What Does Evanesco Do in Harry Potter?

Evanesco is the Vanishing Spell, which makes an object or creature disappear. In Order of the Phoenix, Snape uses it to vanish Harry’s botched Draught of Peace, Bill Weasley uses it to clear away scrolls at Grimmauld Place, and McGonagall teaches Vanishing Spells to fifth years as part of their O.W.L. Transfiguration work.

The spell is at the center of this episode thanks to a Pottermore National Trivia Day post claiming that before witches and wizards adopted Muggle plumbing in the 18th century, they simply relieved themselves wherever they stood and vanished the evidence. We have a lot of questions.

• Laura returns as we hit 400 episodes!
• What Potter gifts did the hosts get for the holidays? Does Andrew have to return his to NJ Transit?
• Our patrons put Laura on the hot seat as she answers some tough Potter questions
• Pottermore’s #NationalTriviaDay tweet creates a real sh*t storm by saying Hogwarts didn’t have bathrooms pre-18th Century
• So… did they really just do their business wherever they stood?
• Who teaches younger students how to wipe up after themselves?
• Why bother adding bathrooms to Hogwarts at all?
• Did wizards never see a need for a private place for them to relieve themselves?
• What if it was an especially rough bowl movement?
• We dig deep into our MuggleMail bag and retrieve some vintage emails just for Laura
• After six years, Laura finally becomes Lady Geek of the Week, learns she correctly predicted Neville’s head on fire and has a best friend named Eve
• Voicemails cover a Kowalski descendant, Newt’s expulsion, Queenie’s mental state, a Leta horcrux and more
• The Dueling Club is back featuring characters from The Crimes of Grindelwald
• Quizzitch: Which Slytherin student prevented the Chamber of Secrets from being discovered?
• Chicken Soup comes all the way from Pakistan!
• And the hosts entertain this Crackpot Theory: Is Aurelius Dumbledore a homunculus?
• In Bonus MuggleCast, available on Patreon, we discuss a strange Harry Potter book, Crimes of Grindelwald’s prophecy, and Hermione’s actions in Half-Blood Prince.

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