Fame W...alrus (HBP Chapter 4, Horace Slughorn)

Help MuggleCast grow! Join us at Patreon.com/mugglecast, and receive a slew of great benefits instantly, including bonus episodes, recording studio access, ad-free episodes, and much more! Listeners can browse our official merch at MuggleCastMerch.com and pick up overstock items from years past at MuggleMillennial.Etsy.com, now more affordable than ever! This week, get ready to apparate to the charming village of Budleigh Babberton - but keep your wands at the ready because something is afoot! Join Andrew, Eric, Micah and Laura as they attempt to find... and recruit an old friend out of retirement! Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Half-Blood Prince Chapter 4: Horace Slughorn The MuggleCast Pensieve segment, highlighting our last discussion of this chapter on MuggleCast #381, features some raspberry jam analysis! Why don’t Dumbledore and Harry simply Apparate into Slughorn’s home? Should Harry have so willingly trusted that Dumbledore was, in fact, Dumbledore, given the danger and uncertainty of the times? What do we think of Dumbledore’s plan to use Harry to lure Slughorn back to Hogwarts—is it clever strategy or subtle manipulation? What does it say about Slughorn that he isn’t aligned with Voldemort, yet refuses to take a stand against him? Slughorn “The Collector” is one of the most morally gray Slytherins of the series How does Slughorn’s casual bigotry—his need to say “You musn't think I'm prejudiced!”—reveal a subtler form of bias in the wizarding world? Does Slughorn’s “collector” mentality mirror real-world networking culture? Isn't the Slug Club just Hogwarts’ version of a professional society? MVP: What's the best perk Slughorn gets from his Slug Club alumni? Lynx Line: Patreons tell us about a talent/accomplishment that would get them recruited to the Slug Club! Participate in our weekly trivia segment by answering this week’s Quizzitch question at MuggleCast.com/Quizzitch! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help MuggleCast grow! Join us as our patron at Patreon.com/mugglecast, and receive a slew of great benefits instantly, including more than 60 hours of bonus episodes, 30 hours of chapter readings, and much, much more! Listeners can browse our official merch at MuggleCastMerch.com and pick up overstock items from years past at MuggleMillennial.Etsy.com, now more affordable than ever! This week, join us as we witness Albus Dumbledore welcoming himself into the Dursley's perfect kept home. It's the depants-ing we've been waiting for! Plus, we look at why Dumbledore decided to take care of the Kreacher business in front of the Dursleys, if Albus had any right criticizing the parenting of Dudley, and more. Welcome back to the show, Meg! Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Half-Blood Prince Chapter 3: Will and Won't The MuggleCast Pensieve segment, highlighting our last discussion of this chapter on MuggleCast #380, features a Kreacher possibility. Harry's back! And he's ever more undignified than ever. From flower beds to pigstys, is our hero losing his cool factor? What's the beef between Albus Dumbledore and Rufus Scrimgeour that the Prophet is eluding to? It may have been hinted at already. Do we approve of the Ministry's guidebook for protecting oneself during the current era? Why didn't Harry believe Dumbledore was going to show? Does this has to do with Dumbledore's treatment of Harry in the last book? Why are the Dursleys awake and cleaning at 11pm? Dumbledore goes hard against the Dursleys. Finally! But why did it take this long for them to meet, and for Albus to depants them? MVP: What is the most effective guideline from the Ministry? Lynx Line: If Dumbledore could’ve left a Yelp review for the Dursleys, what would it say? Participate in our weekly trivia segment by answering this week’s Quizzitch question at MuggleCast.com/Quizzitch! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help MuggleCast grow! Join us as our patron at Patreon.com/mugglecast, and receive a slew of great benefits instantly, including more than 60 hours of bonus recordings, 30 hours of chapter readings, and much, much more! Listeners can browse our official merch at MuggleCastMerch.com and pick up overstock items from years past at MuggleMillennial.Etsy.com! This week, join us as we wind our way to Spinner's End and throw ourselves at the mercy of everyone's (least) favorite Potions Master. Grab a tall glass of elf-made bloodred wine and toast the Dark Lord because its unlikely you'll make it out of this chapter without making an Unbreakable Vow. Welcome back, Irvin! Check out his new book Malfoy: The Most Treacherous Family, which is available now! Potter TV Show News: Our first look at John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore! Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Half-Blood Prince Chapter 2: Spinner's End We analyze Snape's decision to remain in his childhood home. Could it be because of Lily? And why is it such bad shape? The Sisterhood of Bellatrix and Narcissa: do the two actually care for each other? Would Bellatrix rather be right or wrong about Snape's loyalty?  Snape vs. Bellatrix: we're here for snarky, sassy Severus Snape! Snape’s allegiance: do we recall how we felt when first reading this chapter? Could there be trouble in paradise with Voldemort and Bellatrix? Did Narcissa manipulate Snape during the final step of the Unbreakable Vow? MVP: Who’s the better chess master - Snape or Dumbledore? Lynx Line: Snape’s childhood home is clearly a little drab - if Snape’s home were the subject of a home makeover show, what would it be called? Participate in our weekly trivia segment by answering this week’s Quizzitch question at MuggleCast.com/Quizzitch! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help MuggleCast grow! Join us as our patron at Patreon.com/mugglecast, and receive a slew of great benefits instantly, including more than 60 hours of bonus recordings, 30 hours of chapter readings, and much, much more! Listeners can browse our official merch at MuggleCastMerch.com and pick up overstock items from years past at MuggleMillennial.Etsy.com! That new assistant named Kingsley is a high performer! This week we're starting our Chapter by Chapter re-read of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and discussing all the problems that Cornelius Fudge has just dumped on the British Prime Minister's doorstep. It's a rare Harry-less chapter this week, titled "The Other Minister." News: Congratulations to SIR Gary Oldman! (He really puts the Sir in Sirius) Chapter by Chapter continues with Half-Blood Prince Chapter 1: The Other Minister Where were the hosts when the sixth Potter book came out? It was only 3 weeks shy of MuggleCast's first episode! The MuggleCast Time-Turner segment is now the MuggleCast Pensieve! It's Book-6-themed and, this week, flashing back to MuggleCast #376, from July 16, 2018! The hosts compare favorite chapters and discuss this is one of them. The poor British PM believes the chaos was his to own, only to find out that the wizards are at fault for all of it! Do wizards have a superiority complex? It sure seems like it, around the Muggle PM. Is this chapter tied to a particular politician or administration from years past, when the book was set? Or perhaps when it was written? The hosts speculate. Is the portrait of the "frog-like" man (Umbridge's dad?) a privacy concern for the Muggles? MVP of the Week: Who was the best working man in this chapter? Lynx Line: What event from human history was magical in origin, but was covered up between the two governments? Participate in our weekly trivia segment by answering this week's Quizzitch question at MuggleCast.com/Quizzitch!  On Bonus MuggleCast, we discuss the newly released album art for the upcoming full cast production audiobooks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help MuggleCast grow! Become a MuggleCast Member and get great benefits like Bonus MuggleCast! Patreon.com/MuggleCast  Listeners can browse our official merch at MuggleCastMerch.com and pick up overstock items from years past at MuggleMillennial.Etsy.com! On this week's episode, we're as excited as Dedalus Diggle bumping into Vernon Dursley after Voldemort's downfall, as we bust open our Muggle Mailbag to hear directly from YOU - our listeners! Filming News: We react to new behind-the-scenes footage from around Little Whinging before and after the first downfall of Voldemort. It's our Order of the Phoenix Muggle Mail episode! How will HBO adapt lengthy books like Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince for the new Harry Potter TV show? Is eight episodes truly enough? Why didn't Voldemort choose to become a ghost? Were Arthur Weasley's early career ambitions derailed by the Imperius Curse? We Declare Canon: Crookshanks is the Potter's cat! Listeners make the case for and against ♥️ Voldemort & Bellatrix ♥️ How did the Diary Horcrux have knowledge of Voldemort's future self? And by the way... does the basilisk ever eat? We're concerned about its diet. Lynx Line:  With the new Harry Potter audiobooks on the horizon, we asked supporters on Patreon to take a line from one of their favorite characters in Order of the Phoenix or Half-Blood Prince and submit their best impression! AND THEY DO NOT DISAPPOINT! Participate in our weekly trivia segment by answering this week's Quizzitch question at MuggleCast.com/Quizzitch!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week it’s time to wrap our Order of the Phoenix re-read with Quizzitch Live, to test your knowledge of the fifth book! Special guest Barry of the Harry Potter podcast Retold joins us to host this Harry Potter trivia night. Listeners competed live against one another across seven rounds of Order of the Phoenix questions. Do you remember the book and movie as well as your fellow Muggles do? Play along and find out! Thanks again to Barry and to all of our listeners for joining in our live event, and a special thank you to those who support us on Patreon. Without you, we couldn't host trivia nights like this! Next week, we'll catch up on MuggleMail before proceeding onward to our Half-Blood Prince read-through in October! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help MuggleCast grow! You have until September 18 to become a member at the Slug Club level to receive this year's incredible physical gift: The MuggleCast 20th Anniversary Yearbook! Pledge now at Patreon.com/mugglecast, and receive a slew of other great benefits instantly! Listeners can browse our official merch at MuggleCastMerch.com and pick up overstock items from years past at MuggleMillennial.Etsy.com! Another book, gone! This week we're wrapping up our Chapter by Chapter re-read of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It's a feel-good chapter that ties up a lot of loose ends and teases what's to come in the final two Harry Potter books! To celebrate the end of this re-read, we'll be hosting a Quizzitch LIVE themed around Order of the Phoenix this Thursday, September 18 at 7:30 PM ET! Don't miss it! A link will be available on social media. Welcome Slug Club guest Ivana! In the news: Harry Potter production designer Stuart Craig has passed away, so we look at the legacy he left on the franchise. Meanwhile, the upcoming Harry Potter audiobooks have announced several more big name starts joining its ranks. Game of Thrones fans will be pleased! Chapter by Chapter continues with Order of the Phoenix Chapter 38: The Second War Begins. Tying up loose ends: Fudge immediately fumbles how the Ministry is handling the return of Voldemort. What could they have done differently? We're impressed by how Dumbledore got Umbridge out of the forest, but how exactly did he do it? And should Ron have responded to Umbridge's attack in the way that he did? Harry is looking for some Sirius comfort, and finds some in Hagrid and Luna. There's also one line from Harry that is extremely relatable, especially as we age: “Whenever he was in company he wanted to get away, and whenever he was alone he wanted company.” Nearly-Headless Nick offers Harry some disappointing information, but it has us wondering why wizards choose not to return as a ghost after they pass. The Order decides to greet Harry at King's Cross... but why haven't they been there for Harry's previous journeys to and from Hogwarts? MVP of the Week: Who had the most meaningful moment with Harry in this chapter? Lynx Line: What would happen if the Order had to pay a visit the Dursleys because Vernon and Petunia were mistreating Harry? Participate in our weekly trivia segment by answering this week's Quizzitch question at MuggleCast.com/Quizzitch!  On Bonus MuggleCast, we celebrate Back to Hogwarts season by creating our OWN Hogwarts Houses! Let us know which of these new five are your favorite! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help MuggleCast grow! Our 2025 physical gift is here! The MuggleCast Yearbook includes writing by each of the four hosts, telling the story of the podcast across the last 20 years, and featuring tons of colorful images and jam-packed with enough nostalgia to make your eyes water. So visit Patreon.com/MuggleCast and pledge at the Slug Club level by September 15 to get yours! Listeners can browse our official merch at MuggleCastMerch.com and pick up overstock items from years past at MuggleMillennial.Etsy.com! Grab the nearest expensive-looking trinket and hurl it at Dumbledore because  Andrew, Eric, Laura and Micah are treating the headmaster's office like a modern-day rage room! On this week's episode, all the feelings are bubbling up to the surface as Albus finally comes clean with Harry! Casting news abounds for the new Harry Potter TV Show, including one character never cast before and the return of Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick! Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 37: The Lost Prophecy. Our Time Turner segment takes us back to Episode 473 - There's Something About Harry. Should Harry feel guilty about what's happened to Sirius? The hosts grade Dumbledore's handling of Harry using the O.W.L. system Does the loss of his sister Ariana inform Dumbledore's overall treatment of Harry? “Old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young” hits home! Dumbledore is exhausted and frankly, we don't blame him! YOU LIAR! Dumbledore claims he is going to tell Harry "everything"! Connecting The Threads between Trelawney's prophecies MVP: What was the most damning Dumbledore quote from this chapter? Over on our Lynx Line, our patrons answer this week's question: At what moment in the series should Dumbledore actually have told Harry everything? Participate in our weekly trivia segment by answering this week's Quizzitch question at MuggleCast.com/Quizzitch!  On Bonus MuggleCast, we discuss the possibility of a Harry Potter Hotel. Does Disney’s recent Star Wars flop have Universal rethinking the idea? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Cera? Tilda Swinton!? In this Bonus MuggleCast that we're sharing from our Patreon vault, Laura takes us through several high profile actors who were once considered for the Harry Potter movies. It's a fascinating look at names who had a real chance of appearing in the series! Visit Patreon.com/mugglecast for two new Bonus MuggleCast episodes every month, plus boat loads more benefits like a new physical gift each year! Pledge now at the Slug Club level to receive this year's 20th Anniversary Yearbook! Chapter by Chapter will continue next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Help MuggleCast grow during our birthday month! Our 2025 physical gift is here! The MuggleCast Yearbook includes writing by each of the four hosts, telling the story of the podcast across the last 20 years, and featuring tons of colorful images and jam-packed with enough nostalgia to make your eyes water. It’s got personal reflections, anecdotes, never-before-seen photos and even a full compendium of British Jokes as told only on MuggleCast. So visit Patreon.com/MuggleCast and pledge today! To celebrate MuggleCast turning 20 this month, listeners can get 20% off an annual subscription to our Patreon with promo code 20YEARS. We’ve never offered this large a discount before, but this large of an anniversary calls for a very special deal. So visit Patreon.com/MuggleCast and pledge today! Patrons can also get a 20% discount on official merch at MuggleCastMerch.com! Pick up overstock merch from years past, including our 19th Anniversary Shirt! MuggleMillennial.Etsy.com On this week's episode, we’re lifting Bellatrix off her feet both romantically and murderously! Is Voldemort revealing more about his affectionate side? Is Dumbledore again letting Harry put himself in danger and doing nothing to prevent serious injury? Does the M.O.M. have accessibility features or is Harry super powerful? All that and more. Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 36: The Only One He Ever Feared. Our Time Turner segment takes us back to Episode 473 of MuggleCast, lazily titled “Dumbledore v Voldemort” Harry asks the rotunda a question and it answers him. Could anyone have done this the whole time? A moment of consideration for Lupin’s loss and how well he handles it by protecting Harry. Would Harry be forgiven and not prosecuted for using an Unforgivable Curse successfully under these circumstances? Just HOW does Harry get up to the atrium before Dumbledore? Did Voldemort tutor Bellatrix “personally” like her statement would seem to indicate? Why does Voldy call Bellatrix “Bella,” and is it a term of endearment? Noting that the only reason Voldemort is seen by the Minister is because he shows up to rescue Bellatrix at the end and take her with him. AN ACT OF LOVE?!?!?! Laura takes us through some symbolism with the fountain of magical brethren, and what happens to its members. Do the statues have a bit of Dumbledore’s personality in them? They certainly approve of Dumbledore. Apologies to Pokemon enthusiasts for our criticism, it turns out the fight scene in the book is just like in the movie after all. I choose you, Blastoise! We praise Dumbledore for mastering Fudge. MVP: Who is the most valuable player during the Dumbledore/Voldemort fight in the atrium? Over on our Lynx Line, our patrons answer this week's question: What is the most MAX THAT moment in the chapter? Ie, which scene do you most want to see adapted for TV that wasn’t done justice in the movie? Quizzitch: In this chapter, the statues of the Fountain of Magical Brethren spring to life to help save the day. But in the summer of 1985, widespread panic occurred when statues in County Cork, Ireland began to seemingly move on their own. What were they statues of? Send us your answers at MuggleCast.com/Quizzitch!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices