Mugglecast: The Harry Potter Podcast

On this week's episode, Harry is saved by a (violently purple) knight in shining car wax as the Knight Bus whisks him away to London, where Uncle Cornelius pats him on the back and tells him everything is fine. Join Andrew, Laura, Eric and Micah as they dive into Chapter 3 of Prisoner of Azkaban, The Knight Bus! This week the hosts provide alternative identities to help them escape detection... Main Discussion: Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 3: The Knight Bus 7-Word Summary: Help arrives for Harry after an encounter Harry's frustration and short-sightedness mirrors our own in times of stress. Do we relate to Harry following his incident with Aunt Marge? Andrew has a full tally of all the times Harry thinks he is about to be expelled. It's higher than our Dumbledore Lie Count :'( We ask again, just why was Sirius Black not given a full trial? Is Dumbledore, or the government, to blame? Laura reminisces about an old campaign asking readers if they spotted The Grim. We ask, What If? Sirius had introduce

On this week's episode, we get a visit from one of Harry's favorite relatives, Aunt Marge! They share wine, brandy and have so much fun that she even let's Harry perform magic on her at the end of the chapter! Oh wait... Welcome Slug Club member, Sherry! Sherry, who is blind, shares her story of finding the Harry Potter series! Be sure to check out her fan fiction: Sirius Black and Becoming a Father and her book: Haven! Andrew and Laura will be discussing the potential ban of TikTok in the U.S. on their podcast, #Millennial. Follow the show for free in your favorite podcast app! Main Discussion: Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 2: Aunt Marge's Big Mistake 7-Word Summary: Aunt Marge enjoys abusing Harry every minute What do we make of Vernon's assessment of Sirius Black? What do muggle relations offices look like at the Ministry? Hogsmeade Permission Slip: Harry learns how to play on Vernon's prejudices Aunt Marge was based on J.K. Rowling's grandmother, who preferred her dogs to human relatives While

On this week's episode, we begin our third year at Hogwarts as we open up the pages of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban! Harry celebrates his birthday, Ron can't figure out how to use the telephone, Hermione is enjoying France and Hagrid is still, well... Hagrid! Main Discussion: Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 1: Owl Post The hosts reflect on when they read Prisoner of Azkaban for the first time! 7-Word Summary: Owls deliver presents to Harry’s bedroom window  Is this the last time we get the big “previously on Harry Potter” info dump? Should Ron have known how to use a telephone given his father's job? What are some other examples of common muggle technology that would vex unknowing wizards? Vacation Time: the Weasleys head to Egypt, Hermione is off to France! Why did nobody ask Harry to tag along? What do we think Ginny’s summer has been like post-Chamber of Secrets?  Harry receives gifts from Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid that all pertain to events that will occur later in this book! If the

On this week's episode, we delve into our MuggleMailbag for the first time in 2023! Coming off our recent review episode of Hogwarts Legacy, listeners share their thoughts and discoveries about the game. And we properly wrap up our Chamber of Secrets Chapter By Chapter series by choosing ONE 7-Word Summary to redo, based on patron feedback. Join Andrew, Eric and Micah as they get caught up on their inbox this week! First, our vintage segment "What's Buggin' Micah?" makes its triumphant return to the show. MuggleMail starts with Hogwarts Legacy feedback. On PC, there's a mod to mute the Floo Lady. Eric learns the composer of his first ever PlayStation game also scored Hogwarts Legacy. Is there an Easy Mode in Hogwarts Legacy? And which common room would the hosts party in? Chamber of Secrets comes to a close with MuggleMail feedback. Did the Weasleys go to Egypt TWICE in one year? More name origins for Gilderoy Lockhart One listener's thoughts on criminal justice in the Wizarding world. There's more

On this week's episode, we immerse ourselves into the Wizarding World in a completely different way! Our 600th installment welcomes back an old favorite as we review the highly-anticipated Hogwarts Legacy video game! The game has blown us away in a lot of ways, but it's not without issues. Please note: We acknowledge the conflict many in the fandom feel about supporting this game and address this at the top of show. For past episodes discussing the author's position on trans issues please see  Episode 469 and this episode from January 2020. Fans can join us in supporting and volunteering with organizations such as Trans Lifeline, Lambda Legal, The Trevor Project, Transgender Law Center, and the Marsha P Johnson Institute.  Welcome back, original MuggleCast co-host, Kevin! Main Discussion: Our Hogwarts Legacy Review How far have each of us made it in the game? Are we playing as ourselves? Or did we create an original character? Does the game live up to all of the expectations? What are we most enjoying

In this week's episode, Harry and Ron rack up substantial points for Gryffindor, and Dobby is freed! It's the final Chapter-by-Chapter segment of our read-through of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with Andrew, Eric, Laura and our social media manager Chloé! Eric tries desperately to up Dumbledore's Lie Count, but Andrew isn't having it. Finally, Quizzitch looks ahead to the third book, which we will be starting in a few weeks' time! We revisit last week's topic of inter-Horcrux communication, with quotes from the later books. Main Discussion: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 18: Dobby's Reward 7-Word Summary: Harry accepts Dumbledore’s comforting advice on Voldemort Dumbledore is back! But unlike last year, he did not save Harry beneath the school. How much does the headmaster really know about the events of the past year? Who are his sources regarding Voldemort's current location? Is what happened in the Chamber a perfect recruiting opportunity for DD of Molly and Arthur? Dumbledore pays Voldem

In this week's episode, Harry finally enters the Chamber of Secrets! But does he leave with more questions than he had coming in? And, knowing what the diary truly represents, the hosts dive deep into the world of Horcruxes! Join us as we discuss the penultimate chapter of Chamber of Secrets! Welcome, Voldemort enthusiast and friend of the show, Tylor Starr! Be sure to follow him on social media and check out his Unofficial Harry Potter Vegan Cookbook! Main Discussion: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 17: The Heir of Slytherin 7-Word Summary: Memories reveal answers about Tom’s legacy fulfillment  Are Horcruxes self-aware? Do they have a hivemind? Does the diary-version of Tom Riddle know he’s a Horcrux?  How does a Horcrux work when another form still exists? If Tom Riddle weren’t killed here, would there have been a current Voldemort and a Tom Riddle, or would they have merged together? What if… Ginny had found fulfillment and happiness instead of being teased by her brothers, feeling like she didn’t fi

What exactly did the Forbidden Forest do to the Flying Ford Anglia? What did the teachers do all day when Ginny Weasley was discovered missing? And, should Hogwarts lock its front door? These questions and more are asked as your MuggleCast hosts delve into Chapters 15 and 16 of Chamber of Secrets on this week's jam-packed Chapter-by-Chapter episode of MuggleCast! Join Andrew, Eric, Laura, Micah, and Slug Club guest Kimberly (who came prepared with some fun HP-themed Valentines greetings) as we near the final chapters of Book 2. Welcome to the show Slug Club guest Kimberly! Is it really Valentine's Day without some Harry-Potter-themed greetings? The hosts are delighted to hear something new. Main Discussion #1: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 15: Aragog 7-Word Summary: Andrew and Micah devise, "Spiders spiders spiders spiders vroom vroom vroom" Parallels abound between life at Hogwarts without Dumbledore in Book 2, and a similar time for students in Year 7. Should Hogwarts lock its front door at night to

Another episode, another attack at Hogwarts! Join us as we enter the pages of a secret diary, get treated to a special Valentine's Day by Professor Lockhart and witness an epic showdown in Hagrid's Hut between Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy and Cornelius Fudge! All as the threads between Chamber of Secrets and Half-Blood Prince continue to grow stronger! Main Discussion #1: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 13: The Very Secret Diary 7-Word Summary: Memories are misleading within Riddle’s secret diary  Don't touch that book! Ron provides some important wizarding world advice to his best friend. Harry, Ron and Hermione begin to connect the dots between The Chamber of Secrets opening 50 years ago and Tom Riddle being at Hogwarts 50 years ago... they just draw the wrong conclusion! Harry notes it was "almost as though Riddle was a friend he’d had when he was very small, and had half-forgotten.” Is this our first introduction to the Horcrux connection? Could Tom Riddle have killed Harry by trapping him inside the di

This week Snape demonstrates the famous Disarm Charm to a clearly impressionable Harry. Harry, meanwhile, throws a well-placed firework into Goyle's cauldron. And it's pandemonium when Harry is revealed to be a Parselmouth, leading the entire school to suspect him of being Slytherin's heir (except Dumbledore, who weirdly lets Harry leave without interrogation.) Tons to talk about as the hosts cover chapters 11 and 12 of Chamber of Secrets during Chapter-by-Chapter! News: Eddie Redmayne says he's not aware of a 4th Fantastic Beasts movie. Is this the end? Main Discussion #1: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 11: The Dueling Club 7-Word Summary: Students get ready for their dueling club We rank the trio's plans to break into Snape's personal potions storage and their successful execution! Would Harry have been less suspected by Snape if he sabotaged a fellow Gryffindor? After being discovered as a Parselmouth, the whole school suspects Harry is opening Slytherin's chamber. We examine ALL the evidence against

The Chamber of Secrets is officially opened! But as Dumbledore says, the question is not who, but how? Join us as we learn more about the Chamber's legend, check books out from the Restricted Section, evade Rogue bludgers and handle (un)helpful House-Elves. Plus, we continue to connect some major threads to events of Half-Blood Prince! Welcome Slug Club member, Alyssa! Main Discussion #1: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 9: The Writing on The Wall 7-Word Summary: Filch scares Harry because he’s acting accusatory Was the attack on Mrs. Norris a trial run? Was Filch the intended target? Or is Mrs. Norris too meddlesome for her own good? What do we make of Ron's reaction to Filch being a Squib? How is it possible that no other students were aware? Why is Snape seemingly trying to implicate Harry? At this early stage, might Snape suspect Harry’s susceptibility to having his mind infiltrated by Voldemort?  Do we think students actually checked out all copies of Hogwarts: A History, or was it a strategic choic

Happy New Year! As we begin 2023, and celebrate the 25th anniversary of Chamber of Secrets, we examine the some of the book's and series' biggest themes! Join us as we hit the Quidditch pitch, visit Hagrid's hut, spend detention with Lockhart and celebrate Halloween with Nearly-Headless Nick on our latest episode of MuggleCast! Main Discussion #1: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 7: Murmurs & Mudbloods 7-Word Summary: Nepotism reigns supreme when Draco receives brooms We begin to see the influence of the Malfoy family’s wealth and the impact it has at Hogwarts and in the larger wizarding community! Is it fair to assume Draco made the Slytherin Quidditch team on money alone? Unconscious bias: Why were we okay with McGonagall giving Harry a Nimbus 2000 in Sorcerer's Stone but against Lucius giving the Slytherins Nimbus 2001s in Chamber of Secrets? Why isn't there greater punishment for Malfoy using the term mudblood? Why do the male characters seem to be onto Lockhart, but most of the female characters com

MuggleCast returns January 10th with new episodes, but until then we're releasing one of our favorite episodes of Bonus MuggleCast that we initially recorded for Patrons earlier in the year! In this installment, we discuss the late actor Alan Rickman's diary entries about playing Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. As you might expect from a diary, he is very candid about his work and the cast members around him. Prepare to be surprised by how he felt while filming each Harry Potter movie! For more installments of Bonus MuggleCast, pledge to our Patreon today at Patreon.com/mugglecast. In 2023, we'll be releasing two Bonus MuggleCast episodes every month! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy Holidays! Join us for our final episode of the year! What were some of our top moments? Our favorite episodes of the show? Then we open up our MuggleMail bag one last time and look ahead to what to expect in 2023 for Harry Potter fans! Our top 5 Social Media Moments Why do you wish you were a teenager in the early 2000s? MuggleCast #tbt!  Black Harry Potter content creators you should follow this Black History Month!  Dan Fogler’s Cameo to celebrate Micah’s Birthday! MuggleCast Through the Years Timeline  Last-minute MuggleCast Halloween Costumes! Each host shares their favorite episodes of the year: Andrew: Episode #566: WB is Planning HBO Max Harry Potter Shows — We Pitch Lots of New Ideas! and Episode #555: ’98-’99 Hogwarts School Year Deep Dive Eric: Episode #567: ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ Illustrator Thomas Taylor Reveals the Secrets Behind the Cover and #573: ‘MuggleCast, A History’ Trivia Game! Laura: Episode #576: How Are Spells Created? Discussing the Physics of Harry Potter and Ep

On this week's episode, Harry and Ron invent a new way to get to Hogwarts, but break a few international statutes! Settling in to classes would be easier for Harry if Draco Malfoy and Gilderoy Lockhart weren't following him around! Still, it is so good to be back within the castle walls. Join us for Chapter by Chapter segments of chapters 5 and 6 of "Chamber of Secrets." Welcome Slug Club guest Miranda! Announcement! Slug Club members of our Patreon will be able to participate in our holiday year-end MuggleCast AMA this coming Saturday, December 17 at 1pm ET. The event will be viewable by ALL when it goes live, and Slug Club members can submit their Q's! Stay tuned to our social for reminders. Main Discussion #1: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 5: The Whomping Willow 7-Word Summary: The tree captures the Ford toughly, rawr! Are there further investigations into why the Kings Cross barrier didn't let Harry through, after his and Ron's story come out? What makes Ron leap right to taking the car, instead of

On this week's episode, we make our first visit to The Burrow and meet several characters for the first time in Diagon Alley! Plus, hold onto your Sorting Hat as we connect a handful of threads between Chamber of Secrets and Half-Blood Prince! Micah visits Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience in New York! Main Discussion #1: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 3: The Burrow 7-Word Summary: Weasley’s House Features New Magic And... Gnomes Fred & George are truly their father's sons (be sure to check out our Weasley Twins episode from April 2021) Right family, wrong motive - Dobby DOES belong to the Malfoys! What if... Molly and Arthur had gone to pickup Harry at Privet Drive? Comparing and contrasting Harry and Ron's view of The Burrow Main Discussion #2: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 4: At Flourish & Blotts 7-Word Summary: Lucius takes Ginny’s father in a fight Should the Weasleys have given Harry a bit more assistance with Floo Powder? Inside Borgin and Burkes: vanishing cabinets, necklaces and ha

It's our fourth Harry Potter holiday gift guide episode! Join Andrew, Eric, Laura and Micah as they share their latest favorites Harry Potter-adjacent merchandise. Autobiographical works from several of the films' biggest stars are now published, and certain handcrafted and fan-made items are too good to resist. Looking for the gift that your HP-obsessed friend doesn't already have? Start here, with us, on this week's MuggleCast! This year's holiday gift guide episode features largely Harry Potter-adjacent items for the HP-obsessed friend who has everything, or so they think! We'd like to draw attention to BookShop.org, where with their special Store Locator page you can support your local bookstore through the purchase of books mentioned on this episode, and all books in general. Check it out! This year's fiction recommendations include 'The Magicians' by Lev Grossman, the 'Percy Jackson' series by Rick Riordan, the 'Simon Snow' trilogy of books by Rainbow Rowell, Michael Scott's 'Immortal Nicholas Fla

Join us as we begin Chapter-by-Chapter of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets! Harry's abuse rises to new levels, the Dursleys obtain Death Eater status, and Dobby complicates Harry's life despite his good intentions. From horcruxes to house-elves, from animal cruelty to servitude, there's lots to unpack from on this weeks' episode! We reflect on reading Chamber of Secrets for the first time and what we're expecting to get out of our re-read Main Discussion #1: Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 1: The Worst Birthday 7-Word Summary: The Day Harry Was Beaten By Family We deeply analyze the Dursley's mistreatment of Harry and add animal cruelty to the list of offenses Wouldn’t Petunia know that Harry can’t do magic outside of school? Perhaps she does not want to reveal her knowledge of the wizarding world to Vernon? How could Harry overcome the Dursleys’ restrictions except for the rescue from the Weasleys? How does Dumbledore allow for this level of abuse to go on for so long? Don't use THAT word (MAGI

On this week's episode of MuggleCast, we dive deep into the final chapter of Sorcerer's Stone, connect some serious threads to Deathly Hallows and get after everyone's favorite headmaster. Dumbledore apologists beware! News: Leslie Phillips, voice of the Sorting Hat passes away at 98  The 6th Annual MuggleCast Patreon Holiday Gift Exchange is now live! Chapter-by-Chapter for Sorcerer's Stone concludes with Chapter 17: The Man With Two Faces 7-Word Summary: Dumbledore comes at the situation with lies Main Discussion 1: Dumbledore’s Task - we draw some strong parallels between Sorcerer's Stone and Deathly Hallows Does Voldemort read Harry’s mind, is it the Horcrux connection or just a lucky guess?  What made Dumbledore initially move the stone from Gringotts? What tipped him off? Do we know how Quirrell found out about its location? Could Dumbledore not trust himself enough to keep the Stone in his own possession? We analyze Snape's "protection" of Harry throughout his first year Main Discussion #2

Americans! Don't forget to vote in the 2022 Midterms by Tuesday, November 8! Visit IWillVote.com to find your local polling place. This week the hosts are joined by Slug Club guest Michele, and Chapter by Chapter continues with chapters 15 and 16 of Sorcerer's Stone. Listen as we discuss how the Centaurs may have been right all along, while Harry serves detention in "The Forbidden Forest." After that, follow along as the trio go "Through the Trapdoor"! And we analyze each of the obstacles designed to protect the Sorcerer's Stone. All this and more, including: Welcome Slug Club guest Michele! If you would like the chance to guest-host on our show, visit our Patreon News: New Warner CEO David Zaslav wants "More Harry Potter movies!" What does that mean?! Main Discussion #1: Sorcerer's Stone, Chapter 15: The Forbidden Forest 7-Word Summary: Mars might tell of future conflicts forthcoming  Harry experiences exclusion like never before, after Gryffindor is down so many points. Have we ever disappointed o