Revisiting the 'Deathly Hallows' Release 19 Years Later

Knock knock, who's there? Just the Minister for Magic, and he has questions about these 'random' things that Dumbledore has left behind for the Trio. Even after death, Albus knows how to mess with the Ministry, and we're here for it! Join us as we discuss Chapter 7 of Deathly Hallows, "The Will of Albus Dumbledore". Welcome Slug Club member, Sara! She gets extra points for remembering her Ilvermorny House even though we didn't ask for it. Ron has a birthday gift for Harry, but what is his intention behind it? Is he trying to genuinely be helpful, or is he just giving his bro a gag gift? Ron also admits to having barged in on Harry and Ginny. Is this appropriate behavior? Who ultimately should Ron try to be loyal to? Knock knock! The Minister is pulling into the Burrow with Arthur, and he has questions for Harry. Predictably, Scrimgeour handles this meeting with the Trio poorly. Could he have actually gotten some answers out of the Trio had he been different? Foreshadow alert! Hermione says she does NOT want to work in Magical Law after Hogwarts. We learn about the Snitch's 'flesh memory' as well as Scrimgeour's theory about the Sword of Gryffindor, and he's not too far off. Harry figures out the trick much sooner than expected. Turns out Norbert is a girl. How did Hagrid NOT know this sooner? Lynx Line: Which of Dumbledore's belongings would you have wanted? Quizzitch: What's the original name for the Deluminator? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Choo Choo! We’re truly headed Back to Hogwarts, as a new trailer for HBO Max's Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone TV Show is here! We break it down scene-by-scene, spot familiar faces, point out the book-to-TV loyalty, and question what's going on in some exciting-looking scenes. We're going to be spoiled with a LOT of great scenes when the series premieres this Christmas!  Plus, we look at what did (or rather, didn't) happen on Back To Hogwarts day itself. Maybe Harry Potter Inc. needs to take a page out of Apple and Disney's books, and learn how to create genuinely exciting events.  What was your favorite part(s) of the trailer? Reach out to us via our website, social media, or comment sections! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, make sure you know the difference between spattergroit and spaghetti, because we're squeezing the family ghoul into a pair of Ron's old pajamas. Join Andrew, Eric, Micah and Laura as they dodge wedding chores from Mrs. Weasley and get a crash-course in destroying Horcruxes from Professor Granger! Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Deathly Hallows, Chapter 6: The Ghoul in Pajamas 7-Word Summary: Upstairs resides a creepy groaning nasty Weasley With Mad-Eye gone, who should step and up and lead the Order? What exactly was Dumbledore's plan for the adult Order members once the Trio departed? Sit patiently until the Battle of Hogwarts? Mrs. Weasley is doing her best to keep Harry, Ron and Hermione apart: is she actively doing more harm than good? Despite Harry's best efforts, Ron and Hermione are making plans to join him on his Horcrux Hunt! Hermione makes the ultimate sacrifice: modifying her parents memories! Ron, Arthur, Fred and George transform the family ghoul to have spattergroit (a condition Ron was mistaken to have at St. Mungo's in Order of the Phoenix) Having the ghoul pretend to be Ron sounds like a good plan, but hold on a minute! Why has it been allowed to just hang out in the Weasley’s attic all these years? Ruh Roh! Dumbledore was an active member of the Banned Booked Club! Hermione has become quite the Horcrux expert (after pilfering Dumbledore's office) We get a double-dose of Sword of Gryffindor foreshadowing! Lynx Line: If you were Mrs. Weasley, what is the most outrageous task you would give Harry to keep him away from Ron and Hermione? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, avoid using your most obvious spells and be careful who you let through the door! A stressful battle with Death Eaters has left Harry and co. on edge during our Chapter-by-chapter reread. Join Andrew, Eric, Micah and Laura for this holey harrowing readthrough. Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Deathly Hallows, Chapter 5: Fallen Warrior 7-Word Summary: Paranoia ensues as survivors return from danger The chapter title has us on edge. Do we remember suspecting the worst for a different character following the battle? Why did Mad-Eye Moody insist on bringing Mundungus, who clearly didn't want to be there? Could Mundungus have been decent if he wants to fight? Does he know more magic than Harry, Ron and Hermione since he is older? We are glad that George is A-OK and that Molly can now tell her twin sons apart. Whose side are we on between Harry and Lupin's arguments surrounding the Stan Shunpike encounter? Is Lupin unfair to bring up James Potter's betrayal? We discuss the effectiveness of the 7 Potters escape plan, after the fact. How comes the Order members don't always follow through on the personal question / security check? Are they being reckless? Could Bill or someone else have recreated the magic surrounding "Thief's Downfall" at Gringotts, or only goblins? Ron's death count has risen by 1! Blink and you will have missed it. But what does that say about his overall character? How will this death impact him? Lynx Line: Pick a character who wasn’t forced to identify themselves, and choose an identifying fact that would have proved their identity? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we hope you like the taste of Polyjuice Potion because we're all transforming into Harry to (narrowly) escape Privet Drive! Join Andrew, Eric, Micah, Laura and Grace as they climb aboard Hagrid's motorbike for a fun ride to the home of Ted and Andromeda Tonks! Welcome to the show, Grace Candido-Beecher, author of Voldemort: An Unofficial Exploration! Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Deathly Hallows, Chapter 4: The Seven Potters 7-Word Summary: Moody helps Harry escape safely from Voldemort Let’s discuss this plan: is it brilliant or unnecessarily risky? Do any other options come to mind that may have been overlooked? Which of the seven Potters surprises us the most (putting Mundungus aside)? We analyze the characters willing to transform into Harry and why they'd be so willing! Grace compares the 7 Harrys to the 7 Divine Virtues Does Hedwig's death symbolize the end of Harry's childhood more than any other moment in the series? Did the movie do it better?  MAX THAT: Everybody out here is playing Grand Theft Auto, and Hagrid is playing Mario Kart (and winning, by the way)! Expelliarmus: If they thought this had become Harry's signature move, why did they not direct him to cast any spell but this one? Why didn’t Voldemort’s (Lucius') wand work against Harry? Lynx Line: Which Order member would you trust most if you were flying alongside them? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're taking a break from releasing new episodes this week, so please enjoy this Bonus MuggleCast episode that was released on our Patreon! Become a member TODAY to receive instant access to lots of magical benefits! It's now '19 years later' following the release of the final Harry Potter book! In light of this anniversary, and our Chapter by Chapter re-read of Deathly Hallows approaching, we look back at the July 2007 midnight release! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, it's a series of awkward goodbyes at Privet Drive! Join Andrew, Eric, Micah and Laura as they say so-long to Dudley, Petunia and Vernon in Deathly Hallows, Chapter 3: The Dursleys Departing! 7-Word Summary: Goodbyes are flying through awkwardly among family Why is Vernon Dursley so impressed by Kingsley Shacklebolt? Are Daedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones really the best the Order have to offer? Would any of the Dursleys actually sell out Harry to Voldemort? What If... the Dursleys were kidnapped? Would Harry come to their rescue? Why can't Vernon bring himself to shake Harry's hand? Dudley does a complete 180! What made him warm up to Harry? What was Petunia going to say to Harry? The movie got it right, but why was the scene deleted? Lynx Line: In this chapter, the Dursleys are off with Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones into the unknown. What adventures will they go on over the next year? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, don't believe everything you read in the paper, because we’re reading criticism of the great Albus Dumbledore, penned by the untrustworthy Rita Skeeter. Join Andrew, Eric, Micah and Laura as they continue the read-through of Deathly Hallows! Quizzitch Question: What is the term used for when students take a year for travel between secondary and tertiary education? Chapter-by-Chapter of Deathly Hallows continues with Chapter 2, "In Memoriam" Our DH2 Seven-Word Summary: Rita maliciously attacks Dumbledore’s back in media Could the reader infer maybe there was more going on between Elphias Doge and Albus Dumbledore, from the tone and content of his memorial essay in print? How was Dumbledore making money for his family right after he left school? Was he borrowing some from Nicolas Flamel? We connect Elphias' mention of the Grindelwald and Dumbledore battle back to Book One and Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog Card writeup. Briefly, the hosts talk about how that moment was never brought to life in Fantastic Beasts (R.I.Parked) Who would bring Grindelwald and Dumbledore to life in a TV Adaptation? Would it be someone who's played the role before? While Harry feels left out of knowing Dumbledore better, would Dumbledore ever have really confided in him? Rita Skeeter is selling something! It stinks. How accurate can it be, if it is kind of a rush job, we ask? And, there is real life precedent to hastily published biographic works. The Mirror makes its appearance, and we imagine James and Sirius using them as boys. On our Lynx Line, we asked our patrons what the Dursley's did with all of Harry's left-behind possessions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we hope you brought your appetite, because we’re joining Nagini for dinner. Pull up a chair alongside Andrew, Eric, Micah and Laura at the dining room table inside Malfoy Manor for some delicious Death Eater tea! We're going chapter-by-chapter through Deathly Hallows for the first time since 2007! Deathly Hallows: A History: we reflect back on the ultimate midnight release party and the fastest selling book ever in a 24-hour period! Chapter-by-Chapter returns with Deathly Hallows, Chapter 1 - The Dark Lord Ascending 7-Word Summary: Voldemort hosts his people menacingly around updates Can Voldemort trust the portraits inside Malfoy Manor? Snape and Yaxley jostle for Voldemort's affection: who has the better intel on Harry Potter? The Ministry has been infiltrated! The Castration of Lucius Malfoy: we discuss the symbolism of Voldemort taking his wand and utter humiliation the Malfoy family receives inside their own home The irony of Voldemort discussing blood status So long, Charity Burbage! We asked our patrons via our Lynx Line: Lucius has peacocks strutting around his property - what creature would you want to live on yours? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ahead of our Chapter-by-Chapter re-read of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, join Andrew, Eric, Micah and Laura as they watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1, which first premiered in 2010. The film is a favorite of several of the hosts for its time spent on characterization and the acting quality of the leads, so this is a real treat to experience. As usual, you will need to bring your own copy of the movie and be sure to follow instructions in order to sync up the film with your own TV! Thanks also to our Patrons who were watching and listening live as well as commenting on our Patron-only Discord server. Their comments added greatly to the discussion! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices