MuggleCast closes out Part One of its Chapter by Chapter series with Chapter 15 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, “The Goblin’s Revenge.”
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Listen to the episode above, and check out some of our key takeaways from the chapter and our episode discussion below.
Life on the Run Gets Bleak
“The Goblin’s Revenge” opens with Harry, Ron and Hermione moving from campsite to campsite, hungry, cold and no closer to destroying the locket. It is one of the gloomiest stretches in the whole series, and Eric summed up the feeling of reading it for the first time: it is “magically infused depression, which makes it so much worse.”
Andrew pointed out that even without a Horcrux in the mix, this would be hard on any group of friends. “They’ve never spent this much time with one another,” he said, and on top of that they are on the run with a war looming over them.
Laura focused on how unpredictable every day has become. “There’s just no predictability,” she said. Even when Harry heads toward a village to get food, he runs into Dementors and has to turn back. In her view, there was simply no way for the trio to be fully prepared for everything this “little camping adventure” would throw at them.
How the Locket Turns Friends Against Each Other
The Horcrux makes all of that worse. Eric described the locket as convincing the three of them that the others are talking behind their backs, which means every bad mood gets a little darker while someone is wearing it.
The bigger problem is that the trio does not have much of a plan. Eric said the reality catching up with them, and the thing that ultimately pushes Ron to leave, is that Dumbledore never gave Harry all the answers or even a clear sense of where to go. Micah went further. Forget 100 percent, he said, “not even 10 percent.”
That kicked off a fun debate about leadership. Andrew argued that Harry is now “CEO of Saving Wizarding World Inc.” and does not have to keep following Dumbledore’s instruction to keep everything secret. If he wants to bring in Lupin or anyone else, he can. Eric pushed back that Harry was never chosen for that job through any kind of democratic process and has no experience delegating. Dumbledore simply decided Harry had it handled and left a lot to chance.
War Makes Strange Bedfellows
The episode title comes from the group the trio overhears down by the river: Dean Thomas, Ted Tonks, Dirk Cresswell and the goblins Griphook and Gornuk, all on the run together and sharing a meal of salmon. Micah said the scene reminded him of the phrase “war makes strange bedfellows,” since you could hardly assemble a more random group of people.
Andrew admitted he found it “way too convenient” that the trio would stumble onto exactly these people, considering how much land there is across England and Scotland. Laura offered one point in the book’s favor: people trying to forage and live off the land are naturally going to camp near water.
Laura also highlighted why this campfire conversation matters. Nobody outside the trio knows about the Horcruxes, so the wider wizarding world has no idea what Harry is doing. It has been months since Dumbledore died, and as Laura put it, Harry is “supposed to be like our deliverance from Voldemort, but nobody knows where he is or what he’s doing.” It is easy to understand why people like Dirk are starting to wonder whether anyone is coming to save them.
The Quibbler Becomes the Resistance Press
The campfire group also mentions that The Quibbler has been printing stories in support of Harry. Eric called it counter propaganda and said the magazine has become people’s refuge for news that offers any hope. Andrew noted how useful it is to have an existing publication ready to go, since starting a new one from scratch would be a huge pain. The only catch is that plenty of readers do not see The Quibbler as a reputable source.
Micah praised Xenophilius Lovegood for taking the risk. “It’s quite a courageous move on the part of Xenophilius Lovegood,” he said, adding that nobody is forcing him to report this way. He is doing it because he believes in Harry. Micah also pointed out that this sets up what happens a few chapters later, giving a reason why Luna is taken.
Ginny, Neville, Luna and the Sword of Gryffindor
The group also shares news from Hogwarts: Ginny, Neville and Luna tried to steal the Sword of Gryffindor from Snape’s office and were caught on their way out. Eric called the break in gutsy, and he was struck by how high the stakes are at a school now run by Voldemort’s supporters. Andrew thinks the students simply had an urge to do something rather than sit and wait, and Micah called it an act of defiance, a way of saying they do not accept the new headmaster.
Micah also raised a fun question. Doesn’t the sword present itself to any Gryffindor in need? If so, why steal it at all? Eric noted that Neville does pull it from the Sorting Hat later in the book.
Then comes the chapter’s biggest twist. Griphook reveals that the sword Snape sent to Gringotts is a fake. Micah felt that the trio happening to overhear the one person who could know this is awfully convenient from a writing perspective. Eric agreed it is a coincidence but argued that Griphook really is the only person who could ever reveal it. Andrew joked that he would buy it more easily if the trio had been drinking some Felix Felicis.
Phineas Nigellus and the Blindfold Debate
To find out what happened to Ginny, Neville and Luna, Hermione turns to the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black she packed in her beaded bag. Eric called it a “brilliant solution” that is so Hermione. Phineas reveals that the students were only sent into the Forbidden Forest to help Hagrid, which Harry finds hilariously mild.
Hermione blindfolds Phineas before letting him see them, and the hosts had plenty to say about it. Laura explained the reasoning: Phineas has another portrait in the headmaster’s office at Hogwarts, and the trio does not trust Snape. Andrew wondered whether the blindfold was worth the risk, since Phineas can still overhear Hermione mention the Forest of Dean later on. Eric thinks the blindfold may backfire anyway, since showing up in the headmaster’s office wearing one would be a huge tell to Snape. Micah and Laura also puzzled over how a blindfold even works on a portrait, since Phineas can move around inside his frame.
The conversation also gives the trio a crucial piece of information. Dumbledore used the real sword to destroy Marvolo Gaunt’s ring, which means the sword can destroy a Horcrux. Micah noted that Dumbledore could have told Harry this at any point last year, and Laura pointed out that Harry even saw the broken ring in Dumbledore’s office.
Ron Leaves Harry and Hermione
The chapter ends with one of the most painful moments in the series as Ron walks out. Micah said Ron is “tired of there being more questions than answers,” and that the sword is just one more thing to find with no idea where to look. He also connected it to the “third wheel anxiety” Ron has carried for most of the series, and the Horcrux is “magnifying it to the nth degree.”
Micah was not entirely sympathetic, describing Ron as someone who has been “mollycoddled his entire life” and cannot tough it out the way Harry and Hermione can. Laura agreed that Ron has not faced adversity to the same extent the other two have. Still, Micah admitted Ron is saying the quiet part out loud: “We don’t have a flippin’ clue what we’re doing here.” Andrew thinks a fight like this was inevitable after weeks in close quarters under so much stress.
Eric said Ron’s feelings are valid, even if leaving is the choice we have the most issue with. He also took aim at the Deluminator. Its secret function of guiding Ron back suggests Dumbledore suspected Ron would be the one to leave, which Eric called “a little garbage,” and Micah agreed it does not work for him.
This episode also marks the end of Part One of our Chapter by Chapter coverage of Deathly Hallows. MuggleCast moves to full Harry Potter TV show coverage starting December 2, and Chapter by Chapter will return in 2027 to pick up right where Ron left off.