesting, Harry's mood in this book. I don't think I would have noticed that, how inconsistent it was on an earlier reread. But, yeah, he's spent all this time obsessing over Malfoy. And to your point, Micah doesn't have a plan and just kind of goes in and, And. And it escalates real quickly.
Laura
Yeah, I mean, this kind of tracks for Harry, this book, to be honest. Like, this is almost the opposite end of the spectrum for what he does with Slughorn. Right. Like he was kind of avoiding doing anything about Slughorn for the longest until he had no choice but to use the Felix Felicis. And now he's been trying to like stealth mode Malfoy all year and just decides to barge on on him. Like that's going to do anything. Harry's. Harry's not the best planner is what I'm getting at here. And the only reason he survives these books is because of Hermione.
Andrew
But it always comes back to fight
Laura
me if you disagree.
Micah
Yeah, no, I won't. But I did want to ask why Harry has never seen Draco with Moaning Myrtle before this very moment. With how often he is checking the Marauder's Map. How obsessed he has been with Draco. This is the first time he's noticing this.
Eric
Yeah, that's really unbelievable because in fact Harry and Ron even have found Moaning Myrtle in a bathroom before coming out and saying that she's been talking to someone. And we know now, confirmed in this chapter that Moaning Myrtle appears on the map. So it's just one of those actually makes me wonder what the Marauders knew or if they knew her, you know, because she's, she's on the map. But at the same time. Yeah. Harry should have seen them together before and also upon seeing them together, should have put two and two together. That, that's who Moaning Myrtle was talking about as being this kind, sensitive boy who's, you know, in trouble and working through some stuff. And if Harry had remembered that, he probably wouldn't have barged in so quickly. Or maybe he would have.
Andrew
But. But Harry would never consider Draco kind and sensitive. So.
Eric
Oh yeah, that's right. He would say, oh, is he my enemy? Yeah, no, okay.
Andrew
Kind, insensitive, evil and mean and bullying.
Eric
But it's clear blonde. Yeah. I mean, how many people does Moaning Myrtle socialize with on a day to day basis?
Andrew
Like.
Eric
Yeah, very few. Yeah.
Andrew
So Draco and Harry do get into this fight. Draco casts the first spell, but it leads to Harry winning the duel when he casts his newly learned Sectum Sempra out of Snape's copy of Advanced Potion Making. My question here is, was Harry right to use Sectum Sempra? Because Draco did cast the first spell. He drew his wand first, sent the hex at him. Harry initially did try some other spells. He tried L Corpus and then he tried the Leg Locker curse. Those didn't work. He had just been reminded about Sectum Sempra. So, you know, on one hand, yes, it was a very Dangerous spell. But Harry didn't know that. He also tried other spells. But then on the other hand, it was very irresponsible. But Draco sucks. So I kind of, like, don't blame him.
Eric
What escalates. It certainly escalates. And it shows that these two boys are way out of their depth. Um, do we think Draco could have succeeded in, like, it would have actually affected Harry if he cast Crucio? Because he tried. Do you think he would have successfully cast.
Laura
That's a really good question. Because I don't know. Based on where Draco is at mentally at this point. I don't know that he actually does have it in him to really mean that. You know, mean it.
Andrew
But in the moment, Harry doesn't really have time to consider that.
Laura
Exactly.
Eric
I appreciate that Sectum Semper isn't the first spell that Harry goes for. Yeah. And that we're shown that I had forgotten that point. And I really appreciate that. It's just, you know, these. These bitter rivals. But then the other sort of natural question to ask is, what would have happened if Snape weren't so close by? What would have happened if Draco had died here? Now, Harry, who just found out what a Horcrux is, would have a split soul right on his hands.
Andrew
You know what a Horcrum is, Boy. Now, you know, he could have gotten
Micah
rid of Voldemort in that moment.
Eric
Maybe split it, broke it off, detached it, kicked it around. Say here, Myrtle.
Micah
The interesting thing about this, though, is that there is some precedent, especially in this book. If you go back to earlier on when he used Levicorpus on Ron, he had no idea what the spell was going to do. And so that's where I fault Harry very much here, where he's just deciding to use a spell that he doesn't know what it's going to do. He just knows that it's for enemies. And it's definitely reckless on his part.
Laura
Yeah. And I just want to call out on that note, Rachel, Puff and Mev are calling this out in our discord a little earlier in the chapter. It's like a blink and you'll miss it line. But Harry thinks about trying Sectum Sempra out on Cormac McLagon in the corridors between class because he doesn't know what it does. So he's casually thinking about, oh, I could try this on somebody who's annoying to me. McClachen is an ego.
Eric
It's very James Pottery.
Laura
Exactly.
Eric
Because Sirius is bored. Yeah.
Laura
Very James Coded. Good Call.
Micah
The other thing I wanted to bring up is that it's a bit frustrating that Harry casts the spell as well as he does because he's never learned it to the points that were just raised. And we know that it takes time for somebody to be able to learn how to cast spell. I mean look at all of the attempts we've seen with Harry and Ron, particularly over the course of the series. Hermione usually nails it in the first
Eric
class, but yeah, well she's read about it, which counts as spending hours of countless brain power on thinking of the theory. So.
Micah
Yeah, so I was wondering, is he tapping into something that's deeper here? Is it similar to a fight or flight response? Like he's in the moment and so the energy with which he casts Sectumsempra is as if he's been casting it all of his life.
Eric
Yeah. To. To me this is the same way that Harry has always just been good at defense at defense against the Dark Arts specifically he's like the anti Dark Arts magnet and so when his life is on the line, he's going to just be able to do it. Same with the Patronus at the end of book three, like he's just. He finds it within himself to do extraordinary magic without necessarily studying, planning or knowing how it is that he can do it. I mean he was 1 years old when he survived a killing curse. How did he do it? It's just that same level of like, nope, can't touch me. Yeah.
Micah
Yeah.
Andrew
I do think the book, Snape's book didn't let. Hasn't let Harry down yet. And so pair that with this spell is quote unquote four enemies.
Micah
And.
Andrew
And Harry feels very confident that whatever this is going to do is going to serve him well now. It served him extremely well. It did get the job done to quote Chapel Roan. But yes, Snape could have or Draco could have died.
Micah
Couple of connecting to threads. It's a bit ironic that Myrtle is yelling about murder in a bathroom, considering
Eric
she lived it or didn't.
Micah
And the other thing I was thinking about too is that we do get a duel between Harry and Draco in Chamber of Secrets. Much different outcome though here for poor Draco. But I did also think that it'd be cool to do a little bit of a name origin session here. So if you break apart the curse, Sectum means to cut or to sever and sempra means always or forever. So does nobody take Latin at Hogwarts?
Andrew
It's kind of all over the place.
Laura
You would think they need to.
Eric
How funny that Sever and Always are Sectum Sempera, a spell that's introduced by Severus, whose key catchphrase is always, oh,
Andrew
yeah, very good connection.
Micah
The show is over. Just that's.
Andrew
That's the next level, connecting the threads. That's threads on threads.
Eric
Well, and as a contrast to, I know you mentioned a moment ago, Draco and Harry, but in the Dueling Club chapter of Book Two, Draco is the one who has this advanced knowledge of spells, right? Nobody asked Draco to cast a serpent. Sortia. Is it where the snake comes out of his wand? That's gotta be pretty darn advanced to do that kind of a spell. And here it's Harry who has the upper hand. So it's kind of like the tables have turned. Because I don't think, even though he's comfortable using Unforgivables, I don't think Draco has any clue anything about this type of magic.
Andrew
So let's move along to Snape entering the scene. He gets there pretty quick. And he does, thank goodness, stitch up Draco. And then he gets him off to the hospital wings. We'll get to what happens after in a moment. But I'm wondering, how did Snape get there so quickly? Was he tailing Draco? Was he coincidentally nearby and he heard Myrtle and Draco and Harry? Or maybe by making the Unbreakable Vow, does that somehow alert him when there might be trouble with Draco, since he did vow to help and protect Draco? What do y' all think? How? What will. Where was Snape? Why did he get there so quick?
Laura
You know, it made me wonder if Snape had put some kind of trace on Draco, similar to how the Ministry has traces on anyone under the age of 17. You would think that there would be other ways that you could put a trace on a wizard, especially an underage one.
Eric
Yeah, and Dumbledore would allow it because it's in Dumbledore's best interest to know what Draco's really up to. But yeah, I just questioned how much Snape is allowed to know about what Draco's up to. Meaning, like, it's obviously in his best interest. I think he was just lurking because he probably suspected Draco's deteriorating emotional state through whatever he saw him in class or whatever most recently. And so I think he was just thankfully on hand nearby because he doesn't want to die. And if anything were to happen to Draco and he would fail to protect him or fail to usher Draco along in his mission, then he, Snape, is also dead. So I, I think that Snape takes it very seriously, the danger that his own life is in, and therefore he's had to keep almost an annoyingly close watch on Draco.
Micah
Yeah, I, I agree. I, I think that also looking at what Draco has failed to accomplish thus far by attacking Katie Bell. Attacking indirectly, Ron. Right. Like these were all attempts on presumably Dumbledore, and they've all gone really, really bad. So naturally, I think that Snape is, is keeping a close eye.
Andrew
After that, we get another hint that Snape is the Half Blood Prince. And there have actually been a few of these over the course of this book. Harry hasn't noticed them, evidently, because how could Snape have been so brilliant? Harry pretends he learned the spell from a library book and Snape pretty much immediately calls him a liar. And Snape has hurled insults, of course at Harry before. But Harry maybe should have thought a little more about why Snape was so quick to call him a liar. He knows where that spell came from.
Micah
He's just not in any position to do so. If, if these were under different circumstances, I just feel like he would be much better positioned to question Snape. But because of what he's just done. Again, it's much like at the very beginning of the chapter. I don't think he's thinking straight.
Eric
No, he's in the middle of, to quote Chapel Roan, a red wine supernova. At the moment, he's just not thinking of anything else. He's just only seeing red.
Laura
Did someone not tell me that we're doing a making the music connection with Chapel Roan this episode?
Micah
Laura, you and I have to come up with.
Laura
I know.
Andrew
Yeah, we're waiting.
Micah
At the end of the episode, I'm
Laura
gonna be feverishly looking up Chapel Roan lyrics to to see if I can make a connection before the end of the episode. Girl, winter is so last season. And now spring's got you looking at pictures of tank tops with hungry eyes. Your algorithm is feeding you cutoffs.
Announcer
You're thirsty for the sun on your
Laura
shoulders that perfect hang on the patio sundress. Those sandals you can wear all day and all night. And you've had enough of shopping from your couch. Done. Hoping it looks anything like the picture when you tear open that envelope. It's time for a little in person spring treat. It's time for a trip to Ross. Work your magic.
Eric
It's time to refresh your yard during spring backyard days at the Home Depot. Get low prices guaranteed on propane grills starting at $179 like the next grill 3 burner gas grill. Or get $50 off a select Weber Spoon Grill and bring big flavor to your backyard. Then set the scene with Hampton Bay String lights that bring it all together.
Andrew
Shop Spring backyard days for seven days
Eric
at the Home Depot. Now through May 6th. Exquisite. Apply seehomedepot.com Pricematch for details.
Announcer
With Plan B Emergency contraception, we're in control of our future. It's backup birth control you take after unprotected sex that helps prevent pregnancy before it starts. It works by temporarily delaying ovulation and it won't impact your future fertility. Plan B is available in all 50 US states at all major retailers near you, with no ID, prescription or age requirement needed. Together we've got this. Follow Plan B on Insta at Plan B. One step to learn more Use as directed.
Micah
There's something unsanitary though, about how Snape elicits this information. The truth from Harry. And it's by reading his mind. And Harry knows it. And that should not be allowed under any circumstances at Hogwarts, especially from an adult to a 16 year old child. That is just. We've talked about this before, especially when we did order the Phoenix, but this just doesn't feel right.
Eric
Well, given the stakes, there's a child here dying and the person who did it is not immediately forthcoming about what the circumstances would be that led to this. So I'm.
Micah
Why does it matter? Can I ask though? Why does it matter where he learned the spell? The punishment really should just be for the fact that he used it. Why does he care whether he learned it?
Andrew
No, but it matters because he knows he got it from his book.
Micah
No, I'm saying. But in like the grand scheme, like.
Eric
Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, actually I think you're right, Micah, because the fact that he's asking shows that he already knows. And so what? What he's looking for is not any kind of punitive or more information that might save Draco's life. He's looking for it to satisfy his own curiosity in a way. So. So maybe I could see there why it's not the most necessary question or practice to be like reading Harry's mind over. If Harry were withholding crucial information such as, I don't know, the secret to Voldemort's immortality, then I can see Snape using, you know, a memory charm or something to, you know, trying legilimency to get that from him.
Andrew
Yeah, well, Snape does Want answers. And he asks Harry to bring him all of his school books. And Harry goes and grabs his books.
Eric
And then he's actually happy to get out of there. He's really hot to go and.
Andrew
Yeah, I mean, yeah, that's very accurate, actually. And Harry goes, grabs his books, including Advanced Potion Making, also grabs Ron's copy. But then he goes to the Rumor Requirement, a little detour to place his copy of Advanced Potion Making in there. And the room gives him a place filled with items that students and faculty have tried to hide over the years. Harry does hide his book and marks his spot with a bust, on top of which he puts a tarnished tiara, which ends up being Roweno Ravenclaw's diadem. And then this, of course, comes into play in Deathly Hallows. So talk about a major forest shadow alert. Moments like this are just kind of amazing when you look back on everything crazy.
Micah
There's probably a cuckoo clock in the Room of Requirement as well.
Eric
Oh, several. That's the only place to put them where you won't hear them go off every hour on the hour.
Andrew
It's kind of poetic, too, that Snape's old book is hidden under a Horcrux.
Eric
Yeah, yeah, because Snape, unlike Lucius and Bellatrix, Snape, was never entrusted with a Horcrux specifically. So there you go, buddy. There you go.
Laura
Right? Horcrux marks the spot.
Eric
Ooh, there's. There's your title.
Laura
There you go. Not a chapel roan lyric as far as I know, but.
Micah
Well, it's way better than what we called the last time we did this episode.
Eric
Yeah, the worst at everything. He does. Not wrong, though, but not wrong.
Micah
But Harry also does rush past a broken vanishing cabinet that he recalls Montague disappeared in last year. So there's a lot of interesting stuff in this room.
Andrew
There sure is. That said, does the Room of Hidden Things defeat its own purpose? Because if tons of people have requested this room over the years, they all get the same room, clearly. Wouldn't you know where to go if you're looking for something that you know someone wanted to hide? Or, on the other hand, does the sheer volume of items in the room make it the best place actually to hide something? Even if someone who's seeking out your hidden items knows about this room? Because the treasure hunt, it would be a needle in the haystack. It seems like the way this room is described.
Eric
I love this question. This is a chicken and egg. I don't think there's going to be an answer that's discernible. Like I. Because if you ask the room of requirement that can bring everything, anything you want, a room to hide my things in, you can assume. It is safe to assume that everything in here was something somebody at some point wanted to hide. So I feel like that's fair. But yeah, it's. It is a needle in a haystack. It is just a crazy labyrinthine thing. So it's like, I don't know, if you go through these things and if you can safely assume that like, the. The value of these items is higher than, I don't know, ordinary items, that would spawn. Or maybe Harry is just thinking like, well, okay, the school is a thousand years old. So what we're looking at is stuff that was discarded probably by people who've been dead for like six or 700 years. So there's not really a higher value to this stuff than anything else you. You'd find necessarily.
Laura
Yeah. And to be honest, I don't know. I think about the things that teenagers would want to hide and probably most of them graduated and forgot about it and just went on about their lives. Even if you did remember it, like, good luck remembering where you left it, you know.
Andrew
It seems like an amazing room though. I would love to just browse that. It feels like browsing an antique store.
Laura
Yeah.
Micah
Yeah.
Andrew
Well, that's.
Eric
That's essentially the modern day equivalent. Right. The closest thing we'll ever get. Because you ever walk around a thrift store or an antique store specifically, and wonder how an item ended up there, like, who must have had it last? Or sometimes if you. Oh, if you pull apart, like an old gramophone or something, an old piece of furniture, and then it has somebody's name on it, or a book has somebody's name on it. You don't recognize the name, but it's like, oh, this was somebody else's.
Andrew
You know what I've been doing recently? I started collecting old Vegas postcards and I've been buying ones from ebay that have notes on the back of them. And it is incredible, the messages, you know, and they're dated too. 1955. It's got a $0.01 stamp on it. It's so cool.
Eric
I just love $0.01 stamp. Seriously, what radicalized me, let me tell you. It's the USPS used to be $0.01.
Micah
Probably want to put those under a black light too.
Andrew
What? What? Oh, it was. But like nature areas of Vegas, not like from the Strip.
Micah
I'm just looking out for you.
Eric
I gotta say. That's first of all Andrew, that's a really cool thing to do. That's a cool thing to like look up and kind of try and collect. And second of all, I have some postcards I'm pretty sure I bought my first trip to the Strip in 2006 and I don't think I ever filled them out but I could send you some if you like.
Andrew
Sure, sure.
Eric
It's got like Mandalay Bay on it and some other stuff and I just, I never sent. I bought for as often as I bought postcards. I think I only ever sent them from like from Europe or something and that was after I got back.
Andrew
So if you think I might need a black light for it though, just please don't send it.
Eric
No, no, these are. I've been keeping them hermetically sealed in my safe room.
Andrew
Great.
Micah
In your room of requirement.
Andrew
So I want to talk a little bit more about how Snape is treating Harry. Snape has obviously never treated Harry fairly and Snape did swear to protect Draco. So for the sake of debate I wanted to ask is Snape being unfair to Harry here when he punishes Harry for using his own four enemies spell? Draco is Harry's enemy and an enemy of Hogwarts right now and I think we're already in agreement that Snape has been treating him unfairly and he's always acting this way. But maybe Snape should consider like Harry kind of like had good reasons.
Eric
What I. What I appreciate about Snape is what a pos he is like he's always gonna. Even even though he himself is dealing with a bunch of stuff and he. There's a great case to be made for Snape being responsible that this situation happened. But he's always going to look for because he and Harry don't have to get along, right? They don't have to be besties at all. That's Dumbledore and Harry.
Micah
But.
Eric
But Snape doesn't give a shit. So if. If Snape can punish Harry for doing something that he legitimately did and also improve the chances of Slytherin or a non Gryffindor house's chances in the Quidditch cup, he's going to do that. And so this is something where if you were hairy, of course it's not strictly fair but then again you almost killed somebody so you're going to have to take the. The. The l here and accept the punishment. But if you're hairy you should just be more careful. Don't go around wielding spells you don't know anything about. If you're really excited about competing in. In Quidditch.
Andrew
Yeah, Agree.
Laura
I think Harry actually gets off kind of light here relative to what he does.
Micah
Because if you were to. If you were to take this into the Muggle world and something like this happened at school, it's a pretty severe incident. Oh yeah, and the likelihood is you would have been expelled for doing something equivalent to what Harry does to Draco in this moment. And I think that it's actually surprising Harry doesn't face worse punishment. And I think the only reason why is because of Dumbledore. Because of what they need to achieve together. Had Lucius not been locked up and the Malfoy family overall in such hot water, I think it's pretty likely he would have been punished far more severely than just his detentions with Snape and not playing Quidditch as a result of that.
Laura
Oh yeah. Draco's father definitely would have heard about this. And it does make me wonder if Snape or anyone at Hogwarts even bothered to contact the Malfoys about this.
Andrew
It's a good question. You would hope so.
Laura
But at the same time, why? Because obviously Snape and Narcissa know what the deal is here. They understand what Draco's trying to do, so why would they draw attention to it? I don't know.
Andrew
Final thing I'll say on this is Harry didn't intend to kill Draco. So I don't know, maybe I'm being way too forgiving of Harry, but I just think he had his reasons that were he was acting in self defense. The only, the only thing I'll knock him for is that he didn't know what the spell was going to do. Yes, that's irresponsible. But in the moment, in the fog of war, maybe wasn't the worst idea in my opinion.
Laura
You know, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Andrew
So, Laura, that's Kelly Clarkson, not Chapel Roan.
Laura
Yes, because Kelly Clarkson is the first person who ever uttered that phrase.
Andrew
But great song. What does that mean?
Eric
We love you anyway.
Andrew
All right, well, enough about Snape and Harry. We're going to talk about dating your best friend's sister. A feminomenon.
Eric
What you could, also known as his kink is karma. He's earned this.
Andrew
Oh, boy. But first, a quick break. We'll be right back.
Announcer
A text says you're on my mind A bouquet from 1-800-Flowers says you're my everything. Heartfelt moments belong in the real world, not just your phone. For 50 years, 1-800-Flowers has helped millions of people make memories that'll last a lifetime. With gifts they'll cherish forever. Their expertly curated arrangements and gift baskets shipped nationwide with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Don't wait for the next big moment. Make it when you visit 1-800-Flowers.com Spotify today. That's 1-800-Flowers com Spotify.
Andrew
So the chapter actually started with Harry learning that Ginny and Dean are done.
Eric
Yes.
Andrew
When one door closes, another one opens. And no, I'm not talking about the room of doors. In order of the Phoenix, not only are Ginny and Dean done, but Ron and Lavender are done as well. So Harry is wondering if he has a shot with Ginny.
Micah
Uh, yeah.
Eric
And I am just blown away by the extent to which Felix Felicis affected circumstances for Harry. Like what you just mentioned, Andrew, the fact that Jenny Dean broke up and Ron and Lavender broke up can all still be traced back to Harry when his, you know, when he was under the, the, the influence. So I'm just thrilled because the way in which. Well, there's a lot to like and a lot not to like. Right. This is my otp. This is the pairing that I have wanted to see. I feel like it's, it's earned, but it's still in the shadows. So during this chapter, there's like these, these two weeks where Harry and Ginny are getting along really great at Quidditch practice. And, uh, Ginny is described as being the life and soul of the team, or the heart and soul of the team, that she's cracking jokes and everyone's in good spirits because everyone's flying so well. And like, it's summary. We don't actually see any of this. It's said to us and then it's move, moved on and all of a sudden we're at Sectum Sempera. And it can leave a bad taste or it can leave you wanting more of, okay, this is your hero of the series. This is the person he is going to marry. And their relationship is just omitted from the books. Like the times when they actually interact.
Micah
You know why?
Eric
So it's crap.
Micah
Why? It's because of Harry. He likes getting naked in Manhattan and Ginny just can't handle that.
Eric
He's on a real sugar high and
Andrew
he appreciates the subway In Equus, Dan Radcliffe did do that. Naked in Manhattan. Thank you to one of our patrons for that.
Eric
It's very casual.
Micah
Anyway, I'm sorry. You were making a great single Google page.
Eric
Pulled up on Chapel Road. But yeah, I'm So I think that we sort of deserve better in terms of understanding where the hero came from. And as a reminder, this came up a few weeks ago. I really appreciate it, Andrew, when you mentioned this, but the last time we were reading this book, I was so inspired, or let's say aggravated, that we don't get more HarryGunny that I deigned to write a fan fiction where it kind of fleshes that out. And I'm here to announce that pen and paper are something of a third tier priority for me right now. But I am going to be finishing several sunlit days my HarryGinny fan fiction. I'm actually back in the. Back in the saddle of writing it.
Andrew
Well, that's exciting.
Eric
I'm looking really forward to wrapping that up. I know, Andrea, it's old hat, a mugglecaster writing a fan fiction.
Andrew
But yeah, some of us are already published authors in the fan fiction world. One copy. But you know, better than nothing.
Laura
That counts still counts.
Andrew
I know. I'm so proud. And the audiobook version exclusively available to patrons too. Don't forget about that. Patrons. So Harry wants to make his move on Ginny and is even considering some help from his new best bud, Felix. But he's concerned about Ron would think this is his best friend's sister. And part of his hesitation stems from seeing how Ron reacted seeing Dean and Jenny kissing. So he fears that Ron is going to have the same type of reaction. So I wanted to talk about this concept. How do we personally feel about dating a friend's sister? Because I'll tell you, I've gotten comments from some of my friends over the years about dating my sister.
Micah
Why are you looking at me?
Andrew
And I.
Eric
No, no, Micah. He's just looking into his camera. Are you feeling guilty, bro?
Micah
Yeah, not at all.
Andrew
Now I'm looking at you, Micah.
Eric
How?
Andrew
And I didn't like it. It felt uncomfortable. And I think one of the biggest reasons not to do this is what
Laura
if you break up?
Andrew
Or what if the friends have a friendship breakup? Things are going to be awkward after that.
Laura
I mean, I guess treat your friend's sister right so that your friend doesn't have a reason to hate you. Oh, I don't know. Yeah. And like, hopefully she treats you right too. So that he doesn't have a reason to hate her. Right. Like, I. I don't know. I think, like, I think that should just be left up to the people who are doing the dating. Right. And like they should, I think ideally leave the sibling out of it. Cause it's awkward for the sibling. Like, I mean, I know it's been well documented on this show, Andrew, that at least one host was trying to like hit on your sister like 20 years ago.
Andrew
Yeah, yeah. It's uncomfortable. I don't know. And personally, just like, could I date my friend's brother or sister? I'm just thinking about, like, I don't, I don't want to. Yeah, it's, it's, it's weird to me. It, to me. But yes, I guess the people who are considering it should just do it.
Micah
But Harry's like family, though. I mean, it's, it's very Game of Thrones in a way.
Andrew
I was going to say. Doesn't that make it weirder?
Eric
I think what I'll say is it's, it feels very small town. If you think about how many wizards there are at Hogwarts, that's already a smaller number than there are people. And if you think about how many people, like how people interact even in the summer months, like, Ginny's the only girl that's around and it's the only girl that Harry has spent any quality time with playing Quidditch at the borough. And so it just kind of, it kind of makes sense. No other romantic interest, not even Cho, gets the level of character development that Ginny gets. And we've complained all the time about how Ginny is not well developed and is kind of in the background. So imagine what that must be like for literally anybody. There's nobody else that it could ever have been realistically based on the setup that these potential, I don't know, suitors or romantic interests for Harry are given on, on page, I guess, with the exception of Hermione, if you ship that. But I think it's never been clearer than in this chapter that Harry and Hermione are not ever going to be on the same page about stuff like this. Just again, further needling about the Sectum Semper moment. And I'm just like, yeah, they're not romantically compatible, so Ginny's what we got.
Micah
Yeah, the, the one thing I'll say is that looking back on it, this relationship has always seemed to be a bit forced. And the reason why I say that is because usually as a reader you're looking for the payoff. And I think this is what you were alluding to a little bit, Eric, is that you don't get that with them because it's not been building. Like there might be these little breadcrumbs that were there that you could point to that, say, oh, you know, the two of them are interested in each other, but it's not like it's been building for five and a half books. Ron and Hermione have been building since very early on. And this particular moment where, you know, Harry comes into the common room and then immediately starts making out with Ginny is very reminiscent from earlier in the book with Ron and lavender. And it just seems like, oh, these are. These are post Quidditch hormones flying around and this is the result of that. But clearly there's more here than. Than meets the eye. But I. I think for a lot of readers. And again, this is not a book about teenage romance. So I. I think, like, that's also worth saying too, because you, like, it's not a central theme of the Harry Potter series, so.
Eric
But when we were reading this book for the first time, I think we came away going, all these hormones, all these crazy romance. Like this is the romance book.
Andrew
Yeah.
Micah
But at the end of the day, I don't think it's a story about whether or not this person ends up with that person or that person ends up with that person.
Eric
Yeah, I don't think the author was interested in writing about, you know, Harry's relationship with Ginny growing, even though it's something that brings Harry, the main character, joy. And readers would certainly want to see more or know more about this character in Ginny. But like, I'm thinking through the years, even when Harry's interacted with Ginny, like they both were at the Ministry, they're in separate rooms, they're in separate teams, even. So we really don't get this opportunity to get to know Ginny, which is what I'm providing. And that fanfic, by the way, again, Several Sunlit Days is going to be available on AO3.
Andrew
I'll put it up there.
Laura
Okay. Archive of our Own. Very nice. I was gonna say this. I think this is an opportunity for the TV show. I think they could flesh out Ginny's character so much more than what we got in the books and definitely the movies.
Eric
That's a great idea, even just by doing what's in the books. Right. The life and soul of the party at Quidditch matches. Give us a few Quidditch practices. You can speckle other plot stuff in there. Um, but actually have her be as funny as she is so that it justifies Harry's interest in her.
Micah
I think just the last piece I'll say is that Ginny was the means for Harry to officially become part of the Weasley. Family.
Andrew
Aw.
Micah
And to me, that's all that that relationship was about. Because Harry needed a family at the end of the story and this provided him with one.
Andrew
Yeah.
Micah
And he's always been a surrogate member of the Weasleys. That might come across, I guess, as a little bit harsh, but.
Laura
No, but I think it's fair to be critical of the writing because I tend to agree. Not that I don't think a Harry Ginny romance is impossible or anything. It's just we didn't get enough of that buildup that you were talking about in the books, where it was, like, patently obvious where we were going until this book when we started getting, like, the Ginny hints laid on pretty thick. And granted, Harry's a stupid teenage boy, so you could make the argument that it was just taking him longer to become cognizant of what was going on between he and Ginny. I mean, certainly four years too late. Cause she would have been all about dating him in their second year. Which is another nice thread to connect here between book six and book two, that she was the one pining after him. Now he's the one pining after her.
Eric
Aw.
Laura
Yeah.
Andrew
Well, we've been discussing this relationship not exactly being built out, but there was a cute moment here. When Ginny hears Hermione criticizing Harry for using the Prince's spell. Ginny comes to his defense, despite knowing that Harry is going to be missing the final Quidditch match. And that right there is love, ladies and gentlemen. It was written in the stars. It was predicted. Were you pleased by this, Eric?
Eric
Yeah, I feel like. Well, I feel many things, but I'm happy.
Andrew
Okay. All right. Well, that is the chapter. And now it's time for the links line. We talked about the Room of Hidden Things, so I wanted to know what would us and our listeners hide in the Room of Requirement?
Eric
And.
Andrew
And why? For me, my old diaries, or even if I kept, like, a physical diary, I would put it in there because I don't want anybody reading those.
Eric
It's. Yeah, you need a safe place for it.
Andrew
Yeah.
Eric
I would give. I would place my old school work in the Room of Requirement. I. Listen, I have all of my paperwork from grades 3 through 9 or 3 through 12, and frankly, my mom is sick of it taking up space in the closet at her home. And listen, I don't really want it, but I don't want to get rid of it. And she's asked me time and again to get rid of it, and I don't want to, so If I had a room requirement, it would go in there.
Andrew
Micah, do you have anything porn? Yeah, I guess I'm just being real. There's Incognito Mode in Chrome and Safari.
Micah
We're talking about from like the 90s where, you know, you had magazines.
Laura
Oh, physical media.
Micah
Playboy. Physical media, yeah.
Andrew
You want to hide copies of Playboy. Got it.
Laura
I would hide the Harry Ginny kiss scene from the Half Blood Prince movie because it was really bad. I'm sorry, I. I want.
Eric
No, you know what?
Laura
I want like a book accurate scene there for Harry and Ginny. Like, I really want there to be the post Quidditch scene. I think that's iconic. There's a lot of energy there. It feels very in keeping with the characters. And there's no awkward dialogue after the fact. Like, let's just keep it book accurate for the TV show.
Eric
I'm so glad you mentioned that, Laura, because. Yeah, I meant to mention this a minute ago, but Ginny has so much characterization just in this moment where she defends Harry to Hermione. And what she says is, Hermione, you should be grateful that Harry got Draco back with something good. Like, she calls it good what Harry did, even though neither Harry nor Hermione would. Would characterize it that way. And even Ginny wouldn't. But she, Ginny has like a vindictive streak, kind of. Because she sees that Harry was fighting for his life with Draco potentially and that the stakes were high and it justified it. Like, you can. You can sense based on what Ginny says that that's her opinion. And so, yeah, none of that's in the movie. And that scene deserves to be buried in an old cabinet somewhere beneath the tiara.
Andrew
All right, well, let's hear what our patrons had to say. Eleanor said she would hide herself. This may be a reflection of my first week back at work after a lovely holiday, but I would put myself in the room. A requirement so that people cannot put meetings in my diary and. Or call me with daft questions and then maybe I'll have a chance of getting through my to do list. Relatable.
Laura
Yeah.
Eric
Yeah. Well, Karen says, can I have my packages delivered to the requirement for me to retrieve later. I order a lot online and would like to have the buffers so that my husband doesn't always see them. Lol.
Andrew
You know, we got a comment once. I appreciate that you guys have an annual subscription on your Patreon because it's easier to hide from my husband on the bank statement.
Eric
I remember that comment. I think we, we isolated it and read it aloud and it's on shirts. Actually if you go to mogocastmerch.com it's you know, the old comment.
Micah
But Catherine said I would hide my makeup and nail polish there so my four year old and two year old daughters wouldn't keep stealing it. They're like little makeup gremlins.
Eric
Oh, it's fun.
Laura
It's only going to get worse. Katherine, I'm sorry to report GLOW says me while pract practicing my trombone. It's a big and loud instrument. Practicing in small spaces affects my tone in a bad way. So a big empty hall to practice in with no distractions and also not having to worry about who's listening while I work out my mistakes would be great.
Eric
Oh I love that because you would have to pay so much money for like a symphony hall, like a, you know, to rent an hour of time to rehearse in a proper theater. But the cathedral, like you could just get that with the room of requirement. I love it.
Andrew
Jess said I'd use it as a storage room as we are running out of space, but only until I could master the undetectable extension charm in my own home.
Eric
Yeah, everyone wants their home to be bigger on the inside. Matthew says I took a number of woodworking classes over the years. My closet currently contains a three legged folding table in two pieces, a desk, a bench, one piece and nested serving trays. Meant to be two pieces but I messed up so there's only one. None of them are finished in both senses of the word. They never will be. Maybe the room could work on them for a while.
Andrew
Probably. Or you can get Dobby to finish them up. Yeah, Dobby the carpenter. Yeah.
Micah
Rachel.
Eric
This reminds me of Deke in Hogwarts Legacy who's always like overseeing your room of requirement stuff.
Micah
Yeah, I like Deke.
Eric
Deke is great.
Micah
Rachel says when I was a kid I'd sneak candy or snacks into my room and then had to sneakily dispose of the wrappers. If the room of requirement were an option, I totally stash them there now I'd probably use it to hide gifts or my journals so no one could take a peek.
Laura
And finally Carly says, definitely myself. I love my kids, my husband and my students, but sometimes I just need time to myself. I think we can all relate, Carly.
Andrew
Indeed. So patrons, don't forget that coming up in bonus Mugglecast this week we're going to be talking about the end of Muggle man and I think it's going to get a little gossipy so tune in in and listeners. If you have any feedback about today's discussion, you can email or send a voice memo to mugglecast gmail dot com. You can also reach out via Spotify or YouTube or DM. US on social and next week we'll discuss chapter 25 of Half Blood Prince, the Seer Overheard. Don't don't Forget to visit mugglecast the seer overheard. Visit mugglecast.com for links to our social media, our Patreon, our transcripts, our favorite episodes and lots more. And now it's time for Quizzic.
Eric
This week's Kwizzitch question. All about the most magically powerful number seven. On July 7th, 2007 the new seven wonders of the modern world were unveiled by the new 7Wonders Committee in Switzerland with input from around the world. And of the new seven wonders of the modern world we which one is the most modern? The new seven wonders of the world for reference are Petra in Jordan, the city, the Colosseum in Italy, Chichen Itza in Mexico, the Great Wall of China in you guessed it China, Machu Picchu in Peru, the Taj Mahal in India and the most recent Christ the Redeemer, the statue in Brazil. And Christ the Redeemer which is the correct answer is less than 100 years old. It's from 1931. So 33% of people with the correct answer say they didn't look it up. And I gotta tell you everybody, Eden the muggle born established 2012 is schooling everyone. She's the only person who got the correct answer and said they didn't look it up. And the only other two correct winners, I think people are still jet lagged from the time we did two Quizzet chancers in one. So there were only three answers entries that were correct. The other two winners are Volditort and Daniel. Here's next week's Quizzet question. In this chapter Gryffindor has to succeed over Ravenclaw by at least 300 points which they do thanks to Ginny. In US college football, a record holding October 1916 match ended in Georgia Tech scoring 222 to 0 over their opponent. The question is who was that match against? In college football this happened over a hundred years ago. Micah, do you know the answer to this famous game?
Micah
Uh, might. Okay, but I'm not allowed to say.
Eric
Right, right. You should consider submitting your answer to the Muggle net the Muggle Casquis form on the website. No, you can't get anything on Mugglenet right now because it's all shut down and taken away. It's only bullshit on there now. So anyway, the Mugglecast Kwizzitch form is located on the Mugglecast website, mugglecast.comquizzic and if you're already on the website checking out transcripts or some of those other fun places Andrew mentioned, just click on quizzage from the main navbar.
Andrew
Thanks everyone for listening. I'm Andrew.
Eric
I'm Eric.
Micah
I'm Micah.
Laura
And I'm Laura.
Andrew
I'll see you next week. Bye.
Eric
Bye.
Micah
Bye, Ra.
Half-Blood Prince Chapter 24 Re-Read - Sectumsempra
Date: May 6, 2026
Hosts: Andrew, Eric, Micah, and Laura
This MuggleCast episode dives deep into Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Chapter 24: "Sectumsempra." The hosts break down Harry's impulsive duel with Draco Malfoy, the morality and consequences of casting unknown spells, Snape’s pivotal intervention, and the book’s ongoing romantic subplots—particularly Harry and Ginny’s slow-burn relationship. The panel also links the text to wider Harry Potter lore and fandom controversies, with plenty of trademark banter, thoughtful analysis, and listener engagement.
Was Harry justified?
Notable Quote:
Origins and Wordplay:
As ever, the hosts balance sharp insight and deep affection for the source material with sarcasm, fandom banter, and playful ribbing—making both casual and hardcore Potterheads feel at home. They poke fun at themselves and the series (“Harry's not the best planner is what I'm getting at here. And the only reason he survives these books is because of Hermione.” – Laura, 10:29), provide genuine critique, and invite their audience into the conversation at every step.
This episode stands out for its nuanced analysis of one of the book’s most pivotal scenes, a frank exploration of both Big Plot Magic and small-scale teen drama, and the way it bridges Potter nostalgia, fandom news, and modern media criticism. Whether reliving Hogwarts hijinks or dissecting wizarding world linguistics, the panel’s infectious camaraderie carries the day.
For next week: Half-Blood Prince Chapter 25, "The Seer Overheard."