Hogwarts University

What do the two things in our title this week have in common? They're both potions ingredients (yuck)! Let's take a closer look at the history of potion making, inspired by Snape's snarky comments to Harry in Chapter 8 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. You may even be surprised to find out that you make potions more often than you think.

We hope you've still got your bag of Halloween candy out for this episode. After Courtney gives a recap of Chapter 6 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the professors dive straight into a tangent. And another tangent. But eventually, Alex gives a lesson on the history of candy. Did wizards invent jelly beans? Does flowers dipped in honey count as a treat? Come find out, and bring some Reese's with you!

Believe it or not, there's a lot more to flying than quidditch. Come along as Alex recaps Chapter 5 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, before Courtney takes us all on a broom adventure we weren't expecting. Underage witches and wizards beware!

It's another bird-filled lesson here at Hogwarts University. This week, Alex discusses the plot of Chapter 4 (or lack thereof) before Professor Courtney teaches about the different types of owls in the Wizarding World. Is it true that Hedwig has metal talons of doom? Does Percy's screech owl ever shut up? Listen carefully- you never know when there will be a pop quiz!

Speaking of talons of doom, it seems that a snowy owl did a number to our sound bytes for this episode. We *promise* this is the last episode with technical issues, as starting with Chapter 5 we used new recording equipment and software. Thanks for bearing with us, listeners! We love you already!

Dumbledore had 11 years to think about the best way to introduce Harry to magic, and still the best he came up with was letters inside eggs and fireplaces? We don't think so. After Courtney recaps Chapter 3 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Alex gives a rundown of wizard communication methods and why pretty much anything would have been better than what actually happened. Buckle in for some thoughtful discussions, including the discomfort of firetalk and why London birds are the worst. 

P.S. to our lovely listeners- the glitch where our voices overlap happens again in the last ten minutes or so of the podcast. Hang in there, because we started using a new, wonderful recording app in Chapter 5! The end of technical glitches is near! Or so Alex hopes.

Herpo the Foul would be proud of this episode. Courtney recaps Chapter 2 of Sorcerer's Stone before Alex dives into the symbolism of snakes throughout history- though the professors get caught in a few rabbit holes along the way. What is open loop time travel? What Hogwarts teachers are in a relationship? Why on earth was Cursed Child produced? Find the answers inside. 

Thanksss for listening, amigo.

Let's start at the very beginning: Chapter 1 of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's (Sorcerer's?) Stone! After a quick recap by Alex, Courtney dives into the history and origins of witch fashion. Rants include advocating for the badassery of alewives and how some mummies aren’t really mummified.

P.S. There's a couple of technical glitches in the last few minutes of the episode where it sounds like we are talking over one another. We are working on fixing these glitches and hope to have them out of future episodes!