Peeves' Fight Club (Half-Blood Prince Chapter 19, 'Elf Tails')

Summary

MuggleCast Episode Summary

Episode: Peeves’ Fight Club (Half-Blood Prince Chapter 19, "Elf Tails")
Release Date: March 17, 2026
Panel: Andrew, Eric, Micah, Steph (Slug Club supporter/co-host for this episode)
Chapter Discussed: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 19: "Elf Tails"

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Overview

This episode dives deeply into "Elf Tails," the 19th chapter of Half-Blood Prince. The hosts unpack Harry’s quest to uncover Draco’s secrets, the dynamics (and ethics) of house-elf servitude, Dumbledore and Snape’s tense confrontation, Ron’s brush with mortality and self-worth, Draco’s actions and intentions, and the broader themes of teamwork versus isolation in the wizarding world—all while incorporating insights from their patron community and drawing connections to real life.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

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1. Get to Know Steph (Panel’s Guest)

• [01:52]–[03:32]
  • Steph shares her "Fandom ID":
    • Favorite book/movie: Prisoner of Azkaban ("because it has a creative stamp and is very weird and spooky… stands on its own as its own little film" – Steph, [03:00])
    • Patronus: Lynx ("Lynx Sisters with Kingsley")
    • Favorite Gryffindor Quidditch player: Ginny ("She's a utility player… I loved when she smashed into Zachariah Smith… calls it how it is… taught herself with Fred and George" – Steph, [03:36])
  • Warm-up discussions on Ginny’s character development and her increasing role in the series.

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2. Creature & Dobby: House-Elf Dynamics and Ethics

• [06:30]–[13:57]
  • Harry enlists Kreacher and Dobby to tail Draco; they’re found fighting—Peeves gleefully encourages them.
  • Breaking House-Elf Rules:
    • Kreacher openly insults Harry ("Is Kreacher really punishing himself every time he insults Harry? Because he seems to do it a lot. And is it worth it?" – Andrew, [07:31]).
    • Kreacher’s history of serving multiple masters and absorbing family prejudice (Micah, Steph [11:53]; Eric, [12:52])—"Like Devil Wears Prada… absorb their toxic traits" (Steph, [12:21]).
    • Dobby as a foil to Kreacher—upbeat, values freedom, but not naive to subverting house-elf servitude ("Dobby is so pure in comparison… we don't see Dobby calling people the M word" – Eric, [13:30]).
  • Memorable quote:
    • "Hatred is taught." – Eric, [12:52]

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3. Peeves' Fight Club?

• [14:31]–[15:14]
  • Peeves possibly running an underground house-elf fight club: "Maybe he runs an underground house elf fight club we’re unaware of" – Micah, [14:56].
  • Discussion of how poltergeist magic intersects with house-elf magic; Peeves tracks their apparition.

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4. Harry’s Ethics: Enlisting Elves to Stalk Draco

• [15:47]–[17:24]
  • Panel critically assesses Harry’s choice—using his slave (Kreacher) to stalk someone is ethically dubious, raising private-eye analogies.
  • Steph likens elves to "the ChatGPT of the 90s Wizarding World"—tasked with everything and able to think for themselves, but notes this is rare among elves (see Dobby).
  • Contrasts Harry’s collaborative investigative approach with Dumbledore’s solo style:
    • "Dumbledore really does everything on his own" vs. "Harry’s strategy… more relational" – Steph, [18:25].
    • Importance of teamwork, as shown in later books ("it takes a village to destroy Voldemort" – Eric, [20:27]).

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5. Draco’s Botched Plot: Competence or Sabotage?

• [29:40]–[32:33]
  • Ron is "double poisoned"—both via love potion (meant for Harry) and mead (meant for Dumbledore).
  • Hermione points out the danger of Draco’s indifference to collateral damage—he’s both incompetent and possibly self-sabotaging ("Draco's kind of rushing… hacky" – Andrew, [29:49]; "trying his best to do a half-assed job" – Eric, [30:08]).
  • As adults, hosts note the tragedy of Draco’s situation—he’s a teen pressed into an impossible generational-violence role.

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6. Dumbledore & Snape’s Argument—Responsibility and Vulnerability

• [32:33]–[41:43]
  • Hagrid overhears Dumbledore and Snape’s intense public argument; cracks in their mutual trust ("one of the first times we see the illusion around [Dumbledore] crack" – Steph, [37:25]).
  • Criticism of Dumbledore’s neglect ("overbearing feeling of negligence" – Micah, [32:48]).
  • The ethics of Dumbledore’s delegative (or absent) leadership: Dumbledore must protect students, but is too focused on the endgame at the cost of student safety ("That should be Dumbledore's goal too. That is the role of Headmaster. And he's failing 50%" – Andrew, [34:48]).
  • Sympathy for Snape, who’s caught between self-preservation, loyalty, and Dumbledore's demands.
  • Child-to-adult realization: "When we're kids…adults seem omniscient…then we start seeing things…they're a person too" (Steph, [37:25]).

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7. Quidditch, Ron’s Self-Worth, and Fear of Being Replaced

• [42:50]–[51:38]
  • Ron’s worry that he’ll be replaced by Cormac in Quidditch after his poisoning; reflection on relatable real-life anxieties about replacement.
  • Discussion of listeners’ stories—maternity leaves, choir absences, band alternates—panel shares anxieties and lessons about self-worth vs. outside validation.
  • Steph: "So often when we see…we're missing something or that we're not good enough…it might be a little nudge to check in with yourself and recognize…you are great for that" ([50:40]).
  • Joy of missing out (JOMO) vs. fear of missing out (FOMO); the gift of saying ‘no,’ importance of self-appreciation, and resisting comparison ("Comparison is the thief of Joy" – Andrew, [51:35]).

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8. Odds & Ends & Thematic Connections

• [53:33]–[56:03]
  • Chapter heavy on secrecy: Hagrid overhearing arguments; elves spying; Draco working in the shadows.
  • Fun Luna moment: "Luna announcing Quidditch is everything" (Steph, [53:33]).
  • Mrs. Weasley’s heartwarming line to Harry:
    • “Well, all I can say is that it was a lucky day for the Weasleys when Ron decided to sit in your compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Harry.” ([54:20])
  • Chamber of Secrets connections—Quidditch injuries, Dobby’s hospital visits, school closure threats.
  • Draco’s taunts: "the chosen captain" and "the boy who scored"—the hosts invent more Draco-esque Quidditch insults in-character for Harry ([56:13]–[56:57]).

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Notable Quotes

• "Hatred is taught." – Eric ([12:52])
• "Is Kreacher really punishing himself every time he insults Harry? Because he seems to do it a lot. And is it worth it?" – Andrew ([07:31])
• "You are a combination of the three people you hang out with most..." – Andrew ([12:25])
• "So often when we see that we're missing something or that we're not good enough...it might be a little nudge to check in with yourself and recognize, you are great for that." – Steph ([50:40])
• "Comparison is the thief of Joy." – Andrew ([51:35])
• "Just like being a member of any family...you take on the traits of who you surround yourself with." – Andrew ([12:25])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:52 – Steph’s Fandom ID intro
• 06:30 – Dobby & Kreacher’s behavior; house-elf codes, ethics
• 14:31 – Peeves and speculation about "fight club"
• 15:47 – Harry’s ethics: enlisting house-elves to stalk
• 18:25 – Harry’s teamwork vs. Dumbledore’s isolation
• 29:40 – Draco’s competence vs. self-sabotage
• 32:33 – Dumbledore & Snape argue, leadership, and school safety
• 42:50 – Ron’s fear of replacement; panel and listener stories
• 51:35 – FOMO vs. JOMO (joy of missing out)
• 53:33 – Odds & ends; Luna, Mrs. Weasley’s line
• 56:13 – Draco’s Quidditch taunts; hosts invent new ones

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Tone & Style

Friendly, humorous, and filled with the warm camaraderie of old friends. The panel balances literary analysis, nostalgia, and real-life connections (including community stories) with light banter and in-universe jokes.

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Memorable & Funny Moments

• Steph declares Ginny “the utility player” and inspires Eric’s unwritten Ginny fanfic ([04:02]).
• Micah: "I think Kreacher just goes by and puts his hand on the stove really quickly and then takes it away and considers that such a bad boy." ([08:37])
• Panel riffs on FOMO vs. JOMO: "the only thing better than making plans is cancelling plans" – Eric ([52:27])
• Creation of Draco-style Quidditch insults: "Captain Crashalot", "Dumbledore’s Seeker" ([56:13]–[56:57])

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Next Episode

• Recap and analysis will continue with Chapter 20, "Lord Voldemort’s Request".

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a tapestry of character insights, ethical debates, and big-life resonance—perfect for fans old and new. Whether you’re pondering Kreacher’s psyche, Draco’s knotted fate, or feeling empathy for Ron’s insecurities, there’s something here for every type of MuggleCast listener.

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For feedback, Quizzage participation, or deeper community engagement, visit mugglecast.com or join the Patreon.

Transcript

[Eric]

To realize the future America needs. We understand what's needed from us to

[Andrew]

face each threat head on.

[Micah]

We've earned our place in the fight for our nation's future.

[Eric]

We are Marines. We were made for this.

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[Eric]

So good, so good, so good.

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[Steph]

How did I not know Rack has Adidas?

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[Micah]

Snape needs to keep Draco in check here too, because he's not doing enough.

[Eric]

But he took an unbreakable vow saying he's gonna help Draco on his mission and not impede Draco. I'll help him then.

[Andrew]

Welcome to mugglecast, your weekly ride into the world of Harry Potter. I'm Andrew.

[Micah]

I'm Eric and and I'm Micah.

[Andrew]

Laura's not here this week, but we are your Harry Potter friends talking about the books and the movies and the upcoming TV show. Be sure to follow us in your podcast app so you never miss an episode. Even though Laura's not here this week, we are lucky to have one of our Slug Club supporters on Steph. Welcome to the show.

[Steph]

Hey, thanks for having me. It's such an honor to be here.

[Andrew]

It's a pleasure to have you on and thank you so much for your longtime support. And this week, brace for Bludger because we're discussing chapter 19 of Half Blood Elf Tales. But before we get into the episode, Steph, can we please get your fandom id?

[Steph]

You may. So my favorite book is Prisoner of Azkaban. My favorite movie is again, Prisoner Of Azkaban.

[Eric]

Sorry, Eric, I'm really confused right now.

[Micah]

I don't want to interrupt Steph.

[Steph]

No, go on my phone.

[Micah]

Wait till the end. I want to know if Prisoner of Azkaban has grown on you with age.

[Eric]

Eric.

[Andrew]

Oh.

[Micah]

Does you watch it?

[Eric]

No.

[Micah]

Okay, well, it has for me. That's why I asked you.

[Eric]

I am curious. It has a little. And I said no very fast in Jess. What? I'm curious about Steph. There's a lot of ways to judge Movie three other than its faithfulness to the books, which is its biggest knock for me. So I'm assuming that you love the third book for how awesome the plot is, and you love the third movie for ultimately a different reason, like how visually, you know, adult it seems or anything like that. Don't want to put words in your mouth.

[Steph]

No, yeah, it's. I like it. I would say for the reasons that maybe you don't like it because it is the one that has a creative stamp and is very weird and spooky and kind of stands on its own as its own little film.

[Eric]

It is art. It is art. I do see that now.

[Steph]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Thank you, Alfonso. So, yeah, what's the rest of your fandomite?

[Eric]

Yeah, the rest of your fandom idea.

[Steph]

And my Patronus is a Lynx. Lynx Sisters with Kingsley. My favorite Quidditch Gryffindor player is Ginny.

[Micah]

Oh, okay.

[Eric]

Any particular reason?

[Steph]

Oh, my gosh, here we go. She's a utility player. Micah knows what that means. You know, she can pop into Seeker and then Chaser. She's kind of your go to girl. I loved when she smashed into Zachariah Smith in this book, and she just always calls it how it is. And I don't know, she grew up teaching herself and playing with Fred and George, so.

[Eric]

I appreciate that you said that, Steph, because I have really been loving Ginny as of late. As Harry is slowly falling or realizing he's fallen for her. Really makes me want to dig up the old fan fiction that I started but never finished on her. So watch this space, everyone, because I'm really into Ginny right now, too.

[Steph]

There's, like, two great Ginny moments in this chapter.

[Andrew]

I'll be sure to flag those for us before we get to chapter by chapter. If you love Mugglecast as much as Ron loves avoiding Lavender brown, we invite you to Support [e-mail] Mugglecast. We'll hook you up with bonus episodes of the show, ad free episodes, live streams, a monthly zoom hangout, and lots more including the opportunity to co host Mugglecast. Blake's Stuff Stuff is today. We can't do this without listener support, so thank you so much in advance. There are other great ways to support us. To help us run this podcast, you can leave us a review in your favorite podcast app, you can tell a fellow Muggle about our show, and you can visit mugglecastmerch.com to buy shirts, hats, glassware, and lots more. All right, it's time for chapter by chapter. Half Blood Prince Chapter 19 Elf Tales.

[Eric]

This chapter was last discussed on 408, which was mugglecast on March 11, 2019. The episode was titled Ron is Relevant and I don't want to disappoint anybody, but this week's pensive clip does contain spoilers for a 74 year old children's book by E.B. white.

[Andrew]

What you're looking at are memories.

[Eric]

This is the most important memory I've collected. It is from Mugglekast episode 408.

[Micah]

Oh, Aragog too gets a mention. Yep, that's where Hagrid was out.

[Eric]

He was reading to him. He says. I was reading him stories. His health ain't well. We will ask our patrons what Hagrid was reading.

[Andrew]

Aragog Spiders A History.

[Micah]

Fantastic Beasts, of course.

[Commercial Voice]

Charlotte's Web.

[Eric]

Oh, Charlotte's Web isn't this book. I love that book. Wait, the spider dies if you have a spider best friend that's near death.

[Andrew]

Haggard was preparing him, but the ending is it's positive because Charlotte's hundreds of thousands of children live on after her.

[Eric]

Oh wait, then that's super relevant. This memory is everything.

[Andrew]

Wow. Spoilers.

[Eric]

Sorry guys.

[Andrew]

Getting to the chapter. It is called Elf Tales and Dobby and Creature are a big part of this chapter. Harry is out of options in cracking the mystery behind Draco has been up to around the castle. So he decides to turn to Creature and Dobby and they have been tasked with tailing Draco. Now, when Harry summons Kreacher slash Dobby, Creature and Dobby were apparently fighting and to his face. Once he arrives, Creature insults Harry multiple times. Now, I wanted to call that out because in Goblet of Fire, Dobby states that house elves are forbidden to speak their mind about their master without punishing themselves. Dobby says, tis part of the house elves enslavement, sir. We keep their secrets and our silence, sir. We uphold the family's honor and we never speak ill of them. So before we get to what Harry asks Kreacher and Dobby to do, I wanted to talk about how Kreacher is conducting himself here. Is Kreacher really punishing himself every time he insults Harry? Because he seems to do it a lot. And is it worth it?

[Eric]

He loves it.

[Micah]

Yeah, it's just second nature at this point. I feel like where we're at right now in the story with Kreacher, he doesn't care all that much. And we really don't see Kreacher start to punish himself or at least consider it until Deathly Hallows. And that's more or less when he starts to show some level of loyalty towards Harry, where he starts to feel conflicted on some level. And that's, of course, as the locket storyline plays itself out and Regulus comes back into the picture, even though he's no longer with us right now. I just have a hard time seeing Kreacher punishing himself for saying anything against Harry. I don't think he cares, but he has to.

[Andrew]

It's in their DNA. You don't think so? That's.

[Micah]

I think maybe like, when he's in the kitchens, he just goes by and puts his hand on the stove really quickly and then takes it away and considers that such a bad boy.

[Eric]

I did five little punishments before breakfast for all the times I'm gonna insult Harry later to his face. I feel like with Kreacher, it's almost as if he's just broken because he has served more than one master. He passed into Harry's, like, servitude to Harry in an unusual way. Right. So the beginning of the book, Dumbledore shows up at Privet Drive and is like, we don't really know if Kreacher is really yours, but Sirius Black willed him to you. So we're going to test something out. And, like, there are so many opportunities along the way where Kreacher might, like, if he chooses to still view his master as being. Was it Elidora Black or Sirius mom, whatever her name was then. Like, anyone, even Regulus or anybody that came after her could be insulted by rule of serves. Walburga Black.

[Andrew]

I knew Alidor, owner of Wahl Burgers in Vegas and many other places.

[Eric]

It's actually a big. You know, there's one in Chicago now. They're opening downtown on the meg mile. Wow. $18 for a burger. Which is actually cheaper than McDonald's right now. So anyway, I feel like, you know, it's a matter of perspective somehow with Creature, where, because he's still so loyal to Walburga Black and because she would have hated Half Bloods and everything that Harry stands for, he does have to obey Harry's command, but every other rule in the house elf book doesn't seem to apply. Yeah, apply.

[Micah]

It's, it's hundreds of years of conditioning for him as well. I think that's a big part of this. And there is something to the brokenness that you're talking about, Eric. I think he could also very much be numb to, to the pain, especially after having consumed the drink of despair in the cave. We know that he was never the same after that. And so I just think he's very internally conflicted at this point. And it's, it's really sad honestly, to, to watch it is.

[Andrew]

I'm thinking he's broken too. He's just broken himself down. I mean, he's 600 years old. Dobby by comparison is way, way younger. We don't have an exact age, but could be around 40 or 50 years old from what I was looking at. So the, the pain would hurt more to a younger house self, I think. And so they're more resistant to, you know, creatures.

[Eric]

Already got calluses on all of his hands, so he puts his hand in the oven, doesn't feel anything.

[Andrew]

Maybe there's something to that.

[Eric]

Maybe. Yeah. And I'm not saying broken is like a, any kind of insult. I'm like, literally, he's been through so much. Like exactly what we're talking about here is he's been through so much and so, yeah, he's able to fudge the, the rules. Whereas Dobby is still like so fresh and young and spring chickeny that he would like. Well, I mean, Dobby was able to do tremendous subversion of the house elf magical contract by showing up at Privet Drive to begin with in book two and all this other stuff. But the punishments still have to happen. But Creature, I don't think he's going and doing anything to himself after insulting Harry to his face.

[Steph]

I like Micah's point too about Creature kind of absorbing each of the black family members prejudices. And I wonder if that's a thing with house elves, like if they have to anticipate the needs of their magical family, are they absorbing the way they communicate the things that they might request of them? Almost like, you know, Devil Wears Prada or if you have a pretty bad boss and you need to absorb, take

[Eric]

on their toxic traits. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Andrew]

Just like being a member of any family, I think you take on the traits of who you surround yourself with. I've heard it said you are a combination of the three people you hang out with. Most don't quote me on the exact number, but that's, that's what is said. So maybe that's what's happening with Creature too. And it, it stands to reason that if you're going to be so loyal to a family, you do want to inherit their traits and how they conduct themselves to be the best servants you can be.

[Eric]

Plus, you know, hatred is taught is another common saying. And it's like if you grew up serving this family day in, day out, you hear them spew their prejudices, then you're gonna start to kind of take it in. It's. It's really as part of serving them, almost as, as was said.

[Steph]

I mean, this is what's so interesting about rereading the books as adults. I feel like this is probably not a conversation we would have had when we were 16 years old. So it's. Yeah, I think this book especially, I find I enjoy rereading it as an adult because of themes like this.

[Eric]

And Dobby is so pure in comparison because Dobby grew up at the Malfoys. That couldn't have been much better than growing up at the Blacks. So. And yet Dabi is so pure. And Harry Potter is everything, you know, and like, he, he is. We don't see Dobby calling people the M word, you know, or like, oh, Hermione, that butt blood. Hermione Granger sure is smart.

[Micah]

You know, like, for, for Kreacher. I think he's just gotten to the point in his career where he doesn't care anymore.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Micah]

You know, it's like you get. You just get to that point where senioritis and. But I will say it is very impressive that, that Kreacher has so many of his teeth at 600 years old. Yeah. That's some serious dental hygiene.

[Eric]

Well, he's.

[Micah]

I know.

[Andrew]

Some of them are on the floor.

[Micah]

Yeah. Thanks to Dobby.

[Eric]

Thanks, Dobby. I love how Creature's just like, I'm going to break all the rules about being a house elf. And Dabi's like, oh, yeah, well, I'm going to break you and punch them right in the face.

[Micah]

It's a little bit of like the Devil and the angel right on the. On your shoulder. One shoulder or the other.

[Andrew]

Well, speaking of the fight, they are fighting and Peeves is actually there too, and he's actually encouraging the fight and he seems to have been watching the fight. Fight before Harry summoned Kreacher. Dobby does imply that the fight started when Creature insulted Harry. Pre Summons. Is that just something Peeves likes to do? Micah watch fights.

[Micah]

I, I think that maybe he runs an underground house elf fight club that we're unaware of. And this was happening in the kitchens when Harry summoned Kreacher, and the two were tussling with each other and. But it is interesting that Peeves shows up.

[Andrew]

Yeah, yeah.

[Eric]

And I, I. It's a really interesting bit of magic, almost. We're told constantly that how self magic works differently, but poltergeist magic is something I'd never had to consider before, because not only did Creature and Dobby apparate somewhere, but Peeves, who was where they used to be, was able to track wherever they apparated to. It's like. It's not like he grabbed hold of them and was therefore portkeyed with them. He literally had to, like, trace wherever they went so that he could follow and also apparate of his own will. Like, I don't understand Peeves transporting.

[Andrew]

Does Peeves know that Kreacher is Harry's elf? So maybe he deduced while Harry's in the hospital wing. So Harry asks Kreacher and by extension Dobby, to track Draco because he's out of options for figuring out what Draco is up to ethically. What do we make of this? Harry is asking his slave to stalk someone and also just the servant. Master dynamic aside, it's just wrong to follow somebody around all day, no matter who you're enlisting, right?

[Eric]

Yeah. Yes. I mean, yes. It's unambiguously, yes. Who among us has not hired a private eye? This is basically what this is. Actually, I was looking into this, and what I would try and equate it to is like hiring a private investigator. This is somebody who you say you want somebody investigated, whether it's somebody you're close with or, like, you know, an ex, and it's you. You ask somebody, you pay somebody to stalk them, essentially. But I've learned since looking this up during this chapter that there are some key differences. So, you know, a private detective that's hired to follow. Let's say this is your ex. Harry and Draco as exes, I love it. But, like, they can go wherever a person goes. If a person's in a public place, they can't break privacy law in order to follow somebody. So if they're in front of an open window, that's one thing. But, like, what Harry is asking Dobby and Creature to do is a little extra.

[Andrew]

Yes. Creature's not gonna be like, oh, Draco went into the common room or his dormitory. So I'm gonna I'm not gonna dare enter there. That's too far.

[Steph]

Well, I was thinking that, you know, maybe the house elves are chatgpt of the 90s wizarding world and they're just, you know, tasked with all the things

[Eric]

except they can think for themselves.

[Steph]

Can they?

[Eric]

It's a bonus. Oh, yeah, maybe. Well, we see Dobby do it. When he shows up at Privet Drive, he's like, oh, the events that are planned for this year are objectively bad. I should go warn the one kid who might be able to prevent that from happening.

[Micah]

He seems to be the exception, though, not the rules. Especially as we were introduced to Winky and Goblet of Fire. And we have Hokie coming up in maybe even the next chapter with Hepzibah Smith.

[Andrew]

Yeah. And Steph, you've kind of. You've also observed that Harry, how Harry does his research very much differs from Dumbledore.

[Steph]

Yeah. I think something I've been thinking about as I've been rereading Half Blood Prince is how Dumbledore really just does everything on his own. There's so many moments throughout where it's like, Dumbledore's not here. He's off for weeks on end. And it just. I find that Harry's strategy with bringing in the house elves and he's also wanting to involve Hermione and Ron. There's just so much more of a relational approach to the way he tries to investigate. And to me, that feels like a really interesting contrast to Dumbledore who's like, I'm just gonna use my own magic. I'm just gonna rely on myself and use my own spells.

[Eric]

Well, blessed as Dumbledore is, with superior brain power, he can afford to just be the one going off and doing these things. And us mere mortals like Harry have to rely on the group. But I think that's such an important point because it mirrors the quest Dumbledore lays out for Harry in the next book.

[Steph]

Yeah, well, I was gonna say I think that he could have benefited with bringing more people in. I mean, he takes this entire book to locate the one Horcrux and meanwhile there's, you know, however many other ones waiting specifically like the Hogwarts one Nadiadem. And he could have been, you know, employing ghosts or the portrait headmaster portraits or even, you know, does he have. He definitely has loyal allies who would be discreet. And I think we find out in the last book that a non Dumbledore perspective is what was needed in order to find the diadem that's hidden within Hogwarts. So to me, I think it's, you know, goes back to, I think it was last discussion or one of the previous discussions you guys were talking about how there is strength in numbers and having a variety of perspectives.

[Andrew]

Yeah, yeah.

[Eric]

And knowing that Neville, I mean, at the end of the midway through the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry's just like, all right, I'm going to have to start telling people about some things. And, you know, Neville destroys a Horcrux. Ron and Hermione go and do it without Harry there. You know, it's like it takes a village to destroy Voldemort.

[Micah]

Dumbledore's very guarded and I wonder if that stems from his past with Grindelwald in terms of working relationships. We know that he worked with Flamel, but how much? I mean, even going back to the Fantastic Beasts series, he doesn't fully trust Newt with all of the information that he could potentially provide him. It's very similar to his relationship with Harry. Now I understand Harry is a bit younger than Newt is, but let's just even look back at Order of the Phoenix in terms of how guarded Dumbledore is. He ignores Harry for the better part of an entire school year.

[Andrew]

Maybe it has to do with his upbringing. Dumbledore maybe like he wasn't raised somebody to ask for help. And maybe that's the difference. I mean, then again, Harry an orphan, so he didn't get the greatest upbringing either.

[Eric]

But it's interesting that Dumbledore should talk about how Voldemort doesn't have friends. Friends, right. Like I use the term friends when really he doesn't care about anybody. And then Dumbledore like proceeds to be almost as isolationist or antisocial at times.

[Andrew]

But generally it is a good lesson from these books that teamwork makes the dream work. Don't be like Dumbledore. Be like Harry. Ask for help.

[Micah]

Micah, one of the one other thing I just wanted to say before we, we moved on about Creature is that it is kind of sad that it takes this for Harry to even remember that Creature exists at Hogwarts and could be of help to him. And he's actually very lucky that Dobby does come along because I wouldn't trust Kreacher to tell Draco.

[Andrew]

Mm, mm.

[Micah]

It's, it's quite fortunate that Dobby just happened to be. Yeah, right there.

[Andrew]

And they were fighting and they're still gonna team up. That's great.

[Eric]

Harry has a checking in with his secondary peeps problem. Like remember last book when he didn't check in with Hedwig until like December. Like this is your owl, dude. Like go say hi to her.

[Micah]

What, in the spring at this point?

[Eric]

Yeah. This is.

[Micah]

So how many months has it been since.

[Eric]

Since they last saw each other? Creature and Harry?

[Micah]

I mean, private drive.

[Eric]

Yeah. Before. Yeah. So it's just Harry's bad at following. He's probably got my brand of ADHD where it can be hard to remember. Oh yeah, I should reach out.

[Steph]

And that's the one person Dumbledore is relying on to follow up with the Horcruxes. Like classic procrastinator, he needs to spread it out.

[Eric]

Terminal procrastinator even. Yeah.

[Andrew]

So I'm not really a fan of Harry asking Creature to tail Draco as much as I don't like Draco. Are there any other options for Harry here? Maybe something like how about we air tag him at least. Which I know is presents a series of its own ethical issues. What it works, let's say an airtag adjacent type of magic.

[Steph]

Is it clothing? Technically he's.

[Eric]

He's already using it. He's already using the airtag adjacent magical thing and it's the Marauder's Map.

[Andrew]

But it has a limit.

[Eric]

It. Well, the limit is like he doesn't at all piece together that Crabbe and Goyle are doing exactly what he heard that Crabbe and Goyle are doing, which is being lookouts. And so he sees where they are on the map, doesn't see Malfoy at all, and is like, oh well, there's thousands of dots on here anyway. But if he had paid more attention to where Crab and Goyle are, specifically where they are. He knows that corridor like the back of his hand.

[Micah]

At this point he could do what he did in Chamber of Secrets and use Polyjuice Potion. That could be the solution to allow him to follow Draco. And going off of what you just mentioned, Eric, just to connect some threads, Harry unknowingly bumps into a polyjuiced Crab and Goyle.

[Andrew]

And.

[Micah]

And we know that Harry and Ron use that in Chamber of Secrets to transform into guess who.

[Eric]

Oh, Crab and Goyle.

[Micah]

It's almost like these two books are connected in some way.

[Andrew]

We are very much proving that. Steph, do you have any suggestions for Harry if he came to you?

[Steph]

I was thinking he might consult old Newt Scamander who might have a tracking trick or two up his sleeve. I think we saw was in the second one when he's tracking down Tina in Paris. There's the swirly charm that eliminates the Footprints.

[Eric]

The time rewind spell of Vestigium, I think.

[Steph]

And then the one where he charms the feather. And then it follows to find Tina.

[Eric]

Uh huh.

[Steph]

Yeah, I'm not gonna pronounce that one. Avensanguam Evansong.

[Andrew]

Yeah, something like that. Yeah. No, those are good ideas. I like that you're tying in Fantastic Beasts because we need more reasons to connect these two series and explain the purpose of Fantastic Beasts.

[Steph]

I also wonder, like, are they taught those charms like wood hair, you know, anything like that? Or is that more of a post grad training maybe?

[Andrew]

I think we've also discussed in recent weeks that spells come in and out of fashion. So these two, for example, may have been hot in the 1920s or 30s and they fell out of style. But all these spells in theory would still work. But yeah, Harry just doesn't know. I mean in. I'm going to say in theory yet again, in theory there's an infinite number of spells. People can just make them up and, and make them work. So yeah, they ju. He just had wasn't aware of these spells, slash. The author hadn't thought of them yet either. And for the plot, I also have a little foreshadow alert. This one's too on the nose. Two on the pointy nose. Dobby says if Dobby does it wrong, that being tracking Draco, Dobby will throw himself off the topmost tower.

[Eric]

Wow, it was almost Dobby. The House Elves, Tower of Terror. Sorry, Dabi. The House House Tower of Terror ride at Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida.

[Andrew]

Yeah, that was pretty good.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

And also I just want to mention that it is adorable how even though Dobby is a free elf, he says that he can obey anyone he wants and he wishes to OB BAE Harry.

[Steph]

It's almost like Dobby wants to be Harry's pillion.

[Andrew]

And what is that?

[Steph]

What is that reference to the new Dom that's out starring Harry Melling, AKA Dudley Dursley.

[Andrew]

And by Dom, Steph means Dominette. And we should probably just leave it there.

[Eric]

This is a. This is a genre of film, Dom.

[Steph]

It is now starring Dudley Dursley and Eric Northman. Bringing the fantasies together.

[Eric]

Harry Melling was a really creepy guy. A cool villain in a movie I saw recently. I can't remember what it was, but yeah, he's really good.

[Andrew]

All right, well, we are going to talk about Ron getting poisoned and the fear of being replaced. But first a quick break. We'll be right back. So over the course of the last chapter, Ron was pretty much double poisoned. The poor guy and he consumes the love potion that Romilda had intended for Harry. And then after he was quote unquote cured, he gets poisoned again by a drink that will come to later find out was intended for Dumbledore. Draco had imperious Madame Rosemaryta into giving it to Slughorn after betting that Slughorn would then give it to Dumbledore as a gift. And that did end up being the plan. Slughorn said as much. But he needed it for Ron to allegedly cure him.

[Eric]

What a mess. I feel like it's just, it's really interesting what Hermione says that because this plan was clear, like because Ron wasn't the intended victim and that much they've deduced already that it actually makes the person doing this more dangerous because they don't care who they hurt on the way to their intended target. So they guess that Dumbledore was probably the target, but they don't know, but they're pretty sure. And Hermione has a point.

[Steph]

Yeah, and Draco's been pretty sloppy. I mean he's, as she said, not anticipating that Slughorn might keep the mead. He assumed Cady could smuggle the necklace back into the castle past Hogwarts protections. So I don't know. I wanted to pose a question to all of you, like are we reading this as incompetence or as self sabotage?

[Eric]

Like he doesn't want it enough. Well, Dumbledore doesn't. Doesn't. Dumbledore even said, I question whether your heart was in it at the end. Like what?

[Andrew]

I think partly his heart isn't in it because he's a child, but I think it's both. Steph. I think he's incompetent and he's self sabotaging because he doesn't really want to do this. This is a massive task for him. And Draco's kind of rushing, I think with all these little hacky type of ways to make it happen rather than just doing it himself.

[Eric]

He's trying his best to do a half assed job. And like the thing is if Slughorn had been murdered, like if Slughorn had gotten it, gotten poisoned, had taken the meat to himself or if Ron had died, that brings such scrutiny to Hogwarts and such a close eye on what everyone is doing that it would almost certainly result in Draco being found out, which would stop his ability to complete his mission, which maybe he wants. So there is some element of like is Draco self sabotaging here that I could see being pretty reasonable. But in the meantime Our friends are getting hurt and this sucks.

[Steph]

And like, what does this say about how much choice he has? You know, I don't know. It's like, I feel like when I first read this, you're seeing it through Harry's perspective so you're just immersed in the story. But then as an adult, I find it's really sad how much pain Draco clearly is throughout the book. And you know, he's just inheriting generational violence, like from his family. You're kind of starting to see that, like the role that he's taken on and these, quote, choices he's making, you know, how much choice does he have?

[Eric]

Well, they're causing a lot of pain to others too.

[Micah]

I don't think he fully grasps the severity of what he's doing in these situations either. I think that, you know, the thought is just, oh, if I can try and achieve the end goal with the fewest steps possible. But he doesn't actually kind of think it all the way through because it doesn't just require like one or two steps. Like to me it's almost very juvenile the fact that he thinks, oh, if I just imperious Madame Rosemerta to hand off this necklace or this poison mead, you're expecting that then all the other steps are going to magically happen for you. Much like, you know, Dumbledore just expects everything to just happen while he's not in Deathly Hallows and that Harry's just gonna figure it all out by himself. Like, that's the kind of approach that Draco's taking. And in fairness to him, he's only 16 years old. So what would you expect from a 16 year old? And that's why, you know, it's, that's what Voldemort loves about it. It's an, it's really an impossible task if you think about it.

[Andrew]

Dumbledore and Snape are caught feuding and Hagrid happens to notice this happening. Micah, I, I think you're none too pleased about how Dumbledore is conducting himself this chapter.

[Micah]

In every chapter there's just this overbearing feeling of negligence for me anyway. And the reason why I say that it has nothing to even do really with the conversation with Snape. Although that does kind of shine a light on it because Dumbledore has a responsibility to the school and the students in it and he knows that somebody is actively trying to murder somebody at the school. And now you've had two very close calls in Katie Bell and Ron and he just doesn't seem to really care all that much. Like he's focused on the end game. And I understand that. But again, there's that responsibility as Headmaster that you need to be protecting the students. And he actually knows more or less who's responsible and he's not stepping in. And that's why, you know, I feel Snape needs to keep Draco in check here too, because he's not doing enough.

[Andrew]

Well, that's a good point.

[Eric]

But he took an unbreakable vow saying he's not. He's going to help Draco on his mission and not impede Draco. But Draco doesn't want to help him get this over with. Yeah, yeah, but I mean, that's literally.

[Micah]

It is him sending poison artifacts into the school.

[Eric]

You're absolutely right. That Dumbledore cannot simply allow all of these attempts on his life to hit other people and cause other people to be put into St. Mungo's for months and months and months. And I know our hospital wing for two nights as Ron is, and still call himself a good headmaster. You're absolutely right about that. But yeah, it's. I feel like he can't also. Or Snape can't also step in, which might be why they're fighting Snape. Can't say Snape tells Draco, you're being reckless. But if he went any further, he would be actively impeding Draco on his mission, which would kill Snape there and then. Right there.

[Andrew]

Yeah. Between a rock and a hard place. I do like the points that you're bringing up, Micah. And I'm feeling mad at my boy Dumbledore right now. You're absolutely right. Because what it's reminding me of is when you get on the plane and what does the pilot say to everybody on board? What does the flight attendant say? And your safety is our number one priority. That should be Dumbledore's goal too. That is the role of Headmaster. That and educating the students. Right. And He's. He's failing 50%. He's got an F. You might be able to argue education is the main two credit the school either.

[Steph]

See, this is why he needs help finding the Horcruxes. Because he's off doing that rather than being present at school, overlooking everything. I mean, it's like the situation that Harry finds himself in. He's the captain of his Quidditch team. He wants to go and follow Draco, but instead of doing that, he shows up and he's there at the game. But where's Dumbledore?

[Andrew]

He's Where's Dumbledore? The question Micah and Harry are always wondering. Eric, I'm curious what you think of Hagrid being able to kind of sneak up on Dumbledore and Snape undetected.

[Eric]

Yeah, it must be a mark of how I'm trying to say this without being offensive. It must be a mark of how deeply upset Snape and Dumbledore are with each other that neither of them notice Hagrid's dolphin sized feet traipsing through the woods right next to them, close enough to be within earshot. So I'm just gonna go out and say that this is, you know, the anonymity, animosity, anonymity, anonymity, all of those

[Andrew]

probably anomanomy, anemonemy, the anemone between the

[Eric]

two of them that like drowns out because they're finally duking it out. This is the big deal that Harry's that Hagrid is so shocked about because Snape has finally sort of stood up for himself and said, what you ask, you have, you are taking for granted that what I am doing. And Dumbledore kind of gives like a real like kindergarten answer of like, well, you promised. Just keep your promises and walks away. And it's like, hello, we now know what they're talking about, of course. And I think Snape, this is a great moment to feel bad for Snape.

[Andrew]

What do you think, Steph?

[Steph]

I mean, I was trying to remember what it was like first reading this as a teen. And if I noticed this as a sign of Dumbledore's vulnerability, I think it's one of the first times we see the illusion around him crack. I mean, we see the blackened hand. But now we're hearing that this relationship that kind of always has this, this protective, you know, wall around, which is Snape and Dumbledore's trust and connection. There's so many times where, you know, Harry, the reader, other characters kind of try to crack in there of like, but do we trust Snape? Do we trust Snape? And there's just this like very solid foundation between those two. And so now you're seeing, wait, is that foundation that solid? And also just like Eric said with the, you know, you agreed it's showing that maybe Dumbledore doesn't have it all figured out. And that just makes me think of, you know, when we're kids and then we have an adult figure that's like a teacher or a parent and they seem omniscient to us. And then we start seeing things and we're like, oh, they're a person too. They also have vulnerability.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Eric]

And what I like to think about when it comes to Snape and sort of his motivations is this all. I think the falling out between he and Dumbledore started when Dumbledore said, you're gonna have to kill me. Like, Snape doesn't wanna do that. Snape actually has, I think, a lot of respect for exactly one person and it's the person in front of him. And so I think we've never seen them fight. We've never heard them arguing. Dumbledore's always been the one, like, I trust Snape completely, Professor Snape, Harry, you know, but now they're fighting and it's because Dumbledore has, has actually asked too much of Snape. And Snape is like mad at him because he loves him. He's mad at this man because he's going to end up having to do this horrible thing.

[Andrew]

So in this fight that Hagrid overhears, whose side? Well, I guess just generally. Whose side are we on in this debate? Micah, do you want to go first?

[Micah]

I would probably lean in Snape's direction. I don't really like either of them, to be honest with you. I would side with Hagrid.

[Andrew]

Team Switzerland side Hagrid. Okay.

[Micah]

I would be overhearing the conversation as opposed to picking one of them. But yeah, it's for all the reasons discussed. It's just very tough. And Snape is being put in an impossible position. It is really not fair to him. So if we're asking from that context, then I would definitely be Team Snape.

[Eric]

Keeping in mind that a few chapters ago, Dumbledore almost told Harry everything. Almost told him about Snape's love for Lily. There's like that moment where Harry sees him consider something and we assume it to be that like Dumbledore almost betrayed Snape's confidence. Like his one confidence. Where am I going with this? I think that knowing that he chose not to and protect this, but that Dumbledore in the same chapter or within days is holding it over Snape's head that Snape said in a moment of like deep self loathing that he would spy on Voldemort for Dumbledore, you know, 16 years ago at this point, that that's what Dumbledore is hearkening back to in this argument of like, well, you, you said you'd do this. You gotta keep your word. And then walking out without actually handling like any of the emotional stuff that Snape is going through right now. Feels insufficient and makes me team Snape.

[Andrew]

Okay, how about you, Steph?

[Steph]

I feel like, you know, at the time I probably was team Dumbledore, but, you know, I hadn't yet been devastated by the Prince's tale. So knowing what I know now, I feel empathy for Snape like the rest of you.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I agree as well. Y' all made good points, so I won't repeat them. I did want to mention concerning Hagrid successfully sort of sneaking up on Snape and Dumbledore. It's funny that he gets away with this in this chapter when earlier in the chapter, Madame Pomfrey thinks there's more than six people visiting Ron in the hospital wing. But there wasn't. She was just counting Hagrid as several people due to his vastness. That's a quote.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

So this guy who gets confused for multiple people successfully sneaks up on two very smart wizards in a crunchy forest. Well done, Hagrid.

[Eric]

Very crunchy forest. That forest floor always be crunching and people think I'm being like prejudiced about the dolphin feet. It literally in this chapter, page 402, Hagrid, his hair rain flecked, his bearskin coat flapping behind him, a crossbow in his hand, leaving a trail of muddy dolphin sized footprints all over the floor.

[Andrew]

Wow.

[Eric]

Sorry, it's in this chapter.

[Micah]

Wow.

[Andrew]

So looking at what happened to Ron, he was sidelined from Quidditch because he was poisoned and he's recovering. He worries in this chapter that Cormac temporarily filling in for him will turn into being permanently replaced. You see it? And how he's asking Harry how Cormac did during practice. That said, Harry does try to put Ron's mind at ease. He reminds Ron that Cormac is annoying as hell. And by end of the chapter, Harry is ready to kill Cormac when he accidentally sends a Bludger at Harry. But I thought this was another good one of these moments that reflects life, where you might go through experiences where you're afraid you're going to be replaced. Maybe because you missed out on something, you had to call out sick, Whatever. So for this week's links line, and this is also a make the real life connection, we asked our patrons, have we ever worried about being replaced when we missed something? And what was that experience like for you?

[Eric]

Carly says, when I went on maternity leave with my oldest child, my long term substitute was great. So great in fact, that once I came back, a few kids felt important to say out loud during class that they liked her better than me. And they wanted her to come back. Probably relevant that these particular children just happened to say such things after I corrected their behavior. Regardless, my feelings were hurt and I hated not being the favorite anymore.

[Andrew]

Oh, that's sad.

[Eric]

That's real sad.

[Micah]

I hope you failed them. It failed.

[Andrew]

Well, you have new students come in in future years, right?

[Micah]

So, yeah.

[Andrew]

Turn a new leaf.

[Micah]

Danielle said, I took a step back from singing at church when I was pregnant with twins. I was singing about twice a month at the time, but I could hardly breathe with the decreased lung capacity. Those twins are now six and a half years old and I'm still not back to singing. They replaced me with somebody else while I had my kids. I tried to get back to it when they were two months old and have been struggling ever since. It's been heartbreaking.

[Andrew]

I'm sorry to hear that.

[Micah]

But hopefully we support you. Get out there and sing.

[Eric]

Get out there.

[Steph]

There's been a whole little conversation and conversation happening on Patreon. I think Carly got in on the conversation with Danielle.

[Andrew]

Yeah. Carly said that she could relate. Right. Or something along those lines.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Mason said there is a very real example of when I did miss something and was replaced. Basically, my crush in ninth grade asked me if I wanted to be his partner on this debate team. But the debate team conflicted with this play I was doing, so I said no. Then he stopped liking me and started liking my friends. I'm almost positive that he likes me. But after he was distant. The fear is real. No,

[Eric]

I'm sorry for the happy ending one.

[Andrew]

Yeah. I hope you found something else. Someone else.

[Eric]

Yeah. This comes from Zachary. While I was in high school, our marching band was the best in our city and always came down to literal fractions of a point. When it came to state and regional competitions, our band was so big that we had to have alternates. Everyone auditioned for their spot throughout the entire season. And if you didn't have the show music memorized by the dates posted, you were swapped out with someone who did this. Added some stress, but allowed an equal opportunity for those who really wanted to be there. So this seems like a high stakes. I am always living in fear of being replaced because I am always being tested on this matter. Yeah, that's terrifying.

[Andrew]

Thanks to everybody who submitted an answer to that question. But I did also want to pose this question to the panel. Have y' all ever been in this type of situation where maybe you had to miss something and then you grew fearful that you would be replaced? For me, Carly brought up the teacher example as an uncle to two, actually three adorable nephews now, I don't see them often, so I'm kind of worried that they're going to forget about me, you know? Oh. And then just socially, I sometimes do get some fomo, so I'm. I'm like, don't have too much fun without me, then. You'll. You'll not invite me anywhere.

[Eric]

Yeah, for me, it happens pretty much every Muggle cast I miss. Like, if I, like, if I were missing this episode and not Laura, I'd be really worried that y' all would bring in Steph on to just replace me because she's awesome and I am.

[Steph]

Hufflepuff.

[Eric]

We all know we just need one other one Hufflepuff to, like, fill the void. And, like, that could be anybody. So I'm, like, kind of eyeballing side eyeing, kind of, like, worried here. So. Yeah, I. I have felt it, too. But, but, but yeah, on. On a serious note, I think it's definitely something that can happen from today. It's not a comfortable feeling. I. I think what you have to do is. And what Ron has to do is make comfort within yourself for the possibility that something may happen that feels averse to you. But you also have to know that both other opportunities may open up instead, or that because something goes the way you're fearing it does, doesn't mean it happened for the reasons that you think it is happening. You know what I'm saying? So it's like.

[Micah]

I mean, look at how things actually play themselves out. And. And it proves that Harry made the right choice in selecting Ron.

[Andrew]

Bingo.

[Micah]

So, yeah, I mean, I. The only example that comes to mind for me that's more recent is when I went on sabbatical from work. You know, you think, oh, well, I'm gone for a month. Who knows what can happen?

[Eric]

They don't need you. And it turns out they didn't because they do need you.

[Micah]

Well, I appreciate you saying that.

[Eric]

Well, and it's like. And it's like, you know, the chorus, you know, having kids and no longer being able to sing in chorus. Like, I bet there's colleagues of yours that still sing in church choir. And they. And if you've been replaced, whatever, they probably still say, what happened to the lady that used to do this? I really liked her. I liked her more. And they're saying it, but you don't hear it because you're not doing that anymore.

[Micah]

You're not there. Yeah.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Micah]

Just one thing, too, with Cormac that I think is important. Is it shows a different side of Gryffindor. We've really always kind of been gung ho about Gryffindor, or at least I think when you're reading the series for the first time and you're a young kid, like, Gryffindor is always the house that everybody seems to be drawn to, for the most part, at least in terms of having like, the good guys or the good gals. And like, Cormac is a complete asshole. Like, and he's. And he's not good at Quidditch either.

[Andrew]

No, he's.

[Micah]

He's basically just like a meathead at the end.

[Eric]

He's got, he's got main character energy. The problem is he's not the main character.

[Micah]

Yeah, there you go.

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[Andrew]

Steph, do you have anything to add here or.

[Steph]

Well, I just think what Eric shared was really beautiful and that's something I was thinking about, especially with Ron, is that we really see him always kind of looking outside of himself, like he's wanting to be shown that he's desirable instead of checking in with himself of like, well, who do I desire? What do I desire? He's just, I think it's a, it's a great lesson, especially for the lung, the young listeners. You know, it's so often when we see that we're missing something or that we're not good enough for something, it might be a little nudge to check in with yourself and recognize, you know, you are, you are great for that. This is a moment to really be love up on and celebrate yourself and not measure your self worth based off of the situation.

[Andrew]

Comparison is the thief of Joy.

[Steph]

Yes, it is. I think for me, there aren't a lot of things I have fear of missing out on. I'd say I suffer from Jomo, which is the joy of missing out.

[Micah]

Oh.

[Steph]

I mean, similar to what Eric shared too. It's like sometimes, you know, missing one thing opens up the opportunity for taking on something else. And you never know what you discover.

[Eric]

So you're looking at your appointment book or your calendar and going, what if I don't show up at this? What new opportunity is going to show up?

[Andrew]

And I saw a TikTok about that recently. I think they even described it as the joy of missing out. The joy of just staying home on a Friday, watching TV and not feeling FOMO when the rest of your friends are out. Like, I don't need to be out. I can say no and just relax at home and it's okay.

[Eric]

There's a saying that I've known for a few years is like at a certain point in your 30s, the only thing better than making plans is canceling plans.

[Andrew]

Oh, Especially when somebody else cancels on you.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

I feel so relieved every time. Yes. Oh, thank God. I could stay at home and it's

[Eric]

real, but Jomo, I gotta look up Jomo. That's fantastic.

[Andrew]

I need to learn that.

[Steph]

We'll just be snacking on our late night snacks. Eric on the beanbags and Hufflepuff.

[Eric]

Look, I can go to my fridge. I got string cheese. I don't need to be out. Beer and nachos.

[Steph]

Laura's having Jomo right now.

[Eric]

Yeah, she's really happy that she's sick and not here right now.

[Andrew]

I felt like I got bullied into going to an escape room. Tomorrow night. It starts at 8:20pm I don't want to start anything at 8:20pm but I. I just. I had FOMO. I didn't want to say no. I. So I should have had Jomo.

[Micah]

They're fun, though.

[Eric]

Honestly, it sounds amazing.

[Micah]

You know what, Andrew? Look up online how to solve it and you'll be out in 10 minutes.

[Eric]

Oh, my God. I got places to be.

[Andrew]

Everybody video. Yeah. Couple of odds and ends. You noticed a couple things you wanted to share, right?

[Steph]

Yeah. One of the things is there's a lot of secrecy in this chapter. It feels like the movie Conclave or something. There's a lot of whispers and dark corners. Hagrid's overhearing the argument. Harry's having the house elves spy for him. Draco's cooking up a plan in the shadows. Just like a lot of Little hidden things. The other thing little odd and end is Luna announcing Quidditch is everything. I tried to find my Luna glasses for this, but I don't know where they are. But I do have them. And then there's a really great Molly quote that just speaks for itself. Well, all I can say is that it was a lucky day for the Weasleys when Ron decided to sit in your compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Harry.

[Andrew]

Aw, that was really sweet. And it kind of ties into what you were saying earlier. Steph, if you say no to something, it might open up the opportunity for something else. You never know what's going to happen. You never know what a chance encounter might lead to.

[Micah]

Was it lucky though? Like, I mean Ginny is kind of Harry's fault. Arthur's definitely Harry's fault. Pros and cons Harry's fault too, because

[Eric]

you mean them coming across, coming into injury. I think it's all Voldemort's fault and

[Micah]

it's wrong to blame Harry. But they're all hilarious same person at the end of the day, aren't they? But just a few more threads to connect to Chamber of Secrets Harry is a serious Quidditch injury in both Chamber of Secrets and Half Blood Prince. Both due to a Bludger, by the way, and who shows up both times in the hospital wing. Unbelievable. Dobby and I did also wanted to say very quickly that the conversation that Hagrid and Harry have as they're leaving the hospital wing is very. I think Hermione is there too, is very Chamber of Secrets heavy. There's a lot of references to what happened in book two. I think even like the school governors get mentioned again. There's talk of closing the school down, so.

[Andrew]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hagrid had said it's always been a bit of a risk sending a kid to Hogwarts, hasn't it? You expect accidents, don't you? With hundreds of underage wizards all locked

[Steph]

up together and Dumbledore as headmaster.

[Micah]

But Steph, you had one too, right?

[Steph]

Yeah, just Harry obsessing over Draco and no one taking him seriously.

[Micah]

Nice, nice.

[Andrew]

All right, time for MVP of the week. So in this chapter, Draco taunts Harry by calling him the chosen captain and the boy who scored in the context of the.

[Eric]

That second one is real fun actually.

[Andrew]

Yeah. So I asked the panel to create your own Quidditch oriented name for Harry Potter that Draco would call him. And I ask you to say it like Draco would think of Tom Felton's

[Steph]

Potter, that was really good.

[Andrew]

Oh, thank you, Captain Crashalot.

[Eric]

Oh, I bet they're calling you Dumbledore's Seeker through and through, aren't they, Potter?

[Andrew]

That was good, Stitch.

[Micah]

Oh, yeah, Drink.

[Eric]

It would definitely say like, that was very Draco. Yeah, Gryffindor.

[Steph]

Draco 8 and left no crumb with

[Eric]

a K. Oh my God, that's glorious.

[Andrew]

Short and sweet. If you have feedback about today's discussion, you can contact us by emailing or sending a voice memo that you record on your phone to mugglecastmail.com but maybe you find it easier to leave a comment on Spotify or YouTube or DM us on social whatever's most convenient for you. Reach out to us that way. And next week, chapter by chapter continues with Chapter 20, Lord Voldemort's request. Eerie. 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 Quizzage.

[Eric]

This week's question in this chapter, a beezer from the stomach Stomach of a goat is used as a cure for a poison. In reality, beers can appear in humans as ailments. What popular soft drink brand is used to treat beezers in humans? I said last week it was the one that you think. The answer is Coca Cola. And if you've ever seen videos of what Coke does to certain things when left in a tub of Coke, that's a rabbit hole you can go down. You're welcome. 66% of people with the correct answer said they didn't look it up. So a lot of people did. In fact, guess maybe my hint helped. And this week's winners included because some of them are long administered by Dr. Pepper. Bort, Voldemort, Carly Dobby's Coca Cola socks, Dumbledore's PR Team Eden, the Muggle established 2012. She's back. Also she says, I told all my friends about your podcast and now you have at least five 14 year old listeners.

[Andrew]

Oh, thank you.

[Eric]

Elvis Dumbledore, Ginny Beaverly. I drink too many of these per week. I play Fluffy's harp, King Arthur of the Britons. My quest is to find the Holy Grail. And my favorite color is blue. My little soda pop. No soda for me. I look it up. Tom Pete a little riddle Tofu Tom and Slytherin Squib. And here's next week's quizzic question. In chapter 19, Luna Lovegood diagnoses Zachariah Smith with Losers Lurgy, which 1950s BBC radio program first coined the term meaning a non fatal, unspecified illness such as a cold or flu, and called it the dreaded lurgy. See if you know your history about lurgy as a word. Submit your answer to us on the Quidditch form located on the mugglecast [e-mail]

[Andrew]

Quizzic Steph, thank you so much for joining us today and we'll be in touch about you replacing Eric as the Hufflepuff on the panel.

[Eric]

I can't get that is my plug at the end. I always buff botch it.

[Steph]

Oh, can't wait to read all those names.

[Andrew]

But no, but seriously, thank you for your support and thanks for everything that you brought to the panel today. You brought a lot of great wisdom. You have a good radio voice too.

[Micah]

I feel I do.

[Eric]

Yeah.

[Steph]

I mean, this is my first podcast, so, you know, it's kind of multitasking. Looking at the video and like, how is my voice?

[Micah]

Sibilance.

[Steph]

I also use my arms a lot, so I've been trying not to do that as much. But I'm glad it sounds good.

[Andrew]

It keeps the visuals lively, I think if your hands are moving for the YouTube viewers or Spotify.

[Steph]

But thank you so much for having me. It's such an honor to be here. I mean, I think I've been listening for, like, maybe eight or so years, so.

[Andrew]

Wow, awesome.

[Eric]

How do you find us? Do you remember?

[Steph]

How did I find you guys? I don't know. Maybe it was like, Fantastic Beast Time. I'm not sure, but I actually, you know, that was a FOMO moment. I had FOMO that I didn't know about you guys when I was a teenager through college, and I was like, what have I been missing all of these years?

[Andrew]

But we get emails like that from time to time. Like, I can't believe we didn't discover you sooner.

[Steph]

I was just alone in my room reading Harry Potter without all of these Harry Potter friends.

[Andrew]

Yeah, exactly. Oh, love that. All right, well, thanks, everybody, for listening. I'm Andrew.

[Eric]

I'm Eric.

[Micah]

I'm Micah.

[Steph]

And I'm Steph.

[Andrew]

Bye, everyone.

[Micah]

Bye.

[Andrew]

Bye.

[Commercial Voice]

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