Harry, Ron, and Hermione finally put their plan into motion in Chapter 12 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, “Magic Is Might,” and Andrew, Eric, Micah, and Laura follow them all the way into the Ministry of Magic.
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Hit play on the episode above, then read on for the highlights of our discussion.
A Month of Scouting the Ministry Entrance
“Magic Is Might” finds Harry, Ron, and Hermione about a month into their stakeout of the Ministry. They’ve been taking turns under the Invisibility Cloak, watching Ministry employees arrive for work. It sounds like solid preparation, but Eric wasn’t so sure. “For all the time they spend there, they don’t actually learn a lot, and they never make it past the front door,” he said. The plan only needs to get them through that front door, but how do you plan for everything waiting beyond it?
Laura added that the trio is being watched the whole time, with more and more Death Eaters keeping an eye on Grimmauld Place. Micah pointed out that every one of these “mini missions” is “extremely dangerous,” especially for Hermione, who hasn’t registered with the Muggle-born Registration Commission.
Eric also wondered why the trio never switches tactics. Their real target is Umbridge, and they already guess she arrives through the Floo Network, so why not learn more about her habits instead of staking out the employee entrance? Laura’s answer was simple: this is the only way they have to get in.
Hogwarts Attendance Is Now Mandatory
The Daily Prophet reveals that attendance at Hogwarts is now compulsory for every young witch and wizard. Laura believes the reason is obvious. The students become “built in hostages,” a way for Voldemort’s Ministry to keep their parents in line.
That puts Ginny, Neville, and Luna in a tough spot as they head back to a school run by Voldemort’s supporters, with the Carrows on staff. The hosts know from later in the book that this year is brutal for students, and that the Room of Requirement becomes a refuge for those who resist.
Snape as Headmaster: Is He Secretly Protecting Students?
The biggest headline in the Prophet is that Severus Snape is the new Headmaster of Hogwarts. Knowing what we know about Snape by the end of the series, the hosts debated what he might be doing behind the scenes.
Eric thinks Snape has plenty of credibility with the Death Eaters right now, since he’s the one who killed Dumbledore. Even though Snape is unpleasant to students on a good day, Eric believes he takes their safety seriously and is “greasing the works in a way that is subtle that neither side realizes.” He can’t stop the Carrows from using Unforgivable Curses, but simply holding the job keeps someone even worse from getting it.
Andrew pointed to a moment from Deathly Hallows Part 2 that has been trending online again. During his duel with McGonagall, Snape deflects her spells toward the Carrows. It’s only in the movie, but Andrew thinks it could be exactly the kind of quiet help Snape gives. Micah joked, “Oops, spell deflected.” Laura added that she wouldn’t be surprised if Snape knew students were hiding in the Room of Requirement and simply never said a word.
Harry’s Connection to Voldemort: Weakness or Advantage?
Harry gets another painful look inside Voldemort’s mind as the Dark Lord hunts for the wandmaker Gregorovitch. Voldemort kills a woman who stands in his way, and as Eric put it, he simply doesn’t value life at all.
Hermione is still begging Harry to close his mind, but Micah thinks the connection has become an advantage. Eric agreed that Hermione’s argument falls flat more than ever. The trio has no network of allies feeding them information, so these glimpses are their only real intel. “Without it, they would know even less of what they know about stopping Voldemort,” Eric said.
Laura called the connection “a double-edged sword.” It gives Harry insight, but it can also be used against him. Micah noted that Harry’s reactions are getting more physical, with him sweating and even throwing up after the visions. Eric pointed out how the writing places Harry right inside Voldemort’s body. It’s Harry seeing the long, pale fingers holding the wand that casts the Killing Curse.
The Polyjuice Plan Has Some Big Holes
The trio finally makes their move. Hermione becomes Mafalda Hopkirk, Ron becomes Reg Cattermole, and Harry becomes the hulking Albert Runcorn. Eric called the plan “a bunch of bananas,” and the hosts found plenty to pick apart.
Micah questioned how they took out their targets. Hopkirk gets knocked out, but Cattermole only gets a Puking Pastille and Runcorn a Nosebleed Nougat, both of which wear off. Micah would rather knock everyone out, since that buys a few hours. He also noted how hard it is to copy someone’s personality when you’ve only watched them walk to work. Sure enough, Ron gets sent to fix Yaxley’s office almost immediately, and Harry runs into people talking about things he knows nothing about.
Micah asked the obvious question: what’s the escape plan? Nobody discusses what happens if one of them is recognized. Eric added another problem nobody addresses: a typical dose of Polyjuice Potion lasts an hour, and the trio is probably inside the Ministry longer than that.
The “Magic Is Might” Statue and Pure-Blood Supremacy
Inside the Atrium, the Fountain of Magical Brethren is gone. In its place is a massive black statue of a witch and wizard sitting on thrones made of carved Muggles, with the words “Magic Is Might” at its base. Andrew called it “a disgusting visual,” and said seeing the movie version on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour stuck with him.
Eric called the statue “pure-blood supremacy, realized and unrestrained.” Pure-bloods like Lucius Malfoy always had influence at the Ministry, but they used to work in the shadows, slipping gold to Cornelius Fudge in a dark corridor. Now those people are running the place and can decorate however they like.
Laura agreed that the prejudice was always there, but this marks a turning point: “They’re saying the quiet part out loud.” Micah noted how much that feels like things happening in the Muggle world today.
Kreacher’s Cooking and Umbridge’s Return
Not everything in the chapter is bleak. Since Harry gave him Regulus’s locket, Kreacher has been cooking for the trio and keeping Grimmauld Place clean. Andrew said giving him the locket “was such a smart idea,” and wondered who would have guessed the elf would be such a good cook.
The chapter ends with the plan already going sideways. Ron is sent off to stop the rain in Yaxley’s office, Harry is left on his own, and Umbridge herself takes Hermione away to take notes at the Muggle-born hearings. The trio has found their target, but now they’re split up inside the most dangerous building in wizarding Britain.