Grindelwald

Eric: Okay, I wanted to say, it was brought up a little bit around the mid-section of this chapter, chapter 20 that Hermione isn't sure if Grindelwald is alive. Now Hermione is very well read, as far as history goes and stuff, so you'd imagine that she would - well, I guess this just must be the public awareness. So as far as the public is aware Grindelwald may or may not still be alive. I guess it's never really concrete exactly what happened to Grindelwald after Dumbledore defeated him. I guess I wanted to say, do you guys think this is on Dumbledore's wishes? That Dumbledore just kind of imprisoned Grindelwald, kept him there? We know Grindelwald was kept alive until Voldemort got to him.

Matt: Do you think that's due to Dumbledore? Do you think the reason why Grindelwald is still alive is because Dumbledore made sure that he was or something?

Andrew: I would think so.

Laura: Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me.

Eric: I think it might be. Because if you look at what he did with the Shrieking Shack...

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: He made that - you know, he started all those rumours and stuff, so the public would stay away from the Shrieking Shack. I think he would, maybe out of love for Grindelwald, now that we know about his relationship; they're good friends, you know. I mean, but - it was always a bit - what do I want to say - vague. Because in the Witches and Wizards card in Book 1, it says Dumbledore "defeated" Grindelwald. Defeated him, but that doesn't necessarily mean he killed him, and he didn't.

Laura: Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if Dumbledore did that just because he's always been very big on the idea that there are worse things than death.

Andrew: Mhm.

Laura: And I think that imprisoning him in his own prison, furthermore, is just kind of - I don't know. That would be far worse for me than dying, I think.

Andrew: Yeah, I was going to say I agree with that. It's torture; it's a much longer torture knowing that you're in prison for life.

Laura: Yeah.

Mikey: Well, I personally don't think that there are things worse than death. I agree with Laura that imprisoning him is definitely, you know? Dumbledore didn't believe in the suffinity of death, but it's one of those things where I think it - Dumbledore with the way he was, and what I had imagined him to be throughout the series of the books, is he also - and the same thing with Voldemort - he always kind of wanted redemption for all of them, you know what I mean? And I think by not killing him, by taking part of his own soul by killing Grindelwald, and imprison him, having him think about what he's done. And I actually think by time that Voldemort kills him, you know, that he does understand the errors of his ways. Just the few lines that he has in the book, you know what I mean? And, you know, when Dumbledore and Voldemort always are fighting he always refers to him as Tom, and tries to, you know, redemption. It's one of those things where by killing someone off there's no chance of redmption at all. And by giving him that second little chance, by being there in prison, you know, I think Grindelwald kind of redeemed himself, and since then he realized he was wrong.

Not Another Godric's Hollow

Andrew: So moving along.

Eric: Yeah, do you want to take the next one?

Andrew: Sure, I'd love to. I'd love to.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: There's a quote in here, I guess it's from Harry saying, "Hermione, we don't need another Godric's Hollow." And I think that's interesting, and Eric, in our notes here put, "Well, how about that. Maybe they shouldn't go to Xeno's place, or Gringotts, or Malfoy Manor, or Hogwarts if they don't want another G.H." I think the reason Jo wrote this in here is so that we know they realize what they're getting into. Does that make sense?

Eric: Well, exactly, because Harry's saying we don't need another unplanned, sort of, just break in guns ablazing not knowing what we're doing. But my point with writing this note was that, well, then they can - you know, it's one thing to have Harry say this to Hermione, and I was like, "Yeah, go Harry! You understand about this whole thing. The book is going to get a lot more intelligent" - you know, etc., but then they ended up doing the same thing. They had another Godric's Hollow four or five times later in the book.

Andrew: Right. But this is what happens in the middle of...

Eric: In the middle of chaos. It's - it's a complete...

Andrew: I mean I don't know what Harry would expect...

Eric: It's a fair arguement.

Andrew: Yeah. I don't know what he would expect. Like - no - and he realizes it was going to be an extrememly dangerous journey, so at this point...

Matt: Well, with all fairness, they do - they technically, they did need another Godric's Hollow, because even though...

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: ...they almost died each time they did one of these kind of situations, they got so much more information.

Laura: Mhm. Yeah.

Matt: It wasn't like the whole trip was done in vain.

Andrew: Yeah. He could've just Google his answers. I don't know...

Matt: Okay, they didn't have iPhones back then, Andrew.

Andrew: I know. I know. I feel bad for them.

Eric: They'd need iPhones. It's what they need in the Wizarding World. Harry Potter would be so much better if everyone had an iPhone.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Oh, yes. I don't know how, though.

Matt: In their wand.

Mikey: Just built into their wand. [laughs]

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: So speaking of a...

Mikey: It's - it's the iWand.

Eric: [chuckles] The iWand.

Mikey: Anyway, next note.

Andrew: Next note.

Mikey: Next note.

Eric: Fifth generation iWand. iWand video. iWand touch.

[Mikey laughs]

Andrew and Mikey: iWand nano.

Eric: [laughs] iWand nano. iWand shuffle.

Mikey: Okay, anyway. [laughs]

Matt: Okay.

Andrew: iWand let's move on.

[Eric laughs]

Mikey: Ron, guys?

The False Trust in Xenophilius

Andrew: Yeah, so moving along to Xenophilius; Ron think's Xenophilius is on Harry's side because of The Quibbler. There was a lot of good stuff going on pro-Harry in The Quibbler. And - you know, they trusted him.

Mikey: No, I agree with that, 100%.

Laura: Yeah.

Mikey: Ron does think he's on the right side.

Matt: Mhm. With all fairness, though, when he said he that he was only doing it really just to make Hermione...

Mikey: Stop being mad at him.

Matt: Well, he was trying to make Hermione more...crap.

Mikey: I think Ron said it best. All's fair in love and war.

Matt: There. Thank you.

Laura: Yep.

Mikey: It's a little bit of both.

Eric and Matt: Yeah.

Mikey: It's a little bit of both. They're in war and Ron and Hermione are in love, just they don't know it yet, till, like, the end.

Andrew: Yep.

Eric: Absolutely. So during the series, though, I mean it was always kind of an unwritten rule that Ron is usually wrong unless he's joking, and I think it just struck me that he said that, and it kind of makes sense. You know, "Xeno's on our side. He's a good guy." But then to have that surprise, that twist that, you know, Xeno isn't necessarily - you know, I mean he wants his daughter to be safe so he's kind of turning against Harry this whole time, as they figured that out. It's a good twist, I thought. It was really an interesting twist at this point in the book because you were looking so forward to having Xenophilius be a good guy, and you do find out all that helpful information.

Laura: Yeah.

Mikey: I hear you.

Laura: It's just an interesting thing to consider because you have to think about it for a second. What would you do if you had been in his place? Like I know it sounds like the ideal answer to say, "Oh, I would stand behind what I've been saying the whole time," but none of us have children, and none of us can really, I guess, grasp the idea of what the Death Eaters said to him. "Oh, well we'll just send a piece of your daughter back for you to bury." Like I honestly think that a lot more people would turn to desperation to get their child back than would like to admit it.

Mikey: Oh no, I totally agree with you.

Andrew: Yeah. Definitely.

Mikey: Even think about, like, you know, someone close to you, like a really close friend or even a parent, like...

Laura: Mhm.

Mikey: Would you really, you know - Xenophilius never met Harry.

Matt: No.

Mikey: He knows who he is, you know, through word of mouth.

Eric: Oh absolutely.

Mikey: It's like protecting any of these actors that we've seen in the movies, like, you know. A perfect example is like Tom Cruise. You know, like, he's done some outrageous things but are you going to like, honestly, your parents, or protect Tom Cruise from people making fun of him or something?

Laura: Mhm.

Mikey: That's ridiculous. You're going to be more of what's close to you: your daughter. And I totally understand, and I don't blame Xenophilius for it at all.

Eric: It's a good theme. It's definitely a good theme to have in the books: what would parents do for their children? You know, it's repeated later when Molly Weasley does it, it's also in other media today, such as Lost. The character of Michael did a lot of bad things to get him and his son safely off the island, and, you know, I mean it was - you know, people view him as a bad character, but he's just a father trying to raise his son. And, you know, similarly with Xenophilius and Luna. It's just - it's a nasty situation.

Matt: Yeah.

Laura: Mhm.

Eric: And everyone's kind of in it, so...

Andrew's Trying to Skip Ahead

Andrew: So we learn about the Deathly Hallows.

Eric: Yeah, we learn about the Deathly Hallows, and I thought that was cool.

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: [with a British accent] The wand, the cloak, and the stone.

Matt: The whole story.

Eric: The wand, the book, and the stone. Is this the next chapter yet, or...?

Matt: Yeah, we're kind of transitioning into the next chapter.

Eric: Yeah, well I just had two more of these points...

Andrew: Oh, my bad. A read a note about...

Eric: I know there's like six of them in here, but I'll just pick out two of them if that's cool.

Andrew: Yeah, that'll be sweet.

The Lovegood House

Eric: Yeah, okay, so final two notes, wrapping up. One of them has to do with London, strangely enough. But first I want to talk about the Lovegoods' house. It kind of reminded me of like a missile silo or something. I mean it's described as a - you know, everything was curved to fit the walls. It's a big circular - like a black cylinder with the moon behind it. Like, what do you guys - like, it's a weird, like - I wouldn't imagine a house to be like this. What do you guys think it's all about?

Laura: Well, it's the Lovegoods' house. They're weird.

Andrew: It's symbolic of something.

Matt: It's supposed to be a little...off.

Andrew: Well, yeah. But I mean...

Eric: Oh right, because Ron says, "Doesn't - This looks like a rook, or a castle."

Andrew: Yeah. And it does if you look at the chapter art for that in the U.S. book, but...

Eric: Right.

Andrew: I mean this is like - like with the Weasleys' house, there's no - there's no 90 degree angles.

Matt: Right.

Andrew: Everything's on a slant.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: So - and that - that's reflected in the movies, so this will be pretty cool to see.

Matt: Mhm.

Eric: I can't wait to it. And with the spiral staircase - the wrought-iron spiral staircase leading to like all the upper levels and stuff...

Andrew and Matt: Yeah.

Casting Xenophilius

Eric: It's going to be cool to see. Okay, so final note for Chapter 20, "Xenophilius Lovegood," do you guys remember - who here was at the London podcast that was...

Andrew: Oh me! Me!

Laura: Me. Meee! Meee!

Eric: Oh, god. Wasn't that a fun night?

Matt: Uh...

Eric: Do you guys remember? Do you guys remember? We had talked about - and I think I brought this up or something - during the London podcast, I was talking about Bob Hoskins, and how I thought the actor Bob Hoskins should play Slughorn, and we actually had a very awesome audience member state that she had heard in an interview with - maybe even with Bob Hoskins - that he had said that he talked to Jo Rowling about being in a Harry Potter movie, and Jo says that she had a role in Book 7 that would better suit him, or that she - you know, she had him in mind for it. Now we didn't know at the time but I'm pretty sure - I mean if you guys know - do you guys know Bob Hoskins? He played Smee in Hook.

Andrew: No.

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: And several other more notable roles.

Matt: [sarcastic] Yeah, yeah, he played Smee in the movie Hook.

[Eric laughs]

Mikey: I like that movie. I have it on DVD.

Eric: I love it, too.

Matt: Me too. [laughs]

Eric: It's a great movie.

Andrew: [sarcastic] Ha...

Eric: But I think that was Xenophilius Lovegood, so, that said I think it's a great - I mean it's - I just - you know, we won't know for sure, but I heard that listener say that there was that interview, and Bob Hoskins said there might be a role in Book 7 for him. I think that be cool if it were Xeno Lovegood.

Matt: Mhm. Well, he's a relatively short man, though too, isn't he?

Eric: Yeah, well, short, and I think he'd play the role real - I always thought he'd be a good Slughorn, but I didn't know Jim Broadbent, so...

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: I didn't, you know, we'll have to see.

Matt: Well, it's definitely a role that a high-profile actor could play. So...

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: It has to be one of the main characters. Or the main character...

Andrew: I'm looking at his IMDB, he looks okay...

Laura: Yeah, so am I. He looks like he'd be really good.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: He was also in Maid in Manhattan.

Andrew: Now, of course he would probably - they would probably want to screen test him with alongside Evanna Lynch.

Matt: [correcting Andrew's pronunciation] Evanna.

Andrew: I'm trying to picture those two together. It would be probably awkward.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Andrew: But yeah sure. Why not? Why not? That was Episode 100, by the way, for anyone - any new listeners who might want to look at the London podcast.

Eric: Yeah, Episode 100 and then immediately followed by 101, which I still maintain was one of our coolest live shows.

Laura: Yeah. Awww, it was so fun.

Andrew: It was our most downloaded live show, and overall people loved that episode because we had it out right after we finished reading. We were - we were the only podcast to have a discussion show out for, I think, even a couple days.

[Matt sighs]

Eric: I'm just so happy we did that for Book 7. That was just like - that was the best time. I mean...

Laura: Mhm.

Eric: ...it really was.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: Okay, so moving on! You guys...

Andrew: Moving on. Chapter...

Eric: We're halfway done already. Wow! This is great! This is - I think that was only like 25 minutes or something. It was great!

Andrew: I can't believe you skipped your own notes. I'm still in shock.

[Everyone laughs]

Eric: Yeah, I'm perfectly cool with that.

Andrew: I'm in awe.

Eric: Well, maybe it's - maybe I have other - other motives, but...

[Laura laughs]

Andrew: [laughs] What?

Chapter 21, "The Tale of the Three Brothers"

Eric: Anyway, Chapter 21 is "The Tale of the Three Brothers."

Mikey: Ahhh...

Story Time

Eric: Hmmm. "Tale of the Three Brothers." Now this is...[laughs]...this is something that Hermione has probably read about five, six times, going over and over and over the book, and she got nothing out of it until Xeno actually tells her the significance of it. So Hermione sits down and reads it to everyone. It's a little story time in the Lovegood household. Too bad Luna isn't around. But basically you go over the story of the three brothers, and it's implications, and also what happens to them afterwards: the escape from the Lovegood’s house. Anyone want to take the notes?

Mikey: I personally was super excited for this chapter to come.

Matt: I was, too. Yeah.

Mikey: I wanted to know what is this? They've been talking about - and then of course as soon as I get to that chapter you see the artwork at the top of the chapter and...

Andrew: Right.

Mikey: ...you know, I remember at the times when we were talking about, "What does this mean?"

Eric: What does that symbol mean?

Laura: Mhm.

Mikey: And then, like of course that night we just like - I see it and I'm like, "Oh my Gosh. There it is."

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Oh yeah.

Mikey: And like - you know, so now we're finally going to find out what that symbol means. So I was super excited for this chapter, but do you guys want to move into some of the notes that we have for it?

Eric: Well do you - do you remember how Chapter 20 ended, though? It was - Xeno makes a comment like, "Oh, you're talking about the story that, you know, sparks the story of the Deathly Hallows."

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: It was, "Whoa!"

Andrew: Yeah. He says, "Are you referring to the sign of the Deathly Hallows?" That's like one of these big holy shhh moments.

Mikey: And I was totally like, "Flip the page! Come on!"

Matt: [dramatically] Dun, dun, dun!

Eric: Come on! Oh my god! We're finally going to find out what this book is about! I always like the book's namesake, finding what it's about. So, according to Xenophilius Lovegood, there's nothing dark about the Hallows. But we hear this story, which is about three brothers who cheat Death, and...

Matt: Well, one does.

Mikey: Well, remember - remember though, the reason that everyone thinks there's something dark about the Hallows is because the symbol of the Deathly Hallows is from a dark...

Eric: Was misused.

Mikey: Is misused by a dark wizard.

Eric: Yeah.

Mikey: And so it's definitely - you know, there's nothing dark about it. It's the story of, like you were saying. Continue, Eric. Sorry.

Eric: Oh, three brothers cheat Death.

Andrew: It's like its reputation, sorta speak - so to speak.

Eric: So three brothers cheat Death, but before I get into the second note here, do you - what do you guys want to talk about, like, as far as the story? Like, did you guys like story? Did you think it was really...

Matt: I was extremely impressed with Jo's storytelling in this one...

Eric: Really?

Mikey: Yeah.

Matt: It was amazing.

Andrew: It's just clever...

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: It's just really clever writing.

Matt: And it seems like it's one of those fairy tales that you tell your kids, too.

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: It seems like - it's an old, traditional wizard folk story.

The Invisibility Cloak

Eric: I really want Beedle the Bard. It turns out that the Invisibility Cloak Harry's had all these years is not, you know, obviously not an ordinary one. It hasn't worn, hasn't done anything, and they find this to be very strange. But according to legend, it's actually Death's Invisibility Cloak. The cloak that Death wore for, you know, at one point to actually go around and get people. But I just thought this was so interesting that Harry's Invisibility Cloak is so special and that, you know, the attention's being brought to it now after how many books writing about, you know, the Invisibility Cloak just being at the bottom of Harry's trunk, you know, and him getting it out to go on these missions. I thought it was really cool...

Andrew: Well, I think that's the whole point.

Eric: Yeah.

Laura: Mhm.

Andrew: I mean that's the whole surprise of it, that it's just been this cloak that was in his father's possession, and then, you know, he just inherited it, and then all of a sudden it holds a lot more value. I mean that's just Jo illustrating how special it is.

Matt: I think it's funny how the whole story of how he's - his ancestor is actually the third brother, and the third brother got the Invisibility Cloak from Death so that he could be - so he could escape Death without Death really watching him.

Laura: Yeah.

Matt: But isn't this whole series about Harry...

Mikey: Escaping Death?

Matt: ...being followed by Death? Yeah, well he escapes Death...

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: ...but he's always followed by it, 'cause it's always looking for him.

Laura: Yeah. And I also found it really interesting that, you know, this was Death's Invisibility Cloak, and, you know, Ron kind of made that joke about how it got tired of, you know, running at people, screaming and whatever. But it's just interesting when you consider how much good Harry has done, and how many lives he's actually saved because of the cloak, like especially in Prisoner of Azkaban, just like...

Eric: You're saying it really brings sort of a neutrality...

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: ...to Death himself - or itself.

Laura: Really, it does, very interesting.

Eric: You know, which is I guess one of the underlying themes of the - yeah, that's about as interesting as Death running around naked now.

[Laura and Mikey laugh]

Mikey: But, you know, at the same time it's like - Harry's done some great with this cloak, but it's great because by the end of the book, we've all read it by now, but it's one of those things where he becomes the Master of Death because he has all three pieces of the puzzle.

Eric: Which is so cool!

Mikey: It's just amazing. And it's like - when you think about like, why didn't Dumbledore have it? You know, he - we do find out that Dumbledore had all of them in position at one point, and that's how he hurt his hand, and that's why he gave the cloak back to Harry, because Harry deserved it; it was his family stuff. And it's one of those things that Harry was the only person that could handle all three, and this cloak is - it just really brings a lot together.

Eric: It does.

Mikey: Everything all together with the story, his cloak originally - and you're just waiting for the pieces to fall into place.

Eric: Yeah. What surprised me as well is that this new - I mean the whole Master of Death thing, I mean, that's Voldemort. That's his call sign. This Master of Death thing, I mean, it's been kind of done before. The Sorcerer's Stone made people invisible, the unicorn blood would keep you alive even if you're an inch from death, you know? We've seen all these things throughout the years, all these degrees and quantities of death that Voldemort is so into that this is just another one of those things. But it's done a little bit differently, you know, it's done differently than all the other things that can keep you, you know, invincible. It's kind of, you know, another cool thing, but again, I mean, it's still with that recurring theme. It's completely different but still with that same recurring theme of death and mastering it and, you know, the loss of loved ones and that sort of thing.

The Trio Chooses Their Hallows

Laura: Mhm. I also thought it was interesting when they were talking about which of the Hallows they would have chosen, and they all chose something different even though...

Andrew: Yeah, let's talk about it.

Laura: Yeah, clearly the moral of the story was you're supposed to choose the cloak, because it even talked about how the youngest brother was the most humble and really all he wanted to do was just move on with his life, whereas the other two wanted to master something that they really had no place to be dabbling with.

Eric: They wanted to shame death. They wanted to shame death for - because they were arrogant, and, you know, you're right: it's a lesson learned, really. I mean it really is. So, yeah, it's interesting that the trio comes up; they each say something different. They each say something different over which Deathly Hallow they'd choose. Hermione says she - you know, it's obvious, they all say it's obvious which one we'd choose, and then they speak at the same time and all say something different. Hermione says the cloak, Ron says the wand, and Harry says the stone. Now, this was another emotional moment when Harry said we could have Sirius back.

Andrew: Yeah.

The Casters Choose Their Hallows

Eric: You know, and all that stuff. But I think it says - which one would you guys choose, to be perfectly honest?

Mikey: Really? You want to know?

Eric: Let's do this - yeah.

Andrew: Cloak.

Mikey: I'd choose the cloak. That's not even a question.

Laura: Yeah, I mean, the thing is - I feel like at the time the three of them don't - well, especially Harry and Ron - don't really know exactly what the stone and the wand mean, whereas, you know, at the end of the book Harry has the wand but he says, "You know, I really don't need this. I really shouldn't have it." And if I didn't know what each of them did, and if I didn't know that the Resurrection Stone actually wasn't really valid and didn't really bring people back, I would probably pick that, but in terms of knowing what all three of them are, I'd have to go with Mikey and say the cloak.

Mikey: See, personally, even if the Resurrection Stone did bring people back to life and the wand was just awesome, I would still choose the cloak, because could you just imagine just being able to go around and be invisible under an Invisibility Cloak? Like, just being able to be invisible. That's just so much fun!

[Eric and Laura laugh]

Eric: For the rest of your life you could amuse yourself.

Mikey: Yeah, honestly. Could you imagine the - I would be just like Harry. I would get into so much, like, trouble. I'd be doing so many dumb pranks on everybody! Like, I can just imagine the hijinks I would get up to. It would be so much fun!

Matt: Yeah. Well, if you were in Harry's shoes, and you had in possession the Elder Wand, would you keep it?

Andrew: I'd be scared of it.

Laura: Yeah, I'd be afraid to keep it.

Eric: It kind of ensures that you have a shorter life, really. I mean the wand, I mean, it may be an unbeatable wand, but it's certainly not - I mean look at how many people have owned it. Death Stick, Blood Wand - throughout the centuries, how many people have owned it? I don't think - I mean it's obviously something that death did that really - I mean even if you possess the best wand ever, the unbeatable wand, mortality, your own mortality will still get to you. So it's clearly not the best or wisest of the three Hallows to have. Because you can still die. And if you have the most powerful wand people will be drawn to it to try and take it from you. It's...

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: ...dangerous. It's just...

Matt: Because it's always been taken, too. It was never passed down.

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: Because the possessor...

Laura: Yeah, they always kill each other.

Matt: ...was always killed. Yeah.

Eric: It's kind of - Yeah.

Matt: Be like, "No, I do not want this."

Laura: Yeah, and it really seems to attract people who have this idea that they're invincible if they have this object.

Eric: Which could not be further.

Laura: Yeah, and you see this guy, the first guy who has it, the oldest Peverell brother. You know, he kills somebody with it, but then later that night he's passed out drunk and someone comes and slits his throat and takes it. You know, it's...

Matt: The only person that we know who actually obtained the Elder Wand that didn't really intend to keep it was Draco.

Laura: Mhm.

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: And that's just because he didn't really know he had it. [laughs]

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: He royally screwed that up.

[Laura laughs]

Luna

Matt: Bet he's kicking himself right now thinking about it, too. Let's talk about while they were discussing the Deathly Hallows and Mr. Lovegood stepped out.

Andrew: Yeah, isn't this just one of those classic moments where it's like, you know, like you'll see this in a movie where someone mysteriously disappears and all of sudden they come back you realize they're bad.

Eric: Well, it's a bit suspicious, really.

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: I mean where is Luna? Where is Luna? That sort of thing. When Harry goes up and sees her bedroom's all dusty, that's the moment you know.

Matt: Well, let's talk about Luna's room a little bit. Weren't you guys in - Like, thought that Luna was the cutest thing when you saw all of her friends?

Laura: Yes.

Eric: I like...

Matt: They were just entwined with chains.

Laura: That was adorable.

Eric: That mural painted with "Friends," that was just - that was - some people may think it's creepy, but I think it's absolutely adorable.

Matt: Well, yeah, once you know Luna you know what kind of a person she is.

Eric: How innocent she really is. And, you know, it was her and Neville who basically - You know, they got the most out of the DA because it "was like having friends." You know, to quote. It was just really good.

Matt: They were wanted and accepted.

Eric: Yeah.

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: I like that. They fit. And so - I liked - yeah, you're right. Her room was very endearing. And I'm glad that she was okay then, you know, eventually.

Matt: I want to know why in the chapter in Luna's room it said that her clothes were gone.

Eric: Well, you take your clothes with you when you...

Laura: Yeah, she got kidnapped from King's Cross.

Matt: Oh, that's right. That's right, that's right, that's right.

Laura: Yeah.

Eric: Oh. I - Yeah, okay, that makes sense.

Matt: I thought, like - okay.

The Trio is Too Trusting

Andrew: I sort of think that at this point, though, the trio should have been a little more concerned every time there's one thing that seems even a little out of the ordinary.

Laura: Oh, yeah.

Eric: So you're saying they should be paranoid?

Laura: Yes!

Andrew: They should have been paranoid from the get go when this guy they've never met before suddenly tells, you know, is like, "Oh, she's just down at the pond."

Matt: Yeah, wouldn't they be like prone to say, "Oh, can we go see her?" or something?

Eric: Well, then again, I mean, this is...

Laura: Yeah.

Andrew: Right. Or, "Oh, can you call her up?" You know.

Laura: Right.

Matt: Like, I would feel a little more comfortable to have this person, apparently the father of one of our best friends that we have never met before - I would kind of like a little more of a warm welcome by our friend who introduces us...

Laura: Yeah. Well, you know what's interesting about the way he greeted them, or rather didn't greet them, was I almost get the impression that he knew he was going to betray them. And so...

Andrew: Yeah.

Laura: He's was like, "Oh, I don't think this is a good idea."

Matt: Yeah.

Laura: Like he was kind of trying to ward them off.

Eric: Yeah.

Laura: And so that was interesting.

Matt: Well, first he was in shock. And he was scared...

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: And then like during the entire time he was just trying to play this out in his head because he was thinking of Luna as soon as he saw Harry.

Eric: Yeah.

Laura: Mhm.

Eric: Exactly. And that just gives him more humanity, I think. The fact that he at first wanted to ward them off and kind of say, you know, "Maybe it's better if you don't come in," that sort of thing. You know, because he knew what he'd end up having to do.

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