MuggleCast EP20 Transcript
Intro
Andrew [Show Intro with music in background]: This is MuggleCast – Episode 20 for December 18, 2005.
Ben: Hey everyone! Welcome to MuggleCast! I’m Ben Schoen.
Andrew: I’m Andrew Sims.
Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.
Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.
Jamie: And still, after ten weeks, I’m Jamie Lawrence.
Andrew: The Brit is back.
Ben: Hey, hold on a second.
Jamie: Ehhh.
Laura: You’re kidding me.
Ben: That’s fine. But Micah, Micah, why did you go…hold on! Micah, why did you go ahead of Laura?
Micah: Because Andrew told me to.
Andrew: Because that’s what I told him to do. [laughs]
Ben: Okay Micah, go to the Dungeon. Get out of here. Get out of my sight.
[Laura laughs]
Micah: You know what? You go to the Dungeon…Bain! [laughs]
Ben: Okay.
Andrew: Bain?
Ben: Bain?
[All laugh]
Ben: Okay.
Micah: Ben!
Andrew: Sounds like Ben’s Mom.
Ben: How dare you! [laughs]
Andrew: Bain!
Ben: Oh geez. Micah, okay…
Micah: We’ll see how long you last down there.
Ben: Micah, you don’t have to go to the Dungeon, but at least update us on this week’s News.
News
Micah:Thanks, Ben.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has been short-listed for a Special Effects Oscar. Six other films are also in the running, including King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia. Fifteen-minute clip reels from each film will be screened for the Visual Effects Award Nominating Committee on January 25. At this screening, members will vote to nominate three of the seven films for Oscar consideration.
Speaking of nominations, my personal favorite song from the Goblet of Fire soundtrack, “Do the Hippogriff” is currently one of 42 tracks long listed for an Oscar in the “Best Original Song from a Motion Picture” category. The final nominees will be announced on January 31st.
Additionally, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has been nominated for Best Family Film at the 2005 Critics’ Choice Awards. Emma Watson and Dan Radcliffe have been nominated in the areas of Best Young Actress and Best Young Actor. The winners will be announced on January 9th on the WB Network.
For all the latest Goblet of Fire screen shots, videos, and interviews (including ones with Dan Radcliffe on Dateline and Ralph Fiennes’ appearance on The Tonight Show and in the New York Times) head over to MuggleNet’s Main Page.
Moving to Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter Fan Zone has heard from Enchantment Casting, a British casting agency which represents young actors, that the role of Nymphadora Tonks has been filled. Apparently the role was filled right after casting began. Also, casting for the younger versions of Lily, Snape, Lupin, James, and Sirius is now in its final stages.
Although Enchantment Casting is usually informed about all parts in the movie, they have not yet heard any news regarding Marietta Edgecombe and Lavender Brown. As to whether they’ve been cut, we’ll let you know when we receive more information.
In November, CBBC Newsround reported that five girls had made it through to the final stage of Warner Bros.’ casting of Luna Lovegood. The children’s news show now expects a decision to be made on who will play the everyone’s favorite Ravenclaw early next month.
Finally, on Wednesday the official site of author JK Rowling expanded to offer French, German, Italian, and Spanish visitors with text-only versions. Now, if she would just update her site.
That’s all the news for this December 18th, 2005 edition of MuggleCast. On with the show. And Ben, I think I’m just going to hang around – no Dungeon just yet.
Ben: Thanks, Micah. I think that News does redeem yourself. Okay, so Andrew, don’t we have some announcements before we get into our main topic?
Announcements
Andrew: Of course we do, Ben. As of the release of this episode… [coughs]
Ben: Poor Andrew. He’s sick.
Jamie: He’s very sick.
Andrew: Sorry.
Ben: Send him some Sudafed.
Andrew: As…yeah…well we will get to that in a minute, about sending us stuff. As of the time of the release of this podcast, the Goblet of Fire Soundtrack Contest is now closed. So, we got a little over 500 entries. And once again, the winners will be picked randomly. Fifteen winners will win a free copy of the Goblet of Fire soundtrack. Free! Yours free for a fifteen-dollar value.
Ben: Oooh! We can “Do the Hippogriff” together. Right, Andrew?
Andrew: Yeah.
[Ben laughs]
Jamie: As opposed to having to enter a contest and then pay for the prize. I should hope they’re free entry, you know?
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: Unlike the contests we’ve done in the past, this one is free.
Jamie: Yeah.
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: Now…
Jamie: Normally we charge a grand – $1,000 entry fee, but we thought we’d waive that this time.
Ben: Well, another thing we have is…I saw this got all set up today, is that some of you have e-mailed requesting to send things to us. You say you want to send us a letter. You say you want to send us a Chipotle gift card or anything. Well, we have a Post Office Box now. So, if you want to send us something – a letter, just anything you want to send us, you can send it to:
MuggleCast
P.O. Box 223
Moundridge, Kansas 67107
Ben: That’s MuggleCast…
Jamie: Maybe you should write that down.
Ben: P.O. Box 223, Moundridge…that’s M-O-U-N-D-R-I-D-G-E, Kansas, 67107. I’ll check that quite often, so…
Andrew: We’ll have it on MuggleCast.com so you don’t have to remember.
Jamie: Yeah.
Ben: And it will also be in the “Show Notes.” So…
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: If you want to send us something, go ahead and do it.
Micah: And it will also be in the transcript.
Ben: [laughs] Good job, Micah.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: And also, in addition to having this new way to contact us, Andrew has something else of interest.
Andrew: Yeah, I just want to say about the P.O. Box, it’s good that it is in Kansas because it is in a central location. You know what I mean?
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: I guess not.
Laura: Sure.
Ben: You jerk. Kansas rules! Kansas rules!
Andrew: No, I’m not even insulting. I’m just saying it saves on shipping rates, so…nevermind… [coughs] I can’t even talk. So…
Ben: He can’t even talk.
Andrew: And then also we’ve been working very hard this week. Non-stop! We just love MuggleCast.
[Ben laughs]
Andrew: We put a lot of effort into all of this. We also now have a phone number. A phone number to call us and leave voicemails. Because one of the biggest complaints that we’ve gotten is that, “Oh my god! I don’t have a microphone. How do I do it?” Well, you all have a phone…I hope.
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: So…and the number for that is…it’s a US number: 218-20- [whispers] MAGIC.
Ben: That’s MAGIC with a “C,” not a lame rip-off with MAGIK with a “K.”
Andrew: Yeah. Absolutely not.
Ben: It’s MAGIC with a “C.”
Andrew: We put some work into this.
Ben: Yeah. We actually, we searched through it and we found MAGIC with a “C,” so it is legit this time. And yeah, so…MAGIC with a “C.”
Andrew: 218-20-MAGIC. Call us. Give us a call. Now, your normal, you know, rates will bah, bah, bah, will apply.
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: But that’s it. And leave us a message. Don’t expect us to answer unless we’re bored.
Jamie: Oooh! And also, you’ve forgotten one thing.
Andrew: What?
Jamie: Please seek the bill payer’s permission before you call up.
Andrew: Ha ha ha. Yeah. [in deep voice] Please ask your parent’s permission before calling.
Ben: Okay.
Andrew: You don’t, you don’t really have to.
Main Topic – Hermione Granger
Ben: Well, folks. Laura, isn’t our topic this week Emma Watson? Isn’t that right?
Laura: Eh, no! [laughs]
Ben: Oh come on. Come on.
Laura: This is not Bemma. This is not Bemma. Our topic is Hermione.
Ben: Emma, Emma, Emma, Emma, Emma.
[Laura laughs]
Ben: Bemma, Ben + Emma. Ben and Emma.
Laura: No!
Ben: See Jamie, you’re so in the dark here.
Laura: No, no, no.
Jamie: Oh no, I clearly am. I’ve missed all this.
Laura: Andrew even said last week that we are canceling Bemma and for that I am glad.
[Ben sighs]
Ben: Okay, yeah. So I think…recently Emma just did an interview with the Kansas City Star. What did you guys think about that?
Andrew: Did she really?
Laura: I didn’t actually hear it, but I figured you were excited.
Ben: Oh geez. You guys.
[Laura laughs]
Ben: Okay, I guess we’ll discuss Hermione since you guys are being jerks. Okay.
Andrew: Well, it is the one we promised this week.
Jamie: Yeah.
Ben: But Emma is so much more exciting. Okay.
Jamie: To be honest, Ben, they’re pretty much the same.
Micah: That’s your Christmas present.
Ben: They’re basically the same, are they? Okay.
Jamie: Well, you know, Emma plays Hermione. It’s close to examine Hermione in relation to Emma then examine Malfoy or something. Unless you swing that way Ben.
Ben: Okay.
Andrew: Well, we should talk about how Emma, how Hermione is portrayed in the films.
Laura: Mm-hmm.
Andrew: Because…
Ben: Very, very…
Andrew: …some people take it the wrong way. See it badly, poorly.
Laura: Mm-hmm.
Ben: Okay.
Jamie: Ben thinks, Ben thinks she’s portrayed very, very, very, very well.
Andrew: We’ll get to that in a minute.
Jamie: Don’t you, Ben?
[Laura laughs]
Ben: Oh yeah.
Jamie: He has dreams at night. He has dreams at night of running through a cornfield and they’re chasing each other and their arms are open…
[All laugh]
Ben: Oh, come on.
Jamie: …and you can hear like “Chariots of Fire” going…[hums the tune]
[All laugh]
Ben: Okay, enough of embarrassing me. Okay, about Hermione. This information is from the HP-Lexicon.org. Her birth name is Hermione Jane Granger. The middle name came from the “World Book Day Chat” that JK Rowling did back in 2004. Hermione’s is a name from Shakespeare’s play…
Andrew: A Winter Tale.
Jamie: His only play.
Ben: Oh yeah, a little…yeah…[laughs]
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Sorry about that. Shakespeare’s play A Winter Tale. JK Rowling has had to basically to teach everyone how to say her name. In Book 4, Her-my-o-nee with Krum. Her birth date is September 19th. She is Muggle-born. She’s a “Mudblood.” I don’t really think she’s a Mudblood.
Jamie: [gasps] Ben! Ben, how could you?
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: Oh, you guys. She has a cat named Crookshanks. Her hair is brown. And her eyes are brown, and her hair is really bushy.
Andrew: Oh, thanks for that.
Ben: Yeah, in case you haven’t noticed.
Jamie: Cheers, Ben.
Micah: Are we talking about Hermione or the cat?
Jamie: Yeah.
Andrew: Ohhh!
[Laura laughs]
Ben: Hermioneee. Oooh. Okay.
Micah: I was being serious.
Jamie: Is this “Crimestoppers”?
[Micah laughs]
Jamie: If you’ve seen this girl, call us.
Andrew: Brown and bushy hair.
Ben: So…
Jamie: Brown and bushy hair.
Laura: Speaking of mispronouncing Hermione’s name, I’m curious, how did everyone here pronounce it before the movie came out?
Jamie: I pronounced it “Hermione.” Normal.
Andrew: I pronounced it “Her-mee-own.”
Jamie: Oh my god!
Micah: “Her-mee-own”?
Andrew: I really think that’s how most people did it.
Laura: I said, I said “Hermone” like hormone except with an “e.”
Jamie: Oh my…
[Laura and Ben laugh]
Ben: I…for me it was different because I got into the books after seeing the movies. So, it was…
Jamie: Emma.
Ben: …I heard “Hermione,” so when I read the book, I thought “Hermione.” What about you, Micah?
Laura: Oh, you’re just smarter than us.
Jamie: Clearly he is.
Micah: Yeah, same here. Yeah. I got in with the movies too. So…
[All laugh]
Hermione’s Role in Book 7
Ben: Okay, so what role do you think Hermione is going to play in Book 7? That’s the question everyone’s dying to know.
Jamie: Oh yeah.
Laura: Well, I think it’s fairly obvious that she, as well as Ron, are going to accompany Harry to the end as far as they can.
Andrew: Yeah, well no. She’s going to be how she always has been in the past books. The brains, the one who actually spends the time researching the stuff that they do.
Laura: Of course.
Jamie: Although, although, we still haven’t found out why she is in Gryffindor and why she isn’t in Ravenclaw. Because if you remember, when she did the Protean Charm in Order of the Phoenix, and I think it was Ernie Macmillan that asked her why she wasn’t put in Ravenclaw and why she was put in Gryffindor, she couldn’t answer it. So, I think we’re going to have to find out in Book 7 why she is. So, she’s obviously going to do something brave and she has a very special relationship with Harry because there is absolutely no romance there, so she’s going to there with him to the end, and she’s going to fight with him to the end, and she’s going to have to do something really brave. So I hope, I hope… Sorry, go on…
Ben: I was going to say, Jamie, do you think she will live to the end of Book 7 or is she going kick the bucket? Could that be the courage she displays?
Jamie: Oh, I hope not. I’m a really big believer in the really small hints that Jo puts in. So, I think in Prisoner of Azkaban where Ron was joking about how he was going to die, I hate to say it, but I think Ron is going to go and Hermione is going to live. Ohhh.
Laura: Yeah, me too, me too. It’s so sad.
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: In saving Ron? In trying to save Ron?
Ben: That could be.
Jamie: Perhaps, perhaps. Perhaps saving Ron. I don’t know.
Andrew: Or perhaps, or perhaps Ron tries to save Hermione. Eh? Eh?
Jamie: And dies in the process.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Ohhh!
Ben: The “PRO-cess.” Listen to this Brit. Oh, we missed him.
Andrew: I missed him. I really did.
Jamie: Well, what would you call it? Ben, what would you call it? What would you call it? The procedure, mannn.
[Laura laughs]
Ben: No, the process.
Andrew: The process.
Jamie: Oh the process. How the hell could you call it the process?
Ben: It’s not the “PRO-cess.”
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: Okay, but we’re venturing off topic. I don’t know. I could see Hermione dying because…
Laura: Ehhh.
Ben: …like Jamie said, she has to display some sort of courage in the books. And what I thought was really interesting was that in Book 1, Hermione basically went against all of her morals about, “Oh, school. I have to have straight A’s. I can’t break the rules.”
Jamie: Yeah.
Ben: And then she sort of ventured out on a limb when she went down into the Dungeon and all that stuff. And I thought that could have been a displayment of courage.
Laura: That’s exactly what I think.
Ben: It doesn’t have to be something bigger.
Laura: I think Hermione displayed so much…
Jamie: Well, I think it has to be bigger, but…
Laura: …courage, but I think we’re definitely going to see something that we wouldn’t ordinarily expect.
Jamie: Yeah, definitely. I mean she has kind of half-showed it through the mini-ones like in the first book and in Order of the Phoenix when she was fighting in the Ministry of Magic, but I think it is going to have to culminate into one big act of bravery where she could save Ron or something.
Ben: And I’ve read…I’ve continually cited this fan fiction story that I’ve been reading, throughout the last show too, because it brought up a lot of good theories. And one is that towards the end of Half-Blood Prince, Harry is sort of starting to shun the people around him so to speak. “Ginny, I don’t want to have anything to do with you. You’re going to get killed. Ron, you’re going to get killed. Hermione, you’re going to get killed.” You know?
Jamie: That’s not shunning though. He’s not shunning them.
Ben: Not shunning them, but he’s sort of turning them away, in a way. Do you agree with that?
Jamie: But he has to do it. No, but he has to do it. I don’t think he has a choice.
Ben: No, no, no. He can’t do it though. Jamie, he can’t do it because the reason he has thrived throughout the series so far is because of the friends he has had. And by turning them away, he starts to lose the power he has of love.
Jamie: No…
Laura: The thing is he’s trying to make the choice for his friends as opposed to allowing them to make the choice for themselves whether they went to see him through to the end.
Jamie: Whether you believe in the prophecy then whether his friends are there or not, he, well depending on how you interpret the prophecy, if his friends are there or not, he would of still survived, since if people think that Voldemort is the only one that can kill him, then it wouldn’t have mattered if he didn’t have a wand because he would have had to survive some confrontations together.
Ben: No, no, Dumbledore pointed out at the end of Book 5 that the reason the prophecy comes true is because people involved in the prophecy want it to come true. Because some people have asked: Why couldn’t Voldemort and Harry just say, “I don’t want anything of it.”
Jamie: Exactly. Yeah.
Ben: It’s because, it’s because, it’s because the way that Voldemort is driven just by the part of the prophecy that he’s heard.
Jamie: Yes. Exactly.
Ben: He’s very selfish. He’s very self-absorbed. And he has to have a way to…well, someone says this Potter boy is going to be my downfall. Well, that certainly isn’t going to happen. And he keeps pursuing Harry. And Harry just can’t keep running.
Jamie: Yeah.
Ben: So, he’s going to have to have a way to step up to the challenge, so to speak.
Jamie: Harry though… Harry… Sorry, go on.
Ben: No, go on Jamie.
Jamie: I was going to say Harry could pull out a gun, shoot himself in the head. No force would stop himself doing that. But he’s not since he has to go over Voldemort. So, it’s his choices that are causing him to pursue the prophecy.
Ben: Yeah.
Jamie: It’s such a complicated area. It’s just like time-travel. It’s so hard to analyze.
Ben: Visit MuggleNet Section – Level Nine for more information.
Jamie: Yes, do you think I could plug Level Nine? It now includes Horcruxes as well. Like trying to delve into the mysteries of Harry Potter and analyze the really tough stuff.
Ben: That’s mugglenet.com/levelnine. But before we move on, I want to hear what Micah Tannenbaum has to think about this. What do you think, Micah? What is Hermione’s role at the end of the series?
Micah: Well, I think she’s going to be instrumental in locating the Horcruxes. I think she has an important role to play there, like you guys were saying before. Because of her intelligence that once Harry sort of divulges all that information to her that she’s going to be a big help in that respect.
Ben: Yeah, she’s definitely the most clever of the three. And the reason I was saying that Harry needs people around him is basically for two reasons. First of all, because of love, because he has to love around him because that’s the power he has the Dark Lord knows not. And second of all, the reason Harry needs all the others around him is because they all offer something to an extent, especially Hermione. Not Ron so much, but Hermione has done more reading than Harry has. She knows more about the magical world than Harry. And so, having Hermione around is very crucial because Hermione will be able to basically feed him information – say, well, “I know about this spell, this curse, this part about history, magical history.” Don’t you guys agree?
Laura: In a way, she is like a teacher to Harry, in a certain respect. So yes, that is quite important.
Importance: Hermione vs. Ron
Ben: Jamie, do you have something to add?
Jamie: Well, I was going to say I don’t think, I think Ron is more instrumental really. I can’t remember which book and this is terrible, but…no, no, it was Goblet of Fire about he was saying how Harry was so pleased to be on speaking terms with Ron, that it really didn’t matter what was happening with Hermione at that time. Ron has always been there with him, regardless of how many arguments they have had. If I had to choose one which would be there to the very end, it would be Ron, not Hermione. I think Hermione is going to be instrumental, but I think Ron is always going to be there by his side.
Ben: I think Hermione is more important than Ron. Sorry to all the Ron fans.
Laura: Mmmm.
Jamie: Not to Harry.
Ben: It’s not because I’m in love with Emma Watson.
Jamie: I think it could be, Ben. I think it could be.
Ben: I think Hermione is more important because she has more tact and is more witty and…
Laura: No, but you can’t, you can’t compare Ron and Hermione.
Ben: She’s smarter than Ron. She’s wittier than Ron.
Jamie: Brains are not that important, no.
Laura: They’re not comparable. They’re really not.
Jamie: Exactly. And Ben…
Ben: Why not? Why not? Why not?
Laura: They’re complete opposites. You can’t compare two things that are completely different.
Jamie: Yeah.
Laura: You can’t sit there and say that this is better than that when they have close to nothing in common. I mean really.
Jamie: And Ben, do you remember in the first film and in the books when Harry said how clever Hermione was when they’re on the giant chessboard and she said, “Books, it doesn’t really count. Friendship is all important.”
Ben: Mm-hmm.
Jamie: So, I don’t really think it matters how many books Hermione has read.
Ben: Well, yes it does. Yes it does. Hear me out here. What I am trying to say is that the reason that the books matter is because – what’s going to help him defeat Voldemort more? Having his friends? Or they both will. Well, I’m sort of back-tracking here. [laughs] Okay, I think that Ron and Hermione each serve their own purpose.
Jamie: They do. Yeah.
Ben: That Ron is there for the friend part and Hermione is there for the intellectual part. “Well, here’s how we have to defeat Voldemort.” Ron is there for, “I’m here for you buddy. Here’s how I am going to help you with whatever Hermione comes up with.”
Laura: But the thing is… Ben, the thing is we do see Hermione as a teacher-role type thing, and she does educate Harry to a certain extent, but seeing that the power that Harry has that Voldemort knows not is love, no one can teach Harry love. Harry has to learn it himself.
Micah: Yeah, I think that Hermione is more important in the lead-up to whatever is going to happen in the finale of Book 7. I don’t really see her under pressure as the one who is going to make those split-second decisions.
Jamie: I agree.
Micah: The whole research and finding the Horcruxes and all that kind of stuff. She’s important to that aspect of it, but once you get to having to make those quick decisions, I don’t know if she can, how she really performs under pressure.
Laura: She’ll see Harry through as far as she can…
Jamie: Definitely.
Laura: …but when it comes down to it, it’s Harry. He’s alone when it comes to defeating Voldemort.
Ben: I don’t know, I don’t know if we can look at it that way. I don’t know if Harry looks at it, “Well, I’m alone when I do this.” Then I don’t he’ll be able to do it.
Laura: No, no, no. I’m talking about the initial…
Ben: At the very end.
Laura: Yes, the initial defeat. No one…
Ben: Well, he has to kill him. He has to kill Voldemort. But…
Laura: Yes, exactly. No one else can do that for him.
Jamie: Oh, I don’t know about that.
Laura: He has to do it himself.
Jamie: I don’t know about that. I don’t really buy the whole “they have to kill each other” thing. I’m sure there is something in the prophecy. I haven’t studied it enough but, I just don’t think it’s as clear cut as that. Jo says you have to read it very, very closely. Obviously, I think it will come down to Harry and Voldemort killing each other because it’s such a big build-up and it’s been on the cards since Book 1, but I’m sure there are other forces at play here. But going back to the thing, about you know, whether Hermione is going to be there. Isn’t it like what Harry said in Order of the Phoenix? It isn’t about memorizing spells and standing there, firing them at Voldemort. He’s the only one that’s faced him so he’s the only one who really knows how to defeat him, and in the end he knows what he has to do to defeat him. I don’t think that Hermione realizes, all wrong, realizes what it’s like to stand in front of him. Because, you know, people have feared him so long and only Harry knows what it’s like to face with the prospect of death and duel with him. So, in the end I think it has to be Harry but obviously, as Laura said, they’re all going to be right there until the very end.
Ben: I think that’s a good closing on that initial discussion. Is there any other points you guys want to raise about Hermione?
Hermione’s Patronus
Laura: Why do you guys think, why do you think her Patronus is an otter? I’ve always been curious about that. What personality traits do you think that she exhibits that would make her Patronus an otter?
Jamie: Can I go?
Laura: Yeah.
Jamie: I think she’s, I’m going to be really, really boring and just say that Jo thought that Hermione should have an otter. It sounded nice and it just sort of – I can just picture Hermione waving her wand and this otter just sort of flapping about on the ground, walking along. Well she like turns her head talking seriously to Harry. Just picture it.
[Laura laughs]
Ben: I don’t know. Jamie, I think I might have to agree with you there. Like we’ve said in the past, we overanalyze things – well, you guys know what I mean.
Jamie: Yeah.
Ben: But I don’t if the whole otter thing, if there is really a hidden meaning behind it. Maybe it’s an otter for just for the sake of being an otter.
Jamie: I don’t know.
Laura: No, no, no. I’m talking personality traits and such.
Jamie: I don’t really know how an otter behaves though. Are otters angry or…?
Laura: We don’t know terribly much about Hermione’s background.
Andrew: Didn’t, okay, you guys are going to think I’m crazy, but didn’t JK Rowling… I’m going to look this up right now. Didn’t JK Rowling say she…
Laura: I know she said something…
Andrew: She liked otters as one of her favorite animals?
Laura: Yeah. It seems like that and she always talks about how Hermione was like her.
Andrew: Yeah, exactly.
Jamie: Yeah, that could be it.
Andrew: So, yeah.
Micah: I know I’m not a scientist or anything but isn’t there a relation between an otter and a weasel, somewhere along the line?
Jamie: Is there? Oh my god.
Laura: That makes sense.
Jamie: Oh my god, that’s amazing! Oh my god.
Ben: Oh my god.
Jamie: Oh my god, Micah, that’s absolutely awesome.
Ben: Oh my god. Micah Tannenbaum has discovered the key to the Harry Potter shipping series. Do you guys see this?
[All laugh]
Ben: Fans, send a letter to the P.O. Box.
Andrew: Give us a call.
[All still laughing]
Ben: Send him fanmail. Give us a call. Oh my gosh, Micah.
Andrew: 218-20-MAGIC. Seriously though, he makes a good point.
Jamie: That’s an awesome point.
Ben: That is true, that is true.
Micah: Now I’m going to have to look that up.
Andrew: I’m going to do Google image searches and compare.
Jamie: Can we have ten seconds of silence to appreciate that amazing revelation by Micah?
Andrew: [digusted noise] Nobody Google image search weasel. I’m sorry I mentioned that.
[All laugh]
Jamie: Really? I’m doing it right now of course.
Ben: So Micah, yeah, Micah, that’s a very ingenious theory, I’m impressed. Do you have something else to add about it? You’re on to something here. I think you are.
Andrew: You have pioneered this new shipping theory.
Micah: Yeah, here. Ok, wait this is…
Laura: Ah, the shippers are going to be…
Micah: This is on the BigBlueBus.com [laughs].
Andrew: We’re going to hear this on the Harmony PodCast.
Micah: Yeah. Sea otters may be similar to seals on the outside, but they are not closely related. Sea otters are related to the weasel family…
Jamie: Yay.
Micah: But they share the sea with the seals.
Jamie: Yay, yay, yay, yay, yay.
Ben: Micah, Micah. Are you JK Rowling?
Micah: I am.
[All laugh]
Ben: Yeah, I swear. Listen to this kid.
Jamie: Didn’t you know that, Ben? Didn’t you know that? Of course he is.
Ben: Yeah, I was just on Skype with Jo the other day.
Jamie: Did he catch you in the dark?
Andrew: Yeah.
Micah: You mean me?
Andrew: Don’t steal John’s jokes. They are bad enough as they are.
Micah: Who’s John?
Ben: Do you guys think there is any question that Hermione is going to end up with Ron?
Jamie: Uhh, no. Although, although…
Andrew: At this point…
Laura: Any question that Hermione will end up with Ron? No.
Jamie: I have this horrible feeling that, no I don’t think it is, but I can see it happening, being some kind of tragedy. Like they’ll admit their undying love to each other just as Ron dies. I hope it isn’t going to end like that and I don’t think Jo would do that to us actually. But, you never know.
Andrew: I don’t know.
Jamie: Romeo and Juliet.
Ben: The problem I see occurring is that Ron is too big of a – what’s the word I am looking for…he’s a chicken.
Laura: No he’s not.
Andrew: Yes he is, he always has been.
Ben: Yes he is. He’s scared of spiders, he’s afraid of talking to girls…
Laura: He is not.
Ben: The only time he’s asked a girl out is Fleur when he was hypnotized by Fleur’s Veela… viva jazz…whatever it’s called.
Laura: You know what. If Ron were a coward, he would not have done half of the things he’s done with Harry. He would not.
Ben: No, he’s a coward when it comes to girls. That’s what I’m saying. When it comes to girls…
Laura: Well, yeah, so is Harry.
Ben: I know, but I’m saying that, how is Ron suppose to reveal his undying love for Hermione when he can’t even ask her to the Yule Ball?
Laura: Okay, half the guys on the planet are terrified of girls – they get over it.
Ben: Not true, not true.
Laura: Yeah, true.
Ben: I’m not. You guys hear me talking about Emma. I’m not terrified of anyone. I’m Ben Schoen.
Laura: Right, well we’ll get you face-to-face with Emma and see what happens.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: Oh, nothing will happen. But the point I’m trying to make is, the only reason I don’t see the relationship happening right away is because the whole…
Laura: Well of course it hasn’t happened right away, it’s been six years.
Ben: I’m talking about Book 7, when we get into Book 7.
Laura: No, it’s not going to be straight off and I don’t even think we’re going to see that much of it.
Ben: They have other things to worry about. [laughs]
Laura: Yeah, exactly. I think if both of them live, which I think it’s very possible that Ron’s going to die, but if they both live, that they’re going to get together at the very end. And then she said she was going to write an epilogue letting us know what happened to everyone. So if they grow up and get married and have loads of kids, then we’ll find out. But it’s not going to be a huge part of the storyline.
Ben: Definitely true.
Jamie: I have something to talk about. Can we talk about something?
Ben: Yes.
Harry’s Life Post-Voldemort
Jamie: Ok, I think we should discuss whether Harry, if he kills Voldemort, whether he can have a quiet life after Book 7 or whether he will always be living in the shadow of being Harry Potter and defeating Voldemort. He can like get married, settle down, and have children and live a normal life, or can’t he? Take the floor, somebody.
Laura: I think he could get married and he could have kids and stuff, but I don’t think his life will ever be normal.
Jamie: No, I agree. Yeah.
Laura: I think it’s always going to be there.
Ben: It’s kind of like, what’s the word I am looking for when actors are always known, like Mark Hamill. Luke Skywalker.
Jamie: Yeah.
Ben: He’s always like, whenever you see a movie, you’re like “Hey, that’s Luke Skywalker” and some people think the same things going to happen to Daniel Radcliffe. People will say, “Oh, what is Harry Potter doing in the movie?”
Laura: It’s entirely possible.
Andrew: Well I mean like, when you say living a normal life, do you mean not being recognized on the streets and stuff like that? Cause if he kills Voldemort…
Ben: No, no, no.
Andrew: He won’t have to worry about that anymore. So in that sense, he won’t be constantly having this on his mind and his scar won’t burn and all that. But I think he’ll lead a normal life if it’ll just be, “Oh, you’re Harry Potter. You’re that guy, cool.”
Ben: No, look at it after, before, look at it before Voldemort came back. When Harry, whenever he got on the train, everyone was trying to look at his scar. Whatever battle scars he has from Voldemort, if he survives the final battle, then it’s going to end up the same way. They are going to say, “Well, does he have a new scar? Does he have this, or does he have…?”
Andrew: Yeah. Well, it’s just getting recognized.
Laura: Not to mention, there is always going to be a little bit fear there, I think. People are always going to have that little bit of fear about Harry being powerful enough to…
Jamie: Yeah.
Laura: …defeat Voldemort. I mean, there is a possibility he could possibly rise up and be the same thing.
Jamie: The thing is though, he’s like more than famous. It isn’t just fame, he isn’t like a celebrity. He’s like, you know, I can’t think of a word for it but, I think it extends beyond, “Oh hey, you’re somebody, can I have your autograph,” it’s just…
Ben: He’s a phenom. Is that a real word, a phenom?
Jamie: Don’t know.
Ben: Phenom?
Andrew: Phenomenon?
Ben: Not a phenomenon, a phenom. Is that a word, phenom?
Andrew: Female? Are you calling Harry a girl?
Jamie: [laughs] Sounds like a type of water.
Micah: I think it’s short for phenomenon. I think you’re good. Don’t worry about it.
Ben: It’s a phenomenon: Especially remarkable or an outstanding person. Yeah, Harry Potter’s a phenom…
Micah: There you go.
Ben: …in the wizarding world. I found a word for it. Okay, guys, is there anything more to add about Hermione?
Andrew: Yes, there’s plenty to add.
Ben: Well then, tell me something. Tell me something good about her.
Andrew: I just can’t think of it, I don’t know. See…
Hermione and Draco
Ben: [whispers] She’s a Mudblood.
Andrew: Yeah, why was she so hurt when Draco said that to her?
Laura: She wasn’t in the book. In the book…
Ben: Yes, she was in the book.
Laura: No, she didn’t know what it was.
Ben: Yeah, she didn’t know what it was. She was like, “What’s a Mudblood?”
Jamie: Oh yeah, she just didn’t know what it was.
Ben: It’s because Ron reacted. In the movie, she’s like [makes crying noises], “It means dirty blood.”
Jamie: Why is Draco so obsessed with Hermione being a Mudblood as well? Think how many…
Andrew: Yeah.
Jamie: Oh, I shouldn’t say that word so rudely, but think how many of them there are at Hogwarts. Although the dialogue centers around Harry and his group of friends, still you’d expect him to concentrate on all of them, not just Hermione specifically. Oh, perhaps he has a thing for her.
Ben: Ooooh.
Andrew: I just…
Ben: A love/hate thing.
Laura: I think he’s threatened by her. I think he feels very threatened by her. Like as we saw in Chamber of Secrets…
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: When Lucius was getting on to him about having lower exam results than her.
Andrew: Exactly.
Ben: Yep.
Laura: And on top of that, she’s Harry’s best friend. I think he’s extremely threatened by her.
Andrew: I think it’s Lucius that’s drilling it into Draco’s mind.
Jamie: Yeah.
Andrew: “That you cannot, you have to hate this girl. She’s not wizard-born. Are you kidding me?” Stuff like that. It’s all how they’re raised.
Ben: I agree with you, dude.
Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
Andrew: How about we talk about Emma for a little bit because Emma in the… Okay, Hermione in the movies is portrayed differently than she really is in the books. Mostly her looks. That rhymed.
Ben: Oh yeah.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Ben likes these looks.
Ben: Well, obviously you do, too. You were confusing her. You were calling Hermione Emma and Emma Hermione.
Andrew: I’m just trying to be mature, Ben. I’m going to hold my personalized thoughts to myself.
Ben: That’s alright, I love you. Emma, if you’re listening to this, I love you.
Andrew: Okay.
Laura: Ben, shut-up!
Andrew: She – just – in the movies, she looks like a beauty queen, which is completely wrong.
Laura: She does. I think…
Andrew: Laura, elaborate.
Laura: It is, it really is. The Yule Ball scene was supposed to be a complete transformation.
Jamie: Yeah, that’s a good point.
Laura: And I don’t know about you guys, but as I was looking at the screen, I didn’t see any difference except for the fact that she was wearing a dress. And she had on earrings.
Jamie: And her hair was up, yeah.
Laura: Yeah, her hair was up. And there was just no…it wasn’t stunning. It really wasn’t because we see her as this more than average-looking girl. She’s prettier than most of the girls that she’s on screen with and not that Emma isn’t pretty, because she is very pretty, but…
Ben: Got that right.
Laura: I think they could do a better job of dressing her down.
Andrew: Well, they don’t even try because they want to make Emma look good so that all the guys are interested in seeing the films.
Laura: It’s sex appeal.
Andrew: Yeah. I just, I can’t even mention the things my friends said in school the other day.
[Laughing]
Jamie: I’ve heard this story.
Ben: I’d probably agree with many of those things.
Laura: We can’t mention some of the things that Ben has said…
Jamie: Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: …when we’re not recording.
[Laughing]
Jamie: Don’t you think this comes down to, do you think the books – sorry – do you think the films should mirror the books? Because, you know, there are so many things…
Andrew: That’s the important that that people are upset by.
Jamie: But…
Andrew: Most – a good portion of the fan base consists of girls, and they have this Emma in the movie looking very nice.
Ben: Mighty fine.
Andrew: [laughs] I was waiting for that.
Laura: The reason that it bothers so many girls is because girls look to Hermione as a type of role model.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: They see her as someone who has a great amount of power in the series, but she’s not any, what’s the best way to put this…
Andrew: A slut.
Laura: She’s average. Yeah exactly, she’s someone you can identify with, on several levels, and when you see her as someone who is just physically perfect. It’s just…It kind of kills the image.
Ben: And it’s weird that how in the movie when Emma, or Hermione, said the line, [in a horrible British accent] “It’s taken you this long, maybe you should notice I’m a girl” and all this stuff then…
Jamie: Was that suppose to be a British accent, Ben? That was absolutely atrocious…
Ben: It was a poor attempt.
Jamie: Pitiful.
Ben: But when Emma said the line about “Well, Ron, maybe you should notice I’m a girl next time,” then I kind of think, well how can he not notice? Look how good she looks.
Laura: Exactly.
Ben: Because in the books, I think the attraction is more of a – more of a, you know – they’re attracted to personalities as opposed to…
Laura: Yeah, not to mention Ron doesn’t know it. He’s clueless.
Ben: Definitely true, but I think Emma does a really good job portraying the personality I think.
Jamie: Yeah, I agree.
Ben: I think it’s just the problem – they prettied her up so much.
Laura: She’s a good actress. She’s a great actress. I think she’s doing a good job, really.
Ben: And another thing that I noticed is that, ever since the first, movie they started making her better and better. I don’t know if it has to do anything with her maturing…
Andrew: It’s just her age. She was eleven when she started.
Jamie: It’s maturity.
Ben: But seriously though, look at the first movie. Look at her hair, though. It’s all frizzy and puffied out.
Laura: Yeah, it was perfect in the first one.
Ben: And then second movie, it was just kind of long and curly. Third movie, it was just sort of there; it wasn’t even trademark Hermione hair anymore. Then in the fourth movie, it was somewhat straight half the time.
Andrew: But we know why they do this. It’s for marketing. A lot of this…
Jamie: No, it’s…
Andrew: Yes, it is.
Jamie: No, it’s not. It’s because people change and the description that Jo gave at the beginning of the first book – she‘s not going to describe the characters in every subsequent book. People in this world change their hairstyles, they change their clothes, they change everything. You can’t expect Hermione to look exactly the same. Obviously, you know it is true that she is pretty different from the books, but she‘s changed and she’s matured just as Hermione in the books has.
Micah: But, I mean, are we going to see like a Luna Lovegood supermodel in the next movie?
Andrew: Yeah.
Jamie: Uhhh…
Laura: That’s what I’m afraid of.
Andrew: Well, we’ll find out in January.
Laura: The thing is I agree with Jamie to a certain extent, but the thing is, Hermione has never put a great deal of time into her appearance…
Ben: Until the Yule Ball.
Laura: The only time we see that is for the Yule Ball, and even after that, she never – there is no description of her ever. She even said so herself, trying to make her hair straight, she just wasn’t going to do it again. It was too much of a hassle.
Andrew: Yeah, and I’m sure, I’m sure, that JK Rowling has intended it that way, to not look all fancy.
Jamie: Yeah.
Andrew: She’s smart, she’s doesn’t care about looks.
Jamie: But she does though, obviously. That…
Andrew: Well, she might now.
Jamie: No, no, no, but she does. The Yule Ball just proves everything, all of that. It all came together and she clearly does, and everyone thought before then that she just was obsessed with doing well in school and everything. But it turns out that she was a normal girl. Which means that, to be honest you know, the film producers can show that she cares about her looks because after you’ve read Book 4, you realize that.
Laura: I think she does and I think she is a normal girl to a certain extent, but I think she also realizes there are more important things that she has to do…
Jamie: Definitely, yeah.
Laura: …other than put on lipstick.
Jamie: Yeah.
Andrew: But Jamie, you have to think that it has to do somewhat with marketing.
Jamie: Oh yeah, no, no. I do, of course, you can’t – I think the Trio has to…
Andrew: It has to sell.
Jamie: Yeah, Warner Bros. has to sell the Trio not only in the film, but outside the film. And, you know, you can’t always stay true to the book. But yeah, I think it’s partly to do with marketing, I wouldn’t say it’s completely to do with it. They do have to pick people who fit the roles in the real world as well as in the films. I mean, even if there was the most perfect Hermione who hated fame and hated all the publicity and PR stuff, you couldn’t pick her because she would suit the franchise. I think you have to pick actors who suit the franchise as well as the interior of the film.
Ben: [In a British accent] Very good point, mate.
Jamie: [In an American accent] Cheers, man.
Jamie’s British Joke Of The Day
Ben: Well, now that our main discussion is over, I think we should do some of our regular segments. Jamie, he’s back this week. Everybody, [In silly announcer voice] it’s time for Jamie’s British Joke of the Day. Sorry. [laughs]
Jamie: [In an American accent] Thanks, man.
[Ben laughs]
Jamie: I haven’t really had time to get a good one, think about a good one. But I came up, well somebody told me this once so I thought I’d save it, okay. There is this trial going on and a skunk enters the room. What does the judge say? [Long silence] Well, right…
Ben: P. U.
Jamie: Odor in the court.
[All laugh]
Andrew: I love how Jamie says the punch lines.
Jamie: You what?
Andrew: He always has the most serious tones. I love how you always say the punch lines.
Jamie: What, seriously? Well, it’s a serious matter you know, these jokes.
Andrew: Odor in the court. [laughs]
Jamie: I hope they bring a smile to a great many faces and I promise you that next week’s one will be better.
[Ben laughs]
Andrew: I thought it was good.
Laura: Yeah.
Spy on Spartz, Ben’s Weekly Top 10, and Andrew’s Listener Challenge
Ben: Speaking of stuff this week, time for Spy on Spartz. Some people think this segments getting pretty lame and – I don’t know… This week isn’t very much better. Emerson loves college. Okay, now let’s go to Ben’s Weekly Top Ten List. The problem here is that I’m having trouble finding a Top 10 List that actually fits to the show well and that isn’t a chore for me to read, and that every point is actually funny. So, that is your challenge this week. There was a bunch of Top 10 Lists sent in; none of them really caught my fancy. They were good; they just weren’t quite what I was looking for. So this next week, send me a Top 10 List that is the best thing you’ve ever heard and maybe if I like it enough, maybe I’ll even Skype you or something.
Andrew: Are you going to read the Andrew one soon?
Ben: We might do the Andrew one soon.
Andrew: No, we have to do the Andrew one.
Laura: Yeah, you guys need to send in some good Top 10’s or else Ben’s Top 10 is going to go the way of Bemma.
Jamie: Hey.
[Gradual “ahhh-ing”]
Andrew: Yeah, and we’re going to kick it off.
Laura: And we wouldn’t want that.
Dueling Club – Fenrir vs. Lupin
Ben: It’s time for the second week of the Dueling Club. Micah came up with some pretty good people this week. Some of you sent in the same exact pair. This is Fenrir Greyback and Remus J. Lupin.
Jamie: Can I say something? Can I say something?
Ben: Yes.
Jamie: Ok, this sort of just popped into my head. I was going to say that Fenrir Greyback is the most vicious werewolf alive and all that, and I think if it was just, you know, a one-on-one cage match with Lupin against Greyback, I think Greyback would tear him apart. But, I think that it comes down to the same principles of Harry and Voldemort – love, you know – I think Greyback is a kind of less powerful, less superior Voldemort character, and obviously Lupin can love and Greyback can‘t. So, I don’t know, perhaps Lupin can find something to beat Greyback, but I’m probably being too optimistic and Greyback would tear him to shreds.
Ben: No, I completely, completely, completely disagree. I think that if it came down to Lupin versus Greyback in a wizarding duel, I think that Lupin would win. Due to the fact that Lupin is a Marauder, he’s had all this training. He’s been the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher; he’s proven himself to be competent in the past. So, I think he would win in a duel against Greyback.
Jamie: Are we talking about transformed state, or what?
Ben: Well, there’s definitely two differentiations there.
Jamie: Well, Greyback isn’t scared about killing. He’s just…
Ben: Isn’t a werewolf a werewolf, though, Jamie? Is there a more vicious werewolf or…
Jamie: Put it like this. Could a really skinny five-foot tall guy turn into a eight-foot werewolf? And would a 6’8 body builder turn into the same werewolf? Or when they transform, do their transformations mirror their normal state, yeah?
Ben: Their real…I don‘t know. That’s – Jo, if you hear this, send me a letter to the P.O. Box. [laughs]
Laura: I think they would have to because along the same line as Animagus.
Jamie: Yeah, definitely.
Laura: You always transform into something that mirrors you.
Ben: No, no, because Animagus is different because they’re transforming. They have to train to be an Animagus. When you’re a werewolf, you get bitten and it’s sort of out of your control.
Laura: I realize that but you’re not going to all of a sudden grow power overnight, you know. You’re going to turn into something and you’re going to have your existing talents and power…
Jamie: Depends on your personality traits.
Laura: I don’t see how it could increase.
Jamie: But, wouldn’t you say personality traits for Animagus’s – sorry, Animagi – as the Scholastic pronunciation guy tells you. Wouldn’t you say their personality traits – like when Rita Skeeter turns into a beetle because she’s like, she spies on people and she does stealth. Whereas James turns into Prongs, you know, a stag, because it mirrors his personality and everything. Whereas a werewolf is a werewolf. I can’t, you know, I just can’t see Greyback, you know, he’s been called the Marshall of the Werewolves. Just like in Lord of the Rings, you know, you’ve got the eight Nazgul and then you’ve got the ninth Lord of the Nazgul, you know, who’s superior in power. So I don’t know, I just think that Greyback would win. I hate to say it, but I think he would in either state. Especially in the non-transformed state because he kills even when he isn’t transformed. I don’t think Lupin would stand a chance.
Laura: Hmmm, I think with…
Ben: Micah…
Laura: I think with wands, I think concerning wands, Lupin would kill him.
Jamie: Yeah, with wands.
Micah: In the transformed version, I think he doesn’t stand a chance just because he didn’t have much luck against Sirius when Sirius was transformed.
Jamie: Yeah.
Micah: And that was a pretty serious fight, no pun intended there. But he does have a little bit of, I guess, a quest for revenge against Greyback since Greyback…
Jamie: Yeah.
Micah: …was responsible for making him a werewolf. So that might play into it a little bit as well.
Jamie: Sirius was fighting like a dog.
Ben: Yeah, well I think that covers that. What was the other one you came up with, Micah? What was the other two to duel?
Dueling Club – Snape vs. Moody
Micah: Snape and Moody.
Ben: Snape and Moody. Well, I’m going to say Mad-Eye Moody.
Jamie: I will as well.
Ben: Mad-Eye Moody is the living legend. No one can beat Mad-Eye Moody. They’ve tried and tried and tried.
Jamie: Dumbledore, Voldemort and almost Evan Rosier.
Ben: Dumbledore probably could.
Micah: Do you think he’d be a good wrestler, Mad-Eye Moody?
[Laura laughs]
Jamie: No, because of his leg. [laughs] His leg would fall off and he’d go down.
Laura: I don’t know because Moody is aged.
Jamie: Yeah.
Laura: And his reaction time is probably not quite what it used to be. And we know that Snape is good at what he does, so I’m on the fence there.
Jamie: But aren’t Aurors suppose to be, like, the pinnacle of ability and magic? So like, Aurors should really be able to defeat all other wizards or they shouldn’t be Aurors. Because, I don’t know…
Laura: But here’s the thing. Do you think Snape is powerful enough to be an Auror?
Jamie: I think he is. I honestly think, I don’t know, I really think he’s a very, very powerful wizard because being kind of almost on both sides, as it were. He’s learned from Voldemort and he’s learned from Dumbledore, and whatever people say the Dark Arts being dark and evil, they are tremendously powerful. So, I think that…
Laura: I think that Snape is very powerful.
Jamie: I think he is as well.
Laura: I really do.
Ben: I don’t think we’ve ever really seen him in action that much, have we? Besides when he killed Dumbledore, isn’t that really pretty much it?
Laura: Yeah, and that’s scary because think about the potential he has.
Jamie: Yeah, do you think it takes a stronger Avada Kedavra curse to kill a more powerful wizard though? Because it’s already shown that you have to train a lot.
Ben: I don’t know, a curse is a curse.
Jamie: Yeah, but there has to be a difference between killing a small child and killing Dumbledore.
Ben: Oh, that’s definitely true because- Well, I don’t know because I think it has to deal with the other person’s magical ability too, because of their ability to deflect. Well, you can’t deflect that curse but to, well of course it’s going to be harder to kill Dumbledore because he can Apparate around and he can move around a lot more – he’s a lot more agile than a newborn baby would be.
Jamie: Apart from Harry, of course.
Ben: Apart from Harry.
[Ben and Jamie laugh]
Ben: Harry didn’t need any curses.
Jamie: Yeah, he didn’t. I agree with you, Laura. I think that Snape is ridiculously powerful and I’m really interested in seeing what he would do in the next book.
Security at Gringotts and Hogwarts
Ben: You know what I think is a good topic to discuss? The security at Gringotts coming in Book 7. Jamie, didn’t you have something to say about this?
Jamie: Well, I think in general, Gringotts is a really interesting place. The goblins, I don’t know how the good side maintain their allegiance to them. Like, I can imagine goblins, you know – Hagrid said that they were very clever creatures but they weren’t very friendly, and that kind of just brings up an image of Voldemort and his followers. You know, Voldemort is intensely clever – obviously he is not that nice, to be fair. If I was Dumbledore, I’d realize that Hogwarts was the safest place on earth. I don’t know why I’d keep the Philospher’s Stone in Gringotts in the first place. Maybe it was transit and he had to keep it somewhere but…
Ben: Why didn’t he keep it in his hip pocket?
Jamie: Yeah, that’s a great idea, Ben, that is.
Ben: Why didn’t he hide it in his toilet bowl, I mean no one’s going to look in there. [laughs]
Jamie: Case he takes a [bleeped out] and flushes it accidentally.
[All laugh]
Laura: Okay.
Jamie: Can you keep that in and just beep it out? Beep that word out.
Ben: Yeah. [laughs] Oh geez. I don’t know if Gringotts is really any safer than Hogwarts, like you said, Jamie, because…
Jamie: I think it’s less safe.
Ben: Gringotts was broken into. And we saw…
Jamie: Yeah.
Laura: So was Hogwarts.
Jamie: Hogwarts was as well, yeah.
Ben: That’s true too but there isn’t an extremely powerful wizard – well there wasn’t one like Dumbledore watching over Gringotts. When he was watching over Hogwarts, it was pretty much the safest place there was.
Laura: Yeah.
Non-Verbal Spells
Ben: Which is why I believe that a place as safe as Hogwarts couldn’t see one of the most powerful wizards of the age go down to Severus Snape. Why couldn’t he use wandless magic?
Jamie: Yeah, true.
Ben: There was a very large emphasis on that in Book 7.
Jamie: 6.
Ben: Excuse me, I mean Book 6. There was a very large emphasis on wandless magic in Book 6.
Laura: It’s because I think it’s going to play an entire role in Book 7.
Jamie: Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah, definitely. Look at what scenarios…
Laura: Especially with Hermione.
Andrew: Why’s that? Why with Hermione?
Ben: Oh, excuse me, excuse me. There was not an emphasis on wandless magic in Book 6.
Jamie: Non-verbal spells, yeah.
Ben: It was non-verbal, excuse me. I don’t need people emailing me being upset.
[Jamie laughs]
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: There was an emphasis on non-verbal spells.
Andrew: Which they’re both just as important.
Ben: They’re both, yeah.
Laura: They are, but I think there is a specific reason concerning Hermione that we saw non-verbal magic in this book, because if you go back and look, she’s unusually good at it. She doesn’t have to work very hard at it.
Jamie: But that’s the case with everything, no?
Laura: Whereas everyone around her is struggling, and it’s not just like Alohamora, it’s something that’s very, very advanced. And I think it’s going to play a key role.
Ben: Well, do you, Laura, do you think you could perform one of the Unforgivable Curses using…
Jamie: No. Oh sorry.
Ben: …using non-verbal spells?
Laura: I don’t know.
Jamie: I don’t think you can. There is no advantage to using a verbal over a non-verbal spell apart from its display and its impressiveness.
Andrew: Well, you’re not knowing it’s coming.
Ben: Well, that’s not true. Yeah, you’re not going to know it’s coming if you…
Jamie: No, there’s no advantage of using a verbal spell, I said. So like in the…
Andrew: No, you said non-verbal.
Jamie: Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to. It’s 10 past 3, to everyone listening, I’m really sorry. [laughs] In the Unforgivable Curses chapter in the Book 4, Moody, if he could perform non-verbal spells, then there would be no point in performing a verbal spell to kill the spiders. It’s exactly the same in Book 6 when Snape kills Dumbledore, why would he need to say it if there was no need for it? Then in Book 5 in the Ministry of Magic when Voldemort was about to kill Harry after saying, “You’ve irked me too long for too far,” or whatever he said, there was no reason to do it.
Ben: Why couldn’t he do it when Harry wasn’t expecting it?
Jamie: Exactly. I agree. Those three, if Voldemort has to do it, has to say it, I think you’ve got to say it to do it. But hear me out on this topic. Do you think with Dumbledore gone, Gringotts is now safer than Hogwarts, and do you think Hogwarts can be infiltrated a lot more further and a lot deeper? Now that Dumbledore’s gone.
Ben: I don’t think so, well…
Laura: I think that’s part of the reason…
Ben: I’m on the fence.
Laura: …they’re contemplating closing it.
Jamie: Yeah.
Micah: Well if Harry’s not there, who cares?
Ben: Yeah that’s true too. If Harry’s not at Hogwarts, then why worry about it?
Jamie: Because it’s a school. You know, all schools have security. It isn’t to protect Harry, it’s to protect all of the students.
Andrew: But, yeah, but Hogwarts will most likely be closed in the first place.
Jamie: Yeah, but that doesn’t have to do with only Harry. The reason it’s going to be closed, it’s for the safety of the students.
Andrew: Right. So what’s your point?
Ben: I think the point that he’s trying to make is that Dumbledore added the safe watch around Hogwarts.
Andrew: Ohh.
Ben: That’s probably the reason they didn’t close it initially in Book 6 and with Book 7 coming, they may have no choice but to close it because think about it. The person who has been deemed the most powerful wizard of the age was killed in his own backyard.
Jamie: Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ben: It’s not going to do very well at all for the morale of the parents of the students who are trying to return to school.
Laura: Yeah, not to mention all of the kids that won’t be coming back.
Jamie: Yeah, which will be lots now that Dumbledore’s dead.
Professor McGonagall
Andrew: But you still have your regular powerhouses that could still keep the place relatively under control. Well, I mean…well, yeah Snape is sort of out of the loop now. But you got McGonagall.
Jamie: I don’t think she’s not that powerful, though, compared to Dumbledore.
Andrew: She’s a tough woman.
Laura: She can manage the school but…
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: I don’t think she wields the same amount of respect or power.
Jamie: Not nearly.
Andrew: Yeah, my point with her was that she was tough and she could handle managing the school.
Jamie: I don’t think she could because, sorry.
Andrew: They could put Ministry of Magic people in place.
Jamie: They’d lose automatically. The whole point throughout the entire series is that the Ministry doesn’t interfere at Hogwarts and that has to continue for the school to return. But I was going to say, in Order of the Phoenix, if Dumbledore was in McGonagall’s place, he would have been hit squarely in the chest by those dolts from the Ministry of Magic people and taken off to the hospital.
Laura: No, I don’t.
Jamie: No, exactly, and also, I can’t remember what book it’s in oh no, but no it’s in Book 4. After Harry gets back from the graveyard and McGonagall sort of picks him up and she’s all shaky and she says he has to go down to the hospital wing but Dumbledore stands his ground and says he has to stay. Difference between both of them there is absolutely remarkable. Dumbledore still is standing solid and he’s tough, he’s firm, and he still has an air of authority. Whereas McGonagall breaks down. There is no way she could take that on.
Ben: No she, no, no, no, no, no. She wasn’t breaking down.
Jamie: Yes, she was.
Ben: No, it was sort of the motherly instinct she had.
Andrew: Yeah.
Jamie: She was shaky and everything. There is no way that she could run Hogwarts to the same degree as Dumbledore. Absolutely no way.
Ben: I want to hear what Micah Tannenbaum has to say about this.
Slughorn and School Unity
Micah: Well this is my question. Actually Andrew kind of transitioned into it talking about McGonagall and the Head of the different houses. Would Slughorn, now being the Head of Slytherin, can the houses finally unite? Snape’s gone, Malfoy’s gone, Slughorn is in charge of Slytherin.
Andrew: Yeah that’s true.
Jamie: I would say no way.
Ben: Yeah, because there is still too much animosity there. Because people believe that if you’re in Slytherin, you’re scum. [laughs]
Laura: The point is, Draco isn’t the only obstinate Slytherin. I know in the movies, they kind of portrayed he, Crabbe, and Goyle as being the only crummy Slytherins. What, with the scene in the end of Chamber of Secrets where everyone but them stands up for Hagrid. I don’t think that’s an accurate portrayal at all.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: And I think a majority of the Slytherin students are like Draco.
Andrew: But kids will bond – okay, I really don’t think that. Kids will bond together in times of crisis. Don’t you think?
Jamie: But…
Andrew: But imagine real life.
Laura: Not at my school, they don’t. [laughs]
Andrew: Well…
Jamie: But Andrew, how important is it in the school for them to unite?
Andrew: It’s not really important but…
Jamie: No, no, the Sorting Hat talked about how everyone must unite or they will crumble from within, but is it talking exclusively about the school or is it talking about the magical world as a whole? Because in the end, Hogwarts is a school…
Andrew: I think it’s talking about the school.
Jamie: They’re all young. Everyone’s so young, though.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: Well I’m thinking is that the Sorting Hat was trying to teach them a life lesson.
Jamie: Yeah.
Laura: It was trying to send them out into the world ready to unite.
Andrew: Yeah.
Jamie: Maybe, I don’t know.
Andrew: I just think like, I’ll give you an example. I forgot to bring this up about Movie 4. Have you guys noticed, after Cedric dies, they’re all in the Great Hall and they do a pan from the ceiling down to where everyone’s sitting. And the banners up top are usually Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, they’re all usually all there. But when Cedric died, it’s all Hogwarts across it and I don’t think a lot of people thought that through. Maybe even Newell didn’t think that through but when I saw that, I was…
Laura: But that was in the book.
Andrew: Was it? I don’t know.
Laura: Yeah, it’s in the book.
Andrew: But that’s the point, there you go. She’s demonstrating the unity. It wasn’t about…
Jamie: Maybe she’s demonstrating…
Laura: I don’t think all the students that…
Jamie: Dumbledore put those banners up – it isn’t representative. They didn’t have a photo.
Andrew: Well that’s why Dumbledore, well I know that. But that’s what Dumbeldore was trying to portray and wanting them to do.
Jamie: Yeah, but there’s a lot of things that Dumbledore wants that Dumbledore doesn‘t get in the school. I don’t think, I mean he was trying to unite them but there’s no way that we know, and it’s part of school rivalry. You always have college rivalry, high school rivalry if…
Andrew: Yeah, but in time of crisis, I don’t want to bring personal examples into this, but I don’t know – just from what I’ve experienced. I think kids tend to bond together after…
Laura: I don’t think…
Ben: Well anytime of crisis. Look to 9/11…
Andrew: That was one of my examples.
Ben: After 9/11, what happened was America sort of united together and sometimes we look past our neighbors’ flaws.
Micah: Well, I’m going to take this back to Slughorn, [laughs] but I was just saying the potential is there. You know what I mean? The potential to unite is there. There’s no more barriers that sort of exist. Do you know what I’m getting at?
Jamie: Apart from Slughorn…
Ben: Micah Tannenbaum , Micah Tannenbaum. For like the second time tonight, you’ve hit the hammer on the head.
Micah: Thank you.
Andrew: Well…
Ben: I think Micah is 100 percent right.
Andrew: Like what Laura just said.
Jamie: Slughorn though, could you get anyone more divisive than Slughorn? He like, recruits people into his lunches on how much money they’ve got, what type of backround they’re from. How can he be a source of inspiration of unity? How can he unite all of the purebloods and the Muggleborns and everything?
Micah: But in a way, he already started to.
Jamie: How?
Micah: With how divisive as the Slug Club is, there are still people from all different houses.
Jamie: Yeah, that’s just a tiny, tiny representation of it. Even then though, you think of the conflict between McLaggen and Harry after their first confrontation on the train. I think, if anything, Slughorn’s going to be…and Dumbledore kept a sort of raids on him when he was still alive. But I think Slughorn just wants power.
Micah: I think…
Laura: I think there’s an opportunity for a certain small amount of Slytherins to cross the bridge, I guess you could say, but as for the whole house, no. I don’t, it’s not going to happen.
Micah: This may be stretching it a bit, but Dumbledore brought him to Hogwarts for a reason, and…
Jamie: Yes, definitely.
Micah: …if you go along the whole line of – Dumbledore knew what was going to happen to him and this whole Snape thing was planned out, and he knew Snape wasn’t going to be there at the end of the year. You know what I’m saying? It may be stretching quite a bit but if he knew that Slughorn was going to take over, maybe he saw the potential of something.
Andrew: Yeah, good point. I don’t really have anything else to say on top of that. Why don’t we move on?
British Joke #2
Ben: Okay, since Jamie’s been gone, let’s have him do two British Jokes of the Day. Go, Jamie. Yeah.
Jamie: One more though, one more, right. I made this joke up myself when I was very bored so it could be a bit rubbish, but anyway listen to it. Okay, there is this piece of butter, okay. And he thinks, “I’m not doing very well in life so I really want to start making ends meet and progressing.” So he jumps onto half a slice of bread and he thinks, “Oh yeah, this is quite good, this half a slice of bread. But I still think I could do better in life.” So he jumps onto a full slice of bread. “This is amazing,” he thinks. “I’m really living the high life.” But he thinks, “I could still go further.” So he jumps unto a slice of toast and, “This is a very, very comfortable slice of toast.” It’s just like absolute luxury. But he thinks, “I could still go further in life,” so he jumps onto the next thing. And by now he’s thinking, “Okay, I’ve lived a very good life, I think it’s about time I wrapped everything up,” and he starts to walk away, but his friend calls out, “Oh no, don’t stop now. You’re on a roll.”
[All laugh]
Andrew: Oh geez.
Laura: That was good.
Jamie: I just made that up.
Laura: I liked that. I thought that was good.
Jamie: Thank you very much. Don’t ask me how I made it up, I just did. It must have came to me in a revelation or something like that.
The Las Vegas Minute
Ben: Well, I hope you guys have enjoyed the show to this point. But before we wrap things up, it’s time for everyone’s favorite segment.
Andrew: I love this thing.
Ben: The Las Vegas Minute. Faster than a New York minute.
Jamie: Much faster in fact.
Ben: Okay, well…
Andrew: Wait, we have to say ready, set, go.
Ben: Ok, the Las Vegas minute begins, now.
Andrew: Ok, Jamie, you have an announcement.
Jamie: 60, 59, oh. I’m really, really hoping to come along to Vegas. It’s almost definite but I just need to find out about booking the flights and everything and see if there’s anyone here I can go with.
Andrew: Sweet.
Jamie: But, yeah I hope to see a load of you there, hopefully. And I hope you can come to the Podcast with us there.
Andrew: We’ve already gotten a ton of emails saying that they’re going to be coming and we still have a while.
Laura: We have a lot of staff coming. Yeah, and a lot of our staffers are coming.
Andrew: Yeah, I heard it’s going to be a much bigger group this year. I’m not sure why. I thought a lot more of us lived out on the east coast.
Laura: I don’t know. I’m not sure, but for some reason, I think everyone saw how fun New York City was and decided they wanted to come with us.
Jamie: Yeah, that was it, yeah.
Laura: I’m really excited.
Ben: They wanted a piece of the action in Vegas.
Laura: Yeah, we’re going to have sleepovers.
Ben: Yeah, it’s going to be really fun. I’m going to be there. 3, 2, 1. That concludes Las Vegas Minute No. 3. Okay, well, I hope you guys enjoyed the Las Vegas Minute.
Andrew: Excellent, yeah. Just one last thing. This is Episode 20.
[Everyone “ooo”‘s]
Andrew: But seriously, we’ve done this for 20 episodes.
Jamie: The big two zero.
Andrew: That’s an accomplishment. Something to be proud of. I just wanted to point that out.
Laura: This is my ninth episode. Whoo, next week’s my tenth for me.
Andrew: This week’s my twentieth. I haven’t missed an episode and I’m proud.
Ben: He will eventually.
Andrew: Come sickness and in health. It’s like a marriage.
Micah: We ought to put up a stats page, Andrew. You know, like the sports teams have. The most consecutive…
Show Close
Ben: Well, I think that wraps up Episode 20 of MuggleCast. Like Andrew said, we’ve gone a long, long way. Well, let’s see here, what do I have to say? Oh, yeah. Remember, we have a new number. What’s the new number, Andrew?
Andrew: 1-218-20-MAGIC. I love saying that.
Ben: And we also have a post office box.
Mugglecast
P.O. Box 223
Moundridge Kansas, 67107
Also, you can email us, send in a voicemail to voice@staff.mugglenet.com. Email us at mugglecast@staff.mugglenet.com. Subscribe to us through iTunes. Subscribe to us through Odeo, all that jazz. Direct download, do all of that.
Andrew [Show Close with music in background]: And one thing about to P.O. Box. If you want it to go to a specific person, just put their name on it. You know, attention Andrew, attention Ben, whoever. And send us Christmas gifts, please. Come on.
Laura: Aww, that’d be so cool.
Ben: Andrew’s like Tiny Tim.
[Laura laughs]
Ben: I want a Chipotle gift card.
[Andrew laughs]
Andrew: I want…
Laura: I want an iPod.
Ben: Oh, guys.
Andrew: I’ll buy you an iPod, Laura.
Laura: Awww, thank you.
Ben: Before we go everybody. I’m BenSchoen.com.
Andrew: I’m AndrewSims.com. [laughs]
Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum, not dot com.
Ben: Dot org actually.
Andrew: Dot org.
[All laugh]
Laura: I’m Laura Thompson dot net?
Andrew: Edu.
Laura: [laughs] Okay.
Andrew: You’re definitely a dot edu.
[All laugh]
Andrew: We all know what Jamie is.
Ben: Dot co dot uk.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Exactly.
Jamie: Oh yeah. And I’m Jamie Lawrence.m-a-n.
Andrew: Dot m-a-n. [laughs]
Jamie: Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaan.
Andrew: Dot co dot uk works better for you.
Ben: Goodnight, everyone.
Jamie: Okay man.
Jamie: Bye.
Andrew: Bye.
Laura: Bye.
Micah: Bye.
Bloopers
Jamie: That was nice. I like that, that was smooth. Smooth as a baby’s bottom.
[All laugh]
Ben: I should put that at the end.
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: I’m putting that at the end. [Mocking Jamie‘s British accent] Smooth as a baby’s bottom.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Jamie: Yeah, you’re going to…
Ben: [Mocking Jamie‘s British accent] Smooth as a baby’s bottom.
Jamie: …have to get my first phrase as well or I’m going to sound like a pedophile.
[All laugh]
Micah: A what?
Ben: A peed-ophile.
Micah: You mean pedophile?
Jamie: No, I don’t mean that, I mean that I mean pee-dophile. I’m not saying it like that.
[Laura laughs]
Ben: Pedophile.
Jamie: Pedophile sounds stupid.
Laura: What you didn’t know about your favorite MuggleCaster.
———————–
Written by: Micah and Ally