December 09, 2025

The Great MuggleCast Bake Off (HBP Chapter 9, 'The Half-Blood Prince')

1 hour 11 minutes

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This week, explore the various teaching competencies of Hogwarts staff, and join the MuggleCasters as Harry dusts off an old potions book to find a cramped surprise within! With Slug Club member Audrey joining the discussion, it’s a can’t-miss episode covering the ethics of letting someone else do all the work.

Welcome to the show Slug Club member Audrey!

Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 9: The Half-Blood Prince The MuggleCast Pensieve segment highlights our last discussion of this chapter back on MuggleCast #389!

How does McGonagall’s attentiveness, which makes her a great teacher, compare with Slughorn’s incentivizing students to achieve their best work yet? Do less successful teachers (cough, Trelawney, cough, Snape) have something to learn from other teaching styles?

Does the arrangement between Firenze and Trelawney to both teach Divination make sense?

Was Snape really going to attack Harry? (All signs point to yes!)

Crackpot Theory: Is Snape only being as awful as ever to Harry because Malfoy, now a Death Eater, is watching?

Is Horace Slughorn... a good teacher?! His first lesson seems amazing. What would he be like with younger students?

What are the pros and cons of Harry coming clean, and is what he chooses to do ethical? Is Hermione or Ginny closer to being right?

Connections between this chapter and books 2 and 1 are plentiful! We discuss all the ones we found.

MVP: Top sassy Harry lines that AREN’T “There’s no need to call me sir, professor.”

Lynx Line: Have you ever had a school subject that you loved be taught by someone that you didn’t? How did it go?

Participate in our weekly trivia segment by answering this week’s Quizzitch question at MuggleCast.com/Quizzitch!

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By Harry Potter

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