• We pay tribute to the late John Hurt
• The truth behind Never Sever Us
• The Rubbish Bin on JKR’s site returns… with a Cursed Child focus
• Follow The Spiders – what does it mean?
• The Fantastics Beasts DVD/Blu-ray gets a release date!
• We listen to the deleted scene featuring the Ilvermorny house song!
• Eddie Redmayne will read the new Fantastic Beasts audiobook
• We revisit Fantastic Beasts: Jeanna compares the screening in Chicago to the final product
• Jacob’s fiancee
• How the big Grindelwald reveal went down
• Theme park expansion rumors abound in Bonus MuggleCast

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Running Time: 1:09:41, 96.1 MB

In our first episode of 2017, Andrew shares recent stories from the real Wizarding World, and surprises Micah and Eric with news about his hit fan fiction, Never Sever Us.

• Andrew’s now a published author! (Photos of the book are at the bottom of this post — Thank you, Kendra!)
• …and has tasted hot Butterbeer!
• …and has traded houses to become a Slytherin!
• What does it mean that Grindelwald was a seer?
• The new Fantastic Beasts covers have been revealed!
• We dive deep into the launch of JKR’s new website (which definitely has a nostalgic feel)
• Jo answers some FAQs about Fantastic Beasts and we analyze
• Why couldn’t Newt just apparate to the USA? Why did he go through No-Maj customs? Why couldn’t Newt ‘accio’ all of his beasts safely back to his briefcase?
• Why isn’t Veritaserum used in interrogations?
• Why did ‘revelio’ undo the effects of the Polyjuice Potion?
• Why didn’t Harry Potter develop an Obscurus?
• Twitter Question: What uncommon element(s) from the HP books or films do you want to see become important in the FB series?
• MuggleCast is sponsored by Blue Apron. Click here to get your first three meals free!
• Patron supporters can listen to this episode ad-free and get the latest installment of Bonus MuggleCast!

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Running Time: 1:12:30, 43.5 MB

Never Sever Us photos:

It’s our final episode of 2016! To send out an amazing year, we recap our latest trip around the sun, discuss recent news, and more. We’re joined by Hypable.com’s Danielle Zimmerman, a longtime listener making her on-air debut.

• Scorbus may be real after all
• Cursed Child tops Amazon’s Best-Selling Books of 2016
• Our Main Discussion centers around Newt’s expulsion from Hogwarts
• New info surrounding Newt and Leta is found in the Case of Beasts!
• Parallels to Hagrid and Aragog – did Newt’s situation set a precedent?
• It’s clear Newt took the blame for Leta, but why?
• The beast in question is revealed: what is a Jarvey?
• Patrons weigh in with their thoughts on Newt and Leta’s relationship
• We take a look back on the Year in Potter, including Fantastic Beasts, The Cursed Child, Ilvermorny, The Patronus Quiz and Alan Rickman
• Twitter Question: What more would you want to learn about the American Wizarding World?
• Thanks to Renee for the Christmas card!

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Running time: 1:12:31, 42.6 MB

– Lin-Manuel Miranda sparks Half-Blood Prince/Deathly Hallows debate
– Hot Butterbeer has arrived at the Wizarding World in Los Angeles
– A new spider honors a Hogwarts founder and his sorting hat
– Main Discussion: Was Ariana Dumbledore an Obscurus?
– We analyze the evidence from Credence and Aberforth Dumbledore
– How will her death play into future Fantastic Beasts films?
– Did Grindelwald’s interest in Ariana as an obscurus lead to his falling out with Albus?
– Pottermore releases new writing on Ariana just weeks after Fantastics Beasts – coincidence?
– Obscurus Books… the official publisher of Fantastic Beasts actually exists in Diagon Alley!
– What Fantastic Beasts creature are you? Find out!
– Email: Was the death of Credence not properly handled?

In this week’s Bonus MuggleCast, available on Patreon: A prop recently discovered at a Fantastic Beasts exhibit reveals that Theseus Scamander was tasked with searching down Grindelwald. What does this mean for Newt and his brother in future FB movies?

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Running time: 1:20:34, 46.3 MB

– Our spoiler-filled review of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them!
– Those opening credits! We’re back in the wizarding world (with no expectations) and it’s massively refreshing!
– Our initial thoughts on Newt, Tina, Jacob, Queenie, Graves and Creedence
– Another wizarding family gets name-dropped (and its not the Dumbledores)
– Obscurus: say what? And why this may not be the first time we’ve encountered one!
– Inside the Newtcase: will the beasts be used to fight in the future?
– Even thought we’re leaving New York, have we seen the end of certain characters?
– We breakdown the clues leading up to the big reveal!
– We anticipate Nifflers and Bowtruckles will top fan holiday wish lists

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Running time: 59:10, 38 MB

• The gang is all together in NYC for a special charity screening of Fantastic Beasts
• We’re recording in-person for the first time in 9 years
• There may or may not be some hand-holding
• We discuss the recent casting of Johnny Depp and the news of the series spanning 19 years
• Our initial reactions to Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, all presented in a spoiler-free manner
• Returning to the Wizarding World five years after the release of Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• Characters, beasts, 1920s New York – it’s all on the table for discussion (with Eric’s sorta-working microphone)
• Our full spoiler episode coming later this week!
• Congrats to our Halloween Contest winners

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Running time: 1:01:30, 38 MB

We review what we’ve been up to and fandom and discuss the MAJOR news about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!

• Andrew reminisces about LeakyCon while Eric reviews Sorcerer’s Stone in IMAX
• Does the Fantastic Beasts soundtrack offer huge insights into what we can expect to see in the film?
• We review what we know about the Fantastic Beasts mobile game…
• And Micah thinks Warner Bros is missing a big opportunity in NYC!<
• Celebrating 20 Years of Magic! Make sure to get your copy of Newsweek today!
• Main Discussion: Fantastic Beasts is now a five-part movie series!
• Will all five films be focused on beasts? Or is it this all building toward the First Wizarding War? What’s Newt’s connection to Grindelwald? And could we be headed to other wizarding institutions around the world?
• We discuss what will determine the overall success of the series.
• David Yates addresses whether this is all just a money-grab… and name drops a major Potter character for the Fantastic Beast sequel.
• Listener Feedback: mixed reaction to the announcement by JKR
• In this week’s Bonus MuggleCast available on Patreon, we discuss how five movies will affect fandom, and if we can analyze this new movie like we would any J.K. Rowling / Harry Potter book.

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Running time: 1:06:24, 39.8 MB

Lots of news to discuss in our first episode of October! Hypable’s Hype podcast host Pamela joins us to discuss all of the latest and greatest news.

• Expecto Patronum! The long-awaited quiz is finally here and the hosts reveal their Patronuses!
• Listeners share Patronus quiz results and if they’re happy with the outcome
• Chamber of Secrets: The Illustrated Edition hits store shelves and we have some questions!
• Why are their less illustrations? How will the length of future books impact the number of illustrations? Do these editions take away from the imaginations of younger readers? What’s up with Dobby’s bare ass?
• The final Fantastic Beasts trailer is released… with the mention of a very familiar dark wizard!
• Will Dumbledore help Newt fight Grindelwald? Will Newt be the only one capturing beasts? Whose side is Graves really on?
• Get your tickets! All 8 Harry Potter movies are returning to theaters for one week only! A great opportunity to see the earlier films.
• The main theme for Fantastic Beasts is revealed and it sounds awfully familiar…
• Harry Potter merch is making a comeback!
• Party in the Park – don’t miss out on an exclusive event at LeakyCon in Los Angeles (and after-party on Andrew’s rooftop)!
• Bonus MuggleCast: The History of MACUSA (Coming to Patreon later in October)

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Running time: 1:10:07, 42.2 MB

We discuss recent news, MuggleNet’s visit to the set of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and more!

• Andrew’s elusive quest for the vibrating broomstick continues
• An exciting Patreon announcement: it’s never been easier to listen to our bonus content!
• A Patronus quiz? We’re skeptical. Listeners share other quizzes they’d like to see on Pottermore.
• Cormoran Strike has been cast! We discuss adapting the book series to television.
• Halloween is coming to the Wizarding World theme park in Japan! Is the Orlando park missing a huge opportunity?
• Next stop for Harry Potter: The Exhibition… The Netherlands! Hopefully, they allow photos now.
• LEGO Harry Potter gets a makeover (and some very cool additions)! Here is the interview with Arthur Parsons, and here is Jonathan Smith on LEGO HP 1-4.
• We speak with MuggleNet’s Jessica Jordan, who visited the set of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them!
• Full set report and interviews.
• Mailbag: Our thoughts on good adaptations vs. good movies, the most shocking plot point of The Cursed Child and… Mandrakes!
• Eric has a few PO Box updates, but sadly no live goats… yet…

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Running time: 1:35:18, 57.3 MB

The 300th installment of MuggleCast has arrived! Thank you to our Patreon supporters, who helped us unlock Mega MuggleCast, bringing many of our old friends back on the show!

• The band is back together… Laura, Matt, Elysa & Mikey B return to celebrate this milestone!
• You can find Laura, Matt, Elysa, and Andrew on #Millennial podcast. Meanwhile, Mikey hosts Hypable’s Resistance Radio.
• And a special guest appearance by everyone’s favorite Brit!
• WAMP WAMP! We learn which Ilvermorny house each host was sorted into!
• The Cursed Child gets mixed reviews from the larger panel.
• Who said it?! A Cursed Child character or Original Story character (or Laura)? You might be surprised!
• The expansion of the Wizarding World: what would we like to see next? Has it gone too far already?
• Is Pottermore becoming the clearinghouse for all things Potter?
• Ilvermorny House controversy! We thought those drawings looked awfully familiar!
• NOT SAFE FOR WORK! We  discuss things that definitely happened in the Potter series but JKR didn’t include because they were “kid” novels.
• Aberforth and his clean goat Severus
• Scabbers saw quite a bit of Weasley in his day
• Love potions… as date rape drugs?
• The prefect’s bathroom… an all-out orgy!
• Plus Bertha Jorkins & Peter Pettigrew, Polyjuice & puberty, Gilderoy Lockhart and vibrating brooms!

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Running time: 1:15:38, 36.4 MB