Muggle Mail: Invisibility Cloak

Andrea: Sure. This one comes from Helen, 26, from Hinsdale, Illinois. She says:

"Hi, everyone! I just listened to Episode 187 and in the discussion of chapter 14, Micah mentioned that he thought the reason Dumbledore seemed to be able to sense the presence of Ron and Harry under the Invisibility Cloak might be because he could sense the presence of one of the Deathly Hallows. J.K.R. actually addressed this question in the live online chat she did after the release of Book Seven. Jo was asked, "Why is it that Albus Dumbledore can see Harry under his Invisibility Cloak at certain moments? Is the Cloak only infallible to those who do not own a Deathly Hallow?" Jo responded, "Dumbledore, who could perform magic without needing to say the incantation aloud, was using 'Hominum Revelio,' the human presence revealing spell that Hermione makes use of in Deathly Hallows when she checked Grimmauld Place to see if it was empty." It would have been cool if Dumbledore could sense the Deathly Hallows but sadly that wasn't the case. I love you all, Helen."

Andrew: So, there's the explanation.

Micah: You know, I don't like that answer.

[Everyone laughs]

Matt: I don't like it! It's logical!

Jamie: No Micah...

Micah: No think about all the times in the series that you can just explain stuff away with Hominum Revelio. Think about all the times Harry could have been caught by Snape when he was out of bed under the Invisibility Cloak. Oh, Snape could have just said Hominum Revelio and there goes Harry!

Jamie: But, the thing that gets me about this thing is that I like complete stuff that's so powerful that it can't be undone, and a simple spell that Hermione can use to check if there are people in Grimmauld Place, you can just walk along and keep saying that spell and then the Invisibility Cloak would be completely useless against you. And since - what's his name - Luna's dad - I can't believe I can't remember his name. What's his name?

Andrew: Xenophilius.

Jamie: Yeah, yeah, yeah of course. When he says, "Ah but a true cloak of invisibility doesn't ever, ever fade," and you just think, "My god! This is a really powerful object!" It's like a light sabre or adamantium or something like that in X-men...

Matt: Yeah.

Jamie: ...If such a simple spell can just reveal this it can't be that good.

Micah: Right.

Jamie: Which is such a shame because it's such a cool object.

Andrew: Yeah, that's sort of like the whole argument about, Alohomora. Why are there locks if you can just unlock it with Alohomora. [laughs]

Jamie and

Micah: Yeah.

Andrea: And I thought spells weren't supposed to work on Harry's invisibility cloak anyway. Like when they try to Accio it I think in, where was it - in Hogsmeade.

Andrew: Oh yeah they can't get it.

Matt: That's true.

Jamie: Yeah, yeah.

Micah: It's a much cooler answer to say that Dumbledore can sense the presence of a Deathly Hallow then to say he used this spell that - I mean, maybe it speaks to the power of Dumbledore. I don't know maybe the spell is stronger with him casting it then somebody else. But...

Matt: Well he's also had possession of the invisibility cloak for a while too.

Micah: Right.

Matt: So he may have been familiar with the presence that it has.

Andrew: Jamie could you read the next e-mail?

Muggle Mail: Ford Anglia

Jamie: Okay this comes from Miriasha, 13, from Burlington, Vermont. She writes:

"Hey I was listening to Episode 187 and I have something to add to your discussion about what magic Mr. Weasley put on the car to give it a personality. I wonder if it had anything to do with the magic surrounding Hogwarts and especially the Forbidden Forest. In the fourth book when Ron thinks that Harry should bring in an Aqua Lung in order to breathe underwater for the second task, Hermione tells Harry and Ron that Muggle things go crazy when they get near Hogwarts. Also in the first book, when Neville falls off his broomstick in their first flying lesson, instead of falling to the ground the broomstick lazily flies towards the Forbidden Forest. I think that there are so many magical creatures and just magical pull in the forest that it just gives items personalities. What do you guys think? I also want to say that is episode 186, you were talking about Hermione and Harry dancing and how Harry was trying to cheer Hermione up, and one of you said that Harry was trying to cheer her up because Hermione was down that Harry had left. I don't know if anyone noticed this but I wanted to point it out. I love the podcast and I've been listening since the beginning, never stopped.

Andrew: I guess we meant Ron in regard to that second point that Hermione was down...

Jamie: Hermione, yeah.

Andrew: ...that Ron left, but...

Jamie: Yeah.

Andrew: In response to her first...

Jamie: Interesting thought, isn't it?

Andrew: Yeah, that's a good way to look at it because, Jamie, we were wondering why the car had such a personality...

Jamie: Oh, right.

Andrew: ...and in Chamber of Secrets.

Jamie: Don't they use the words - when it comes back, they say it looks all crazy and crazed. It's got like mud and dirt on it.

Andrew: Yeah.

Jamie: So I guess that does do that to you, living in the forbidden forest. It changes you, and it makes you crazy.

Andrew: It turns you into a warrior.

Jamie: Yeah, yeah. [laughs] Makes you primal.

Andrew: [laughs] Primal exactly. Micah, could you read the next e-mail.

Muggle Mail: Ultimate Editions in Australia

Micah: The next e-mail comes from Rhiannon, 16, from Australia, and she says:

G'Day, guys, and Laura - and Andrea. First of all...

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: Andrea!

Micah: Andrea, sorry.

Andrea: It's all right.

Micah:

First of all, I love your podcast, especially since I live in an Australian country town and I often feel isolated from the Harry Potter community. I've been re-listening to some of your podcasts. I was listening to number 181, and I have a question. You've all talked about the Ultimate Editions being fantastic with lots of special features on them, which teased me so much that I was wondering they have any chance of being released in Australia? I've asked every Australia fan I know, and we haven't heard anything. Once again, I love the podcast, keep up the great work. Rhiannon. P.S. You still have a lot of Australian fans.

Andrew: Was there any doubt?

Micah: No.

Andrew: I don't remember doubting that, but...

[Matt sighs]

Andrew: ...thanks for writing in about this because - okay - the Ultimate Editions came out in the U.S., but they still haven't been in the U.K. and Australia. We still don't know when they're going to be released. We actually recently contacted Warner Brothers to find out about this, and Nick, who works on MuggleNet, he inquired, and we should be hearing back soon. So we don't know, but it is kind of odd that they haven't released these internationally yet, so we'll just have to wait and see, but we will let you know on MuggleNet.com if we get some dates.

Jamie: Perhaps they're...

Andrew: So that's that.

Jamie: ...waiting for a special occasion or something. I don't know what, but they might be.

Andrew: Yeah. I guess so. They released them here in the beginning of December when the Half-Blood Prince DVD came out, so many are wondering why they didn't the same time before the holidays where they live.

Matt: Hmmm.

Muggle Mail: Nude Scenes

Andrew: Anyway, final e-mail from today comes from Harper Stevenson, 14, from the U.S. of A. He writes about the nude scene conjecture.

"Something I've noticed that's really been bothering me is the nude scene conjecture. Had none of the hosts seem to remember that Harry wakes up and finds robes before Dumbledore makes the scene? He wakes up, realizes he's nude, and robes appear for him to wear. Then Dumbledore appears or walks in or whatever, and they chat, and Harry goes back to being alive. Just thought I'd clear that up since the conjecture has now been active for a few episodes now. Rather nit-picky since Harry Potter was the first book series I ever really read, back when I was six...

Jamie: He just died. I don't think he's really going to care about being naked is he?

Andrew: [laughs] Well, Arthur's right. The thing is Jamie, we were talking about the story, there's going to be two nude scenes in Deathly Hallows. They confirmed it, that Dan's going to be naked...

Jamie: Oh right.

Andrew: ...for this. And we had joked on one of the shows that, "Oh Harry's going to be naked in front of Dumbledore. Dumbledore's gay. Blah blah." So - but that was just a joke. To be honest, I forgot that Harry puts on clothes before seeing Dumbledore, but I did remember this later on. I think someone else wrote in too.

Micah: I was going to say, joke: something said or done be invoke laughter or amusement, especially an amusing story with a punch-line.

[Matt laugh]

Andrew: Yeah so we were just kidding around and - but that is a good thing to clarify. Thank you Harper for pointing that out. And that does it for Muggle Mail this week, it's time now for Chapter-by-Chapter. And also, later in the show we have a very special British Joke of the Day...

Jamie: No don't say that.

Andrew: ...I don't know why it's special.

Jamie: Like I was going to say; it's not that good.

Andrew: [laughs] We have a British Joke of the Day, and Jamie in true form is playing it down. [laughs]

Jamie: Well I should cover my back.

Andrew: All right and so like I said at the beginning of the show, these are chapters sixteen through eighteen of Chamber of Secrets. This is our final installment of Chapter-by-Chapter.

Matt: Ever.

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: And Micah's going to lead us in the first two chapters, and then I will lead Chapter 18, the final chapter.

Micah: All right!

Andrew: So over to you Micah!

Chapter-by-Chapter: "The Chamber of Secrets"

Micah: All right! Chapter 16: "The Chamber of Secrets." Just like the title of the book. So, this chapter opens up, Harry and Ron have just almost been killed and eaten by Aragog, and they discuss Moaning Myrtle being the girl killed fifty years ago and how they're going to sneak away to see her, when they realize that they have much more preshing - pressing issues and those are the exams, and its - it's kind of like a comical part of the book where they've completely forgotten about exams because of what's been going on with all their fellow students being attacked - I know Andrew you put here; "Is it merely a sign of immaturity that they're complaining about still having to take their exams?"

Andrew: Yeah, well, I got kind of annoyed when I read this because - I was thinking; why are they still complaining that they have exams? I mean of course you would still have exams! It's not like all the students have had anything else to occupy their time! I mean the monsters been scaring them but they haven't been all searching for it or anything. They still have time to study for exams. I just found it very immature.

Jamie: Can I just say here, that this is really weird because you know, there's a monster going about killing people in this castle, and they still have exams. Okay? We have had a bit of snowfall here and 9,000 schools have been closed in the United Kingdom.

[Andrew and Jamie laugh]

Jamie: So...

Andrew: Well...

Jamie: Does that say something about Britain?

Andrew: Well you guys aren't prepared.

Jamie: No.

Micah: No...

Andrew: I don't know.

Micah: ...it's just different in the magical world.

Matt: Yeah. Well I think that maybe J.K. Rowling uses the whole exam thing just so kids can still feel related to the trio.

Jamie: Maybe, yeah.

Matt: Like they have exams, just like I do or something. I mean, it doesn't really make any sense anyway putting it in, but I mean, that's the only explanation I can think of.

Micah: I think it just shows how young they are. I mean how immature they are. Like you said, Andrew, they're not grown up yet, and they're caring about...

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: It just shows how their minds are working at that time.

Matt: [impersonating Ron] "They need to sort out their priorities."

[Andrea and Jamie laugh]

Andrew: They do. They really do. What were you going to say Andrea?

Andrea: It's probably just J.K. Rowling making sure that everyone realizes they're still in school. Like they're 12 years old, they do have school. They have classes and I guess it might be a little bit responsible I guess. Although I guess they're not studying, so...

Andrew: Well I guess it is a good way to keep them responsible. But regardless, I just don't see why they would complain, but anyway...

[Andrea laughs]

Micah: So Professor McGonagall announces that everyone that has been petrified is about to be restored later on that evening. I pulled a quote that says:

"Just then Ginny Weasley came over and sat down next to Ron. She looked tense and nervous, and Harry noticed that her hands were twisting in her lap. Ginny didn't say anything, but glanced up and down the Gryffindor table with a scared look on her face that reminded Harry of someone, though he couldn't think who."

And just a couple minutes later, Harry realizes that she reminds him of Dobby when he was nervous and about to reveal vital information. But Percy, in the end, ends up scaring her away. And there's actually - somebody sent in a Tweet down here, Ginny said she had something to say that was so important, and I was wondering if it was that important, why didn't they go after her?

Andrew: I don't know. That's a good question. Maybe they just got caught up in trying to figure out what the thing was. You know, they were trying to figure out what was attacking Hogwarts, so they totally forgot.

Jamie: Yeah, maybe.

Micah: Yeah.

Jamie: They just didn't think.

Andrea: Maybe they believed Percy when he said it was just something he found, that she saw him doing something. I don't know, could be just gullible.

Matt: Maybe they wanted the book to last longer too.

Micah: Yeah.

[Andrew laughs]

Micah: Well, I think...

Andrew: Yeah. Well that would have been interesting if Ginny had. What would had have happened? What if?

Micah: She never would have gotten taken, maybe, into the Chamber of Secrets. As Matt said, it would have been a shorter book.

[Andrea laughs]

Micah: But that question was Tweeted in by 7Lia7.

Andrew: This part here reminded me of - I keep going back to this. I do it quite frequently. When Laura came up with that amazing discussion on the books being symmetrical to one another. I can't remember if she noted this in her discussion that we did, but this is a good comparison between Books - this moment is a good comparison between Books two and six, because in both of them we see Dumbledore departing and McGonagall taking over. It's just another example of the books being symmetrical. One is close to seven, two is close to six, three is close to four - er, three is close to five. So, just wanted to point that out.

Micah: Well speaking of McGonagall, Ron and Harry then try to sneak off to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom on the way to one of their classes. They are able to get away from Lockhart after convincing him that he doesn't need to take them the rest of the way, and of course, Lockhart's gullible, and will do anything that anybody says. So they end up being called by McGonagall as they're going to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and they feed her this completely B.S. story about how they're going to visit Hermione in the hospital wing. And it was kind of - it was weird, because you could see that McGonagall was very emotional about the whole thing, and it's kind of almost as if Ron and Harry took advantage of her.

Andrew: Yeah, well that's totally what happened.

Matt: Yeah, that's exactly what happened.

Andrew: That is a really funny, sort of like a movie moment, though, it reminds me of, just like a typical, classic movie scene, where you try to do something like this, and the person gives in. And, do you think what they were doing was - like, McGonagall really felt for them at this moment, she was like, oh, of course, I totally understand. But regardless, I mean, you know, the Basilisk is still out and about, and why should McGonagall be okay with two kids sneaking around the school?

Matt: Do you think McGonagall knew it was a Basilisk?

Andrew: That doesn't make a difference, though, I mean, he's still - the fact still remains that, you know, they could be easily attacked, and why are they sneaking around? That's not cool.

Micah: But the whole reason they end up going to see her is because of McGonagall, and that's kind of how all the pieces of the puzzle come together...

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: When they go to see her in the hospital wing. So it's almost as if, what would have happened if they went to see Moaning Myrtle, and didn't go to see Hermione? They wouldn't have figured as much out as they did.

Andrew: Maybe not as much, but I think Myrtle still would have had some valuable information for them.

Micah: All right. So they do get all the information about the Basilisk and everything that's been happening around the school off of Hermione's little piece of paper. And they decide that, finally, after, you know, sixteen and a half chapters, it's a good idea to go talk to a teacher.

[Andrew laughs]

Micah: And they head off, I think, to the teacher's room, to go speak with McGonagall. But they end up hiding in a, like a - I guess it's like a storage closet that's in the teacher's room.

Andrew: Yeah.

Micah: And as they're there, they hear over the PA McGonagall telling all the teachers to gather, and found out that Ginny has been taken into the Chamber of Secrets. And you get a little bit more comedy now with Lockhart stumbling in, and all the teachers saying that he that goes and tries to find out what the monster is, and defeat the monster. Do any of these professors honestly believe that Lockhart has any capability whatsoever?

Jamie: Well, more importantly it's a bit irresponsible, isn't it? They're saying, "Go on, you go and try. This girl could die, but you go and have a laugh, and we'll laugh at you doing it...

[Micah laughs]

Jamie: ...and then afterwards we'll take it seriously." It's ridiculous.

Micah: [laughs] Well this whole scene - well this whole scene is ridiculous. Number one you mention Lockhart, he's supposedly the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, none of them think he's capable of doing anything whatsoever. And then later on, a few pages later, you hear about Percy's casually sending an owl to his parents that...

[Jamie laughs]

Micah: ...Ginny's been taken by this monster and she could possibly be dead. Think about if you were at school and something happened to you. Wouldn't somebody call your parents right away, not a couple of hours later have your brother send off a message to your parents that something terrible has happened to you?

Jamie: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah.

Jamie: Yeah.

Andrew: It does seem very odd. And the whole staffroom thing, [laughs] I - you're totally right, Jamie. I mean, "We'll take it seriously after it's too late."

Jamie: Mhm.

Andrew: That's basically what they're saying. And in a way it's a weird thing. They're doing this for themselves, it's not so much about Ginny, because they want to see Lockhart fail first, it seems. I wonder if Dumbledore was there, I wonder what he would have ordered, if he would have ordered Lockhart to go after him, or if he would have sent Snape, or if he would have gone himself.

Andrea: It was probably just to get Lockhart out of the way, so he wouldn't bug them when they were planning on something.

Andrew: So this was sort of like a mission to kill him?

Andrea: [laughs] Maybe. Well no just to get him out of the way while they plan on what they're going to do about Ginny.

Andrew: Oh, I've got you. I've got you. [laughs]

Micah: And that's the other question, though. With Dumbledore being gone, wasn't there a way to reach him, for, say, Professor McGonagall to reach out to Dumbledore and get him back to the castle? I mean, we know that he later is reinstated, but it seems like a pretty soft way to have to get into the school, as opposed to knowing that the school is in danger and one of the students is in trouble, you'd think he would come back a lot quicker. So Ron and Harry head out and decide that they're going to go see Lockhart, and it's revealed that Lockhart is a fraud. Now I know we all read this book a long time ago, before we just re-read it now, but can anyone remember being surprised by this?

[Andrea laughs]

Andrew: Honestly, I read this in 1999 so [laughs] I can't remember.

Jamie: Have you not read it since?

Andrea: I don't think I was.

[Matt laughs]

Andrew: No, I really haven't.

Jamie: Andrew, that is shocking, for the lead host of MuggleCast to not have read the book for over a decade.

Andrew: I read the other books more times, but not this one.

Jamie: But, Andrew, over a decade! That's...

[Andrew and Jamie laugh]

Andrew: I don't know what to tell you. I'm sorry.

Jamie: When did you last read Twilight?

[Andrea laughs]

Andrew: Oh, just last week. I mean, I've read that fifty times. [laughs]

Jamie: You traitor.

Micah: So, Harry ends up using Expelliarmus on Lockhart before he can use a Memory Charm on him and Ron, and I thought everyone makes so much about the fact that Snape was the first person to teach Harry his signature spell, and I took the quote out and it said:

"'They shouldn't have let Professor Snape teach us that one,' said Harry furiously, kicking Lockhart's trunk aside."

So...

Andrew: Well, going back real quick, does anybody remember being surprised by - by discovering Lockhart was a fraud?

Andrea: No. [laughs] I don't think I was. I think I was just appalled that he was running away.

Andrew and

Jamie: Yeah.

Andrea: I was ten I think, so...

Andrew: Yeah.

Jamie: After the pixies it was quite - that was explicitly saying he was just useless.

Andrew: Right.

Jamie: He couldn't do a thing.

Andrew: Yeah, I guess I - I can say I was probably really shocked when I saw that he was moving out, fleeing Hogwarts.

Matt: He was just too good to be true, Andrew. You should have seen the signs.

Andrew: He was too good to be true.

Micah: So, they end up forcing Lockhart to go with them into the Chamber of Secrets, and they get to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and she tells them of how she died, and this kind of confirms the whole Basilisk theory. And they open up the Chamber of Secrets, they slide down the pipe, and there's that whole scene where Lockhart tries to get back in charge and ends up erasing his own memory, which is kind of comical.

Jamie: But, that's such an interesting point because if he'd actually wiped their memories and brought them back up the entire series would have developed in such a different way. That's such an interesting point.

Andrew: You think so?

Jamie: Well - well no. I think it's just an interesting point that it didn't work. I know that the - the teachers didn't trust him and probably wouldn't believe him. But as we've seen throughout the books the word of children isn't really counted for much and Jo has that running through and she thinks - and Dumbledore even says that age is stupid when it forgets the something of youth - some energy of youth or something, and I think they'd have a hard time convincing people that a teacher's word of events was a complete lie.

Andrew: Yeah, that's true.

Jamie: It is funny, though. It's funny, what happens.

Andrea: This is where Ron...

Matt: Hilarious, Jamie.

Andrea: This is where Ron learns his Parseltongue.

Andrew: Yeah.

Jamie: Oh yeah.

Andrew: And this does begin a very interesting series of events throughout the rest of the books where we learn that - oh, wow, we're going to get a different Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher every year...

Jamie: Yeah.

Andrew: ...and there are several hints in this book about that going on. I know there's one point Dumbledore says that he just does not have good luck filling that position. So...

Chapter-by-Chapter: "The Heir of Slytherin"

Micah: So, we move on to Chapter 17, "The Heir of Slytherin," and it opens with Harry finding Ginny lying on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets with Tom Riddle standing nearby. And he says, "If I say it myself Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed."

[Andrew laughs]

Micah: And I thought this was kind of an interesting comment as he goes through talking about how he was able to get Ginny to do his bidding, and you think back on some of the other characters that he's been able to influence throughout the series that we see later on. Obviously Slughorn...

Matt: That is such a great parallel to Book 6.

Micah: It is!

Matt: That line.

Jamie: Especially Ravenclaw's daughter, such a cool thing in the books!

Matt: Yeah.

Jamie: That he charmed her. And...

Matt: And Hepzibah - the Hufflepuff chick.

Jamie: Chick?

Micah: I wouldn't call her the Hufflepuff chick...

[Everyone laughs]

Micah: Not unless you're into seventy year old grannies or something.

[Jamie laughs]

Matt: She's the ultimate cougar in the Wizarding World.

[Everyone laughs]

Jamie: That's funny man.

Micah: And in this chapter we start to get a lot of Horcrux references. Tom Riddle talks about being powerful enough to start "feeding Ms. Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her," and it's interesting reading this book now - I don't know what you guys thought - but we're starting to see all these Horcrux references that were there early on.

Matt: Yeah.

Andrew: Yeah, absolutely.

Jamie: Yeah.

Andrew: And some people - I read some - some blogger, some dumb blogger said a few weeks ago and it really annoyed me. They pointed out that - I think it was a news article, I can't remember where exactly - but they pointed out that, oh, the Harry Potter fans, they really overanalyze everything," and if J.K. Rowling had actually set the book up - the series up, this intricately to the point of all their theorizing actually makes sense. She actually thought about the things that they're thinking about, Jo still wouldn't be done writing Book 1 yet, and I think, no, that's absolutely not true! Jo really did set all this up. This theorizing that we do, it all makes sense, it was all set up by her.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: And that's what makes the series so amazing and Chamber of Secrets is where we really start seeing some of the deeper stuff, and that comes back into play five, six books later.

Matt: Mhm.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: Four or five books later.

Micah: Yeah, well didn't she say that she was thinking of Half-Blood Prince to be the title of the second book or...

Matt: Yeah.

Micah: Or she was thinking of almost exchanging the two places in the series.

Andrew: Yeah!

Micah: Yeah, so...

Andrew: Yeah, that's true.

Micah: So we learn that Tom Riddle has been controlling Ginny through the diary and that he framed Hagrid for opening the Chamber of Secrets and he mentions that Dumbledore was the only one who thought, really, that there was something wrong with all of that. But, again, we talked about Dumbledore before in this book and it's like, why didn't he do anything if he thought that there was something wrong - going wrong here?

Jamie: He's a politician though, Dumbledore. That's probably why he didn't ever want to be Minister for Magic. He knows he can't just come out and say something like they live in troubled times. And it's - he knows although he's powerful, he can't just say whatever he wants. And also, people forget - I forget definitely that everyone knew about his back-story, and just because we didn't know that everyone else knew, and I imagine he found it hard to stand up for things and do things like that because of his troubled past, maybe.

Matt: So we had a 12 year old boy do it for him?

Jamie: Well, yeah, maybe.

[Matt laughs]

Jamie: Perhaps he is a coward after all. Actually, I shouldn't speak ill of the dead, but...

[Andrew, Jamie, and Matt laugh]

Andrew: It's okay. It's book dead.

Jamie: Yeah, that's true. Book dead.

Micah: So...

Jamie: And film dead.

Micah: Kind of talking a little bit more about the first Horcrux where I guess it's really revealed as when Riddle says, "But I wasn't going to waste those long years I spent searching for it. I decided to leave behind a diary preserving my sixteen year old self in its pages so that one day with luck I would be able to lead another in my footsteps and finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work." And then he kind of coaxes Harry a bit to tell him just how he was able to survive the attack of Voldemort when he was just a baby. Now, I wanted to know, did you think that this is essential at all for Tom Riddle to find out this information or is it more for his ego that he just wants to know?

Andrew: I think it's more for his ego.

Matt: Yeah. I mean, he knew when he was being transformed in Goblet of Fire.

Andrew: Right.

Matt: He knew everything.

Andrew: That's a good point.

Matt: Maybe it's his sixteen year old self asking him.

Micah: Could be.

Andrea: Maybe he just expects to come back and wants to know.

Micah: Now speaking of Salazar Slytherin, Andrew.

Andrew: Oh. I have a confession to make, Andrea.

Andrea: Mhm.

Andrew: So your last name is Salazar...

Andrea: Right

Andrew: ...and I always thought that - you know how some people don't want to put out their real last name on the internet?

[Andrea laughs]

Andrew: I thought you sort of had Salazar as your name on everywhere just to...

Matt: Your alias.

Andrew: Yeah, it was your handle or something. And just before the show tonight, I'm like, "There's so many Andrea Salazars, I didn't realize that everyone wanted to do that with their name."

[Andrea laughs]

Andrew: I didn't realize it was a popular last name. Just wanted to confess that.

Andrea: No, it's real.

Andrew: Oh wow. That is something. You should make that your middle name and then you can be, well, and then make your last name Slytherin, that'd be...

Andrea: Slytherin. I should do that.

Andrew: Your initials wouldn't be much to be desired, but...

Andrea: That's true.

Jamie: Well, I will...

Andrew: A-S-S.

Jamie: Oh yeah, oh yeah. How rude, how rude!

[Andrea and Andrew laughs]

Jamie: Wash your mouth out!

[Andrew and Micah laugh]

Andrew: That's why I'm always thankful my family didn't name me, didn't make my middle name Steven or something, because I'd have very inappropriate initials. Anyway, go ahead, Micah. Back to this book.

Micah: All right. So Harry shows loyalty to Dumbledore which ends up leading to Fawkes showing up with the Sorting Hat, and after Harry demonstrates his loyalty Riddle ends up releasing the Basilisk. Now, this whole fight ensues where Fawkes ends up poking out the Basilisk's eyes and...

Andrew: Caw, caw.

Micah: Exactly, and the Basilisk goes blind. And I thought it was kind of ironic that it's this monster that ends up knocking the Sorting Hat into Harry's hands. I think it's kind of one of those J. K. Rowling things that - oh, isn't it convenient that the Basilisk's tail ends up knocking the thing that contains the weapon he needs to kill it right into his hands?

Andrew: [laughs] Well how far away was it from him? Is that ever described? I mean it wasn't too far away, so Harry could have still went for it. But yeah, it does seem very, very intentional.

Jamie: Maybe it's...

Micah: Well he's cowering in the corner at that point. He's like, "Please, please, somebody help me." And then all of a sudden...

Andrew: And then it comes, right? Yeah...

Jamie: Yeah, but maybe it's got powers that facilitate that. It needs to get there and it can't just float there itself so it uses the Basilisk to do it or something - or something.

[Everyone laughs]

Jamie: I don't know.

Andrew: It just sort of jumped in front of the Basilisk...

Jamie: Yeah.

Andrew: ...Basilisk's tail.

Jamie: and then...

Andrew: That's a - that's a - yeah.

Jamie: Yeah.

Micah: So Harry gets Gryffindor's Sword out of the Hat. He kills the Basilisk, and he ends up being struck by one of the fangs that's in - one of the Basilisk's fangs. Now Fawkes ends up healing him, but I thought it'd be an interesting question to ask, what would have happened if he had died? I mean, would we have had sort of that King's Cross scene, similar to what happened in Deathly Hallows?

Andrew: Well, Dumbledore wouldn't have been there, right? Oh, well I guess he could've.

Micah: No, maybe not.

Jamie: No, no he wouldn't. He wasn't prepared, he wasn't prepared to die. If the Snitch was there it wouldn't have opened, so he wouldn't have been ready to go to that King's Cross scene. I don't think he would've...

Micah: That's true.

Jamie: ...I think he'd have just died. Otherwise he could have done everything he needed to then. The whole point was Dumbledore preparing him throughout the books. But he's very lucky.

Micah: It's too early for him to die too I guess, right, in the series?

Andrea: Voldemort didn't have Harry's blood in him yet, so he wouldn't have - well, I guess he wouldn't have been able to come back.

Jamie: Yeah.

Andrew: He wouldn't have been in limbo, I guess is what I'm saying.

Jamie: And Jo wouldn't have made so much money as well if it had ended there.

Micah: [laughs] Two books.

[Matt laughs]

Andrew: Right, its factor number one.

Micah: So something else that happens here is when Fawkes is trying to heal Harry, Riddle tries to use Harry's wand to get Fawkes away. But would any spell work against a creature whose feather-hair - feather or hair is in the core? I thought...

Jamie: That's an interesting point!

Micah: You think about...

Jamie: Very interesting!

Matt: Huh.

Micah: Yeah.

Andrew: I don't know. Well, I think we see in this that - that - that's the case, right? It won't work against him. It won't work against Fawkes.

Micah: Yeah, Fawkes just kind of flies away.

Andrew: Yeah.

Matt: What did you think - I mean, this is something that I always wondered. This is kind of also in Book 5, but would you think since - that a wand made from the fabric of that magical animal - wouldn't you think that the animal would have some type of protection against that wand? Because in Book 5 Voldemort blows up Fawkes against the fight with Dumbledore and I always just wondered - that's Fawkes' hair that just blew him up.

Jamie: That's true, that's - yeah. Maybe because it's his hair that it blew him up. Like there's some type of thing where they couldn't handle the power and he blew up because of it, like he just exploded.

Matt: Well he didn't just explode. I mean, he got reborn through the ashes, but...

Jamie: Maybe - yeah, it's like a reset switch. It puts him back to a baby. But if he hadn't been a phoenix - what happens if it's like a unicorn wand and then it hits a unicorn with a spell?

Matt: I don't know. I think unicorns have learned to stay away from Voldemort.

Jamie: Yeah, I agree.

[Everyone laughs]

Jamie: You'd be a stupid unicorn if you hadn't.

Andrew: Okay, send in your feedback about that, listeners. We'd be interested hearing what you think about that.

Micah: So Fawkes delivers the diary to Harry and there's this moment where Harry just somehow knows how to destroy it.

Andrew: Yeah, I wanted to ask about this. This seemed very scripted, like he just takes the basilisk fang and just starts stabbing it. I would've liked to have seen some logic here even though I don't think Harry had much to go on.

Matt: I would just stab myself.

[Micah laughs]

Andrew: Why? Why would he be suicidal? [laughs]

Matt: I don't know...

Jamie: Emo...

Matt: It was the first thing to go through my mind.

Jamie: Emo Harry.

Andrew: I mean - yeah.

Micah: So he saves Ginny...

Matt: I don't know. Stabbing a diary with a fang. That's the first thing that comes to my mind.

Jamie: Maybe you should see a counsellor as well, Matt.

[Everyone laughs]

Andrew: [laughs] Yeah, I think we need to take you to counselling. Go ahead, Micah.

Micah: Yes, so he saves Ginny and they exit the Chamber and they're able to get back to where Ron and Lockhart are, and Lockhart is completely clueless as to where he is and eventually Fawkes shows back up. And I thought it was funny at the end that Lockhart refers to the ride on Fawkes as being "like magic." And also that Moaning Myrtle is disappointed Harry wasn't dead and couldn't share her toilet. But there is an interesting point that Ron makes at the end when he says Myrtle has grown quite fond of Harry and that Ginny has some "competition."

Andrew: Why did you find that interesting?

Micah: Well, you know, it's kind of laying the groundwork a little bit.

Andrew: Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.

Matt: Hasn't Ginny always had competition with Harry?

Andrew: Yeah, I mean, all the girls want Harry. He's the Chosen One.

Micah: But early on. This is very early on.

Andrew: Yeah, true. He hasn't developed yet into the man he ends up being.

Matt: Mhm.

Andrew: There was this great line in the movie, too, when Lockhart just yells "Just like magic!"

Micah: It's better than Harry's line in Goblet of Fire, where he says that he loves magic.

Matt: "I love magic!"

Jamie: Terrible line. That's such a bad line.

[Micah laughs]

Jamie: I can't believe they left that in. I just - that must have escaped the editor's room because...

Matt: Oh man, they didn't just leave it in. They left three seconds before and after that, too.

Jamie: [laughs] Yeah, that's true. That's like...

Andrew: There's always one moment...

Matt: They wanted you to "savor" that moment.

Jamie: It's just a shame it didn't work.

[Everyone laughs]

Matt: Not - yeah, not at all.

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