The Potter Discussion: The Harry Potter TV Show Podcast

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In this episode, we discuss some of Ginny Weasley's best moments. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      1:49 “Have you seen my jumper?”. This first scene isn’t exactly a show of strength or intelligence, but it is a fantastic benchmark for Ginny’s later relationship with Harry. It gives us good perspective to see how they started out with Ginny not being able to stay in the same room to married much later on.

·      5:09 Ginny tries to tell Harry and Ron about the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny was very much outside her comfort zone and put herself out there to try and tell Harry and Ron about her secrets and her relationship with Tom. She plucked up the courage as a first year to come forward against everything Tom was telling her and tell the truth. She had the power to take the whole operation down, and even though she didn’t, if Percy hadn’t taken her seat, she just might have. 

·      9:43 “Reducto!”. This is Ginny’s moment. She’s a fourth year at this point and has learned some pretty substantial magic. She goes to the Ministry with Harry, and the Death Eaters corner them. Ginny steps up and casts her mean Reducto and takes the entire hall down. It is a fantastic moment! We can see her confidence and power shine.

·      13:44 Fighting Bellatrix. Ginny holds her ground ageist Bellatrix and though she might not have any chance of really beating her and Molly has to step up, Ginny didn’t run. She didn’t turn her back, instead she held her ground and fought.

·      17:04 Crashes into Zacharias Smith after a quidditch match. Not only is this just a fantastic moment for her, but it shows her confidence. She came from being quiet and shy to making a spectacle in front of the entire school. She wasn’t afraid to draw eyes and make a statement. 

·      21:13 Standing up to Malfoy in the bookstore. Malfoy is the big bad bully, and even in her young state, she isn’t afraid to stand up to him when he threatens her family and friends.

·      24:44 Hiding Advanced Potion Making. When Harry got his hands on a dark book, Ginny didn’t like it from the beginning. She put her foot down, and even though she knows that Harry wants it, but if he keeps it the risk will outweigh the reward. If he kept the book, there was a real chance that he could have gotten hurt. He almost killed Malfoy! She saw a problem and solved it.

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In this episode, we discuss if the first book of the Harry Potter was a fitting beginning to the series. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      1:38 Did Dumbledore make the right choice? This is a big topic and it is difficult to pin down a single answer. This was one of the only options because if he brought Harry to an orphanage, he might have become the new Voldemort. Luckily, he didn’t bring Harry to an orphanage, but the choice then becomes which family does he bring him to. But if McGonagall told him horror stories about the Dursleys, why would Dumbledore send him there? Well, his mother’s protection applies at 4 Privet Drive. And for that reason, we can say that Dumbledore made the right decision.

·      8:01 Do we get properly introduced to the characters? This is a much easier decision. We get a great introduction to all of the characters and though we don’t get to see all that much of each one, but despite that we get a window into each of the people that will become main characters later in the story. Harry is the only characters that we don’t fully meet in my opinion. We don’t see his bravery or any of the other traits that make him the person we later get to know.

·      13:13 It would have been great to see Harry to more magic. I know he did vanish the glass, but its more difficult to make the connection that its Harry. We don’t know Harry’s a wizard and it would be difficult to put two and two together. The vanishing spell is pretty advanced, and we’re basing our entire knowledge of the wizarding world on this one interaction.

·      17:34 It was a good choice to begin the story with Mr. Dursley instead of Harry. He knows the same amount about magic than us, so it is a great contrast between  the muggle world and the magical one. He sees owls and wizards in the streets, and we can appreciate how strange it is along with him. Magic stands out much more when looking through Mr. Dursley’s eyes that Harry. Of course, it is a strange thing, but Mr. Dursley finds it even more alien. 

·      21:29 Hagrid was a good liaison into the magical world. Hagrid is close enough to a normal person that muggles would look twice, but he is still a bit odd. He also knows how to talk to muggles and there’s nothing terribly magical about him so he can blend in. If Dumbledore apparated into the middle of the cottage and starts pulling out his magical watches and maps and all that stuff, the Dursleys would have a heart attack. Hagrid is also a good person and Dumbledore knew that he would become good friends with the trio.

·      26:58 Was the first book a fitting beginning to Harry Potter? Absolutely! It may not be 100% perfect, but this book is a positively fantastic entry to the story beyond.  

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In this episode, we discuss my plan for my return trip to the Harry Potter Studio Tour. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      2:04 See what I missed. I saw the big stuff, but what about everything else? There were so many little details that I completely missed that I want to use this opportunity to see again. This might be my last time ever being there, and I want to comb through and see every little thing. 

·      9:10 I don’t want to target the big attractions. The place is designed to see the big things and the little in between, but I did that already. Now I want to go through and focus on the little touches.

·      13:54 I want to take my time. Before, I was rushing through just trying to get through the whole thing and see everything. Now, I don’t want to blast through the entire thing and miss a lot of the things that I want to see. It’s going to be tough to slow down and appreciate every little detail, but it will help me see the full picture. 

·      19:13 Explore! The things that I want to see might not be out in the open, so turning down strange hallways and find the little cracks and crevices that have props that I have never seen. If I get lost, that will be a success. 

·      23:52 Did anything change? There are some seasonal changes to the attractions and though my hopes aren’t high because I’m going at a very similar time of year, there might be a prop that I didn’t see or something that was away for cleaning.

·      26:39 See EVERYTHING again! I might be trying to see new things and find the places I didn’t get the chance to, but seeing the huge amazing things are also going to be at the top of the list.

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In this episode, we discuss which characters should be highlighted in the coming Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      2:28 Dumbledore. We’ve seen Dumbledore a bunch in the story, and we have spent a lot of time with him in the story. However, we know very little about his childhood. We’ve heard about it and heard some of the things that happened, but talk is just talk. It would be very valuable to see what really happened in person instead of just being told. Dumbledore is a good person, but he had some dark days. He eventually left Grindelwald, but there was a moment where he could have turned down a dark path. What happened? That would be answered is we could learn more about him.

·      9:24 Snape. We see Snape as a dark and menacing teacher that has it out for Harry. It’s jarring to see Snape as a kid like in the occlumency lesson. Snape was severely bullied as a kid, and we could learn more about him if we were to see what really happened. Understanding more about how James was mean to him can give us a more sympathetic point of view on his treatment of Harry. He has a complicated life that we could benefit from seeing.

·      15:56 James and Lily (and Petunia). This is the other side of the Snape coin. We don’t know why James was such a bully. It may have been his early childhood, or his status in the school. It would be a great choice to include James. And of course, Lily is another part of the puzzle because a lot of the ill feelings between James and Snape comes from her, so seeing how she reacts will be another interesting part of the puzzle. We know Petunia later in the story a lot and seeing her too would be great.

·      20:55 Voldemort. Tom Riddle has an interesting childhood that would do well to have light shed onto it. We already got little Tom in the orphanage, but what about the cave? What about his time at Hogwarts and beyond? We hear about his ascent into evil and turning into Voldemort, but we never get anywhere near there in the story. Spending more time on Voldemort would mean understanding more about the horcruxes and seeing his thinking behind his life as a whole, something we desperately need. 

·      25:31 Draco. Draco had a very difficult childhood, and having a front row seat would help us understand more about Draco as a person. Lucius was pretty abusive and it bled over into his student life, so seeing how he throws us defenses and attacks without provocation could tell us a lot about him. 

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In this episode, we break down the character of Cornelius Fudge. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·     2:06 Who is Cornelius Fudge? From the page on Fandom, we can deduce that he is either half-blood or pure-blood, he either Irish or British, and he is married. Most importantly, he was named most stylish wizard of the year in 1995. We don’t know that much about him, but the most important trait of his character is the fact that he was the Minister of Magic from 1990 – 96.

·      4:56 What role does he play in the story? This isn’t a strait forward answer because it changes. In the second book, he arrests Hagrid knowing he was innocent which isn’t really a good start. However, in the third book he was a nice guy and helped Harry out. In the fourth book, the Triwizard tournament was a factor that was unforeseen, and Fudge was worried that Harry was going to die. The fifth book was the time when he really became nasty. He didn’t believe that Voldemort was back and was stopping Dumbledore and Harry from fighting back. He really didn’t do much after that. 

·      13:16 What are his strengths? First, he knows how to handle being in the public eye. He has learned how to play the media. He is also a smart guy and he got the Minister position for a reason. Finally, he is empathetic, though it might not come through so well.

·      15:42 What are his weaknesses? The major one is he lets fear control him. He was too focused on making sure the population wouldn’t believe Dumbledore and Harry, and he was too caught up in the fear that Voldemort might return to see the truth: that he already had.

·      17:56 Was Fudge a positive or negative force? Throughout the years, he was swinging back and forth between positive and negative. Overall, however, he was a negative. He made Voldemort’s life so much easier by putting the Ministry between Dumbledore and his plans. 

·      24:10 What could he have done better? First, he should have trusted Dumbledore. Dumbledore was the person who knew the most and had all the answers, and Fudge refused to reach out. Image if Dumbledore had access to the power of the Ministry. Finally, Fudge was controlled by fear. He was terrified that Voldemort was really back, and that fear blinded him to the greater problem.

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In this episode, we discuss the possible world of Harry being friends with Draco instead of Ron. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      1:40 What would be the day to day effects? The main difference would be his overarching schedule for the year. He used to go to the Burrow for Christmas, so he would probably go to Malfoy Manor instead. He also took very similar classes as Ron, so if he wasn’t friends with him, he may be taking different classes along with Draco and might not even find a love for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry and Draco would meet in Madame Malkin’s and their friendship would spiral out from there.

·      6:02 What house would Harry be in? The answer is pretty simple. He wants to be in Gryffindor because that’s the house that he heard from Hagrid and Ron that it was the best house to be in. If he was friends with Draco and was told good things about Slytherin instead, that is the house that he would choose. The Sorting Hat was pushing for Harry to be in Slytherin, so it would go without saying that if Harry wanted to be in Slytherin, it would happen.

·      10:37 Would Harry be a different person and would Dumbledore try to step in a put him right? Harry would certainly be a different person. He does have his own morals and traits, but being around Draco so much will defiantly have a big effect on him and his values will be shifted.  Because Harry would change so much, Dumbledore would absolutely step in and try to help Harry. He wants to find a way to befriend Harry, though he will find it more difficult. Slytherin Harry and Dumbledore are very different people, and Dumbledore will have to think very carefully about how he could go about gaining Harry’s trust.

·      17:05 How would Voldemort react? Like Dumbledore, Voldemort has a very carefully thought-out plan, and it is all based on Harry’s goodness and his being close with Dumbledore, so there are two possible outcomes. Voldemort might not change at all, still seeing the person would almost kill him and still try to kill him. Or he might try to gel Harry over to his side now that Harry is with the Malfoys.

·      21:38 Would the story drastically change? For sure. Harry’s entire life would change if this reality came to pass, and he would be a different person. His whole reality would change.

·      24:17 Would he every be set on the right path? This is difficult. To argue for no, we could say that once he’s on the dark path there is very little that could get him off. Now that he’s inducted into the dark side, it would be hard to get him out. To argue for yes, we could say that the goodness in Harry that being friends with Malfoy couldn’t shift would come through eventually and we would get our good Harry back. To answer the question, he absolutely could be put on the right path, but he wouldn’t. It would take a lot to shift him, and the events in the story that would don’t happen in the first place because of Harry being friends with Malfoy. Friends with the Malfoys forever!

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In this episode, we discuss the most disappointing moments in Harry Potter. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      2:14 Ron and Hermione’s awkward interactions. In the café when they have to wipe the memory of one of the Death Eaters in the beginning of Deathly Hallows, Ron and Hermione have an oddly placed romantic moment that is quite a strange interaction between them. The scene when Ron tells Hermione she has toothpaste on her face at the Burrow in the Half Blood Prince, it is much more the right time and place.

·      6:15 Mad-Eye’s death. There wasn’t enough time spent on this moment even though he was such an influential and powerful character that played a huge role in the story. In the book, it is much more drawn out and somber. Lupin, on the other hand, had a final moment with Harry at the end and was much better than Mad-Eye.

·      10:49 Hedwig’s death. (Watch it here) This is one of the most impactful moments in the entire sequence, and we didn’t really have the chance to process what happened before we were thrown right back into the action and Voldemort is on the horizon. Hedwig is an iconic character that is a central to the magic of the story, and she was killed.

·      14:43 Dumbledore’s funeral. The book, this was a powerful moment and Dumbledore’s final goodbye to the world. The Minister, centaurs, even the people living in the lake showed up to pay their respects. But we didn’t get it in the film. Granted, there was a moment where all the students and staff raised their wands to say goodbye, but that could never replace a scene such as Dumbledore’s farewell.

·      20:14 The Great Hall scene in the Battle of Hogwarts. In the book, we had an epic sequence where Bellatrix and Voldemort were dueling multiple people and spells were flying everywhere, and eventually, Harry and Voldemort had a standoff and Voldemort was defeated. The only thing that could have made it better is for this scene to be in the film. It is poetic and very well structured, and frankly quite awesome.

·      25:01 Lupin’s transformation. This scene is plain old gruesome, and that is the sole reason why I don’t like it. His hands are growing claws and fur is sprouting from every part of his body. It is very well done, and that is why I don’t like.

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In this episode, we discuss a duel between Harry Potter and Lucius Malfoy. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      Listen to Dobby vs. Lucius here!

·      2:03 Why this particular match up? Well, while watching the Battle of the Order of the Phoenix this past week, I was left wanting a battle between Harry and Lucius, even though it seemed like a natural next step. They interacted a lot, but they never truly went head-to-head in a magical duel. It is an outcome that I am very curious to see, and one that I feel there should have been.

·      5:44 Harry’s strengths and weaknesses. His style is focusing on offence and not seriously hurting his opponent but removing their ability to duel. That is why he is such a fan of expeliarmus. Unfortunately, that gives him a big weakness. Harry might hesitate when delivering the final blow, or he might be dragged down by his aversion of causing pain to innocent people (Lucius isn’t that innocent, but he hadn’t done anything too horrible that would warrant death from Harry). 

·      12:25 Lucius’s strengths and weaknesses. One of his greatest strengths is his experience. He has been practicing magic for decades longer than Harry, and he is one of Voldemort’s core Death Eaters. However, when the pressure is put on, it becomes difficult for him to keep a cool head and keep his focus. We see him falling apart under Voldemort’s wrath, and when he loses control of a situation, he gets too worked up to see things clearly. But Lucius is very smart, and that is an asset that he will use a lot.

·      16:47 Scenario #1: The Order does show up and it is Lucius and Harry alone. We can assume that the final outcome of the battle will be similar, but Harry and Lucius have a little moment alone that will allow them to duel. In this situation, Lucius has the upper hand. He would toy and taunt Harry, and that might be Harry’s only chance to win. If he strikes when Lucius doesn’t expect it, it can be the thing that give Harry the edge. However, Lucius is unlikely to be caught by surprise and he will come out on top. 80% to Lucius, 20% to Harry.

·       23:18 Scenario #2: The Order does not show up and Harry’s friends are battling Lucius and the Death Eaters. There is more of a chance that the duel would become a 2v1 because the Death Eaters can more easily beat his friends, but the DA can also use the element of surprise to come out on top. However, assuming that Lucius and Harry are alone, Lucius would most likely win. He is older, more experienced, and more powerful. Overall, he is the better wizard.

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In this episode, we discuss if Snape should have died. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      1:29 No. Snape should not have died. The answer to this question isn’t the mystery and it isn’t a challenge to figure it out, we just have to explain what else he could have done and give reasons for everything that he could have done if he had lived.

·      5:02 He should have gotten the chance to get to know Harry better. Snape is one of the people that was working with Dumbledore the closest, and he knew a lot about the plan. Harry was questioning his relationship with Dumbledore at the time and Snape could have given them. Snape and Harry could have become truly good friends and helped each other in the post-Voldemort world.

·      S2 E14: Is Snape still alive?

·      13:29 Snape could have made peace with Lilly and James. Those two people were the people who caused him the most pain in the story by far. He has to come to terms with both of them to calm his mind. In the end, Snape actually wanted to make up with James, and the fact that he didn’t get the chance to make the whole situation worse. Of course, he was alive with James, and I think we would have made efforts after Voldemort to make his peace, but he didn’t ever get the chance.

·      Breakdown: Severus Snape

·      19:55 Snape died thinking the Voldemort was on his way to victory, which is just another reason why he should have lived. He went to such lengths to see Harry’s success, and he should have had the chance to see it.

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In this episode, we discuss possible origins for well known magical ideas and wizarding practices. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      Listen to the episode where the challenge question came from here.

·      3:18 Why are spells in Latin? This is a simple answer. A plausible answer is that spells are in Latin because spoken magic was coming into being when and where Latin was popular. They used the words that made sense to them and conjured what they wanted. The Latin versions of spells have stayed around because casting a spell is an exact art, and it would be very difficult to move away from that without redesigning the entire magical system. 

·      9:05 Where did wands come from? This is a more difficult answer, as tracking the origins of a language are far easier than that of a wand. However, we can try. The basic explanation that makes sense to me is the shape of a wand just made sense. The shape that wands are is exactly how trees grow and it is very easy to find a wand-like twig. It is also natural, and it makes sense that the spell would come out of the end. A scene in the Half Blood Prince between Hagrid and Slughorn tells us that unicorn hair can get caught on bushes and trees and come out, which means that a lot of magical material in the woods surrounded by wand quality wood? It works. Not to mention a sign outside Olivander’s that says “Makers of fine wands since 382 B. C.”

·      15:41 An ulterior function of magical schools. Besides a place of education, magical schools are also the perfect place to act as a safe house for wizards in times of need. They are extremely well protected, with hundreds of spells protecting its every inch. Their locations are also kept secret, which is even more important. If a band of muggles were to stumble across Hogwarts, they would see a sign of warning and a rundown building. Very convenient. Harry’s year isn’t alerted because a threat like that hasn’t been around for a very long time. They don’t protect the location from Voldemort because he already knows where it is.

·      20:13 Why do wizards drink so much pumpkin juice? The UK produces millions of pumpkins every single year, and it would be suspicious to send millions of gallons of water to Hogwarts a year. Pumpkins, on the other hand, are less suspicious. However, it still might draw eyes, so they might just grow their own. Hagrid does, so why not the rest?

·      23:58 Why are muggle magic tricks so similar to real magic? Well, they came from the same exact thing. Wizards can show muggles low level magic and pass it off as good handwork, and muggles will buy it. The first muggle magic tricks evolved right around the same time and place as wizard magic. It makes a lot of sense for real wizards to be performing and inspiring the origins of muggle magic. 

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