MuggleCast heads into Chapter 29 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, “The Phoenix Lament.”
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Give the episode a listen above, and keep scrolling for a recap of what we talked about.
A Grieving Hogwarts and a Grayer View of Snape
The chapter opens on a castle in shock. Dumbledore is dead, students and teachers are trying to piece together what happened, and Snape’s apparent betrayal has upended everything people believed about him. As the survivors retrace the night’s events, readers essentially follow in the footsteps of a murderer, learning exactly what Snape did on his way to the Astronomy Tower.
Eric noted that on a reread, knowing “all of Snape’s actions are to protect Harry, and, you know, kind of facilitate the Order surviving,” his choices in this chapter look a lot grayer. Hermione points out that Snape didn’t seem to know the Death Eaters were coming, since Flitwick had to run and tell him.
That uncertainty is what makes the discussion so interesting. Snape’s actions could be evidence of his true allegiance, a performance for Voldemort, or an effort to protect specific people. Rather than forcing every choice into good or evil, the hosts looked at how one action might serve several purposes at once.
Did Snape Knock Out Flitwick to Protect Him?
One of the episode’s central debates is Snape stunning Professor Flitwick. Andrew thinks it still feels below the belt: knocking out a fellow faculty member just seems like a step too far for someone who is secretly on the good side.
Micah, a Ravenclaw defending his own head of house, sees it differently: “I see it as a measure of protection. He’s neutralizing Flitwick to ensure that nothing happens to him in the battle.” Snape knows how good Flitwick is, and taking him out of the fight might be the safest thing for everyone, Snape included.
Laura added another motive. Attacking a colleague “also helps to solidify the narrative that Snape wants everyone to believe at this point.” When Flitwick wakes up, he can tell everyone Snape stunned him, which only strengthens Snape’s cover.
Eric pointed to what happens next. Snape runs out of his office and conveniently bumps into Luna and Hermione, who are standing guard, and improvises on the spot, sending them inside to help Flitwick. With one quick decision, three capable people are out of harm’s way. The hosts didn’t settle on one explanation, and that ambiguity is exactly what makes Snape so compelling here.
Snape, Draco, and the Mystery of the Battle
The hosts also looked at Snape’s movements beyond Flitwick, including how he gets Draco out of the castle. Micah stressed that Snape’s goal was narrower than protecting everyone: “Snape is also on a clear mission, so he has one goal in mind here, and that is to save Draco more than anything else.”
That distinction matters. Snape can reduce harm while still acting on one specific priority. Micah also suggested that the two were able to walk right past Order and DA members because it simply looked like a professor escorting a student.
Eric raised one especially intriguing theory. During the fight, a Death Eater’s curse hits the ceiling and breaks the barrier blocking the defenders. Was it luck, or did Snape cast a spell “which caused the Death Eater to miss, hit the ceiling, and break the charm”? It would fit Snape’s skill, but the book never confirms it.
Felix Felicis adds another layer of mystery. Andrew pointed to Ginny’s observation that the Killing Curses “seem to just miss us,” a sign that the luck potion Harry shared may have helped his friends survive the night.
Should Harry Tell McGonagall About the Horcruxes?
A big character question follows when Harry refuses to tell McGonagall where he went with Dumbledore or what he learned. The hosts debated whether Harry is right to follow Dumbledore’s instructions so closely now that Dumbledore is gone and McGonagall is in charge. Harry is grieving, still in shock, and reeling from Snape’s apparent betrayal, so some caution makes sense.
Eric pushed back hard. In Harry’s mind, “every character judgment, every assessment Dumbledore ever made specifically about the character of those closest to him is not reliable.” If Dumbledore was wrong about Snape, Eric asked, why should Harry automatically trust Dumbledore’s advice about who to keep in the dark?
Laura offered a different angle: Dumbledore may have made Harry feel more informed than he actually was. “Harry feels like he’s the one holding the mission, and he’s really not,” she said, suggesting Snape may hold more of the crucial information than Harry does. The debate captures a key tension in the chapter: Harry’s loyalty is understandable, but circumstances have changed.
McGonagall’s Leadership and the Future of Hogwarts
The episode also looked at McGonagall stepping up as leader. Eric noticed that she consults the heads of house and Hagrid about whether Hogwarts should stay open, describing her approach as “ruling by committee here by getting their thoughts.”
Andrew thinks each head’s response reflects their house. Flitwick suggests involving the Board of Governors, which is very diplomatic and very Ravenclaw, while the others answer in ways that fit their own houses.
The most urgent question is whether students should come back at all. Eric pointed ahead to what awaits them under Snape’s regime, from students practicing Unforgivable Curses on each other to life in a totalitarian school, and asked whether parents would even have a real choice about sending their kids back. The chapter doesn’t answer that, but it frames Hogwarts as both a refuge and a potential trap.
Dumbledore’s Funeral: Tribute or Unnecessary Risk?
Harry’s push for students to attend Dumbledore’s funeral sparked another debate. Eric found it odd that the funeral comes up just as McGonagall is talking about sending everyone home early. Andrew thinks there would have been a funeral either way, perhaps without students, or with a special exception for Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Micah argued that McGonagall’s first job is keeping students safe. “Right now Hogwarts is not safe,” he said. “Priority number one should be getting the students back home as soon as possible.”
Eric countered that Hogwarts has stood for around 1,000 years and that Voldemort has a healthy respect for its remaining protections. He would want more time to prepare for an attack on a castle that is still as formidable as it has always been, even without Dumbledore. The disagreement shows how hard it is to balance honoring the dead with protecting the living.
Slughorn’s Shock and the Questions Left Behind
The final stretch of the discussion turned to Slughorn’s reaction when he bursts in: “Snape, I taught him, I thought I knew him.” Eric was curious what exactly Slughorn thought he knew about Snape from teaching him Potions. Andrew’s answer was simple: that he wasn’t a murderer.
The chapter also leaves Bill Weasley badly injured after Greyback’s attack, with no one sure what lasting effects the bite will have. Alongside Ginny’s comments about Felix Felicis, it’s a reminder of how narrowly everyone escaped something even worse.
Across the episode, the hosts treated Chapter 29 as a story of competing interpretations. Snape’s apparent cruelty might hide protection, McGonagall’s caution may be wise even as Harry’s secrecy gets harder to defend, and a funeral can be both a necessary act of remembrance and a security risk. The chapter doesn’t resolve those tensions. It leaves readers weighing what they know, what they suspect, and whose judgment they’re willing to trust.