Listener Tweet: Embarrassed for Harry

Andrew: We asked everyone who follows us on twitter at Twitter.com/MuggleCast to send in your questions for us about these chapters. The first one's from joshboulton. He says:

"I kept feeling really embarrassed for Harry when Dobby was doing the stuff with the cake. Did you feel at all like this?"

I touched on this a little earlier. Weren't you guys really feeling for Harry?

Eric: I think it's more of a movie question considering it happens in the book in like a second so it's a little bit more drawn out like its a few seconds of "Oh my God, what's Dobby going to do? Dobby has that line: "It's for Harry Potter's own good!"

Andrew: But I don't get what that's doing, you know what I'm saying? Like if Dobby said if you don't agree, then - whatever he said, but he does it anyway. What message does it send?

Matt: What do you mean?

Andrew: Why is Dobby, or what is - how is it - you know what I'm saying, Eric, right? [laughs]

Eric: Yeah, I do. I get it and I was thinking the same thing. He's just trying to say, like Harry was supposed to say that he wouldn't go back to Hogwarts, Dobby wanted Harry's word.

Andrew: Right.

Eric: So even if Harry had said he wouldn't go back, that would be breaking his word and it's kind of in Harry's character to not do that and so he took the more difficult path and didn't even - chose not to give his word to Dobby.

Andrew: Yeah and by dropping the cake, what does it do to Harry? Does it make him think "Oh wow, a house-elf is serious." I don't know. It just shows...

Matt: It's basically the icing on the cake so to speak to end the situation.

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: That was good.

Matt: Well he's already in big trouble with Uncle Vernon anyway for Dobby just making all that noise.

Andrew: Yeah. Micah?

Eric: It's almost malicious on Dobby's part.

Micah: It is, it is.

Matt: Well he's very upset and he was very sombre when he did it. I mean he didn't want to drop the cake or the pudding pie or whatever it's called.

Eric: But at the same time, he's up in Harry's room going on about how he's never been treated like an equal before when Harry asked him to sit down. None of that matters to Dobby because he's so impulsive and just wants the Chamber not to open or not to kill Harry. That's the interesting thing that struck me in the second chapter. The conversation between Harry and Dobby where Dobby says "Harry Potter is too valuable to risk." It's an interesting thing knowing that Dobby knows that You-Know-Who has something to do with it that he's saying that Harry is too valuable to fight when the only value that Harry has is to one day stop You-Know-Who to prevent the two from meeting is kind of counter intuitive.

Micah: Right. I agree with what you're saying though. That was going to kind of be my point - that it's a little bit weird that somebody who has suffered or something that has suffered so much and probably hasn't really been told the truth very often would act like he did with Harry and then do a complete one-eighty and then decide to put Harry in a really difficult situation because of it. It's almost like Harry's doing all these things for Dobby that have never been asked of him before. "Oh, would you like to sit down? Let me treat you like an equal. But then I'm going to turn around and completely screw you by dropping a cake on the floor and getting you in trouble." And that was a huge difference with the movie too.

Eric: Yeah.

Micah: Because in the movie it gets dropped on her head, I think. Right?

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: Yeah. And going back to what joshboulton said - you can't help but feel really sad for Harry because it says also in that chapter that he's just left there shaking from what just happened.

Eric: Do we know joshboulton? That sounds like a familiar name.

Andrew: Yeah. I met him in London.

Eric: Oh, cool.

Listener Tweet: Harry the Rebel

Andrew: Yeah, he's around the web. Next question's from KD_Laheen:

"If Fred and George could open Harry's door with a pin, why couldn't Harry?" [Eric laughs]

Micah: He's not a degenerate.

[Andrew laughs]

Micah: He doesn't sit around all day trying to figure out ways to get in trouble like Fred and George do.

Eric: I think he's wallowing in his own self-pity. At that point, Harry just takes the chunky soup from Petunia and pours Hedwig half of it and is like, "This is the best we've got. Don't turn your beak up." Harry's kind of - I mean, it was only like three days in his room so Harry's in the meantime - Harry's just found out that his friends did write to him but he still didn't get the letters. So even though Dobby disappeared and got him into all sorts of trouble Harry hasn't even got the letters that his friends sent him so he doesn't know anything. He feels even further disconnected and he's locked in his room with bars on the windows...

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: ...and I think he really just hadn't gotten to the point where he said, "Okay. I can actually, probably, if I tried take a pin or something and pick the lock." I don't think he saw what good it would have done. And that's also, as opposed to Movie 3, where after he blows up Aunt Marge he like, "Okay I'm done. I'm leaving."

Matt: Well, that's out of adrenaline too. That whole situation in Prisoner of Azkaban.

Listener Tweet: Imagination

Andrew: Next question is from PewterWolf13:

"When you first read 'Chamber of Secrets,' what did you guys imagine The Burrow to look like? I imagined it blue for some reason."

I can't honestly answer this question because I can't remember. [laughs] It's been ten years since I first read it.

Micah: Blue? What are you smoking?

Eric: Does the book say it was blue?

Matt: No! It's described as an oversized pigpen so I would just imagine it looking like earth colors. Like green and brown.

Andrew: Or like a pigpen.

Matt: Yeah. Exactly, messy.

Eric: Well, I've got to say I didn't read the book before I saw the movie so - wait! I did. I did and it was too long ago. I'll take Andrew's answer.

Andrew: Micah, do you remember?

Micah: No. I mean, like I said, maybe if you were smoking something or taking something it would appear blue. Blue from what sense though?

Eric: That's not really appropriate.

Andrew: Blue - oh, blue as in mellow, you're saying.

Micah: No.

Andrew: But, no I - oh. [laughs]

Micah: Blue what? Blue outside? Blue inside? What are we talking about? I saw the movie first...

Andrew: Baby blue.

Matt: Robin's egg blue.

Listener Tweet: Harry's Second Home

Andrew: Well, I think when you first read Chamber of Secrets - I don't know. I assume they mean outside. Anyway, next question, RaccoonGirl:

"The Burrow was Harry's second home. What would the Weasleys and The Burrow be for Harry if his parents hadn't died?"

Micah: Still his second home.

Eric: This is a great question. Do you think so Micah? If Harry still had his parents, what relation would the Weasleys actually be to Harry. If you think about it, Arthur and Molly Weasley were not particularly close to Lily and James the way Remus was, Sirius was, any of that. They were in the Order together the first time, but unless Harry had met Ron on the train and had those circumstances the Weasleys and the Potters - the families - would not really have been all that close and not really close enough for that to be a second home.

Micah: That's a good point. We would still assume that Sirius would not be in Azkaban and maybe they would have spent a lot more time over there.

Andrew: Yeah and think about - assuming Harry's parent's house would be pretty magicked up so to speak, or magical in other words, you would assume that that kind of magic that Jo was trying to capture would be seen instead in Harry's parent's house and I think Ron still would have been good friends with Harry and Hermione because they have the same types of personalities, I think. They vary, but they're also similar, I guess - I don't know, I'd probably have to think about that more...

Matt: Well going off of that, Andrew, do you think that Harry would probably be - if Harry's parents didn't die, that he would be friends with Hermione or with Ron?

Andrew: It's hard to say. I'd have to think about that more.

Matt: Oh, okay.

Andrew: I have to re-read the books more, because I don't - more? I don't know...

Matt: Because I would just feel like...

Andrew: Well, Harry and Ron are also largely good friends because they're both guys. You know, it's just...

Matt: Right.

Andrew: When you're growing up in school, you typically become good friends with someone of the same gender because you can relate on more aspects.

Eric: So yeah, so the question is what would the Weasleys and the Burrow be for Harry if his parents hadn't died.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: I mean, it wouldn't be nearly as - you know, as close to his heart as it is...

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: ...now.

Andrew: I think that's the short answer.

Micah: Right, I mean it's the first really magical home - I don't know, Andrew, I think you said this before, that he goes to and that he gets a feeling for.

Andrew: Right.

Micah: You know, obviously that wouldn't be the same, and I mean, I don't see it being something where - and I think Harry would have been much more against becoming friends or even talking with somebody like Draco Malfoy. I think the - actually I think Harry's line of - you know, eventually we figure out what side Harry is on and who he befriends and all that, but I think that would have been much more clearly defined when he was younger if his parents were around.

Andrew: I agree.

Eric: He would have inherited his dad's biases.

Micah: Probably, yeah. And he's half-blood, too, so I mean, it's probable that he would have become friends, like you guys said, with Ron and probably Hermione anyway.

Eric: That's a good point.

Listener Tweet: Bad Beginning

Andrew: All right, next question comes from kayleighchance:

"I hate the beginning of the second. I think it is the worst of all of the beginnings. Dobby..."

Curse word. What she says is "angers me" here.

"...Love you all."

What do you guys think? Well actually, they say it in the book.

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: Kayleigh says:

"Dobby pisses me off. Love you all."

Matt: I said faecal matter on an episode.

Eric: They do not say "pisses me off" in the book.

Micah: Andrew has dropped the F bomb a couple of times, so...

Andrew: Yeah, so... [laughs]

Eric: They do not say "pisses me off" in the Harry Potter books. Where do they say "pisses me off" in the Harry Potter books?

Andrew: I'm sure somewhere...

Matt: Prisoner of Azkaban.

Eric: They do not say it.

Andrew: Eh, I don't know.

Micah: It doesn't really matter, there's a curse word in Deathly Hallows.

Andrew: What do you guys think, is it...

Micah: We talked about this a little bit, I think...

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: That - it's kind of - it's a little bit related to what Josh asked though, in the first question, about - you know, feeling bad for Harry, it's just a - it's not quite the Umbridge moment, where you're pounding something while you're reading about this character, you know what I mean? We get so angry...

Eric: Right. He's too pathetic.

Micah: We get angry at Umbridge, but - it is angry - you get angry listening - or reading it, because you feel bad, you feel like you want to be able to help, but there's nothing that you can do, and Harry's kind of helpless as well.

Eric: Dobby is kind of his own - his own being, you know - well it's good that - thanks for the heads up, but no thanks, Dobby, almost because Dobby's really unable to control himself, I think.

Matt: Well at least in this book; Harry knows what kind of a person he is. I mean, he knows who he is. In the previous book, the first one, he just thought he was a nobody and that his future was bleak and he wasn't going to go anywhere.

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: And - in this case he's just being treated worse because his uncle and aunt know what kind of a person he is and he knows what he's capable of.

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: And it does create a little bit of power but it just makes it even worse on himself because they're trying just as hard, if not more, to take him down a notch.

Eric: Yeah. It gives him the confidence he needs to kind of come into his own and defend himself, really.

Matt: Mhm.

Eric: About how he feels, like he should behave. Yeah, Dobby's kind of an annoying little piss-ant, but...

Micah: That's a good way to describe him.

Eric: But that's okay because - because it - really honestly, it's still - it suits the book, and this is the first magical creature, the only other sentient magical creature that - besides centaurs, that we'll find - actually, centaurs were first. Never mind, scratch all that. But it's essential, I think, it's kind of like, Harry's feeling disconnected, and then he's staring at the bush, and there's something else from the same magical world that he's starting to think was all a dream right there with him and it's just Jo's style of doing that. Yeah, Dobby's kind of annoying but I'm sure that when I read it first I wasn't thinking that Dobby was annoying at all. Looking back, you know, we can fault Dobby for being...

Micah: But it was all in an attempt to try to protect him, more than anything else.

Andrew: Right.

Eric: Oh yeah. I mean, first time readers are like hey, what's this, you know, doing here? And that's - wow that's interesting, I want to read more.

Listener Tweet: Dobby

Andrew: And the last two questions are semi-related so I will read them together. The first one is from ramistweeting:

"How does Dobby get all of Harry's letters? Why doesn't Harry just lie to Dobby and say he wouldn't go back to Hogwarts?"

And the second question is from MichaelaReagh:

"How did Dobby find where Harry was, or do you think he thought of Harry and got there to Number 4 Privet Drive?"

Andrew: I have thought about that too. I mean, how did Dobby get all of his letters? Was it one of those things you know how you can set up temporary...

Eric: Temporary forwarding? [laughs]

Andrew: Forwarding, yeah. [laughs] But where is the security in the owl post?

Eric: That's one thing that we never found about the wizarding series that I would really like to know is a little more specific about how owl post works. It's mostly in Book 3 that Sirius is getting letters and he's on the run? That the bird actually knows - if you write someone's name on the letter the owl knows where to take it. We don't know too much about house elf magic but Dobby could follow the owl or Dobby could do something else. However, the house elves have the power apparently, evidently to stop Harry's letters, whatever that means. Whether that means to set up a Harry avatar so that the owls drop off all of the letters off at your fake Harry or not, it's very interesting.

Matt: Eric, you know I think I found a flaw in that.

Eric: Okay.

Matt: Actually a flaw in your entire plan about how Dobby found out. Errol.

Eric: What about Errol?

Matt: Well, he is the Weasleys owl right?

Eric: Yeah.

Matt: And he's not the most reliable owl in the world. He keeps, you know, sometimes he falls flat out on his butt. Do you think that - Dobby probably found out that Ron Weasley was Harry's best friend through Draco. So maybe he was waiting for Ron to send out an owl...

Andrew: Maybe.

Matt: ...and just waiting for Errol to drop a letter or something.

Eric: There were also a letter from Hermione and Hagrid.

Matt: Right, but maybe it is a little easier for Dobby to follow the Weasleys since they are a wizarding family.

Eric: Yeah, you are right. I think this is something that would be a little more clear if one of Voldemort's Horcruxes was were like his stamp collection or something. You know, we would have intricate knowledge of how house elves stop - because then Dobby and Winky could all have helped the trio with the mail system or something. I think it is really cool and a really good question.

Micah: Yeah, and as far as the lying, we talked about that a little bit earlier. I think was it Eric you said that he was someone that kept his word.

Eric: Yeah, it was important to Harry not to just say he wouldn't go. He wasn't even considering it he was just like, "I can't say I'm not going back to Hogwarts, because it's Hogwarts and this place is a dump. Look how they treat me."

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: Finding Harry though - I think it was pretty - it was common knowledge where he was. I just think from a Death Eater or Voldemort's standpoint they just couldn't do anything about it.

Eric: Well, that's an interesting question because Dobby could have harmed Harry. So he broke Dumbledore's bubble and Dobby wasn't associated with Hogwarts at that point. Somehow Dobby just apparated on to 4 Privet Drive and could have done anything. In fact, if Lucius Malfoy had ordered Dobby to harm Harry Potter, Dobby could probably have gotten in and harmed Harry Potter and snuffed him out in Book 2.

Andrew: Which is very - I think your right.

Matt: That's a scary thought.

Andrew: Where is the security?

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: Granted, we need all these points to the story for it to be a story.

Eric: Right and nobody is complaining.

Andrew: Who's complaining? Yeah.

Eric: I really want to know more about how Dobby stopped - you know, I think Jo was asked...

Micah: Tweet her.

Andrew: Tweet her. [laughs]

Eric: Tweet her? I did tweet her. I asked her if she would help out with the caption contest and I didn't hear back.

Micah: Oh, she's busy. She's writing something.

Andrew: She is writing for the caption contest.

Eric: Exactly, so hopefully she is writing more about the owl system and house elf magic. But she did say that the house elves have this powerful separate magic.

Chapter-by-Chapter: Movie Comparison

Andrew: All right, very good, so those are all the questions today. Let's talk about the movie translation of this, very quickly. Overall the film did stay very loyal, one of the biggest things missing was the backyard conversation between Dudley and Harry and Harry seeing eyes poking through the bushes which we later learned to be Dobby. One other thing I forgot to write in here was the part, and I had completely forgotten about this because my mind had been so diluted by the movie, the part where Fred and George run into the Dursley's home, run downstairs to get some of Harry's things, and then run back out. I'd...

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: ...totally forgotten about that. So...

Matt: Hmm.

Andrew: Anything else to say about these scenes, guys? I loved them.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: I really did. This movie is great.

Eric: The other thing I noticed too was that Dobby is jumping on Harry's bed in the movie.

Andrew: Mhm.

Eric: But in the book he's sitting. And I think in the movie it works better because he asks him to sit down...

Andrew: Right.

Eric: ...that Dobby hadn't just been sitting down. [laughs]

Andrew: And he's making more noise that way, too.

Matt: Yeah.

Eric: Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's just jumping - jumping on Harry's bed.

Matt: This is such a lighter intro, too. Just jumping, "Wahahah! Wahohoh!"

Eric: "Woo!" [laughs]

Andrew: "Woohoo!" Making the Mario noises. "Yah! Woo! Woo!" Anyway, next week...

Matt: "Yippee!"

Andrew: ...we'll be talking about Chapters Four through Six which are at "Flourish and Blotts," "The Whomping Willow," and then we also have "Gilderoy Lockhart." So those should be three very entertaining chapters.

Quote Quiz

Andrew: It's time for - and boy, I haven't done this in a while. I did practice once in the car the other day. It's time now for Quote Quiz quiz quiz - no, that wasn't right. Quote quote quiz, quiz, quiz, quiz. Today's quote comes from Chapters either Four, Five, or Six. "Brilliant! Inspired! What an entrance! Flying a car right into the Whomping Willow. People will be talking about that one for years!" There's Quote Quiz for you. That concludes Chapter-by-Chapter. That went well!

Eric: That was fun!

Matt: Woot.

Andrew: I missed - I missed - I missed it. I missed Chapter-by-Chapter. I'm enjoying reading them again, you know.

Eric: Mhm.

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: Yep.

Andrew: And hopefully you guys, our listeners, can all take a few minutes or maybe a half hour a week - or not a week. We're not going back to weekly.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Andrew: Can go - can read along with us! And to keep an eye...

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: ...on when we'll be releasing new episodes, just follow us at Twitter.com/MuggleCast and we'll keep you updated there.

Eric: We read all your questions.

Make the Music Connection

Andrew: That's right. And we'll include some of them. All right, it's time for Make the M-M-M-Music Connection! That's my new spin on it.

Eric: That was really cool.

Andrew: Okay, Eric, would you like the first one?

Eric: Sure.

Andrew: All right. Here we go. It's a popular song right now.

[Matt gasps]

Andrew: So this is "We are Golden" by Mika. Have you heard this song?

Eric: Wow. Is that from his new album?

Andrew: Yes it is.

Eric: 'The Boy Who Knew Too Much'?

Andrew: Yup.

Eric: Oooh. Cool!

Andrew: Well, make the music connection.

Eric: What a good plug. I think that would be what Hogwarts or weekend in Hogsmeade would be like if puffs ruled the school.

[Andrew and Matt laughs]

Andrew: Yes.

Eric: I think that's just really happy and who cares about your family and da da da.

Andrew: It's sort of an ending theme, too.

Eric: That's sort of if - that's sort of if Slytherin's weren't around...

Andrew: Right.

Eric: ...to spoil everybody's fun. [unintelligible]

Andrew: It's a great song.

Eric: I need to listen to that album. But, that's my connection.

Andrew: All right. Micah, would you like to go?

Micah: Sure.

Andrew: All right. This is a song - well, I'll play it. [laughs]

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: All right, here we go.

["I Look So Good Without You" by Jesse James begins playing]

Andrew: This is "I Look So Good Without You" by Jesse James!

[Song continues playing]

Andrew: "I Look So Good Without You" by Jesse James.

Micah: [laughs] Wow.

Andrew: Micah, "I...

Eric: Sorry, Micah.

Andrew: ...look so good without you. Got me a new hairdo." Make the connection.

Micah: Maybe when Argus Filch finally gets rid of Mrs. Norris.

[Andrew and Eric laugh]

Andrew: I like that. That's good.

Eric: And he comes out to the world.

Andrew: Yeah. Here are some more lyrics. "Hey I never thought you would have left me. I'd feel sexy and so good in my skin again."

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: "And I would have never had known that I'd be dreaming so much better without you in my head." I think that's...

Eric: Wow!

Andrew: ...a great connection.

Eric: Who did Mrs. Norris leave Filch for?

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: Crookshanks.

Andrew: [laughs] I don't know.

Micah: A real cat.

Matt: Fluffy.

Andrew: Matt, here is your song.

Matt: Okay.

["Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus begins]

Matt: Huh.

Andrew: [Singing along] "Crazy! Famous!"

[Song continues to play]

[Eric's dog barks]

Andrew: "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus.

Eric: [laughs] I don't think you could get anything that was any less like Harry Potter.

Andrew: No, I could - I could see some connections.

Matt: I got this horrible image in my head of Miley Cyrus performing at the Yule Ball in Goblet of Fire.

Andrew: That'd be pretty sweet.

Matt: And then there's this singing and there's this pole and she's pole dancing.

Andrew: All right, Matt. Make the connection.

Matt: Ugh! This is like the first time I don't have an answer.

Andrew: Okay, well how about this. How about when Harry first gets to Hogwarts?

Matt: I thought of that too, but I think that's too clichÈ because everything can be that.

Andrew: Well, Miley could easily redo this for a Harry Potter film.

Eric: She says everybody's famous.

Matt: [Singing] "Everybody looks so magic."

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: I love magic.

Andrew: Well, the song starts off with "I hopped off the plane at LAX with my dream in my cardigan."

Matt: "My Ford Anglia."

Andrew: [laughs] "I hopped off the boat at the Great Lake."

Micah: No.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: "With my dream, my wand, my owl."

Matt: I guess it could be him and Hagrid down Diagon Alley. Party in...

Eric: There's an idea.

Andrew: "Party in Diagon Alley." All right, well that's how we play Make the Music Connection.

Muggle Mail: Theme Park

Andrew: Now, we're going to in this new scramble - show scramble - get to Muggle Mail. This first e-mail comes from Leah, 19, of Australia, and she writes about the theme park. She says:

"Hi guys, I'd just like to thank you for your continual dedication to something most normal people would call pointless obsession. Somehow the ritual of listening in week after week provides a somewhat constant, stabilizing comfort, a sentiment I have heard echoed by others who have e-mailed in."

Leah is a very good writer.

"This is a bit backdated, but on the subject of the park, yes, the concept art is amazing, and it's great that it's family oriented, but I'm with Eric in that I don't know what I was expecting. But somehow I feel a bit underwhelmed. I've never been a huge theme park person, but from how the place has been described, it just sounds like a whole lot - a whole lot of cliched cheesiness. I mean, I grew up on the 'Harry Potter' series. I lined up for hours for book releases. I read them aloud to my little brother until he was old enough to read them himself. I'm almost twenty, and he's sixteen now. The whole concept of a theme park just seems like a trivialization of our lives. If I'm ever in America, I wouldn't dare go to "Harry Potter Land" as the use of something that so defined my childhood as a means for Universal to generate more profits sickens me! It's just another clever, economic ploy to cash in on mommy and daddy, and defile children and the memory of childhood."

Strong words coming from Leah. I don't think Eric had this strong of an opinion.

Eric: [laughs] No! Definitely not. I wouldn't say that I'm not going to visit it. I think you definitely should visit it if you've ever loved the series because I think I have the confidence from J.K. Rowling's involvement, just that she's signing off on it, that it'll be worthwhile.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Worth a visit, and I didn't feel that strongly against it. I just thought - I thought the three rides were kind of, you know, upsetting they only have three rides. But that's how "Islands of Adventure" works.

Muggle Mail: Harry Potter Documentaries

Andrew: Mhm. All right, Micah, could you read the next e-mail?

Micah: Next e-mail comes from Sarah, 25, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and she says:

"If you remember the documentaries in the bonus editions of 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy, documentaries tell the story of the creation of the film, from the buying of the script and the screenwriting, all the way through post-production. In 'The Lord of the Rings' docs, I don't believe you got to the casting part of the documentary until the second or third disc. I assume these HP docs are formatted in the same way so that when all the movies are finished these docs could be viewed on their own as one eight hour long documentary. That would explain why 'Sorcerer's Stone's' hour-long portion will cover the preproduction of the HP franchise, and 'Chamber of Secrets' will then cover casting. I assume 'Prisoner of Azkaban''s might cover creating the world and set design and so on."

Micah: So there you go Eric there's a little explanation for you.

Eric: That - that's good.

Andrew: So stop complaining!

Eric: Well seriously though I -I just - I do want to see - whatever the special effects of the series, I do want to see Dobby as the tennis ball. I want to see Dan acting with the tennis ball.

Andrew: I agree.

Eric: Because that was famous - that was famous news story.

Matt: They are definitely saving it all. I mean they have all the footage. It's just waiting to be released. I think they are going to do it when it is all released. I think this email's right.

Andrew: It had better be out on the Ultimate Edition. And by the way, I would like to add something to what I said last week. We talked about the pricing of the Ultimate Editions. And I was like, "It's not that bad," and Laura was like, "Oh, that's bad," and I was like, "Oh, I guess that is bad." But I thought about it more and the Blu-ray edition is only forty dollars I believe.

Matt: That's not much.

Andrew: Yeah, it's not much when you consider that Blu-ray, one disc, movies right now cost about thirty dollars. So if you're paying another ten dollars for three or four more discs and a book and stuff...

Eric: I think it's 49.99.

Andrew: Okay, so it's 50 dollars. Still a really good deal compared to other Blu-rays. So I just wanted to take back what I said. Eric would you like to read the next e-mail?

Eric: Yeah this one comes from...

Andrew: Let me just say the next few e-mails are all about what would change about the series, because we got a lot of feedback. We asked for your feedback. So thanks for sending those in.

Muggle Mail: Save Fred

Eric: Okay, here's what people would change about the Harry Potter series Part One...

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: From Sophia, age 16 from Pennsylvania:

"Hey MuggleCasters, If i could change something about the Harry Potter series, I think I would let Fred live. I know J.K. Rowling wanted someone in the Weasley family to die in order to show the grief of losing a family member. But I wish it hadn't been Fred. I think it would've been really heroic if Percy had rejoined his family and then fought and died for them in the Battle of Hogwarts instead of Fred. I think it would have achieved the same message. The twins were always a favorite of mine, so it was just so sad that one of them had to die."

Andrew: Yeah I think - I think they're right.

Eric: I don't think it would have achieved the same thing if Percy had died.

Andrew: Well, I think it would be interesting to see him turn against his family and then die for his family. That would have been an interesting sort of thing.

Matt: Right. It wouldn't have been as tragic though. Because - I mean we didn't have much time for the audience to regain Percy as a favorite or as anything.

Eric: Exactly.

Matt: I mean he was still - we went throughout the series as not liking Percy at all, and then all of the sudden he's redeemed and then one chapter afterwards he dies. It's just...

Eric: Yeah. I mean what are you a writer on Lost?

[Matt laughs]

Eric: Once he's redeemed he dies? Seriously the - but - but yeah Percy - you are right. And Matt I was thinking the same thing. That Percy - it just wouldn't mean much. It would've been a completely meaningless death, if this guy who we didn't even care about because we cut him out, "We cut him out!" in Book Five. If he just comes back and all of the sudden he's a good guy again, and then he dies, I just don't think it would have worked.

Muggle Mail: Don't Settle for Ron

Andrew: Matt, can you read the next e-mail?

Matt: Sure. Our next e-mail comes from Kiara Osolinsky, 15 from Baldwinsville, New York. She writes:

"What I would change, part two. Hey MuggleCasters I just wanted to let you know that I think you are all totally awesome. In your last podcast you asked us what we, the listeners, would change in the series. What I never got, and what I would change is Hermione falling for Won - Ron.

What's wrong with me?

"I was to be expecting with all the hints throughout the series, but why would Hermione as, 'The brightest witch of her age,' settle for someone like Ron. Not saying Ron isn't great but, someone so intelligent as Hermione and someone as dumb as Ron getting together? I don't really know who I'd put her with. But I saw her ending up with..."

Andrew: "I never saw her..."

Matt: Sorry.

"...but I never saw her ending up with Ron. I just wanted to know what you thought on the subject, but can't wait for another podcast."

Andrew: I think - thought that was pretty funny, because I thought a lot of people would probably disagree with her. It does seem like the personalities clash but hey, opposites attract.

Matt: Very true.

Eric: That's what Paula Abdul said.

Andrew: And many others before her. [laughs]

Eric: Yes, but I - I thought it was interesting in this comment that she didn't say that - she didn't say Harry and Hermione. She doesn't know who Hermione would get together with, but that it seemed interesting that she got together with Ron. And that's kind of a thing that wasn't explored, I mean it was with Krum, that Ron and Harry would both have to watch Hermione go off and be romantically involved with someone that wasn't one of them. Maybe once Hermione saw that Harry was going after Ginny she had to marry Ron to stay close to Harry. Maybe that's - maybe she secretly...

Matt: Yeah

Andrew: Maybe Hermione regretted it later on down the road...

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: [impersonating Hermione] "Why am I not with someone intelligent?" [normal voice] No, I'm sure he's a great father.

Eric: She fell for him. She was just torn apart in book seven when Ron ditches them.

Matt: She has enough brains for both of them, just like how Fleur was with Bill.

[Eric laughs]

Matt: Was it Bill? Yeah.

Eric: [imitating Fleur] "I have enough beauty for the both of us." [laughs] Bill was like, "You said Booty."

[Andrew laughs]

Eric: "No. I'm French. I said, 'Beauty' and it just sounded like I said, 'Booty'." And then I come in and say, "Well you're Clemence Posey. You have a nice booty." I then I get thrown off the set.

Andrew: Kind of weird.

Matt: Wow that was really drawn out there.

Muggle Mail: Death Eaters

Andrew: The last e-mail for today comes from Clare, 16 of North Dakota.

"I just finished listening to your Episode 181 and loved hearing your thoughts on what you would change in the books if you could. Well there are many answers I could probably think of that would be much more deep. There is detail that has been bothering me a lot in the last few weeks. I literally grew up on 'Harry Potter.' My family started reading it out aloud one chapter a night when I was five or six. Because of that I never really questioned the name Death Eaters. The more I think about though, the more lame a name it is. Death Eaters? Is she making some illusion towards cannibalism? I'm convinced that if someone told me to read a book today and mentioned that included an evil organization called the Death Eaters I would refuse to read it on principle."

That's one of those things I agree, you grow up on it. So you don't realize it but then if you stop and look - if you take a step back and look at it, it does seem like a silly name.

Eric: Death Eaters.

Matt: Well, I think it also symbolizes the fact that they are above Death. That they can - that death - you know how predator feeds on its prey.

Eric: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: Like what else do you do? The Death Squashers. The Death Stoppers.

Andrew: The Death Squad. The Death Army.

[Eric laughs]

Andrew: Dr. Death. I don't know.

Micah: Well, I mean the whole point of them was really to follow Voldemort. To purge the world of non-pure bloods. The fact that they in a way eat Death is - is...

Eric: For breakfast.

Micah: Yeah for breakfast with some milk.

[Eric laughs]

Matt: I don't know what they had for lunch or dinner but it was a big breakfast.

Micah: I don't - I don't think it is an illusion to cannibalism. I know she said that kind of sarcastically but...

Andrew: Yeah.

Eric: It is interesting. It is one of those things.

Chicken Soup for the MuggleCast Soul

Andrew: And all right, that is Muggle Mail for this week. We've one last e-mail today and it's in our Chicken Soup segment. Micah, could you read that for us?

Micah: Sure. This comes from Katy, 17 of Normal, Illinois. Didn't know there was a town called Normal.

[Andrew and Matt laugh]

Micah: She says:

"Dear MuggleCast over the past many weeks I have been so busy with school that I have not had any time to relax. Consequently this means I have not had time for MuggleCast."

[Andrew gasps]

"This past weekend I was diagnosed with H1N1. I've been bed ridden for the whole week. While I have been incapable of doing much to pass the time my un-listened-to MuggleCasts have been waiting for me. I have finally been able to listen to all that I need to catch up on and they have been a big help in making me feel better. So thank you MuggleCast for helping me recover. Love Katy."

Micah: So Katy has a bit of the swine flu it seems like.

Andrew: We hope you get well Katy. We are glad that MuggleCast is there for you.

Eric: Woot!

Announcements: Podcast Alley, Infinitus and Roller Coaster Tycoon

Andrew: And finally couple of announcements today before we let everyone go. Remind you about our contact information. Don't forget to vote for us on Podcast Alley and also as we have been mentioning over the past few weeks, Infinitus 2010 is coming up very quickly. It's going to be in July in Orlando, Florida. It's going to be at this beautiful hotel, right on the Universal property. And all these Harry Potter fans are going to be gathering including us to check out the Harry Potter theme park for the first time all together. So it's going to be really exciting. It's July 15th through the 18th again in Orlando. So for more information visit Infinitus2010.org and if you register which you should do quickly because the prices will be going up in a couple of months. Put MuggleNet or MuggleCast in the little referral area so they know we sent you. And we'll see you there in the Summer. And lastly Eric, you have a reminder about your Roller Coaster Tycoon Contest we brought up a couple of weeks ago.

Eric: So far we've only gotten one entry from Jennifer Baxter...

Andrew: Awww.

Eric: ...who sent us her Harry Potter inspired theme park from Roller Coaster Tycoon 1. We are asking for the saved game files which can be found on your computer if you Roller Coaster Tycoon Number One with either of the expansion parks. We are doing a Harry Potter themed park in this contest. I'm going to announce the winners in the last week of October. But I can tell you so far the winner is Jennifer Baxter who sent us her Harry Potter theme park.

Show Close

[Show music begins playing]

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Eric: [laughs] So if you want to change that we are going to have a few more weeks for you guys to play around with the game. Maybe it has been a while since you played. Send us your Harry Potter theme parks.

Contact Information

Andrew: And also send us your feedback on Chapters One through Three for Chapter-by-Chapter if you think we missed anything. And you may be asking, "How do I do that? How do I send you my feedback about the chapters?" Well just visit MuggleCast.com and you will see a contact link towards the top of the site and there you can fill out our handy feedback form or you can contact any one of us using our first name at staff dot mugglenet dot com. Okay, so you can also visit MuggleCast.com to follow us on Twitter. We have a new Twitter box right on the top - right at the top of our site. And you can also fan us on Facebook. Don't forget to vote for us once a month at Podcast Alley. And you can find some other links on our site including an iTunes link. If you subscribe to us through iTunes we recommend - we'd appreciate it actually if you were to rate and review us on iTunes. So, just click on the iTunes button and you can post your review about the show. We'd really appreciate your feedback so potential new listeners can read your reviews and say, "Oh well, maybe I'll enjoy the show too." Once again I'm Andrew Sims.

Eric: I'm Eric Scull.

Micah: I'm Micah Tannenbaum.

Matt: And I'm Matt Britton.

Andrew: Thanks everyone for listening. See you next time with Episode 183. Bye bye!

[Show music continues]

Bloopers: Let's All Shout at Andrew!

Andrew: Okay, skip Make the Music Connection because...

Matt: No!

[Everyone starts yelling at each other]

Eric: You skip it every week!

Andrew: Yes. [laughs]

Eric: Every week, And we even got an e-mail.

Andrew: [laughs] Oh god!

Eric: Okay I went to MuggleCast G-mail and someone specifically sent an e-mail that says, "You guys haven't done Make the Music Connection in ages."

Andrew: We did it like two weeks ago.

Eric: But you skip it every week! You are like - we have it in the schedule every week and you get to it, "Number Four: Make the Music Connection. Let's forget the Make the Music Connection."

Matt: Andrew, just do it. It is only three or four songs.

Andrew: All right then.

Matt: It's not like a ten person show.

Eric: There is four of us.

Andrew: Yeah that is true. All right, all right, all right.

Bloopers: What Day is it, Micah?

Micah: Because Jo will use her Twitter to reveal she is actually writing to me. This is MuggleCast Episode 182 for [laughs] - I don't know the date. Oh don't you just hate it when that happens.


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Written by: The Transcribers