Huh? Of The Week

Jamie: Laura, I believe - now, since Andrew can't be here, we have a "Huh?" email of - I can't say it properly.

Ben: Huh?

Laura: Yeah, how do you do it? It's like [Imitating Andrew] Huh?! I can't quite do it. [laughs]

Mikey: [Imitating Andrew] Huh?! Huh?!

Jamie: [laughs] Yes, that's brilliant. So, Andrew isn't here, so he can't do his - as you just said - that email of the week. So, Laura, I believe you have one to rant about - rave about.

Laura: Yeah. [laughs] I was actually - laugh about, more like.

Jamie: Laugh about, yeah.

Laura: I was going through my inbox today, and I found this because I hadn't - sometimes, whenever you get tons of emails, you'll get some that are all about the same thing, so you'll just read one or two of them to kind of get the gist, and then if there's anything important, you go back and read the rest of it. But I found this one that had my name in the subject line, and it says:

Hey, guys. I love the show. Jamie's awesome. Pickle! Okay, so I have something I'd like to say. You know what? I'm just going to be blunt: I hate Laura.

[Everyone laughs]

Laura: I just don't like her. She shoots down every theory that the guys put out.

Ben: I like this person already.

[Everyone laughs]

Mikey: I love Laura.

Kevin: We all replied to this email.

Laura: Yeah, I'm sure you did.

Yeah, I'm sure it's hard being the only girl, but I think MuggleCast is better off without her. Could Mikey B. possibly take her place? Permanently, I mean.

Ben: Even better suggestion!

Laura: Yeah. [laughs]

Mikey: [laughs] But I love Laura.

Laura: I like Mikey. He's cool. Oh, I think the GoDaddy ads, etcetera, at the beginning of the podcast are too long. Could you just stick them in the show notes or something?

Jamie: Yes, of course. Anything else you want? Anything else you want? Do you want the show moved two minutes later on Sundays, or...

Laura: [laughs] Well, wait, wait, wait. Jamie, Jamie.

Jamie: Okay.

Laura: I appreciate your time and effort that goes into this awesome podcast. Keep up the good work.

Jamie: Aw. Isn't that nice?

Laura: Well, see, my favorite...

Jamie: So, Laura, what do you feel towards this person?

Ben: Time? Effort? [laughs]

Laura: Well, see, I think that...

[Jamie and Mikey laugh]

Jamie: What did you say those words were?

Laura: I think that just because she asked so nicely, I'm just going to leave.

Jamie: Oh, yeah, well, you've been planning it, haven't you, Laura? So, you're going.

Laura: Yup. I'm going.

Jamie: I hope you got what you wanted! She's gone! She's gone! She's off! Out! Vamoose! Disappeared!

Laura: Not really.

Mikey: Vamoose?

[Jamie laughs]

Laura: One of my favorite things, though, is can we move the GoDaddy ads so we can start charging listeners to listen to the show? That way...

Jamie: Yeah, that would be the problem.

Laura: That would be the only way we could pay for it, so yeah, sure. If you want to pay, that's fine.

Jamie: But Laura, I think you should thank her for sending in this email because she took the time and effort to send this email in.

Laura: Yeah, tell me how much she hates me.

Jamie: You shouldn't be too mean. [laughs]

Laura: Oh, no, no, no, no. I appreciate all feedback.

Jamie: There you go.

Laura: No matter how ridiculous.

Voicemails: The Longbottoms' Information

Jamie: And let's go to some voicemails now. Laura?

[Audio]: Hey, MuggleCasters. This is Tanya from the freezing cold Montreal, Canada right now. Last night, I was re-reading Goblet of Fire and I noticed that at the trial of Bellatrix and Mr. Crouch's son, Mr. Crouch says that they tortured the Longbottoms into insanity, but particularly Frank Longbottom because he had information of where Voldemort was. Do you think that he was the only Auror that really knew where Voldemort was, and do you think that he still has information that Harry needs to know? Thanks, I love the show.

Jamie: Well, he is clearly a senior Auror.

Laura: Yeah.

Jamie: Frank Longbottom.

Mikey: Well, I doubt that he remembers it.

Jamie: He and his wife. Well, no, I doubt he remembers much, but no, I think he and his wife are good senior Aurors in the Auror hierarchy. I don't know, I just think that - I don't know if you can say that he knew solely, you know, about Voldemort. But I think he was probably entrusted with more information, and so they went for the top guy and girl rather than aiming lower. But I don't know.

Laura: Well, I mean - I don't know. I think what she is asking is, is there any way that Harry can get any information from him at this point or is he too damaged?

Ben: I think he's too damaged. The memories and stuff still may be there but we saw with Voldemort - he completely destroyed Bertha Jorkins when he got that information out of her. So, I mean, I don't know if you can destroy them anymore. I know that sounds really bad, but I don't know if it's possible to destroy them any more, but you may have to leave them for dead, probably, if you broke their minds any more than they are already broken.

Jamie: But they are basically dead already. Are they worse than dead or not?

Laura: I would say so.

Ben: I'd say so. Yeah, I would say so.

Laura: Especially because of the way that Neville has to see them.

Ben: Well, to him, especially.

Jamie: Well, that's true.

Kevin: Yeah, it's a pretty horrible existence.

Ben: To him, especially.

Mikey: Yeah, that's kind of harsh.

Ben: To his parents, they're not aware of their surroundings. So, honestly, they might as well be dead.

Mikey: Are they not aware? Because Alice always gives Neville the gum wrapper, so they know it's - something is different about this person coming to visit them.

Laura: She knows, but...

Jamie: [laughs] Can I just say...?

Laura: Yeah, go ahead, Jamie.

Jamie: I love that theory that people came up with - to be fair, I was an advocate of this as well until I found out that it was complete rubbish - that she was passing him information in these gum wrappers.

Laura: I thought that was kind of cool too.

Jamie: Well, the evidence to this theory was, I think...

Laura: It was an anagram? [laughs]

Jamie: Yeah, yeah. What's the...

Laura: "Gold bribe beneath St. Mungo's" or something?

Jamie: Yeah, "Gold bribe below St. Mungo's" was an anagram of the gum name, you know, the - and I thought that...

[Laura laughs]

Jamie: How do you find an anagram? I just - I don't...

Laura: If you're good at puzzles, I guess.

Ben: You have way too much time on your hands.

Laura: Yeah. [laughs]

Jamie: Perhaps.

Laura: Kind of like us. [laughs]

Mikey: You're Ben Schoen.

Jamie: Yeah, yeah. Ben figures out so many anagrams, it's unbelievable.

Ben: [laughs] Yeah, it's - I know.

Mikey: [laughs] It's because he's a genius.

Jamie: Yeah, he is.

Mikey: We just don't know that part of Ben.

Jamie: I.Q. of 230, isn't it, Ben? Since the last time you had it tested.

Ben: Well, isn't it true, like, with people with I.Q.'s of 230 can't, like, walk? [laughs]

Jamie: I don't know if you can make...

[Kevin laughs]

Jamie: ...that blatant claim, but I think yeah, they...

Ben: They have other types of disabilities once they're that smart. [laughs]

Kevin: Yeah, a lot. Yeah, a lot of smart people have some issues.

Jamie: That's ridiculous how you can have...

Kevin: Not everyone.

Ben: Like you, Kevin. Like you, Kevin. [laughs]

Kevin: Yeah, it's true.

[Jamie laughs]

Ben: Yeah, he lacks basic social skills. Just kidding.

Jamie: He has like an I.Q. of 3497. It's huge. He knows absolutely everything.

Ben: Actually, it's 1024. Right, Kevin? [Mockingly laughs]

Jamie: No, Ben, it used to be that. Oh, I see. Sorry, I get it now. [laughs]

Voicemail: Last Chapter Or Epilogue?

Jamie: Okay, Laura, next voicemail?

[Audio]: Hi, this is Lizzie from Melbourne, Australia. I was just thinking about when J.K.R. said the last word "scar" was going to be in the last chapter, or the last word of the non-epilogue chapter. That could make quite a difference because it could end, "The son was born with a scar." I'm not sure. I don't know. But if you guys could tell me what you think, that'd be great. Okay, bye.

Jamie: Last chapter, I thought - I think she wouldn't talk about the epilogue.

Kevin: Well, didn't she say the last word in the book will be "scar?" Or...

Laura: It would be "scar," yeah.

Kevin: Because...

Jamie: You don't talk about...

Kevin: Yes.

Laura: The epilogue is part of the book.

Kevin: Absolutely, you need both.

Ben: Maybe it's both.

[Jamie laughs]

Mikey: Maybe she put them in both. It makes sense, Ben.

Ben: Maybe every chapter is going to end with "scar."

Jamie: No, every word is.

Mikey: Every sentence. [laughs] It's like, "Harry scar went scar to scar the..." You know.

Jamie: Mikey, she couldn't think of anything to write, so she just put ten thousand words of "scar," and you have to try and figure it out the meaning just from that. That could be fun.

Mikey: Well, I thought it was only seven hundred and eighty four and it was one word per page...

Jamie: Oh, yeah, it is.

Mikey: ...that just said "scar" written over and over again.

[Everyone laughs]

Mikey: Because that's what I was told.

Ben: Wouldn't that be funny? Seriously, wouldn't you buy a copy if it had that? I would. You know what I mean? She...

Mikey: I still would.

Jamie: I'd buy two.

Ben: Just to say you had...

Jamie: Would you read it? Just to say you've read it.

Ben: Every single page. Yeah. Every single page.

[Laura laughs]

Mikey: Yeah, of course.

Jamie: You couldn't say that you read it.

Mikey: Dude, I can speed-read it. It just goes "scarrr." In just one big flip-through real quick. You can say the word slow.

Jamie: How many people - If she hid, like, a load of details on page 340, how many people would actually read all the way through it and then go - and then get to 340 and then realize or did they just skip through it and say, "Oh, yeah, it says 'scar' on this page."

Mikey: I would say that most likely, MuggleNet would end up posting that information, and I'd jump straight into that page.

Jamie: Well, it is your number one Harry Potter resource for top news, so.

Mikey: Of course it is. It's my favorite site.

Jamie: Aw. Thank you, Mikey. [laughs]

Voicemail: S.P.E.W.

Jamie: Okay, Laura, next voicemail.

[Audio]: Hey. I was just listening to Episode 784, and it reminded me that I have been having this theory for awhile. I have just gotten a new jacket since my old one had worn out, and so I got it from the WB shop and it's a S.P.E.W. jacket. And so I was wondering if this means that S.P.E.W. might actually be in the movie. Because, I mean, it's just such a great part of the books, and so I think it would be great if they included it. So, could you tell me what you think? Thanks, love the show. Bye.

Jamie: Didn't they say it wasn't?

Laura: It wasn't. Yeah. I'm pretty sure that they said it wasn't. Yeah, I really don't think that that means anything because I know that WB puts out a lot of merchandise, and some of it is just stuff from the books.

Kevin: In general, they're just trying to sell stuff. So, if they think people are going to like it, they're going to sell it.

Jamie: And it's a cool jacket, with S.P.E.W. on it.

Laura: Yeah, I remember whenever - Well, before the first movie came out, my friend and I were in the WB store, and there was a whole bunch of stuff in there with a bunch of different characters and stuff. They had a shirt that had Peeves on it.

[Jamie laughs]

Laura: laughs And so we thought Peeves was going to be in the movie, and he wasn't. And we bought...

Mikey: Well, no, he was. Didn't you see him.

Laura: No, he wasn't.

Mikey: I saw Peeves. He's in every movie.

Jamie: Yeah, he is, Laura. You just aren't watching them closely enough.

Mikey: [laughs] You're just missing it, Laura.

[Kevin laughs]

Jamie: She blanks out just as he comes on. It's like a subliminal Peeves.

Mikey: You know what, I think most fans blank out and don't see Peeves.

Kevin: Yup.

Mikey: I see him every time. He's always right there.

Jamie: It's only one frame, isn't it Mikey? So, you know, it's quite hard to see him.

Mikey: [laughs] Yeah. Exactly.

Kevin: [laughs] So, it's like Fight Club?

Mikey: But as a film student, I tend to view it one frame at a time for almost all my movies, so.

Jamie: Mikey watches every single movie one frame at a time.

Mikey: One frame at a time.

Jamie: So it takes you four weeks per movie, but you get every single detail. Every single thing.

Mikey: Oh, of course. I absorb all the detail. I'm like, "Ooh, look at the cinematography for this for this frame." And there's Peeves.

[Jamie laughs]

Mikey: He's always just pops up in one frame. [laughs]

Jamie: He does.

Kevin: So, it's like Fight Club. Jamie. Yeah, well, exactly. He...

Mikey: Exactly.

Jamie: ...pops up and has his arm around Harry’s shoulder and, you know, it’s awesome. It’s awesome. Everyone re-watch Philosopher’s Stone. You’ll see Peeves.

Mikey: You’ll see Peeves in that.

[Jamie and Mikey laugh]

Jamie: Okay, next one.

Voicemail: Sirius's Attempt To Kill Snape

[Audio]: Hi, MuggleCasters. This is Kristin Stapleton, 15, from Seattle, Washington, and I was just re-reading in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. And I noticed something that I hadn’t heard properly explained or mentioned throughout the rest of the series. In the chapter "Hermione the Great," Sirius has just gotten captured and Harry and Ron and Hermione are in the hospital wing - this is before they go back in time, by the way - and Harry awakes and hears Snape and Dumbledore arguing. On page 286 of the U.K. Prisoner of Azkaban hardback edition, Snape says, "Sirius Black showed he was capable of murder at the age of 16. You haven’t forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven’t forgotten that he once tried to kill me." I immediately associated this with the Marauder scene in Order of the Phoenix, but then I realized that Snape didn’t really get harmed in that disagreement so I’m guessing he isn’t referring to that. What do you guys think he is talking about here? Could Sirius not be as innocent as we all think? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this and I love you all, but Eric and Andrew are my favorite. Bye.

Jamie: Interesting.

Laura: I don’t think so. Honestly.

Jamie: No, I don’t think so.

Laura: I mean it’s an interesting theory because we know that, especially between Sirius and Snape, there was a huge amount of animosity, but I think that he was talking about the werewolf thing, just because if he had come upon Lupin...

Jamie: He would’ve been killed, yeah.

Laura: ...he most likely would have died.

Jamie: But he just thought that Sirius meant to kill him.

Laura: Kill him.

Jamie: But perhaps Sirius didn’t realize the implications of....

Laura: Yeah.

Jamie: [unintelligible] or two.

Laura: I think it’s exactly - it’s completely, one hundred percent, something that Sirius would do, and he wouldn’t do it with any intention of killing him.

Jamie: No.

Laura: He was most likely just thinking, you know - scare the crap out of him, mainly. I think.

Jamie: I agree.

Laura: Yep. Does anyone else have anything to say?

Jamie: And, well it’s just Snape...

Kevin: I agree as well.

Jamie: ...thinking that everyone is terrible and that because he tricked him, he wanted to kill him. I don’t think he’s, you know.

Ben: Bad.

Mikey: Sirius is a nice guy.

Laura: Was.

Jamie: Well, actually - he was a nice guy, yeah.

[Kevin laughs]

Laura: Oh, no, wait. I hear...

Mikey: Oh, no - no.

Laura: ...that if you read between the lines in the books, he pops up every now and then, right?

Kevin: That’s true.

[Ben laughs]

Jamie: If you read, if you read...

Mikey: [laughs] Yeah - well, you know...

Jamie: ...one letter at a time.

Mikey: He only went through that veil.

Jamie: Exactly.

Mikey: And that veil doesn’t mean he’s dead. So, he’s still around.

Jamie: Laura.

Mikey: We just have to, you know.

Jamie: Laura, if you go back to the Ministry of Magic you can see his...

Kevin: Well...

Jamie: ...fingernails just over the edge of the veil, and he’s hanging on for dear life.

[Laura and Mikey laugh]

Jamie: And he’s hoping someone’s going to come back and pick him over the edge, but no luck so far.

Mikey: But they won’t let Harry back, so.

Kevin: But Laura - Laura, you know those flip books?

Jamie: Yeah.

Laura: Mhm.

Kevin: Where you have to flip the pages really fast.

Jamie: Oh, yeah.

Laura: Yeah.

Kevin: You have to flip the pages really fast in order to see him.

Jamie: Oh, I thought you meant those ones...

Laura: He pops up - you know, waves.

Jamie: ...where it’s like - Kevin, I think you meant those ones where it’s like you come face-to-face with the monster, to turn and run turn to page 161.

Laura: Yeah. [laughs]

Jamie: But - but, you know.

[Kevin laughs]

Jamie: But to stand and fight...

Laura: Did you guys ever read those, the Goosebumps make-your-own-ending books?

Jamie: Yeah.

Ben and

Kevin: Oh.

Laura: I loved those.

Kevin: Ah.

Laura: It’s my favorite thing.

Mikey: Me and Andrew had a whole conversation about if R.L. Stine and J.K. Rowling got in a fight.

Jamie: That would be awesome.

[Laura laughs]

Mikey: Who would win? It would be amazing.

Jamie: That would be awesome.

Mikey: Because like, come on.

Kevin: Oh, geez.

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