On this week’s episode, Harry is rude to his owl. Then someone breaks into his home. It’s very exciting to be leaving Privet Drive! Join us for a chapter of highs and lows as Chapter-by-Chapter covers Chapter 3 of “Order of the Phoenix,” and the hosts as well as Slug Club member Katie discuss the recent passing of Maggie Smith, take answers from our Lynx Line, and generally have a nice time as usual.

• Welcome to our Slug Club guest Katie!
• The hosts reflect on the amazing life of Dame Maggie Smith, who has passed away.
• Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 3: The Advance Guard. And our Time Turner segment has us spinning some old recordings from past discussions! Check out Episode 435 and Episode 229!
• Harry interrupts Hedwig’s dinner. Is this one step too far on making his friends’ lives miserable?
• Andrew loves Harry’s plan to ensure his friends give him answers, but it may remind us all of Professor Umbridge.
• Does the delay between the last chapter and the night the Advance Guard arrives exist because Dumbledore needed time to implement the escape route?
• Is the real Moody overcompensating on security?
• The Dursleys are back to their old tricks, of abusing Harry… and Harry is back to his old tricks of appearing indifferent to them.
• The hosts rank this rescue effort against all the other times Harry was saved from Privet Drive.
• Should Harry have been more aggressive about intruders in his home?
• Doesn’t everybody at this point know Harry’s Patronus? How secure is Lupin’s question exactly?
• If this is the Advance Guard, who is in the Rear Guard?
• Lynx Line: What five Potter characters would our patrons have in their Advance Guard?
• Where’s Dumbledore?, the segment, returns!
• Our Most Trustworthy Advance Guard Member of the Week: the hosts explain.
• Quizzitch: “What well-kept lawn in London has been home to a zebra, an elephant, and a helicopter landing pad?”
• Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us!

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On this week’s episode, we learn things are never as they appear to be as Ms. Figg reveals herself as a Dumbledore informant and Petunia recalls her last correspondence with the Wizarding World! Plus, there are owls… EVERYWHERE!

• Welcome back, Meg!
• Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 2: A Peck of Owls. And our Time Turner segment has us spinning some old recordings from past discussions! Check out Episode 434 and Episode 228!
• Did Dumbledore suspect that Harry would be attacked on Privet Drive? If so, why was more (competent) manpower not invested in Harry’s protection?
• Why is Harry facing criminal charges for doing a bit of simple, defensive magic?
• Given how fast the owls show up, are they using some form of magic themselves?
• Say what?! Petunia knows about Dementors… and Azkaban!
• When Petunia references that awful boy, does she mean James… or Snape?
• Remember My Last! Was Petunia actually excited to receive a letter from the Wizarding World? Has she ever heard Dumbledore’s voice in person?
• Do Petunia and Snape share a similar love for Lily and disdain for Harry?
• Shouldn’t Vernon have every right to want to protect his family? Especially, after he learns of Voldemort’s return?
• Lynx Line: How would we improve on the Ministry of Magic’s disciplinary process for Harry?
• Our Most Wicked Figg Line of the Week: the hosts do their best impressions!
• Quizzitch: In Scotland, the peck was used as a dry measure until the introduction of imperial units as a result of the Weights and Measures Act of what year?
• Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us!

Download now OR, now read the Episode 676 Transcript!

This week, our Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix re-read begins! We examine the protections surrounding Harry now that Voldemort is back, and ask whether Dudley Dursley is a good boy now.

• News: There is an open casting call for children to become the next Potter trio for  the HBO series. We’ll be talking more about it in Bonus MuggleCast, available on Apple Podcasts and our Patreon.
• Chapter-by-Chapter begins again with Book 5, and our brand new MuggleCast Time Turner segment has us spinning some old recordings from past discussions. This week, Episode 433 and Episode 228.
• Harry’s mood has soured significantly! Were we repelled by the book’s immediately sadder protagonist?
• How much of Harry’s rage is justified? How much is due to his horcrux connection?
•  Could Harry have been removed from Privet Drive after just 24 hours? If so, why wasn’t he? Is Dumbledore to blame for all of harry’s problems?
• Feeling disconnected, Harry hears a loud noise but it makes him feel more desperate. The noise was the sound of our breaking hearts.
• Dudley’s attempts to de-escalate the situation with Harry are applaudable, but unsuccessful.
• Has Dudley already grown most of the way to a mature person?
• Are we laughing at Harry’s jokes?
• Lynx Line question: how could Dumbledore improve Harry’s protection?
• New segments: Where’s Dumbledore?! And Make the Personal Connection
• This week’s MVP award category is: Most Fake Character
• Quizzitch: In honor of the drought that’s happening in the beginning of Book 5, what is the hottest temperature ever recorded in the United Kingdom? Guesses within 3 degrees Fahrenheit will be accepted. You may answer in Fahrenheit or Celsius.
• Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us!

Download now OR, now read the Episode 675 Transcript!

Before we start our Chapter by Chapter re-read of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, this week we’re watching the fifth Harry Potter movie together!

Bring your own copy of the Order of the Phoenix movie and watch the film with us in this commentary track. We offer commentary, behind-the-scenes info, wonder why there are so many montages, and fun facts about the production.

To sync up with us, pause the movie right after the camera fully sweeps through the ‘WB’ logo, about 20 seconds into the movie. In the commentary track, we then tell you when to hit Play. (This is also explained on the episode)

To listen to more of our Harry Potter movie commentaries, check out our Must Listens page.

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It’s time to put Goblet of Fire in the rear-view mirror as we conduct our ceremonial book wrap episode, featuring our 7-Word Chapter Summary redo, 7 Word Book Summary, and more MuggleMail than you can shake a non-plot-holed Portkey at! Join Andrew, Eric, Laura and Micah for this fun-filled episode catching up with all that our listeners have had to say recently.

• Next week we will be hosting an Order of the Phoenix movie watch commentary and on the following show we’ll begin Book 5 chapter-by-chapter with new segments!
• Micah is back from a visit to Scotland! He tells us what he did over there.
• Andrew and Micah interview actor Joel Meyers, who currently plays Albus Severus Potter in Broadway’s Cursed Child!
• Revisiting our Goblet of Fire 7 Word Chapter Summaries.
• Book Four 7-Word Summary: Resurrection for Voldemort awakens old echoes past.
• Two listeners point out that the return Portkey mystery is not a plot-hole, but was part of Voldemort’s plan to stay hidden while alive.
• Is the Dark Mark on the arms of Death Eaters the best kept secret on the part of the dark side from the Ministry?
• A listener compares Voldemort’s return ritual with Barty Crouch Jr.’s specific method for his father’s end, and underscores BCJr’s daddy issues.
• Do the Death Eaters keep their D.E. robes nearby in case Voldemort returns? Do they ever wash them?
• A listener asks, which characters will be the hardest to replace on the HBO Max show, given their film adaptation counterparts?
• Shakespeare references, snakelike features, and low-security portraits are the topics of more Muggle Mail!
• Quizzitch: in the United States, Harry Potter and the order of the phoenix movie was the 5th highest grossing film of 2007 domestically. name at least 2 films that year which earned more money.
• Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us!
• Coming up on Bonus MuggleCast, we react to the release of Harry Potter: Quidditch World Champions after playing it this week!
• For twice-monthly Bonus MuggleCast, as well as other great benefits, including the chance to co-host the show, a new physical gift every year, and a video message from one of the four of us visit Patreon.com/MuggleCast!

Download now OR, now read the Episode 673 Transcript!

This week, the four MuggleCasters are all under one roof for the first time since 2010! While attending Podcast Movement in Washington, D.C., we held a listener meet-up and later gathered around a single hotel room desk to answer questions about the show and each other. The entire experience was relaxing and fun, which you can hear for yourself now! Join Andrew, Eric, Laura and Micah IN PERSON while we celebrate 19 years of MuggleCast.

Questions answered include:

• How does recording in person differ from recording on-line?
• Are the hosts as tall and as short as they each remember / expected?
• What city would we all live in if we could live together?
• What piece of HP merchandise would we never get rid of?
• How do each of the hosts take their coffee?
• If we went to karaoke, what would be the songs we would sing?
• Have any of us read books in foreign languages?
• Which HP character’s life would we want to swap ours with?
• Which HP book would we re-write if given the chance?
• What plot lines do we wish would have paid off more in the series?
• …and more!

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Eric, Micah, and Chloé record a special, 19 years later-themed episode of MuggleCast live from LeakyCon in Portland, Oregon! We reflect on the show’s journey so far, revisit the epilogue in Deathly Hallows, and play two of our show’s games (Make the Connection and What If…) with listeners!

This week’s episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Explore your curiosity with a therapist, today! Visit BetterHelp.com/mugglecast for 10% off your first month.

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This week, we wrap up  our fourth year at Hogwarts, say goodbye to some new friends and prepare for what’s to come! Join Andrew, Micah and Laura as we raise a glass to Cedric, Harry and our journey through Goblet of Fire!

• 7-Word Summary: Relationships blossom when the trio parts ways
• Chapter-by-Chapter concludes with Goblet of Fire, Chapter 37: The Beginning
• Could there be a less creative title for this chapter?
• What?! There was still a bit of term left after the Third Task?
• Harry & The Diggorys: examining another example of a mother’s love
• Why is the real Mad-Eye Moody still hanging around Hogwarts?
• Tea Time with Hagrid is what we all need right now
• Dumbledore tells the student body Voldemort has returned. Smart or reckless move on his part?
• Should Dumbledore’s have toasted Harry? Did any Slytherins stand for him?
• Do we think the Triwizard Tournament was successful in breeding international magical cooperation? 
• Hermione & Rita: how long has she been in that jar?!
• Showdown on the Hogwarts Express
• Quizzitch: What does Harry ask Viktor Krum, when they shake hands before going to the Hogwarts Express?
• What’s Coming Up on MuggleCast: Next week, we’ll be recording a special, laid back episode all together in Washington D.C. (releasing August 27); the following week, MuggleCast Live at LeakyCon (releasing September 3);  MuggleMail (releasing September 10); Order of the Phoenix Movie Commentary (releasing September 17); Order of the Phoenix Chapter-by-Chapter Begins (releasing September 24).
• Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us!
• For twice-monthly Bonus MuggleCast, as well as other great benefits, including the chance to co-host the show, a new physical gift every year, and a video message from one of the four of us visit Patreon.com/MuggleCast

Download now OR, now read the Episode 670 Transcript!

This week, the battlelines are officially drawn between Dumbledore and Fudge! Join us as we try our very best to convince the Minister for Magic that Voldemort has indeed returned!

• News: MinaLima will not be releasing further editions of their illustrated books (we’ll discuss this story in more detail in Bonus MuggleCast)
• 7-Word Summary: Fudge makes disastrous decisions about Lord Voldemort
• Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Goblet of Fire, Chapter 36: The Parting of the Ways
• Sympathetic Grandfatherly Figure or Master Manipulator: Is what Dumbledore says to Harry truly heartfelt and genuine?
• Does Fawkes know what went down in the graveyard?
• Should Harry tell his story without other Ministry officials present?
• The Gleam of Triumph and its connection to Deathly Hallows
• Why, specifically, did Voldemort and Harry’s wand cores come from Dumbledore’s pet phoenix?
• Ollivander has Dumbledore on speed dial!
• Comparing parental figures: Sirus and Molly’s love for Harry is on full display, foreshadowing things to come in Order of the Phoenix
• Why did Fudge feel the need to bring a Dementor to Hogwarts to face Barty Crouch Jr.? Where are all the Aurors?
• COMPLETE DENIAL: Can Fudge find anyone in the Hospital Wing he believes?
• Why does nobody force Fudge to see the truth? Why doesn’t Dumbledore go get the Pensieve or Veritaserum?
• Snape takes a major risk in showing Fudge his Dark Mark tattoo!
• Dementors & Giants: Does Dumbledore overstep his bounds? Does he go too far? Or is Fudge already lost?
• With Fudge a lost cause, Dumbledore begins moving his chess pieces against Voldemort
• Quizzitch: What does Harry ask Viktor Krum, when they shake hands before going to the Hogwarts Express?
• Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us!
• For twice-monthly Bonus MuggleCast, as well as other great benefits, including the chance to co-host the show, a new physical gift every year, and a video message from one of the four of us visit Patreon.com/MuggleCast!

Download now OR, now read the Episode 669 Transcript!

On this week’s episode, hard truths are revealed… by force! The culprit is finally revealed in our Chapter by Chapter discussion for Goblet of Fire Chapter 35, ‘Veritaserum.’ And, there’s been news about the new Universal theme park!

• A reveal trailer for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic theme park has been released! We discuss it in a new edition of Bonus MuggleCast, and now non-Patrons can listen for a one-time purchase of just $3!
• Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Goblet of Fire, Chapter 35: Veritaserum
• Secrets are revealed by truth telling serum
• With Harry back at Hogwarts but his world turned upside down, how does Dumbledore let him out of his sight?
• Should we have predicted that ANOTHER Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was a baddie?
• We review Barty Crouch, Jr.’s history of acts throughout the book so far.
• …but what Barty really wants, is a father figure! We discuss his possibly unique relationship with Voldemort.
• Dumbledore has “a look.” What does it look like?
• Should the Foe Glass have told us definitively where Snape’s loyalties lay?
• How exactly did Mrs. Crouch continue to evade the Dementors and fellow prisoners while in Azkaban?
• Given Crouch Jr.’s confession, was Winky culpable for any of his actions? She’s pretty rude about Bertha.
• How do we feel about Barty Crouch, Sr. using the Imperius Curse on his son?
• Should Wormtail receive more credit for helping to subdue the real Mad-Eye? How much danger was Arthur Weasley in unbeknownst to him?
• Quizzitch: What six Death Eater names does Harry give directly to Fudge?
• Visit MuggleCast.com for episode transcripts, social media links, our full episode archive, our favorite episodes, and to contact us!
• For twice-monthly Bonus MuggleCast, as well as other great benefits, including the chance to co-host the show, a new physical gift every year, and a video message from one of the four of us visit Patreon.com/MuggleCast!

Download now OR, now read the Episode 668 Transcript!