Happy New Year! It’s our first episode of 2024 and we’ll be watching our words carefully, lest Rita Skeeter twists any of our statements to create some hot goss for The Daily Prophet!

• Welcome officially to MuggleCast: 19 years later!
• The MuggleCast Overstock Store is open again! This is where you can buy MuggleCast merch and help support the show! And we have an update: It’s cold in the Northern Hemisphere, so MuggleCast is helping you out this winter with the MuggleCast Beanie and Socks Comfy Cozy Combo Pack: Purchase this new combo set for $25 – it’s cheaper than buying the socks and beanie separate, and you’ll be warm on both ends of your muggle body for winter!
• Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Goblet of Fire, Chapter 10: Mayhem At The Ministry
• 7-Word Summary: Arthur laments over a problematic news cycle
• Main Discussion #1: The Aftermath
• Security Nightmare! Why did any witch or wizard hang around after the Death Eater attack? Evacuation plans should’ve been in place and activated!
• We examine the exploitation of Mr. Roberts by both the Death Eaters and The Ministry. Why was he not taken to St. Mungo’s? Could they have used a Pensieve to remove the memory of the attack?
• Freaking Out Molly: Had the author not conceptualized Patronus messaging yet? And not ONE Weasley could have gone home early?
• Main Discussion #2: Rita Skeeter, Unethical Journalism & Ministry Blunders
• We discuss Rita’s ability to acquire information being aided significantly by her being an unregistered animagus
• Just WHAT do beetles represent?
• Does Rita’s journalism, unethical at times though it is, do an actual public service in the case of both of the Quidditch World Cup and the disappearance of Bertha Jorkins?
• Molly clearly recognizes that Rita is a hack, but later on in Goblet of Fire she laps up every lie printed about Hermione. Why?
• Obviously, we’re familiar with the real-world consequences of this brand of journalism. Have any of the hosts ever been caught up in following salacious, gossip-based reporting?
• Have we ever caught ourselves pulling a Mrs. Weasley: either dismissing or assigning merit to a piece of reporting based on whether it reinforced our personal beliefs?
• Odds & Ends cover Mundungus Fletcher, Ron’s dress robes, Trelawney’s prophecy and more!
• Quizzitch: What spell does Hermione start learning on the Hogwarts Express (in Harry’s fourth year)?
• And don’t forget you can join our community at Patreon.com/MuggleCast and receive magical benefits, including early access to the show, Bonus MuggleCast, physical gifts and more!

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OR, now read the Episode 640 Transcript!