Third Wheel Worryin' (HBP Chapter 14, Felix Felicis)

Summary

MuggleCast — "Third Wheel Worryin'"

Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 14: "Felix Felicis"
Release Date: February 3, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of MuggleCast zeroes in on the swirling teenage drama and emotional turbulence in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 14 ("Felix Felicis"). The hosts (Andrew, Eric, Micah, and Laura) dig into the pivotal relationship developments, romantic jealousy, and character insecurities that come to a head around the infamous Slughorn Christmas party and Gryffindor’s Quidditch match. They reflect on Ron’s complicated feelings, Hermione’s maturity, Harry’s own emotional quandaries, and how these themes intersect with the magic of Felix Felicis and Hogwarts’ tight-knit social circle.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hormones and Relationships: Book Six in Full Swing

• The chapter’s central tension revolves around Ron and Hermione’s budding (but unspoken) feelings and the ways jealousy and exclusion manifest ("Book six, looking at it as a whole, everybody says the hormones. My God, the hormones. While they're here, they are absolutely upon us." — Eric, [05:24]).
• Hermione’s Invitation: Hermione tries to invite Ron to Slughorn’s party, but Ron’s insecurities blind him to her gesture. Laura highlights Hermione’s maturity:

  "Hermione's just being a good friend here. She knows that Ron feels left out...and she's trying to include him. Now, obviously, we know she's into him, too..."
  (Laura, [07:09])

• Ron hyper-focuses on his exclusion from the Slug Club, which overshadows the opportunity for connection with Hermione.

2. Ron’s Insecurity and Jealousy

• Ron feels sidelined — not just in the Slug Club, but romantically and socially:

  "He's always played second fiddle to Harry and he's in a situation where his two best friends and his sister, who's a year younger, are a part of this exclusive club and he's on the outside looking in."
  (Micah, [09:07])

• The Gryffindor Quidditch team's practice and later victory are overshadowed by Ron’s need for validation. He's intensely jealous of Ginny (his sister) and others experiencing relationships, lashing out verbally ("The fact that he was willing to call her a whore basically is really out of character for him..." — Micah, [16:30]).

3. Harry: The Reluctant Third Wheel

• Harry's concern about Ron and Hermione’s rocky relationship is as much about group dynamics as his own comfort:

  "A romantic breakup between Ron and Hermione could impact the trio's friendship. Harry might have to pick a side if that happens too. That would be awful."
  (Andrew, [12:21])

• The hosts agree this reflects real-life friendship triangles and the risk of a group splintering after romance or breakups, especially in a confined social setting like Hogwarts.

4. Placebo Power and Felix Felicis

• The Quidditch match success is a masterclass in the placebo effect:
  • Harry pretends to spike Ron’s beverage with Felix Felicis, leading Ron to believe he's lucky, boosting his confidence.
  • The group debates Hermione’s public denunciation of Harry’s trick, and whether her skepticism is truly out-of-character:

    "I think it's very much in line with how we see her reacting about the Prince's textbook too...She's trying to protect her friend."
    (Laura, [22:18])

  • The hosts connect Ron’s performance to real-world psychology:

    "It's your classic placebo effect...Ron performed well because he thought that he had taken something that was going to enhance his performance."
    (Micah, [30:00])

5. Ron, Lavender, and the Insecurity Spiral

• After the Quidditch win, Ron brazenly hooks up with Lavender Brown in the common room, devastating Hermione and further fracturing the trio’s harmony.
• The hosts call out the performative aspect of Ron's behavior:

  "Ron is...putting on a show for everyone else as he is lying to himself. Right. Because he's wanting to show everyone. Like, see, I have experience too."
  (Laura, [35:20])

6. Jealousy Transposed: Harry and Ginny

• Harry finds himself burning with jealousy at the sight of Ginny with Dean, feeling what Ron feels toward Hermione.
• The hosts discuss the motif of the “chest monster” and whether Harry’s Horcrux influences this possessiveness:

  "Could this be the Horcrux talking?...The Horcrux is lonely too."
  (Andrew/Eric, [38:09])

• Laura notes how, unlike Ron, Harry internalizes these feelings and doesn't act out destructively.

7. Hogwarts is a Small Town

• The intense scrutiny and gossip at Hogwarts make dating fraught and amplify drama, paralleling small-school dynamics in the real world:

  "Hogwarts is the tiniest world you'll ever be a part of. There are five people your age that sleep in the same room as you that are your entire social circle..."
  (Eric, [18:26])

8. Draco’s Absence and the Broader Plot

• Draco skips the Quidditch match, foreshadowing his realignment of priorities; Harry’s suspicions bear out as the hosts recall hints planted in the chapter ("We do inadvertently...come across not Draco, but what he is up to in this chapter..." — Micah, [30:53]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Placebo Effect:
  "It's your classic placebo effect...Ron performed well because he thought that he had taken something that was going to enhance his performance."
  – Micah, [30:00]

• On Quidditch and Insecurity:
  "As somebody with a sister myself, I know that sometimes they know exactly what to say to destroy your ego."
  – Eric, [17:34]

• On Ron's Outburst:
  "The fact that he was willing to call [Ginny] a whore basically is really out of character for him. That honestly surprised me."
  – Micah, [16:30]

• On Harry’s Maturity:
  "Actually, I think Harry's like the most mature character in this chapter."
  – Laura, [15:06]

• On Jealousy:
  "Jealousy, romantic jealousy is the name of the game in this chapter. They don't know how to make those first moves because they're so young. You can't blame them."
  – Andrew, [37:03]

• On “The Chest Monster” (Jealousy Motif):
  "I think Chess Monster is a really good way for the author to put it. I see it as kind of like a burning feeling inside of you. That burning jealousy."
  – Andrew, [39:33]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:05 — MuggleCast team introductions
• 05:24 — Diving into Ron/Hermione tension, Slug Club exclusion
• 07:09 — Hermione’s gesture, Ron’s blind spot (Laura's insight)
• 09:07 — Ron’s insecurities, feeling "second fiddle" (Micah)
• 12:21 — Harry’s fears: friend group fallout if Ron/Hermione date
• 16:30 — Ron’s blow-up over Ginny/Dean; calling out problematic language
• 18:26 — Small-town nature of Hogwarts and social pressure
• 21:34 — Debate: Is Hermione’s public call-out in character?
• 30:00 — Ron’s placebo-pumped Quidditch win (Micah's breakdown)
• 35:20 — Ron snogging Lavender; performative displays (Laura)
• 37:03 — Harry’s own jealousy; “third wheel” worries (Andrew)
• 38:09 — “Horcrux talking” theory; jealousy as supernatural? (Eric/Laura)
• 43:04 — Whiplash from Voldemort's backstory to romance (Micah)
• 46:22 — British-isms: "gum shield" vs. "mouthguard"
• 47:31 — MVP of the Week
• 49:36–51:46 — Listener stories: dating friends, timing, and love lives

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Hosts' MVPs of the Week

• Ron: For his chaotic rage at Ginny snogging Dean (Andrew, Laura)
• Hermione: For summoning birds to attack Ron in her anger (Eric)
• Ginny: For calling out Ron and showing agency throughout the drama (Micah)

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Listener Interactions & Relatable Content

• The hosts share and discuss community responses to real-life “friends to romance” stories, highlighting the continuing resonance of these themes for listeners of all ages ([49:36–51:46]).

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Connecting to Broader Themes

• The episode explores the applicability of the book’s interpersonal angst to adult life:

  "Often timing just does not work out... A lot of relationships end up not working out because of timing... you see these things come up later in life." (Andrew, [43:04])

• There's also a recurring wish for Hogwarts to have therapists, reflecting on the emotionally stunted coping mechanisms the young characters have.

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Conclusion

This discussion-rich episode of MuggleCast artfully balances humor, empathy, and critical analysis, digging deep into the emotional undercurrents of Chapter 14—jealousy, insecurity, friendship, and the awkward dance of young love. With both levity ("The Horcrux tried Tinder, but everybody was like, ooh, Horcrux." — Andrew, [38:19]) and genuine introspection about adolescence, the hosts bring the themes of the Harry Potter series to life for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

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Next Week

The podcast continues with Half-Blood Prince Chapter 15: "The Unbreakable Vow."

Transcript

[A]

Could this be the Horcrux talking? We've kind of talked about this concept a few times over the course of chapter by chapter.

[B]

I love that we asked this question every time. Yes, the Horcrux is lonely too. It's. The Horcrux is so long since that Horcrux has gotten laid and it really needs some romance.

[A]

The Horcrux tried Tinder, but everybody was like, ooh, Horcrux. I've seen baby Voldemort, and I don't want that. Welcome to Mugglecast, your weekly ride into the world of Harry Potter. I'm Andrew. I'm Eric.

[C]

I'm Micah.

[D]

And I'm Laura.

[A]

And we're your Harry Potter friends, here to talk about the books and the movies and the upcoming TV show. So make sure you follow us in your favorite podcast app and that way you'll never miss an episode. And this week, the line to call Ron Weasley a prat forums on the left while we discuss chapter 14 of Half Blood Prince Felix Felicis.

[C]

Then I'm on the right, baby.

[A]

Oh, because you're a Ron fan, I'm.

[C]

Gonna support Ron in this chapter. I feel like somebody needs to defend him.

[D]

Over here.

[A]

If you're not gonna call him a Pratt, what are you gonna call him?

[C]

A prefect.

[A]

Oh, good. Excellent.

[B]

Very, very similar. I thought that was a Weasley sweater you were hiding under there, Micah. Under that hoodie of your.

[C]

Straight from Molly, baby.

[B]

Straight from Molly. Oh, Molly, if you're nice to Ron, you get included in the family. That's a neat perk.

[A]

Well, before we hear Micah's case in favor of Ron, if you love this show and like Harry, think conjuring yellow birds out of nowhere is really quite extraordinary magic you to become a member of our community. At patreon.com mugglecast we have exciting plans for the show this year with new content that looks forward as well as back, including new Harry Potter TV show focused episodes that will kick off in February. So we could use your support in making this happen. And by pledging, you'll instantly receive two bonus Mugglecast episodes every month. Micah led a good one on Harry Potter hot takes last week. You can check that out now. Plus, on our Patreon, you can access our recording studio ad free episodes and a lot more. And I mentioned the look back episodes. Eric, you actually released something with Meg, right?

[B]

Yes. On YouTube, we played through the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone PC game from 2001. Many people have very nostalgic you know, happy memories about this game. It is quite absurd, but it was a lot of fun. The whole playthrough is eight hours and it's all available on the Mugglecast YouTube. It was a lot of fun. It was me, Meg and Martha the cat. The feedback so far that we've gotten from people who've listened or watched has been very lovely. So thanks to everyone who's checking that out. And the plan is to continue these look backs including next month we think maybe on Twitch live with the Chamber of Secrets PC game. So still some details to figure out and as far as that goes, I'm thinking maybe Valentine's Day, because Gilderoy Lockhart loves Valentine's Day. But we'll keep you guys posted. It'll be great. Ooh, cool.

[C]

It's a Saturday. This year it is our day, which means you guys should join us.

[D]

Hey everyone. Spend your Valentine's Day with us on Twitch.

[B]

Hey everyone.

[D]

I think that'd be fun.

[B]

If you're otherwise disaffected by this holiday that has a lot of expectations for.

[C]

People, this commercial holiday, we will be.

[B]

Your boyfriend slash girlfriend slash they them friend.

[A]

Well, if you're looking for other ways to support us, you can leave us a review in your favorite podcast app or you can tell a fellow Muggle about our show. And you can visit mugglecastmerch.com to buy official show gear like the ones that Eric and I are wearing tonight. Check those out on YouTube for the modeling. And now it's time for chapter by chapter. We're discussing Half blood prince, chapter 14, Felix Felicis.

[B]

Yes. And the last time we discussed this was back In January of 2019, January 21st in particular in that episode 402 was called Snogging. Here's a clip that's very relevant to that title.

[D]

What you're looking at are memories.

[B]

This is the most important memory I've collected. It is from Mugglekast episode 402.

[D]

So like the word snogging is used a lot in this chapter and it's making out right. But for some reason, just the word snogging, like it really sounds to me like that would be what it would be like just people being like, like all over each other, you know, and like it's just not appealing sounding.

[A]

No.

[D]

Yeah, yeah. It's just not. I don't know if I would ever want somebody to describe my kissing style as snogging. You know what I mean?

[A]

It's just British slang.

[D]

Oh, I know. I guess it sounds funny. This memory is everything.

[A]

Do you still stand by that, Laura?

[D]

Yeah, I do.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Interesting.

[D]

Yeah. Not. Not my favorite. Normally I'm really in defense of all the British vocabulary, but.

[A]

Right. Last week, not.

[D]

Not a fan of that one. It just sounds gross.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Last week, Eric had a complaint. This week, Micah or Laura had a complaint.

[C]

I never complained.

[A]

No. No.

[B]

So the meat of this chapter, just jumping right into it, are relationships. Right. We've known this was coming for some time. Book six, looking at it as a whole, everybody says the hormones. My God, the hormones. While they're here, they are absolutely upon us on a chapter that otherwise revolves around this Quidditch match. But we're going to talk about our character's relationship. So let's talk about the Hermione and Ron situation. That kind of overtakes this chapter. It begins with a conversation about the Slug Club. And Ron, as always, is unable to contain his disdain for everything. Slug. He doesn't like the name. He doesn't like the people that are there, like Cormac McLaggin. What a braggart that dude is. And most of all, he doesn't like that he's not a part of it. And his insecurity leads him to making one or two negative statements that causes Harry to go away, come back and find that, in fact, Hermione was going to ask Ron to the Christmas party. But because he doesn't want to like. He doesn't like Slug Club things, she can't do that. And he's kind of put off and is like, oh, you. You. You were gonna.

[A]

One of the challenges here is that these kids are trying to express their feelings for the first time. And that's a really hard thing to do. It takes a lot of courage. You gotta find the right words. The emotions are butting up against each other because they don't. None of them know how to handle it. But I just wanted to check with Laura. As the girl whisperer on this panel, do you think. Yeah, we established that when you were talking about snogging the last time. Do you think that Hermione is trying to make a romantic push here?

[D]

You know, as apparently as the representative of all women here, as I'm just now learning, I kind of feel like this can be read a couple of ways. I think, first and foremost, Hermione's just being a good friend here because she knows that Ron feels left out. She knows that he's salty about it, and she's trying to include him. Now, obviously, we know she's into him, too, so I Think there's some part of that that factors into this too, but honestly, she's being pretty mature in this moment. She's doing the exact thing that Ron couldn't do two years ago when he couldn't ask her to the Yule Ball. And actually, I think what trips Ron up in this moment is that he's been so hyper focused on feeling left out of the Slug Club that he didn't ever consider the possibility that Hermione would invite him to something like that. So instead of thinking about getting an in another way with a friend, he's really hyper focused on feeling left out of this exclusive club and of Slughorn clearly not thinking very much of him. So I think Ron's been so hyper focused on that aspect that he hasn't even given the Hermione angle a thought. And he's kind of dumbfounded and doesn't know how to respond in this moment.

[B]

Yeah, what, what he says to her. He keeps talking to her. Oh, you'll, you'll surely want to take McLagan as a, as your partner to this. And she's like, well, I was gonna ask you. And she's like, well, if you don't like it, I guess I will take him if that'll make you happy. And Ron's like, oh, but it won't. And I think at least there, that's Ron again, kind of stating his feelings for her at the very least. Cause we've known they liked each other for two years now. For two years they've been doing this little dance.

[C]

And this does tie back to our Ron discussion in episode 734 with the way he reacts to Hermione's flattery of Harry. We know that Ron is deeply insecure and he really at this point is seeking any means of validation. He's always played second fiddle to Harry and he's in a situation where his two best friends and his sister, who's a year younger, are a part of this exclusive club and he's on the outside looking in. So I do feel a little bit bad for him in this situation. Yeah, it doesn't justify the way he treats Hermione in this moment, but I do understand where he's coming from. If, if, if any of us were in that situation, I'm sure we would probably feel a similar way. Not saying we would act the same way.

[A]

Yeah, he's also sixth in line in terms of the Weasley kid, so he's always been sort of not forgotten, but he's just, he's never really been prioritized. None of the kids are, I guess. But I think that's just a symptom of being in such a large family. And I think another factor here is Ron was very impressed that the Gwen OG Jones was going to be present at this club.

[B]

Jones at the Hollywood Harpies.

[A]

Captain of the Hollywood Harpies. Yes. So. And we know he's a big Quidditch fan, so of course he's going to be jealous that a big Quidditch player is going to be at this party as well. And he's like the third wheel, except he's not there at all.

[D]

Yeah. You know, Micah, I really liked what you said a moment ago, um, about Ron feeling left out of this exclusive club that everyone else he's really close with is a part of.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Cause that. That's true on a couple of fronts. Right? It's true with the Slug Club, but it's also true with dating and dating experience. So he is simultaneously feeling probably pretty small in this moment. And for someone like Ron, who's already deeply insecure, that's just a recipe for disaster.

[B]

He just makes it worse. He just. This whole chapter is him making it worse, though, for his situation. Because the person that would be romantically interested, the person that would show you a nice time and just be a good friend to you right now, which is what you need, is the person that you're antagonizing and being like, oh, well, you're gonna be Queen Slug, and I'm just gonna be home in the common room all upset, and it's like, what the heck? But I'll tell you what, speaking of friends, Harry wishes he were anywhere but here right now. Like, I think Harry has known that this conversation is going to or would have been coming ever since two years ago when the whole thing with Hermione and Crumb came up. Now that that's resolved, Harry had to have known this day would come where his friends are talking about their feelings. And his big takeaway via the inner monologue is basically, how does this affect me? What if their relationship goes wrong? Will it be. Will they be ostracized? Will it be difficult if they don't talk to each other? Because remember that one time a few years ago when they didn't talk to each other? It was really uncomfortable for me, Harry. And. Or what if they like each other too much? And it's like a Bill and Fleur situation? We're all just like, yuck.

[A]

I think these are valid concerns, actually. And when he says, well, what does this mean for me. He also means what does this mean for the friend group? Because he's right that a romantic breakup between Ron and Hermione could impact the trio's friendship. Harry might have to pick a side if that happens too. That would be awful. Laura was just talking about examples of how this pertains to real life dating. Here's some example. This is a very real situation. When a couple breaks up, the friends often have to decide which side they're going to stand with. And then you also have to mourn the loss, the loss of the friend group that once was. And this very small friend group Harry wants to keep together. So there is some risk seeing them get together. Yeah. And I feel bad for Harry if, if Ron and Hermione got together, Harry would end up being a third wheel in a lot of situations. Ron and Hermione would go on a date. What's Harry gonna do? Go hang out with Luna? I guess he could make some other friends. This would be a good opportunity for him to. Yeah, go with Hagrid. Oh, but what if he's with Maxime? He's so lonely then. No, he's right. You're right, Micah. He could find other people. But I understand where Harry's coming from. It's not just like if only there.

[B]

Were like some other girl somewhere like maybe had a sister or something. Maybe she could date Harry.

[C]

I agree with you though, Andrew. I do think it would change the dynamic. But Harry already has a little bit of a taste for this because both Ron and Hermione are prefects and we see how that has to impact Harry when he's on the train, for example. Right. He ends up sitting with Luna and Neville as a result because Ron and Hermione are not around. He needs to find, to your point, other friends. And I wonder if that's playing a role in all this. He's like, well, I already kind of know what this is like. But this would take it to a whole other level where they would be spending far much more time with each other without Harry around.

[D]

Right. Well. And you know when it comes to the prefect role, there's an end to that. Right. And the end to Ron and Hermione being prefect.

[C]

That's true.

[D]

Is not something that is going to cause their friend group to break apart. But potentially the end of their relationship is something that'll affect the friend group. To all the points raised before. I also just think it's normal for Harry to kind of selfishly wonder about this. But what I really like about it is he keeps this an inside thought. He never once comes out and tries to get in their way.

[B]

True.

[D]

I like, because if it were Ron.

[B]

If it were Ron, he'd be like, oh, I guess you guys are gonna be king and queen slug now at the Christmas party. That's gonna be annoying. I know. Yeah.

[D]

But no, I think, actually, I think Harry's like the most mature character in this chapter.

[B]

Yeah, he's mostly been relegated to the role of, like, observer of everyone else's cray. I mentioned earlier that this chapter does center around the Quidditch match. But as we have a practice, it seems like Ron and Hermione from this brief conversation in Herbology are being polite to each other, but Ron has a bad practice. And the ways in which Ron Weasley and the, you know, sort of spirals in this chapter down to not just ruining what maybe the major advance has just been with him and Hermione to all out having her magically attack him at the end of the chapter, as we know that she does. I basically broke it down into three steps. Like, first of all, after practice, Ron is just out of control. He didn't perform well. And he as Harry is like having to shower compliments on him the entire way back up to Gryffindor Tower to like, make him feel normal about it. They encounter Ginny and Dean kissing and Ron thinks he's gonna win a fight, but he picks a fight and he loses and is even therefore more sad and sore about it in general.

[C]

He certainly picks the wrong person to fight with and he's just itching for the opportunity to have a go. But I think he should have known better than to have it out with Ginny. And the fact that he was willing to call her a whore basically is really out of character for him. That honestly surprised me. I know the author made the choice not to put that word in there, but we're all meant to assume that that's what he was thinking. And I just think he's desperate to find a situation where he can exert his own authority and he feels like maybe this is it, big brother to little sister. But the rub is that there's some jealousy at play here too, because his sister is more advanced. Somebody mentioned this earlier in the world of dating and relationships than he is. So it's a lose, lose, lose situation for Ron, and he leaves this probably feeling even worse than when he came in.

[B]

Yeah, totally. As somebody with a sister myself, I know that sometimes they know exactly what to say to destroy your ego. And this is Kind of what Ginny says to him, getting on Ron and saying the part that he's thinking, his insecurity, she identifies it so well, calling him inexperienced. And I know we've speculated in the past that it's the content of what she says that actually leads directly to his eventual overreaction towards the end of the chapter.

[A]

But this is also Ron's fault. He could be trying to date more, but he's choosing. Choosing not to. Ginny has made an effort to actually try and date some people and now we're seeing the results of that. So I think Ron is also just mad at himself for not. For spending maybe too much time with Harry and Hermione and less time, you know, hanging out with some other ladies.

[B]

I think that's 100% true. And something that I have, I think, real sympathy for for the first time in living memory for me, Andrew, is based on what you said about, you know, in real life when friends break up, it's messy. Hogwarts is a small, small town. Hogwarts is the tiniest world you'll ever be a part of. There are five people your age that sleep in the same room as you that are your entire social circle and.

[A]

You'Re stuck with them for years.

[B]

Yeah. And lavender brown, like so Ron is maybe interested or. Lavender has definitely shown that she's interested in Ron. She's Hermione's dorm mate, we believe. And how awkward would that. Would that be if something got out? Or you can tell. Lavender is probably boasting about, you know, anything that's happening in the future. And this does happen. But my point is if anyone is hesitant to start a relationship when they're at Hogwarts, and who can blame em, because everyone will talk.

[D]

Yeah, I mean that's always kind of the downside of going to a small school in general. I went to a pretty small undergraduate college and it was not as small as Hogwarts, but it was still pretty small. And it was one of those things where like yeah, like news of news of breakups carried very quickly across the campus and sometimes it could be hard to not run into people that you didn't want to run into because it's a small student body.

[B]

So I think maybe one of Ron's biggest mistakes in this chapter though is his attitude the following morning. He's still sour about it when they're at breakfast and Hermione tries to do Ron a solid by warning him about what Harry has just done, which is presumably slipped something into his morning beverage and Ron not only is not concerned with what Hermione has to add, which at this point, she has not done anything against him. First of all, let's point that out. He is so upset over his own stuff that he downs the drink, is like, don't care, whatever. And it's not even because he thinks it's Felix Felicis. He doesn't even realize the implications of this moment until they're walking to the Quidditch pitch. So Ron, in that moment has taken somebody who legitimately cares about him in Hermione and done something that throws it in there in her face. And I'm just like, dude. And he's slept on this and he still feels bad. So I, I, I guess I can just appreciate the discomfort surrounding Ron's character in this chapter because I can't say I've known anybody who was this insecure or this outwardly sort of raging about it that they would actively destroy. And yet it is a known psychological fact that sometimes, you know, when we're hurting, we lash out.

[D]

Yeah, hurt people. Hurt people, right? Isn't that the saying?

[C]

Would Harry have put anything bad in Ron's cup?

[D]

No.

[A]

And that's the thing that bugs me about Hermione reacting this way. Yeah, she trusts Harry. Talk to me especially what?

[C]

Talk to me about this.

[A]

No, seriously. Harry would never put Ron in danger. And Hermione knows that they, she knows how close Harry and Ron are. So I just can't figure out why Hermione calls this out in front of Ron. It. She has these moments that seem way out of character. We keep highlighting them through the course of this chapter by chapter series. And this is another example of that.

[D]

I don't think it's out of character. I mean, it's illegal. That that feels perfectly in character. For Hermione to be like that is illegal. That is unethical. I think it's very much in line with how we see her reacting about the Prince's textbook too.

[B]

Right.

[D]

So she, in her own way, she's trying to protect her friend from potentially doing something illegal or like having their drink illegally spiked without their knowledge or consent. Like, I think she is trying to do the right thing thing. But I also think Harry's kind of playing her right here. Harry's kind of using her because he knows he's kind of being Dumbledore. He's doing like the chess master thing where he's like, if I can get Hermione to react the way I want her to react, that'll be what I need to plant the seed in Ron's head to make him think that he's gotten this Felix Felicis.

[B]

That's what he needs is he needs a show to show. He needs somebody that's not him to say what he's pretending to do.

[D]

Right.

[B]

Yeah. So actually let's talk about how Harry's a bad friend.

[C]

Let's not forget though that Hermione just a few chapters ago confounded Cormac. So if we're going to talk about cheating at Quidditch, she's not one to talk.

[B]

Well, and that's, and that's kind of Hermione and Harry's share like shared secret almost here is what they're both doing or what they both supposedly did to help Ron succeed. And so yeah, I will say like to the question of whether it feels, I want to say contrived that Hermione stops Harry. I agree she's trying to do him a solid, but I also think that maybe there's this moment where she might want to think about what she brings up because Harry eventually does say, oh, confounded anyone lately? Which is like really mean. Maybe, God, maybe Harry's a bad friend to Hermione in this chapter. But like in general, she doesn't have a leg to stand on. So bringing it up makes it a little bit more precarious for her. If Harry were to bring up in that moment what she did to get him on the team, Ron would be go back to being crushed, Felix Felicis or not, and he would not succeed in the match ahead. So the match goes beautifully. Harry's plan, Harry's Machiavellian chess master plan works. Ron saves a ton of goals. But when it's revealed what Harry did, rather than being upset or any such way at Harry, Hermione, who points it out, who's confronting him saying, what you did was wrong, he's like, no, I didn't do anything. Ron immediately turns sour and says to Hermione, you thought you assumed that I only just performed so well because of the potion and now I'm cross with you. And guys, this is a step too far. I'm tapping out here. This, this is, this is too much. There were so many things that had to go perfectly right in that Quidditch match, including all the Slytherin absences and it just happened as if he had really taken the potion and even he thought it. But now he wants to get Sora Hermione for suggesting it and that, that's too much.

[C]

Yeah, but the thing for Ron is that he believed it for a minute, too. It wasn't just Hermione who believed it. It was. It was Ron as well. And so he needs to give himself a little bit of a gut check here before lashing out the way that he does at Hermione. And I honestly, like, I don't know what crawled up his butt as far as making him so angry in this chapter towards her, but he's using every opportunity to just lay into her for presumably no reason.

[D]

And it doesn't get really jealous.

[A]

Yeah, that's what. Yeah, I was just gonna say that. And it doesn't get any better in the next chapter either. They're experiencing romantic jealousy for the first time. Ron is in particular. And it's. He's showing it in a really ugly way. He doesn't know how to handle it. Hashtag Hogwarts needs therapists. He's just.

[B]

Well, yeah, yeah.

[A]

And.

[C]

And I know we'll probably touch on this a little bit later on in the discussion, but the jealousy. Jealous of what, though? Hermione's not actively dating anybody at this point.

[B]

Right.

[C]

So it's. It's almost like the jealousy is misplaced.

[A]

Yeah. Again, he's mad at himself, but I think he wishes Hermione just came out and said, come to Slughorn's party with me. I think that's kind of what's happening here. He's mad that it was Hermione wasn't as clear and he was livid to hear about Cormac. He's living to be a third wheel in terms of this party and not getting an invite himself.

[C]

I would say in this moment, it's less jealousy, it's more the frustration that Hermione doesn't have the confidence in him that he could have done what he did in that match by himself.

[B]

Which pot calling the kettle black. He doesn't either.

[C]

No, I know I said that earlier.

[D]

It's projection. It's like classic projection here. He's, like, projecting his own insecurities onto her so that he does not have to grapple with feeling that way himself. He can, like, blame somebody else for it. And because he's already feeling that romantic jealousy that Andrew was talking about, she's like, a very natural destination for that frustration. Also, I would just point out, I think a pretty big consideration here is that the guy that Hermione dated in the last couple of years literally used to be Ron's Quidditch hero.

[B]

Oh.

[D]

And, yeah. So he had to watch his Quidditch hero take his girl to the Yule ball.

[B]

Yeah. And now he thinks that this other guy who almost did as good or better than him at Quidditch tryouts is gonna take Hermione to the Slug Club.

[D]

Even though Hermione has literally never expressed interest in Cormac, by the way. That is all in Ron's head.

[B]

Yeah, that's why this is such a crappy thing to do to your friends. But I will say there's a moment where I, I do feel very like, I feel what Ron must be feeling, which is like Ron has a very clear picture of what he wants. Right. For once he knows that he wants to be dating Hermione, he has no idea how to make that happen. He has no idea kind of what he, what steps he can take. And, and like, he just wants it to be done. And when it's not done magically for him, when the circumstances don't align a hundred percent, he inverts it and turns angry and is reckless, all because he. Which he has no reason to suspect. If you do nothing, and I'm speaking from personal experience, if you have wants and goals and you do nothing to achieve them, you have no right being angry when they don't occur. You gotta seize the day. You gotta look at all opportunities exam in every possible moment. And, and, and Ron is just. I think a lot of Ron's anger, as we said, is directed towards himself, but it's directed towards himself for not being in a relationship with Hermione. And the reason he's not in a relationship with Hermione is he's never tried.

[A]

Yeah, you mentioned the Slytherin absences too, a few minutes ago, Eric.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Even though Harry does not administer the Felix Felicis, it sure seems like he did. Because we hear, oh, Slytherin has some absences. And Zacharias Smith even comments that Ron is lucky while playing. I think absences and Zachariah Smith saying lucky are meant to be a misdirect for the reader. And that makes it all the better by the end of this chapter when we find out that Harry actually did not administer the Felix Felicis illegally.

[C]

It's your classic placebo effect, right? At least as it relates to Ron's performance. Can't say anything of, you know, the rest is just coincidental. But yeah, it's like, you know, when they administer placebos for people who maybe they're dealing with a certain condition and all of a sudden they get better and it's like, well, clearly then it wasn't the medicine that was responsible for you Getting better. It was your body and your mindset and that's what happened here. Ron performed well because he thought that he had taken something that was going to enhance his performance.

[B]

And look at that. He should learn something from this, which he should learn that he actually does have what it takes to be a good keeper. He won't, but.

[A]

And speaking of Draco's absence, he was probably just busy trying to figure out the Dumbledore situation, right? That's really what it comes down to.

[B]

Yep, absolutely.

[C]

Well, we do inadvertently, indirectly come across not Draco, but what he is up to in this chapter because there is a young girl that Harry bumps into that drops some toad spawn. This is right, I believe, as they're catching Ginny and Dean snogging. And the dropping of the toad spawn was meant to be a signal to Draco who was in the room of Requirement up to no good. So we don't find that out, of course, until later. So one of those was. It would either have been Crabbe and Goyle dressed up as a young woman.

[B]

Well, Polyjuiced. Yeah.

[C]

Polyjuiced.

[B]

No, it's. It's interesting because it, you know, Harry can go on and on and on and on and on about Malfoy's plot, but Malfoy is just doing what he's doing. Like he, he, he quit. Well, he didn't quit Quidditch, but he just doesn't show up for the game. He doesn't care anymore. And it's an interesting guy like Draco. We know why his priorities have realigned differently. But it's the absence of Draco and this recent injury during practice of. Was it. They're one of their beaters that really put Slytherin in a deficit that allows Gryffindor and Ron to win. So I don't know. I'm just so shocked by how Draco. I guess I'm not shocked. Draco doesn't care about Quidditch anymore.

[A]

He just has bigger fish to fry. I don't know if it's necessarily about Quidditch. He's just got bigger things on his mind now. You know, when you get those, like, bigger, I don't know, tasks in life or whatever, your priorities shift, at least for a little while.

[B]

Well, and Quidditch just used to be the Gryffindor and Slytherin game used to just be a great opportunity for Malfoy to make fun of some Gryffindors, which he loves doing.

[A]

And now he's working for Voldemort like He's got a way different perspective.

[B]

He'll really hone the Gryffindors.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

This way. Yeah. He'll get them later. We have one more moment where he screws something up, which is at the end of the chapter and I guess, celebrating his Quidditch victory, he goes and snogs Lavender Brown. And not just in a quiet place, but in the main Gryffindor common room. Everybody knows everybody. Everybody who doesn't see him directly will hear about this. Because Gryffindor is a small town. And it just breaks something in Hermione, I think. And Harry is left to kind of help pick up the pieces here. And I'm just like, Ron, in this chapter, you, under my theory, found out that Hermione really does like you. She's gonna invite you to the Christmas party. But in general, this has been a trend for so long and now you wanna go and jeopardize that. You wanna throw everything, including the friendship too. Because what he does isn't just a romantically harmful move. What he does is, is he's trying to hurt Hermione as a friend. He's trying to hurt her feelings. He just. He just chooses to do this. This is the thing that he chooses to do.

[D]

Yeah. I mean, ultimately, I think it all comes back to the projection and the insecurity because he's convinced himself, oh, see, she didn't believe in me. Even though he knows deep down he didn't believe in himself either. But he's projecting that onto her. And then he's going to Lavender, who has very much been making it clear to Ron for the last few chapters that she believes in him and she's interested in him. So he went to the first person who expressed any level of, like, unconditional interest in him.

[C]

And he's on a high, too. Right. Like, he's coming off this huge performance and the opportunity is there.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And he takes it.

[A]

Yeah. When you're feeling happy like that you might feel more inspired to do something you wouldn't otherwise do.

[B]

Yeah. But, I mean, he could be kissing Hermione too, if only he would do the. Take the steps necessary to get there. Right.

[A]

But now they're feuding, so I don't even know if that's. I don't know if Hermione wants that right now.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Hermione's also not the type to just want to make out in the middle of the common room in front of everybody. That's just, like, not who she is. So Ron is. I mean, he's also just as much putting on a show for everyone else as he is lying to himself. Right. Because he's wanting to show everyone. Like, see, I have experience too.

[B]

I am desirable.

[D]

Right.

[B]

It's almost something that. Like what Cormac would do.

[D]

Uh huh.

[C]

Some of it probably stems from his blow up with Jenny as well. Why he chooses to act this way in this particular moment.

[D]

Yep.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[B]

Ginny again, sisters have a way with words. She accuses him of not snogging anyone besides their aunt, having no romantic history. And by the end of the chapter, he's in somebody's arms kissing them. So what are you gonna do? He fixed it.

[C]

It's all Ginny's fault.

[B]

Yeah, probably. Probably. We're gonna talk about Ginny. But first we have to hear a word from our SP.

[A]

Right now. Get up to 20% off select online storage solutions put heavy duty HDX totes to good use, protecting what's important to you. The solid impact resistant design prevents cracking and the clear base and sides make items easy to find even when the totes are stacked. Find select online shelving and tote storage up to 20% off at the Home Depot. To organize every room in your home.

[C]

From your garage to your attic, visit.

[A]

Homedepot.Com how doers get more done.

[B]

All right, welcome back. And my day has been made because in terms of people catching feelings for one another, it somehow finally at long last dawns upon Harry that he has feelings for Ron's sister Jenny. Now, oddly enough, it's when she's kissing Dean and they happened to come across it in the tapestry on the seventh floor. But you know, I'm glad Harry arrived at this place.

[A]

Yeah. And I think across this chapter we're seeing that Harry and Ron both feel like the ones being left out, but for different reasons. Harry wants Jenny, Ron wants Hermione, and they're both coping with them getting the attention of others. So we just keep bringing this word up. Jealousy, romantic jealousy is the name of the game in this chapter. They don't know how to make those first moves because they're so young. You can't blame them.

[B]

Yeah, it's. And I've always liked the metaphor of the chess monster because it's kind of funny. But the way in which it's described, right. Like Harry and Ron are going through the same exact things. It's a great point, Andrew. They also are like, because Harry's not malicious about it, he's just like quietly fantasizing instead of acting out. Like he doesn't go and punch Dean. Although I. Something says he kind of wants to. Right. Tarim. Limb from limb. My God. But like, Harry keeps his cool in.

[A]

Terms of ripping Dean Lynn from limb. And we mentioned. Eric, you mentioned the Chess Monster. Could this be the Horcrux talking? We've kind of talked about this concept a few times over the course of chapter by chapter.

[B]

I love that we ask this question every time. Yes, the. The Horcrux is lonely, too. It's. The Horcrux is so long since that Horcrux has gotten laid and it really needs some romance.

[A]

The Horcrux tried Tinder, but everybody was like, ooh, Horcrux. I've seen Baby Voldemort, and I don't want that now.

[B]

I feel really bad for that piece of Horcrux that's in Harry's soul. Has to watch his teenage eyes. And it's already lived through being a teenager once.

[D]

You know, if we're going to talk about this potentially being at least somewhat Horcrux influenced, I think it's also interesting to think about that with the reading in mind that some part of that Horcrux may have an awareness of who Jenny is. Oh, depending on how you want to think about, like, the Horcrux hive mind. I know we've talked about that before, so I wonder if there's any overlap there. But honestly, what I love about this is that it could be both. Because who among us has not felt something akin to this.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

When we were really jealous, especially if it was in a romantic context and we were really young and we didn't yet have, like, the words to articulate what we wanted, nor did we have the courage to articulate it. Like, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Seeing other people as people is the hardest journey we all have to make, I think, as teenagers.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

I think Chess Monster is a really good way for the author to put it. I see it as kind of like a burning feeling inside of you. That burning jealousy.

[B]

Or is that acid reflux?

[A]

Well, I take Tums for that.

[D]

No, that's only now because we're all like.

[C]

Yeah, we're all really old, generally. I. I agree. I think the extra level of aggression can definitely be the Horcrux. But as has been stated, it, it's frustrating to see the person you like with somebody else. I don't necessarily recall Harry getting this hot when Joe was with Cedric.

[B]

Right.

[C]

But he's entitled to feel the way that he's feeling. I actually commend him for not acting in A way that would have severely injured Dean.

[B]

Yeah, because it is that that primal urge is almost like, I'm going to dominate now. You know, I will. I will take over. There's a rival for somebody else's affection. I will crush them.

[C]

Right.

[D]

You know.

[C]

Oh, God. Sorry.

[D]

Oh, sorry. I was gonna say, you know, about Cho and Cedric, he was definitely salty about it, but he kept it all to that inner monologue, really, for the most part. And he couldn't really stay salty for that long because it became clear to him, like, Cedric was just a genuinely nice guy. So I think Harry's pretty mature with how he handles these feelings insofar as, like, he lets himself have them, but he doesn't generally tend to, like, blow up on people the way Ron does. But I would also say Harry didn't like Cho that much. I think he likes Ginny a lot more. When he was really infatuated with Cho, it was because she was pretty. He thought she was a really pretty girl and she seemed really nice. The more that he got to know her, it became clear he didn't like her very much. So I just don't. I think. I think it's kind of apples and oranges to think about. Why is Harry feeling so strongly with regards to Ginny? He just. He knows her better and he likes her more.

[C]

I can see that. The. The other side of this that I thought was really interesting to read was the big brother angle. Harry tries to almost dismiss his feelings for Ginny and play them off as well. I'm like a older brother to her.

[B]

She's off limits.

[C]

Well, not even that she's off limits, but, I mean, I'm sure that's playing into it, but just the way that he's thinking about her is like, he's almost using it as an excuse for why he can't feel romantically about her.

[B]

Yeah, he's trying to talk himself out of it.

[A]

And it's somewhat valid because you have to think that she might be feeling. He's been friend zoned as well.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Yeah. Well, it's. It's so funny to see the script flipped here too. This is a really great connecting the threads moment, but in book two, Ginny was the one who was obsessed with Harry, and Harry did not think about her in any sort of, like, romance. Not that, I mean, they were 11 and 12, but like in a crush type way. Like in that childlike crush type way. He. He thought it was actually kind of embarrassing coming from her. But now the table, like, the script is flipped And Ginny is the really cool, popular one who has guys going on. Yeah. Kind of lined up.

[A]

Well. And another lesson here is that often timing just does not work out. Whether it's 11 or 12 year olds or 30 year olds, 20 year olds. Sometimes, you know, people are in relationships at different times, they're moving around, whatever. There's so many different factors and a lot of relationships end up not working out because of timing. So this is another. That's what's cool about the Harry Potter books. In a lot of literature, you can apply these things to different parts of your life. Even if the story is about children, you see these things come up later in life.

[B]

Yeah, but Harry is definitely falling for Ginny. He. He has. Now that the monster has awoken, he take. He takes it to bed and he straight up has intimate dreams about him and Ginny that carry him through the evening.

[C]

The one thing I just wanted to bring up before we move on with this chapter more broadly, and I kind of mentioned it a little bit earlier, is that some of this does feel a little bit forced. Remember, we're coming off a chapter where we were just. With Dumbledore, we were at the orphanage looking at a young Tom Riddle. And then the next chapter, all of a sudden it feels like we're being force fed. Ron and Hermione and this Harry and Ginny tension. Not that it hasn't been there at times, but it. It just. I don't know, maybe this is just from the reread. It just. It doesn't feel as natural.

[A]

It is a bit of whiplash, definitely.

[B]

It always felt more natural, I think, to me when reading it when I was younger than it does on this reread. I think if there were like, if you Picture Book six and there's a couple of levers for different plot threads, but the history of Voldemort. Right. Learning about that. The romance angle. It's like the romance angle lever was sitting at a one and now all of a sudden it's a nine. We're 14 chapters in. It wasn't a gradual increase where each chapter is getting more and more one thing, it is whiplash. That's a great way of describing it.

[A]

But it's Sluggorton's fault. He didn't have to do this party. Blame Slughorn.

[B]

Micah. Yeah. Forcing everyone to pair up. Gross.

[D]

I feel kind of mixed on this because on the one hand I agree. I think in general, I would attribute a lot of that feeling of whiplash to the fact that Ginny, up until this moment has not gotten great character development. I think if we had seen more of her in books like three through five, which we did see quite a bit more of her in five. But to really only get to spend time with her in books two, five and now six, there just hasn't been a lot of opportunity for the character development that have. That would have made this feel natural. But I always come back to the fact that these are teenagers. And I remember being this age and people kind of coupled up out of nowhere when we were young. Do y' all remember that? It was just like people, like they would date and they would break up and then the next week they would be with somebody else. Like, it was just when the hormones are flying the way that they are at this age, it kind of can feel like whiplash. The way people get together.

[B]

It's time for odds and ends. And I have another Britishism for you all to comment on. I want this on the record, please. They're in herbology. They're wrestling these Snargalov pods. And just before the lesson, Harry inserts a gum shield.

[A]

This one wasn't difficult to me, just meeting a mouthguard.

[B]

Yeah, when I think of shield, I think of like, you know, knights in shining armor kind of or something.

[C]

Guard. I did not think of mouthguard at all.

[B]

Oh, thanks.

[C]

Gum shield.

[B]

Thank you, Micah.

[A]

And he's a sports bro. That's interesting. I feel like they have.

[C]

I thought maybe it was like a spell. A gum shield.

[A]

Oh, that could make sense too. Okay. And just a couple of seven and 12 alerts. Just wanted to mention that Quidditch Practice starts at 7pm Ginny accuses Ron of having the experience of a 12 year old. Harry and Ron walk through a seventh floor corridor right after the fight that occurs. Just this number is just. These two numbers are just used a lot. And I don't know, it constantly entertains me. It's fun looking out for these two numbers.

[B]

Yeah, well, thanks for that. And now it's time for MVP of the week. Who is the most chaotic character of this chapter?

[A]

So I'm gonna give it to Ron for his rage at Ginny snogging Dean. It was a lot.

[B]

I'm gonna give it to Hermione. The final confrontation with Ron, with the birds pecking and scraping. Very chaotic.

[C]

I'm gonna go with Ginny just because of, number one, taking out Zachariah Smith for his commentary during the Quidditch match. And the way she stands up to Ron. Yeah, she's all over the place. This chapter. But in a Good way.

[A]

Love it.

[D]

And I'm gonna plus one on Ron here, despite the fact that I. I feel pretty comfortable, like, psychoanalyzing him this chapter. And I think it's pretty clear why he's doing what he's doing. He's immature and out of line the entire chapter, so he gets my nomination.

[A]

Well, speaking of MVP of the week on Spotify, we received this comment from Beatles Chica about last week's MVP question concerning Tom Riddle's most unforgivable moment. They said, quote, as a bun mom to a rescued house bunny named Luna Lovegood, I agree with Micah and Eric that Tom's torturing of the poor bunny as most unforgivable. And thank you, Laura, for the PSA condemning animal bunny abuse. Much love to y' all from a fellow millennial.

[B]

Now, was that rabbit named Luna Love good or Luna Love food?

[A]

Oh, sorry, it does say Luna love Food. Yes, I guess it was Luna Love Food. Luna Love Food. Clever. What is Beatles Chica?

[B]

And now it's time for the Lynx line. The question that we had. This is good. We talked about this earlier in terms of timing not being right. We asked if you've ever started dating someone that you first knew for years beforehand, or if you were friends with and decided to romantically date, and if so, how did it turn out?

[A]

So Marta said, it wasn't me, but I know a woman who, during her college years, started going out with the older brother of her high school best friend. They turned out to be the loves of each other's lives and became my parents. Huge. That's beautiful.

[B]

Wow.

[D]

Beautiful.

[B]

I love that sometimes it does work out. Love it so much. Rachel says, I met a guy on Bumble, but after a couple dates with no sparks, we ended up becoming great friends. As the years have passed, I found myself wondering if maybe we could be something more since we've both grown a lot since that first meeting. That makes sense. In a rare moment of bravery, I brought it up with him. He very kindly rejected me and said I'll always be one of his best friends.

[A]

I wasn't too.

[B]

Aw, guys, we should have brought tissues to this links line. My God. Anyway, Rachel continues to say I wasn't too hurt and was genuinely thrilled when he said he had a girlfriend a few months later.

[C]

Oh, all right.

[A]

As long as you're okay with it, you're happy.

[D]

I think this is very sweet and mature and good for you for being.

[A]

Brave, sweet and mature. Couldn't be me.

[C]

Jason says, my wife and I went to the same high school and were part of the same friend group. I didn't realize I had feelings for her until about a month after we graduated. I wrote her a letter telling her how I felt and asked if she'd like to go out sometime. She said yes, and 34 years later, we've been married for 26 years and have raised three wonderful kids. All Harry Potter fans, of course.

[A]

That's wonderful.

[B]

Hashtag shoot your shot after you graduate.

[D]

Oh, and Kristin's gonna bring us home. She says. I met my husband while we were in high school and we instantly became friends. I had a huge crush on him, but I was always too afraid to say anything. We went to the same college and one night out of the blue, he asked me out for dinner and drinks. Turns out he also had a crush on me the whole time, but was too afraid to say anything. We've now been together for 15 years, married the last four years, and just bought our first house together.

[B]

Awesome.

[D]

Love that.

[A]

Thank you to the Slug Club members of the Mugglecast Patreon for contributing to this week's links line. We ask a new question every week and then read your answers on air. If you have feedback about today's episode, you can email or send a voice memo that you record on your phone to mugglecastgmail.com. you can also reach out via Spotify or YouTube or DM. Us on social and next week we continue our Half Blood Pressure Prince discussion with chapter 15, the Unbreakable Vow. And for the first time in a long time, I'm going to be leading a chapter discussion. Yay. I'm back in the rotation.

[B]

Pulling your weight around here, Andrew.

[A]

At last, visit mugglecast.com for links to our social media, our Patreon, our transcripts, our favorite episodes, and lots more. And if you're looking for more podcasting from the four of us, listen to our other shows, Millennial and what the Hype for more pop culture and real world talk. And now it's time for our weekly trivia game Quizzage.

[B]

This week's question has to do with mouth organs. The harmonica was one of two musical instruments. I mean, if people just like the British terms, I'm just gonna be okay with it now and I'm just gonna call them by that.

[A]

Okay?

[D]

Hey, that's great.

[B]

Yeah. Thank you. On December 16, 1965, astronauts Wally Sherman and Tom Stafford played a prank on mission control by reporting a ufo which turn to be Santa Claus. What songs do the astronauts play on that harmonica slash mouth organ that became the first song played in space. It's Jingle Bells. And believe it or not, the recording of this song, we're not going to play it because it's actually awful. It was a very old harmonica that I could only do eight notes, but it's on YouTube. Check it out. When you're checking out our game playthrough, 33% of people said they did look it up, which means 66% of people knew that Jingle Bells was the first song played in space. Congratulations to those who submitted the correct answer, including Cheese Shark, Draco's Etsy badge, and coin shop Harmony. How does a plum velvet suit wearing Dumbledore not get chucked out of that orphanage? Mad eye. Maroonie, Rachel. Puff Rachel. Really sorry I had to look it up. Shout out to the Smithsonian's podcast side Door, who talked to me about. Talked about this in an episode. The marvelous mechanical mouse organ that was only ever just a marvelous mechanical mouse organ. And Brits of a certain age will get this. And at long last, returning to the fray of Quizzic, our dear friend Tofu Tom submitted.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Welcome back, Tom. Welcome back. Here's next week's quizzage question. In chapter 14 of book 6, Ron receives the benefits of what's known as the placebo effect. Nice. Shout out, Micah. When Harry fakes giving him Felix Felicis before Quidditch, what is the similar term used when a fake pill is given and produces a negative result? What is that called? Submit your answer to us on the quizzic form located on The Mugglecast website, mugglecast.com quizzitch if you're already on the website, maybe you're checking out transcripts or Mustlesson's page. Just click on Quizzic from the main nav bar.

[C]

Such a good question, Eric. I don't know the answer.

[B]

Ooh.

[A]

Micah, do you still find Ron a prefect and not a prat by the end of today's episode?

[B]

Yeah. Oh, okay.

[C]

He's both. Oh, okay, he's both a prefect and a prat.

[A]

So you will be in the prat line after the prefect line. Got it.

[D]

See, I thought you were gonna come up with another word that starts with pr, but me too.

[A]

I was shocked he didn't.

[C]

What would that be? Prick.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

There you go.

[A]

Thanks, everyone, for listening. I'm Andrew. I'm Eric.

[C]

I'm Micah.

[D]

And I'm Laura.

[A]

Bye, everyone.

[D]

Bye.

[C]

Sam.