MuggleCast EP24 Transcript
Intro
Andrew [Show Intro with music in background]: This is MuggleCast – Episode 24 for January 23rd, 2006. MuggleCast is sponsored in part by GoDaddy.com. See why GoDaddy.com is the No. 1 domain registrar worldwide. Now, with your domain registration, you’ll get hosting, a free blog, complete e-mail and much more. Plus as a MuggleCast listener, enter code RON, that’s R-O-N when you check out, and your “dot com” domain name for just $6.95 per year. Get your piece of the Internet today at GoDaddy.com.
Hello, everyone, and welcome to the show. This is the place where we bring the latest in Harry Potter news, discussions, cooking recipes, drum sets, iPods, thumb drives, house keys. It’s all right here bundled into a little hour of your time. I’m Andrew Sims.
Ben: I am Ben Schoen.
Kevin: I’m Kevin Steck.
Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.
Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.
Ciaran: I’m Ciaran.
Andrew: [in high-pitched voice] Hey!
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: I got so excited my voice almost cracked.
[Andrew and Laura laugh]
Andrew: New MuggleCaster on this week with us. Seer… Ciar… [laughs]
Ben: Seeron?
[Ben and Kevin laugh]
Andrew: [laughs] Ciaran! Welcome, Ciaran!
Ciaran: Hey.
[Kevin laughs]
Andrew: [laughs] Hey! Clearly, you hate me now.
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Before we go anywhere else, let’s check in with Micah for the past week’s, the past two weeks’ top Harry Potter news stories.
News
Micah: Thanks, Andrew.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is now situated at #10 on the list of the highest-grossing films of all time. Chamber of Secrets is in seventh position having earned $876.7 million. Goblet of Fire has grossed a total of $866 million worldwide.
WB has also announced that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: The IMAX Experience is now IMAX’s highest grossing digitally re-mastered 2D release. It earned a staggering $16 million on 89 screens around the globe.
Harry Potter has received several nominations at the 2006 Moviefone Moviegoer Awards. Nominations are in the areas of Movie of the Year, Actor of the Year (Dan Radcliffe), Actress of the Year (Emma Watson), Best Scene-Stealer (Brendan Gleeson), and Vilest Villain (Ralph Fiennes).
The 2006 BAFTA nominations have been announced – Goblet of Fire has been nominated in the categories of “Production design,” “Achievement in special visual effects” and “Make Up and Hair.” The awards, hosted by Stephen Fry, will be held on February 19th in the Odeon Leicester Square, London.
Warner Brothers Home Video confirmed on January 11 that Goblet of Fire will be released on DVD, March 7th. The film will be available as a single-disc, a two-disc special edition, and as part of a collector’s set of the first four films.
Moving on to Order of the Phoenix, Warner Bros. announced on Tuesday that they have narrowed down the 15,000 Luna Lovegood hopefuls who turned up at the open casting call on Saturday to just 400. Order of the Phoenix casting director Fiona Weir said:
And actor Chris Rankin confirmed yesterday that he will be coming back as Percy Weasley for the fifth movie after being absent from Goblet of Fire.
In book news, Scholastic has announced that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be released in its paperback form on July 25th for a retail price of $9.99. There will be an initial print run of two million copies.
Aaron Lambert, the genius who stole two copies of Half-Blood Prince last June, has been sentenced to prison for four and a half years . The body-builder later attempted to sell the books to a Sun newspaper reporter, threatening him with an imitation firearm. Following the incident, Lambert admitted to two counts of phoning and blackmailing Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury.
Jo Rowling recently sat down with Tatler Magazine for a very in-depth interview. A portion of the interview has been published in the UK newspaper The Telegraph. She discussed everything from her fund-raising for Multiple Sclerosis to the new children’s book she has finished. The interview will be published in its entirety in the February 2006 edition of Tatler. Scans of Jo and transcript of the interview are available on MuggleNet.com.
The author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling may take part in a charity dinner on January 25 organized by Baroness Emma Nicholson in Bucharest, with the purpose of raising money for children in European orphanages. A public TV station will also interview the Harry Potter author. The program will air Wednesday, January 25th at 9:50 PM.
Finally, PotterCaster John Noe set fire to his dorm while trying to cook dinner. The building had to be evacuated. Noe later admitted he wasn’t really cooking but attempting to destroy a set of Horcri in the back of the stove.
That’s all the news for this January 23rd, 2006 edition of MuggleCast. Back to the show.
Announcements
Andrew: [laughs] Thank you, Micah. So, first of all, we need to apologize to everyone. I guess apologize, because people were upset.
Ben: For what?
Kevin: They were. They were very upset.
Andrew: We have… Well, we…we duped everyone by not showing up last week for the show. We were a little busy. We had some scheduling problems, not everyone could be on at the same time. So, we’re sorry, I guess.
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: We shouldn’t be sorry. We put out 31 shows for the past…since early August.
[Andrew and Kevin laugh]
Andrew: [in old man’s voice] Give us a break please!
Ben: Actually, Andrew had a hot date at Sophomore Cotillion. Oooh.
Andrew: Are you saying the show can’t go on without me, Ben? [laughs]
Ben: No, I’m saying there were other scheduling conflicts, but your particular scheduling conflict was the lamest of all.
Kevin: Yeah, it was.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: The lamest of the lame.
Andrew: Sorry I had a life. Announcements! Last week instead of bringing you the new show, we brought you a MuggleCast Remix created by Eric Scull. He wanted us to plug it because he really did do a great job on it and he put a lot time on it. So, definitely give it a listen. You can download it at MuggleCast.com. We didn’t put it in the feed because we weren’t sure if everyone would want to get it. But, it is really good. So, check it out. Also, Micah Tan has a quick update on the transcripts for us.
Micah: Yeah. I’ve been getting a lot of e-mails asking about where the last, I think three transcripts are. They are on the new MuggleCast.com site. We have a cool little update box that Andrew put on there that has the most recent transcript in it, as well as the “Transcript” link in the navigation bar because we’re not updating MuggleNet.com’s main page anymore when we release our transcripts. They are only going to be on MuggleCast.com.
Andrew: So…
Ben: [in deep voice] Thanks, Micah.
Andrew: Thank you. Yeah, so that whole update, that tab bar thing – I don’t even know what to call it – at the top of MuggleCast.com on the main page, that has all the latest news updates and stuff like that. So, we encourage you…
Ben: It’s called pure genius is what it is called, Andrew.
[Everyone laughs]
Main Topic – Rubeus Hagrid
Andrew: Thank you, Ben. Thank you. So, we encourage everyone to check that often to stay updated with what’s going on around the site and the show. So, let’s jump right into the main discussion this week, which would be, as promised, Hagrid. Rubeus Hagrid. That’s how you pronounce it, right?
Laura: Yep.
Kevin: Yep.
Ben: It’s “Ru-bay-is.” According to the Scholastic Pronunciation Guide, it’s “Ru-bay-is.”
Laura: Well…
Kevin: According to the movies, it’s…
Andrew: Rubeus, Rubus…
Laura: It’s Rubeus.
Kevin: Rubeus.
Ben: [in cackling voice] Ru, Ru, Rubeus Hagrid!
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: Let’s give you some information about Hagrid. He’s a half-blood. His mother is Fridwulfa, one of the latest remaining British giants. His father was a Muggle and she abandoned his family when Hagrid was only three years old.
Andrew: Awww.
Ben: Awww. His Dad died in 1941-1942 during Hagrid’s second year at Hogwarts. Hagrid has a brother, half-giant brother named Grawp who has actually becomes civilized in the last book. He was raised by his human father and was orphaned in his second year at Hogwarts. By the way, I made a mistake. His father was not a Muggle. His father was a wizard, so please don’t spam my inbox.
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: Hagrid has a love for very, very dangerous creatures. Things like dragons, Acromantulas or giant spiders, Hippogriffs, you know, big giant dogs, three-headed dogs. Yeah, and Hagrid is a big, fluffy, loveable guy, and we all love him. Right, guys?
Andrew: Right.
Laura: Yep.
Hagrid’s Love For Magical Creatures
Andrew: So, what is up with his love for magical creatures? Why does he have such a love for them?
Laura: I think it’s because he can sort of identify with them. Because people see them as, you know, dangerous, obviously. And people see Hagrid as being dangerous because he is part giant. And Hagrid always talks about how he can see himself in Harry, so I think he likes to be close with creatures that he can identify with.
Ben: Not only that, but it has a lot to do with, like you said, he can identify with them because they are outcasts, they’re dangerous, people think they don’t belong with the rest of society, and they think the same thing about him.
Kevin: Not to mention a lot of the creatures he gets aren’t dangerous to him because of his size.
Laura: Mhm.
Kevin: So…
Andrew: Yeah, they are intimidated by him.
Kevin: [laughs] Yeah, so I mean, you know, they’re dangerous to wizards and Muggles, but to Hagrid it is just a normal creature.
Andrew: So, really he is perfect for the position at Hogwarts.
Kevin: Yeah.
Andrew: That he currently is in.
Ben: He develops a love for all these creatures. I think Laura and I both already hit it on the head, that the reason he likes them is because he is able to identify with them, and he was an outcast, they were an outcast…they are outcasts. So, he has to find someone like him or something like him because I doubt he had many friends when he was at Hogwarts because they thought he opened the Chamber of Secrets. They thought he was trying to Petrify everyone.
Hagrid’s Magical Abilities
Ben: Speaking of which, since he was expelled in his second year, what do you guys think about his magical ability, I guess you would say?
Kevin: It’s very, very…
Ben: Limited?
Kevin: Limited. Exactly.
Laura: Yeah.
Kevin: That’s the word. [laughs]
Andrew: Yeah.
Kevin: He really doesn’t have a great knowledge of magic and I think that’s one of the reasons why he identifies with magical creatures. Because there is really no need for a vast knowledge in Dark Arts to control them.
Loyalty and Trust
Ben: What was Hagrid doing the night of Voldemort’s demise? We all know he met with Sirius to get the motorbike and to go get… Well, that was actually after his demise, but he had to end up going to get…Harry, actually. [laughs] He stole Sirius Black’s motorcycle. What do you guys think went on that night?
Laura: I don’t know because there is a whole day lost in there.
Kevin: Well, I think Hagrid was always considered to be one of Dumbledore’s most trusted friends.
Ben: He trusted him with the Sorcerer’s Stone too. So…obviously…
Kevin: Exactly. So, I think that whatever he was doing, it was vital to the Order and Dumbledore would trust him with it.
Laura: Oh, of course.
Ben: Yeah, because you notice at the beginning of Sorcerer’s Stone McGonagall says, “Why would you trust Hagrid with such a thing?” And then Dumbledore says, [impersonating Dumbledore] “Professor McGonagall, I would trust Hagrid with my life.”
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: Why, though? What developed that trust?
Ben: There had to be some thing.
Laura: Well, I mean you look at Hagrid… He was…
Andrew: I know.
Ben: Maybe he has just been reliable over the years.
Laura: Well, yeah. He’s served as gamekeeper for years and years, and Dumbledore has plenty of time to get to know him, not to mention Hagrid is fiercely loyal. I mean, he has never once in the books broken an alliance to someone he promised one to.
Ben: Yeah, and the thing about that is, is do you think… Why do you think Hagrid was in Gryffindor? Don’t you think he should have been in Hufflepuff because of the whole loyalty thing?
Laura: Well, he’s really brave too. I mean…
Andrew: Yeah.
Kevin: But you never know, because we never got a chance to see what Hagrid would have developed with magically. So, it’s possible that he has some skill that we don’t know because he was kicked out of school too early.
Laura: Yeah, but we also know that you can have multiple traits…
Kevin: Talents, yeah.
Laura: …that apply to different Houses. You know, we see Hermione, who the Sorting Hat considered putting her into Ravenclaw. So, it is entirely possible that Hagrid could have some Hufflepuff traits, but I think his bravery pretty much outweighs that and would make sense for him being in Gryffindor.
Andrew: Is there still a question about, is it really a big deal what happened with the motorcycle? Where the motorcycle went?
Laura: Didn’t Jo say that we were going to find out? It seems like she did, but I don’t remember.
Andrew: I just don’t see what’s the big deal about finding out.
Kevin: I don’t see the significance.
Andrew: Yeah. Who cares? Yeah.
Laura: I don’t think it’s… I don’t really think it’s going to be a major plot point. It just might be something that Harry inherits.
Ben: I also don’t see the significance of the order of the names on the Map, but you guys had to discuss that.
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: Actually, I heard Voldemort strolls downtown London and picks up chicks on his motorcycle.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: So that’s where it went?
Micah: Yeah.
Andrew: No, but at least the Map had some sort of backing to it. The motorcycle – is just stupid. It’s like where….
Micah: It’s a Horcrux.
Ben: Yeah, it’s a Horcrux.
Andrew: …did the bed sheets go that…that…Mrs. Weasley talked about in Book 2? Nobody cares. You’re supposed to laugh at that.
Kevin: Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
Micah: Ha, ha, ha, ha.
Andrew: A few applause.
[Everyone laughs]
Laura: Like I said, it’s not a major plot point, but it just might be something that Harry would like to have eventually.
Kevin: It could be like whimsical, the kind of thing she brings up just for fun.
Laura: Yeah, maybe Harry and Ginny ride off on the motorcycle in the end.
[Kevin and Laura laugh]
Kevin: Exactly.
Ben: This has been Pointless Discussion #654 on MuggleCast.
Laura: Yeah.
[Everyone laughs]
Schoolmates
Ben: Okay. What do you guys think that Hagrid knows about Tom Riddle? Because they went to school together, obviously.
Kevin: And they had some social contact, we know that because Tom Riddle spoke to Hagrid, so he was familiar with him.
Ben: And he framed him.
Kevin: Yeah.
Ben: So he had to know him somehow.
Kevin: I don’t know. I mean, I don’t.
Ben: Why was Hagrid chosen to be framed by Tom Riddle? Why did Tom Riddle choose him?
Kevin: Because Hagrid is an easy target. People are scared.
Ben: That’s what I thought.
Laura: Yeah, he is.
Kevin: They are very willing to believe that Hagrid is evil because of his giant blood. So…
Ben: And he’s a big oaf.
Laura: Not to mention that, he’s pretty gullible.
Kevin: He is, yeah.
Laura: You know?
Kevin: He’s almost too trusting.
Laura: Mhm.
Ben: For example, the dragon, when he meets with the person in the Hog’s Head in Book 1, and he wins a dragon egg off of them, and he gets really drunk and tells him about Fluffy. [laughs]
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah.
Laura: And pretty much was the reason that Quirrell managed to figure out how to get to the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Ben: Get to the Sorcerer’s Stone or try to get it.
Laura: Yeah, almost.
Andrew: But, we didn’t finish answering, what does Hagrid know about him? But I think we can conclude from that, from what we’ve seen, not much. Maybe personality.
Kevin: Yeah, especially since he was manipulated.
Laura: Yeah.
Andrew: Yeah.
Kevin: So, what he does know probably wasn’t real.
Hagrid-Horcrux Connection
Micah: Well, not the Horcruxes. Does he, could he possibly know anything after spending some time in school with him?
Andrew: Locations? Well, yeah, you would think so. The Horcruxes relate to parts of Voldemort and if anyone’s… I think Hagrid would be useful for that. But then there’s the question: Why hasn’t Hagrid given any of this information to, say, Harry?
Kevin: But does Hagrid know?
Laura: Yeah, that’s the thing…
Andrew: Well, anything.
Laura: How would he know, though?
Andrew: We haven’t even heard if Hagrid doesn’t know.
Laura: But how would he know about Horcruxes?
Kevin: Yeah. See the thing is, yeah, the Horcruxes were…
Andrew: Well maybe not Horcruxes in general, but anything. Any information though.
Kevin: Yeah, but I think Horcruxes are one of those things that if he was told about them, he would go back in his memory and go, “Wait. I remember something.”
Andrew: Mhm.
Kevin: The kind of thing that, you know, brings up memories that at first you didn’t think it was suspicious, but when you get more information, it tends to be. You know what I mean?
Andrew: But he hasn’t been approached about it at all.
Kevin: Right, right. But…
Ben: It would be stupid for him to tell Hagrid about it because Hagrid can’t keep his mouth shut.
Laura: Yeah.
Kevin: It’s true. [laughs]
Laura: Not to mention I have a sneaking suspicion that if he did tell Hagrid, Hagrid would be dead by now. [laughs]
Kevin: Yeah.
Ben: Why would Voldemort tell Hagrid?
Laura: Exactly. He wouldn’t.
Ben: Why would he say, “Hey Hagrid! I plan on splitting my soul into a million pieces and conquering the world!”
Kevin: Yeah, but I think…
Andrew: No! No, no, no, no! But I mean any information that could suggest where he would have put it. Like if Hagrid always saw him hanging out in a certain spot or was always obsessed with…
Kevin: A certain item. Yeah.
Andrew: Yes. Or, you know… yeah.
Kevin: Yeah, a certain item that…
Ben: He was always sitting in the corner of the Great Hall with a T-shirt on that says, “I’m making a Horcrux over here.”
[Everyone laughs]
Laura: No!
Andrew: No!
Laura: No, no ,no! I see what Ben’s saying, though. I see what Ben’s saying.
Andrew: [still laughing] You’re so mean.
Laura: How much attention would Hagrid have paid to him? I mean it’s not like they, it’s not like they were friends or anything.
Andrew: We don’t know! We’ve got to ask Hagrid!
Laura: It’s not like they talked on a regular basis.
Ben: Okay, in your high school.. Andrew, tell me. In your high school, do you walk around writing down the habits and particular objects people are obsessed with?
Andrew: No, but there are people, there are people that you see on a daily basis that I’m not saying act weird or anything, but…
[Laura laughs]
Kevin: Yeah, but their actions seem normal at the time but…yeah.
Andrew: Yeah! You can tell! You can tell what they’re, you know, like…
Kevin: You, you…
Andrew: You know, if someone’s always sitting in one corner, you know, drawing out little sketches of the school, you know something’s up.
[Andrew and Kevin laugh]
Micah: As far as we know, he really only made one Horcrux while he was at school. Right?
Kevin: Ehhh, that’s an assumption. I mean, we really have no proof on how many he made or if he made…
Ben: [interrupts Kevin] I think he only made one. Okay, why would he, he’s not a stupid person. He would know that someone might catch on if he’s always obsessing over a trophy in the trophy room, or something like that.
Kevin: Yeah, but [sighs] I don’t think that it takes that much time that it would seem he was obsessing. I think he would make his mark where…
Ben: Hey, if he were going to make a Horcrux, he would do it secretly.
Kevin: Of course!
Ben: I mean, he’s not going to…
Kevin: Of course. But does he need to see the trophy to know that the trophy is there and to know where he’s going to go to make the Horcrux? Does he need to obsess?
Ben: I have no idea! Do I look like, do I look like Jo?
[Andrew laughs]
Kevin: What I’m saying is he may show no indication of obsessing over an item and then just create the Horcrux.
Micah: But doesn’t the item have to be nearby?
Andrew: Of course.
Kevin: It does have to be nearby, but that’s why I’m saying. If, for example, it was a trophy, he knows the trophy’s there. So when he’s ready to create the Horcrux, he goes to the trophy room and creates a Horcrux.
Andrew: This is what I’m sayin’!
[Micah laughs]
Ben: I’m sure when he went to the trophy room to make the Horcrux, he invited Hagrid along too.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: Oh, stop being sarcastic. [laughs] It’s the personality thing. It’s just, you can assume…
[Andrew and Kevin laugh]
Andrew: Sorry. What’s the word I’m looking for? You can gather information about a person just by observing what they do at different points in the day or whatever.
Laura: Yeah, but how much does Hagrid observe? I mean, how much does he observe other students?
Andrew: I don’t know! We need to ask him! That’s what I’m saying.
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: We need to ask him. Hagrid’s going to be on MuggleCast next week.
[Laura and Kevin laugh]
Hagrid’s Family
Ben: Okay, what about Hagrid’s parents? We already discussed how his father was a wizard and his mom was a giant. I mean, the conception of Hagrid must’ve not been pretty.
[Everyone laughs]
Kevin: Let’s not go into that.
Andrew: Whoa. Please don’t.
Laura: Thanks, Ben.
Ben: Well, what about the relationship with his brother, though? Grawp.
Ciaran: Well, I think it must be pretty strong for him to endure it like what Grawp put him through in Book 5. You know? And he had bruises nearly every day, so he must’ve been beating him up pretty hard. So, I think we can gather from that that it’s pretty strong and I think Grawp would definitely be an asset in Book 7 in, like, the fight against Voldemort.
Kevin: Now do you think Grawp is going to play a role in convincing other giants to join the cause, rather than Hagrid?
Ben: I think it’s a lost cause, personally.
Kevin: Do you?
Laura: Mhm, me neither.
Purpose In Series, Role in Book 7
Kevin: See, the thing is, is that Hagrid has been kept around until this book. I mean, we’ve been predicting he’ll die every book, for two books.
Ben: That’s because people are a-holes: they want him to die.
Kevin: I know, but J.K. Rowling herself said that she keeps characters around because they have purpose.
Laura: Mhm.
Kevin: If they don’t have a purpose, she’s not going to show them, mention them, or, you know, deal with them. So, why is Hagrid…
Laura: She kills them.
Ben: Of course Hagrid has a purpose. Hagrid has a purpose because he’s one of Harry’s mentors. Just because… just because-
Laura: Well, so was Dumbledore!
[All except Ben laugh]
Kevin: Yeah!
Ben: I know! I know! No, no, no. Listen. Just listen.
Kevin: We’re listening.
Ben: She had a reason for killing Dumbledore. She wouldn’t kill Hagrid because Harry’s taken enough blows as it is and Hagrid’s sort of like a fatherly figure to him.
Laura: But that’s not real life, though! That’s not real life; the thing she always tries to portray, real life. And just because someone’s a mentor doesn’t stop them from dying.
Kevin: It’s true.
Ben: Okay… that has nothing to do…
Andrew: Shot down, Ben!
[Laura and Kevin laugh]
Ben: Not really shot down, because that has nothing to do with what I was even talking about.
Kevin: No, but it’s true.
Ben: I was saying that Hagrid still has a purpose in the series. If you want to talk about real life, last time I checked, there wasn’t a school where people are running around shooting spells at each other. So, you can just back down.
Laura: No, that’s not what I’m saying. [sighs]
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: Well, okay. Hagrid is a lifeline to Harry because he’s one of his mentors and he’s always there for Harry when Harry’s in some problem or difficulty. Harry goes down to his hut and blah, blah, blah. But so is Dumbledore and Sirius!
Kevin: Exactly.
Andrew: They were both mentors for him too. So…
Kevin: So why is Hagrid still around when they aren’t?
Laura: Why is he special?
Ben: Because! Okay, she’s not going to kill everybody! Why is that third-year kid who was…
Andrew: We know that!
Ben: Why is Ernie Macmillan still around?
Kevin: But why would…
Micah: [laughs] Pigwidgeon?
Ben: Why is Justin Finch-Fletchley still around? And why is Filch still around? Why is…
Kevin: [interrupts Ben] Why do you think there’s a limitation for her to kill only one character per book?
Ben: There isn’t a limitation! Multiple people die per book.
Kevin: Yeah, but one major.
Andrew: But one major. It’s one major character.
Laura: Yeah, it’s one major.
Ben: WHO CARES??
Andrew: Although I think it’s Book…
Kevin: Because there’s still purpose to that character! Just like Dumbledore was kept around in Book 5 because he had to show Harry the Horcruxes, Hagrid has a purpose in Book 7.
Ben: Okay, I think you guys… Hagrid isn’t that major of a character anyways.
Kevin: Yes, he is! What is…who is the first magical character that Harry ever meets?
Ben: Okay, that’s fine. But his role in the books has diminished.
Kevin: Okay, so that character’s not significant? Of course it’s…
Ben: No, his role in the books have diminished, [stammers] has diminished! And you’re always…
Kevin: [interrupts Ben] But that’s what I’m saying, he’s going to…
Ben: [interrupts Kevin] You’re trying to make a connection here which doesn’t even make sense.
Kevin: No, no. All I’m saying is…
Laura: Actually, I disagree.
Ben: You’re all, [in a mocking tone] “Hagrid is the key to the series!”
Laura: No, no, no! No, no, no, no, no. Hagrid’s role has not diminished. we haven’t seen him as much…
[Ciaran laughs]
Laura: …because I think he’s been doing other things.
Ciaran: Hmmm.
Kevin: I agree.
Laura: Especially going out and trying to gather the giants in Book 5.
Ben: He’s going to throw rock cakes at Voldemort, that’s what he’s going to do.
[Micah and Laura laugh]
Kevin: Honestly, I think it’s, I think it’s either to deal with the giants or to help Harry directly fight Voldemort in some way like…
Ben: Okay, just because he’s still around doesn’t mean that he has this ultimate purpose in the end.
Andrew: I think it makes sense for Hagrid to die in Book 7 because… [laughs] I’m going to talk about my pattern.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: Listen, there’s one significant character that dies in…well, in the past two books. Sirius was very important to Harry and he died in Book 5. Dumbledore was very important to Harry and he died in Book 6. Now, wouldn’t it make sense that, the only other really important character, besides Ron and Hermione, is Hagrid. Right? Is there anyone else that is really important to Harry, like a mentor?
Kevin: Yeah.
Micah: The Weasleys…
Andrew: So, according to my pattern, my calculations, my… Well, the Weasleys… I don’t know.
Micah: Lupin.
Andrew: They are sort of separated because…
Ben: Okay, Micah’s definitely tearing you down.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: No, Lupin is not a mentor as much as anyone else.
Ben: Micah’s just destroyed your pattern, dude.
[Everyone laughs some more]
Andrew: Lupin is not a mentor as much as…
[Everyone is still laughing]
Andrew: Lupin is not as much of a mentor as Hagrid is.
Kevin: But he is a mentor.
Andrew: So, according to my… Yes, but not as major. I’m just saying it would make sense that Hagrid would kick the can in Book 7.
Ben: Why?
Kevin: Honestly, I don’t know if he’s going to die.
Andrew: Because he’s Harry’s final lifeline inside the school.
Kevin: Honestly, I don’t know if he’s going to die, but I do think he is going to play some role.
Laura: I agree.
Ben: Okay, Sherlock Holmes. Thanks, Captain Obvious.
Andrew: I just think it would make sense because Hagrid dying…
Kevin: No, let’s do a roll call. Who believes that Hagrid will play a significant role? Laura?
Laura: “Aye.”
Andrew: Yeah, well, all of us. I think we all do.
Kevin: Ben doesn’t.
Andrew: But, I…
Ben: No, no.
Andrew: Ben is Ben.
Ben: Okay.
Andrew: What, Ben? Go ahead.
Ben: Okay, you guys are definitely misconstruing my viewpoint on this. What I am saying is that you guys have to find an ulterior reason for everything. There’s always something else that has to be going on. Hagrid is still around just because he’s not 85 and he’s not dead yet. It’s not like JK Rowling says [Ben continues in a high-pitched voice] “Well, I haven’t killed Hagrid off for this reason.” Of course he’s still going to have some purpose in the final book, and it may be to mentor Harry, but being a mentor could be enough because Harry’s had multiple mentors killed off already, why would she kill off another? And also, like you said…
Andrew: [Laughs] Because…look at my pattern! Clearly!
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: I haven’t seen your pattern, I haven’t seen your pattern.
Andrew: I’m going to draw a picture of it.
Kevin: And we will include that in the Show Notes?
Andrew: Yes.
Ben: We’ll have a picture of Andrew’s pattern.
Andrew: Hagrid dying would tear him apart more than many other people in the books.
Kevin: I think so, too.
Andrew: And Sirius dying tore him apart and so did Dumbledore.
Ben: Why doesn’t Jo just kill everyone?
Andrew: That’s what I’m saying…it’s what should happen.
Kevin: That’s a good idea.
Andrew: It would be an easy way to end Book 7. There’d be no more mysteries.
Kevin: An apocalypse!
Ben: Andrew, what does your pattern say about this?
Andrew: Everyone dying? My pattern says “slim to none.”
Ben: Awww.
Andrew: The ratio is a little bit off.
Where Did He Go?
Ben: What do you think… Okay, Hagrid is expelled in his three years. Where did he go immediately following his expulsion? Did he immediately become gamekeeper…assistant gamekeeper to Ogg? Or, was it that he ran away from the school and he…?
Kevin: I think at the very least he was, he had some involvement with Dumbledore.
Ben: Oh really? Really? Did it take you a long time to think that one up? [laughs]
Kevin: Yeah, it did. No, but seriously, like direct contact, where, to the point where Dumbledore set up whatever he was doing.
Andrew: You mean the grounds-keeping?
Kevin: Well, not necessarily the grounds-keeping at first. Maybe where he was living, you know, what he was doing in his spare time, stuff like that.
Andrew: Well, I’m sure…
Laura: I think he definitely hung around at Hogwarts.
Andrew: Yeah, well I was thinking, in between after graduating and getting his job there, that’s when he really spent some time…maybe he lived in the woods and was like a total…
Kevin: Hermit?
Andrew: Outcast.
Ben: Neanderthal.
Laura: I’m not sure that Dumbledore would let him do that, though.
Kevin: I don’t think so either.
Andrew: I mean just learning about creatures and living among them. Being a part of their community.
Kevin: Well, I would think that Dumbledore would promote his interest in magical creatures and maybe hint at where he should go and what books he should read and stuff like that.
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: Can Hagrid read?
Kevin: I would hope so.
Ben: Okay.
Kevin: He did go to school for a couple years.
Laura: Yeah he can, because in the first book he wrote a letter to Dumbledore.
Ben: Ooops.
Kevin: Yep, see. Shot down.
Andrew: Couldn’t he, like, not spell though? Wasn’t…
Ben: Yeah, he has poor spelling.
Laura: Yeah, but he can still read.
Andrew: At like a fifth-grade level. [laughs]
Hagrid as Groundskeeper
Ben: There’s a really silly question here that I’m seeing in our–in the chat here – did Hagrid always want to be a Groundskeeper? How much does he know about the grounds? Well, the thing about him – did he always want to be a Groundskeeper? I doubt it was his dream, you know. It’s like if someone works at McDonalds. [in a deep voice] “Did he always want to work at McDonalds?” No, he didn’t, but he sort of got forced into that position because he wasn’t able to get the rest of his education.
Kevin: Yeah, but I think he loves it.
Ben: He likes it now.
Kevin: It’s a job that, it’s potentially a job that he may not have seen himself in, in the beginning, but now he just loves it, you know, kind of thing.
Micah: Yeah.
Kevin: Something that grew on him maybe.
Micah: And I don’t think we’ll ever know what he could have potentially been because he got expelled.
Ben: But how much does he know about the grounds, of the school?
Kevin: We don’t know.
Andrew: I think he’s…who mentioned this yesterday?
Micah: Ciaran, I think.
Andrew: …or two days ago. About Filch being…
Ciaran: Oh yeah.
Andrew: Go ahead.
Ciaran: Yeah, Filch knows basically, the whole of Hogwarts, like, inside while Hagrid knows everywhere outside. So I think, yeah, he’s basically the equivalent of like what Filch knows inside.
Andrew: I think that makes sense because you got to have someone who’s completely experienced with the grounds outside. And, being that Hagrid is the Groundskeeper, I think it’s sort of a no-brainer there.
Ciaran: I think that if he wasn’t expelled in third year, I think one of the jobs he might of liked is what Charlie does, you know dragon-keeping. But, I’m sure he’s happy with grounds-keeping.
Andrew: It’s not a paying job, I don’t think. Do you think he gets paid? [laughs] Not like it really matters, but…
Ciaran: Well, he’s a teacher now anyways, so.
Andrew: Yeah, bringing in the big dough.
Kevin: Oh yeah.
Ciaran: Definitely.
[Everyone Laughs]
Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid
Ben: What do you guys think about Robbie Coltrane and how he’s portrayed Hagrid in the movies? I think he’s done an excellent job and he’s sort of what I’ve always…
Kevin: Oh yeah. Definitely. I think he’s one of the major…one of the only characters that have been portrayed perfectly. Like, to the dime.
Laura: I agree, definitely.
Ben: [In a Hagrid-like voice] “Rubeus Hagrid!”
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: [In a Hagrid-like voice] “Keeper of the Keys.”
Andrew: I love that voice. [laughs] Yeah, it really is perfect. And he looks great in the role and…he’s just a good person. Ciaran, did talk to him on the Red Carpet?
Ciaran: No, actually I was talking to someone else and he walked by.
Andrew: Oh, okay.
Ciaran: But he’s actually funny and…I was talking to David Bradley, the guy who plays Filch and, yeah, he came up behind him and pulled his hair for some rhyme or reason.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: Does he have, like, a ponytail or something?
Ciaran: David Bradley?
Andrew: Yeah.
Ciaran: Yeah, he has pretty long hair.
Andrew: Oh, okay. [laughs]
Ciaran: Yeah, but Robbie Coltrane…
Andrew: He pulled it!
Ciaran: Yeah! But I don’t know why.
[Andrew laughs]
Voicemail – Keeper of the Keys
[Audio]: Hi! This is Madison from New Jersey. I live right near Medford, Andrew. Anyway, I have a question about Hagrid. What is the job “The Keeper of the Keys”? We haven’t actually seen Hagrid keep keys since The Sorcerer’s Stone. And where did he get Harry’s key? Thanks, and I love the show! Bye.
Andrew: I think he still has the keys…They just don’t get mentioned. Because they serve no purpose.
Laura: Yeah.
Kevin: Exactly. Harry’s key, I think that’s obvious, I think it came from Dumbledore.
Andrew: Mhm.
Laura: Yeah.
Ben: I thought Dumbledore…I’m sure…
Andrew: For the vault, we’re talking’ about, right?
Ben: Yeah. I’m sure that Harry’s parents had their affairs in order, because they knew they were going to get killed soon.
Kevin: Yeah.
Ben: So they probably told Dumbledore, “Hey, if we die, you know, Harry gets everything. Here’s his key.” You know, [laughs] that type of thing.
Kevin: But, what is a “Keeper of the Keys”? Like, is there any doors that we haven’t seen that are important to Hogwarts?
Ben: Ummm…
Andrew: He’s just in charge of handling the keys. It’s like a management position.
Ben: What else is there to it?
Andrew: There is nothing.
Ben: He has the key to the Quidditch broom closet, I bet. [laughs]
Andrew: He’s got the key to happiness…and joy.
[Laura laughs]
Kevin: I think the reason, why they ask, is because it’s…they make it out to be a very large title like, “KEEPER OF THE KEYS,” you know?
Ben: Well, based on how you and Laura reacted earlier, it’s like he has the “key” to the series.
[Everyone laughs, then Laura and Kevin sigh]
Kevin:: Oh.
Andrew: I think it’s just a clever title. Because, it’s “Keeper of the Keys”…what’s the term for that?
Micah: Janitor?
Ben: Janitor! [laughs]
Andrew: No, I mean, the English term…alliteration?
Ben: Yeah, alliteration…the “K.”
Kevin: So, do you think it’s just simply he has the keys and he controls them?
Andrew: Yeah, there’s nothing to it. Stop over-analyzing, guys.
Kevin: Hey, that’s what we do.
Ben: [In a sing-song voice] You’re over-analyzing…
Laura: I agree, I think that it’s just a job that Dumbledore gave him.
Andrew: I think we’re burning into people’s minds that they have to over-analyze everything. Because like, they listen to us for like an hour-and-a-half.
Laura: Well, they do.
Kevin: [laughs] They do over-analyze everything.
Andrew: Whatever. Apparently I’m not funny anymore.
Kevin: You aren’t.
[Andrew laughs]
Ben: You never were funny.
Andrew: Next voicemail.
Kevin: [laughs] Ohhh.
Andrew: Yeah right, I’m freakin’ hilarious.
Voicemail – Hagrid’s Fate and Horcrux Ginny
[Audio]: Hi. I’m Freddie from London, England. And I was just wondering what you thought the chances are of Hagrid dying in the seventh book were as he does have a close relationship with Harry, and whenever Harry forms a bond with someone, they always seem to die, which is the reason he broke off with Ginny? Which brings me on to Ginny. Do you think there is a possibility of Ginny becoming…being a Horcrux in the seventh book? She did handle Tom Riddle’s diary, she’s the seventh child, which is a magical number–or bad magical number–and, she…has unusual talent. Bye.
Andrew: I agree with Freddie there. And this is what we talked about earlier. Hagrid…Harry is very close to Hagrid. I think that it would…
Ben: Let’s just kill him.
Andrew: …make sense.
Ben: I’m going kill him.
Andrew: You never know.
Ben: [laughing] I’m going kill Hagrid.
Andrew: You never know. Okay.
Kevin: You’re going to kill Hagrid?
Ben: Yeah.
Andrew: But, as for that second part of the question, Ginny Weasley being a Horcrux?
Kevin: Not a chance.
Laura: No, I don’t think so.
Ben: How could he make Ginny a Horcrux?
Kevin: Exactly.
Ben: He wasn’t even alive in human form.
Kevin: Exactly, and I believe that he created all seven Horcruxes or “Horcri” before he died.
Ben: He had to have.
Andrew: Yeah.
Voicemail – Headmaster Hagrid
[Audio]: Hi MuggleCast. This is Louis from Massachusetts and I have a question about Hagrid. My sister thinks he’s going to become the next headmaster after Dumbledore died, but I think she’s crazy, so anyway, I really don’t think that’s going to happen. Well, do you think he’s going to stay at Hogwarts now that Dumbledore is dead because he said that if there are students that he could teach, he would stay. But, is Hogwarts really going to stay open? And, what can he do for the Order if he doesn’t stay? I mean, what can he do to help the good guys’ side, if you will? Thanks so much! I love your show.
Andrew: Um…headmas…Hagrid as a headmaster. I don’t know if that would work very well.
[Everyone laughs]
Kevin: I doubt it. Not a chance.
Laura: No, no no.
Andrew: How old is your sister?
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: Tell her to listen to MuggleCast some more. Yeah, I think that the best chance is for McGonagall to become the Headmaster…Headmistress. Excuse me.
Ben: Yeah, let’s not use gendered language here.
[Everyone laughs]
Kevin: As for what he would do, do you think…I don’t know…
Andrew: Of course. No, of course he’ll stay at Hogwarts.
Laura: I think he’ll stay.
Andrew: I don’t think he’d abandon it.
Ben: Hogwarts is his home.
Laura: I know. Hogwarts is really, I mean it’s really the only home he’s ever known.
Kevin: Well, he’s going to stay at Hogwarts, but what is he going to do? Like, what is his classification going to be?
Ben: Ummm…Keeper of the Keys?
[Andrew laughs]
Kevin: I think this leads into another voicemail I have somewhere around here.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: I like how Kevin acts like he has a pile of them and he puts them in his cassette player and hit play.
Ben: Yeah. [laughs] No, that’s a good point. Let’s play that voicemail now.
Voicemail – Hagrid, Head of Gryffindor?
[Audio]: Yeah my name is Ryan Moore. I live in Salt Lake City, Utah and I had a question. I noticed your next topic will be about Rubeus Hagrid and I was curious if you guys think that, with Professor McGonagall, now as the Headmistress of Hogwarts after Dumbledore died and that, who will be the next Gryffindor Head of House? I think it will be Hagrid. To me, he seems to the obvious choice. Wondering what you guys think and hope that you haven’t already answered it? Thanks!
Andrew: Oh yeah, that is a good question.
Ben: What I think is that Hagrid might actually…I mean, there’s a possibility he would. I think Slughorn, if Hogwarts is open, I think that Slughorn is going to become–resume his position as Slytherin Head of House and, who better than Hagrid to become Gryffindor head of house? Who else is there? Or, is it possible for McGonagall to be head of house AND headmistress?
Laura: I don’t think so.
Kevin: I don’t think so either.
Laura: I don’t think so, because it would show favoritism.
Kevin: Yeah, exactly. So… I think that’s a possibility. Distinct possibility.
Andrew: Good question though. Okay, so that wraps up all of our Hagrid discussion. Now, let’s go to the regular voicemails.
Voicemail – Foe Foreshadowing?
[Audio]: Hi, guys. This is Holly from Arkansas. I was listening to you on my way to work this morning and I had a question about Goblet of Fire. In the chapter with the Foe Glass, Snape, Dumbledore, McGonagall are all reflected in Moody’s Foe Glass…er…”not Moody’s” Foe Glass. And I didn’t know what that meant. Does that mean they’re all on the same side? That’s my question. Thanks!
Laura: I don’t think so.
Ben: I don’t…
Laura: I don’t think the Foe Glass is a long term-type thing. I think it just applies to present…to a present-type sense.
Kevin: I don’t think it shows allegiances. I think it shows…
Laura: …who is against you at that time.
Kevin: …who’s against the person at that time, exactly.
Laura: Yeah.
Voicemail – Harry Using Crucio
[Audio]: Hi, MuggleCast. This is Carolyn calling Paris, France, not Texas. I wanted to bring up the fact that Harry’s attempted to use the Cruciatus Curse on more than one occasion but nobody seems to be bothered by this. Now, as we all know, a successful use of this curse merits a lifetime sentence in Azkaban. Doesn’t it follow that the attempted use, like attempted murder, is a crime as well? And, on a moral level, does it worry or bother you that Harry tried to cast it? Thanks.
Ben: On a moral level, I don’t really think so because he was extremely mad both times and I think the fact that he wasn’t able to do it, shows that he doesn’t have enough hatred to do it.
Kevin: Yep, I agree.
Ben: Yeah, like Bellatrix said, “You have to mean it, you have to want to see them scream…want to inflict pain on them.” And he doesn’t have enough hate in him to do it.
Andrew: But, it…I think it does worry us that he has that temper that he would do that. Because, does…he’s aware of what the consequences are, right? So…you get what I’m saying here? [laughs]
Laura: Yeah, but he was trying to defend himself.
Andrew: I know, but isn’t…doesn’t the rules…
Kevin: Yeah, but I find it hard to believe that, if a Death Eater is about to kill you…
Ciaran: Yeah. Self-defense.
Kevin: …and you use a killing curse on them and they die, you’d be sent to Azkaban.
Laura: Yeah.
Kevin: I find it very hard to believe.
Ben: Well, there’s an exception. Of course there’s an exception. Kind of like if someone breaks into your house and has a gun, and you shoot them with your gun, you’re not going to get sent to prison for it. Because you are defending yourself.
Kevin: Exactly.
Ben: It’s kind of like how if…you can kill someone or like shoot someone if you believe that your life or the life of someone else is in danger.
Kevin: Yep, I agree.
Voicemail – Legilimency On The Tower
[Audio]: This is Kelly from California. Do you think that Snape used Legilimency to communicate with Dumbledore on the Astronomy tower? Because on page 595 it said that Snape gazed at Dumbledore for a moment before he got killed. Thanks, bye.
Ciaran: I think that definitely were… If it’s true that they had planned this beforehand, that Snape would kill Dumbledore. I think that Dumbledore let Snape read his mind and say…urge Snape to go ahead with it and just kill him and not be weak.
Kevin: So, do you think it’s possible that there wasn’t a Unbreakable Vow like we were predicting and rather, just a communication between Snape and Dumbledore? Because that’s another possibility. Well, in the previous episode we said that Dumbledore and Snape possibly had an Unbreakable Vow between the two of them.
Ciaran: Yeah.
Kevin: Where, if Dumbledore was ever in a position, well, if Snape was ever in a position where Dumbledore’s life over his…Snape’s own position was questioned. If that makes sense.
Ciaran: Yeah.
Kevin: It would be Dumbledore’s life. You know, you would take Dumbledore’s life.
Ciaran: Ummm.
Laura: Well, no. I think what you’re trying to say is, assuming that Snape is innocent…
Kevin: Did that make any sense? I think I…
Laura: They were probably…
Kevin: “construted” that one.
Ciaran: I don’t really follow.
Laura: …speaking to each other on a different platform then out loud.
Kevin: Well, I’m not only saying that. I’m saying that – is it possible that, instead of what we predicted as an Unbreakable Vow, it was actually just a simple communication between the two.
Laura: That’s possible too.
Micah: Yeah I think so, especially because of that whole “Serevus, please” line. I think it was more of a remind–
Ben: Serevus?
Micah: [still mispronouncing Snape’s first name] Serverus, whatever.
Kevin: Serverus.
[For the record, everyone was wrong, it’s “Severus”]
Micah: Whatever. That line is the same line-we mentioned this last time-that is said by Narcissa in “Spinner’s End.” So I think, by Dumbledore saying that exact same line in that chapter, he was reminding Snape of the Unbreakable Vow he had with Narcissa and that he had to go through with it.
Andrew: Okay, so that wraps up this week’s voicemails. Good job, everyone, good job, everyone.
Dueling Club – Arthur vs. Lucius
Ben: Well, let’s duel it up guys, let’s duel it up.
Andrew: Ben, Ben. You want to duel it up, Ben? You want to duel it up?
Ben: Let’s duel it up.
Andrew: Duel this, Ben!
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: Arthur…here’s a few we’ve picked out this week – Arthur versus Lucius.
Ben: Arthur.
Andrew: No.
[Everyone groans]
Ben: Hang on, in ancient mythology, wasn’t there a King Lucius that killed a King Arthur?
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: I’m not kidding.
Micah: It’s the other way around.
Laura: No, I think there’s something…
Ben: That’s right. It’s the other way around. Yeah. Arthur killed Lucius.
Andrew: Yes, Arthur’s a rather big king.
Laura: I’m not sure how much magic… We haven’t really seen how talented Arthur is when it comes to magic really, apart form the fact that he can enchant, you know, like Muggle things like cars to fly. So, I’m assuming he might be pretty powerful.
Ben: Yeah, he’s still a full-grown wizard.
Andrew: Still, if Lucius is a Death Eater, there’s no question about it that he could…
Ben: Okay that’s…okay that is the stupidest reasoning I’ve ever heard in my life too.
Andrew: Why? Who says? Arthur? Are you kidding me? He does nothing, like Laura said.
Ben: You make it sound like Arthur, like the TV show on PBS. He’s that bad… [laughs]
Andrew: Arthur Weasley! [laughs] Okay, I used to love that show.
Laura: So did I.
Ben: Arthur?
Andrew: Arthur, no. Arthur Weasley, we haven’t, like Laura said, we haven’t seen anything with him. So, how can you assume that he…
Ben: We haven’t seen anything of Lucius either, we saw him–
Andrew: Well, we’ve seen him in Chamber of Secrets, and he’s a Death Eater, so he must have some magical skills.
Ben: Well, Arthur is a member of the Order, so, so should he.
Andrew: No, pshhh no.
Laura: But there’s a difference. Dumbledore will let anyone who wants to help into the Order.
Andrew: Yeah.
Laura: See, with Voldemort, you have to…
Andrew: Molly Weasley is in the whatever.
Laura: …have some sort of talent.
Ben: Not true. How the hell is Wormtail in there if you had to have some kind of talent?
Kevin: It’s true.
Laura: It’s because he’s a servant. Voldemort will take any type of help he can get when it comes to things that benefit him.
Ben: Okay, you guys definitely making flawed, flawed connections.
Andrew: That’s a good point. Why would Voldemort say “No” if he’s going to be able to help him?
Ben: Yeah, but that’s the same thing that the Order does then. So, you can’t…
Andrew: Yeah, exactly.
Ben: Then, Laura’s falling all over herself in contradictions because first she says, “Well…
Laura: No, no, no.
Ben: Yeah, you said…
Laura: Ben.
Ben: You said that…
Laura: Ben.
Ben: …you have to be talented to get into…
Laura: Ben…
Ben: No, you said that, Dumbledore let Hagrid, not Hagrid, but ummm…
Laura: No. Does Voldemort let…
Ben: …let Arthur into the Order so he could help out.
Kevin: Let’s play it back.
Ben: Let’s play it.
Laura: Ben.
Ben: Micah, Micah, read that back for me.
Micah: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Laura: Does Voldemort let Wormtail go out and fight for him? No, he doesn’t. That’s the thing. Dumbledore will choose people according to their particular talents and he will assign them different tasks.
Ben: Well, same thing!
Laura: Voldemort seems to…
Ben: Well, that’s the same exact thing that Dumbledore does.
Laura: No!
Ben: Yes, it is!
Laura: No, no, no! No, I’m saying…
Ben: Yes! Yes, yes, yes!
Andrew: Yeah, but we always take from what we know, and from what we know, [laughs] Arthur’s nothing.
Laura: Exactly.
Ciaran: Well…
Kevin: Honestly guys, honestly, I don’t think we know enough about Arthur to make a clear judgment on whether he’d win.
Ciaran: We know Ron isn’t good at magic, so does it like run in the family that all of them aren’t good at magic? Because…
Andrew: Probably.
Ciaran: …Draco’s probably better than Ron.
Andrew: Yeah.
Ciaran: So, Lucius must be better.
Micah: Wait, but Arthur was good enough to stand guard in the Ministry of Magic. He must obviously be a somewhat powerful wizard.
Andrew: Stand guard, but did he do anything? He works in the Ministry of Magic.
Kevin: Yeah, but if you’re standing guard this…
Ciaran: Yeah.
Kevin: Not to mention he’s at in the Ministry of Magic, so…
Ciaran: He would have an excuse for being down there Well, at least in the Ministry, because he works there. Whereas everyone else doesn’t.
Andrew: Yeah, it’s not like to alert other people. Well, he could be. He could’ve been.
Ciaran: Right.
Laura: Mhm.
Andrew: That’s stupid. Ben, you’re out of your mind.
Ben: You’re out of your mind.
Andrew: No, you’re out of your mind!
Ben: Well then, stop making a judgment.
[Kevin laughs]
Andrew: I am making a judgment. About Lucius.
Laura: I don’t know. I really don’t think we know enough about Arthur [laughs] to make a clear judgment.
Andrew: [laughs] Next…
Laura: I don’t.
Ben: Did your pattern tell you that, too?
Andrew: No, but… but looking back, okay. If Arthur the Aardvark is to Arthur Weasley… So…
[Everyone Laughs]
Andrew: They’re both weak. Period.
Dueling Club – Hermione vs. Ginny
Andrew: How about Hermione versus [pronounces her name with a hard “G”] Gin- [pronounces her name right] Ginny? I think this would be another cat-fight, like McGonagall and Umbridge that we spoke about.
Kevin: I think so too. I think this would be pretty cool.
Ben: Oh, yeah.
Kevin: No, I’m teasing.
[Kevin and Andrew laugh]
Andrew: [speaking in a “cool dude” voice] It’d be pretty sweet, man. [laughs] No, but I don’t know. This is sort of like with the first one. We haven’t seen much out of Ginny, as we haven’t out of Arthur. Like Micah brought up, it could run in the family that all of them are bad at magic, sort of like Ron is. So…
Kevin: I don’t think so either. I think she’s…
Andrew: But have we seen? Have we seen…
Laura: I don’t think Ginny’s bad at magic, though. Well, we know that Ginny used that Bat-Bogey Curse and got them out of the grips of Umbridge and all of her Inquisitorial Squad.
Kevin: I think the word for her would be clever.
Laura: So, she can’t be all that bad. [laughs]
Kevin: She tends to be a little bit more devious in her methods, you know?
Andrew: Well so is Hermione, don’t you think?
Kevin: No. I think Hermione is a little more direct.
Andrew: But clever too.
Laura: She thinks before she leaps. Unlike Ron. [laughs]
Kevin: Like what?
Andrew: Well, I don’t have any specific examples, but…
[Andrew and Ben Laugh]
Kevin: I put you on the spot.
Andrew: [in a scholarly voice] Like for example, in Book 4, on page 350…
[Micah laughs]
Andrew: I don’t have any specific examples.
[Laura laughs]
Kevin: You haven’t memorized all that?
Ciaran: I think we have to assume that Hermione would win because we don’t know enough about Ginny, but we know that she’s a year below Hermione. So, I’d say Hermione would definitely win.
Kevin: I would say so too.
Laura: Mhm. I think that’s saying something.
Spy on Spartz
Andrew: This week we are going to make an indefinite [laughs] postponing of Spy on Spartz. Because guys, Emerson has become so boring over the past two weeks, it’s just like there’s nothing going on, so… [laughs]. That we could talk about.
[Kevin laughs]
Andrew: So if you want us to spy on a random person, on someone that you want to know more about, whether it’s a MuggleNet staffer, whether it’s some famous celebrity, we’ll look into it. Actually, no, make it a MuggleNet staffer. [laughs] If you want to spy on Jamie or you want to spy on, uh…whoever! Send us your “spy-ons” to mugglecast at staff dot mugglenet dot com.
Ciaran’s Irish Joke Of The Day
Andrew: So now, in light of Jamie not being here, let’s start, let’s start a new segment.
Kevin: Oh god. [laughs]
Andrew: It’s not Jamie’s British Joke Of The Day. It’s Ciaran’s Irish Joke Of The day! [laughs]
Ciaran: Okay!
Andrew: Ciaran, you got one for us? [still laughing]
Ciaran: Yeah, I got one. Okay. How can you tell if an Irishman is having a good time?
Laura: How?
Ciaran: He’s “Dublin” over with laughter.
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: [singing] Da, da, da, daaaaa!
Kevin: Wow.
Andrew: Wow. Thanks for that, Ciaran! [laughs]
Kevin: That’s well said.
Ben: [singing] Wa wa wa waaaaa…
Andrew: That was good.
Ben: Oh yeah, Andrew! we almost forgot!
[Andrew gasps]
Ben: Last week we did an interview with Melissa, who made it to the second…
Andrew: Anelli?
Ben: No, not Anelli. Melissa “Blank,” we never got her last name. But she made it to the second round…
Andrew: [laughs] We do, but we’re not going say it.
Ben: She made it to the last round, not the last round, the second round of auditions for Luna Lovegood. So, let’s hope she gets in! But we have a little interview with her. She talks about the auditions, the process she went through, how she’s excited about it. So, let’s play that now.
Luna Lovegood Hopeful Interview
Andrew: So Melissa, tell us how you became interested in applying for this role?
Melissa: Well, I was actually, I was with my family in the United States because my Mum died from cancer a few years ago, and every January I go visit my parents. And I found out about the audition through MuggleNet, and I begged my Aunt to let me fly back home. So, I went back home, and I went with one of my friends and we went to the audition at like 5:30 in the morning. And I slept most of the night away. She kept on having to wake me up so I could get in. And then… Basically, I just said where I was from, my name, where I work. And they were like, “We want you for our film.” I was like, “All right. Why not!”
Ben: What made you want to try out for Luna?
Melissa: When the fifth book came out, I read it, and I was like, “That girl seems so familiar to me.” And I was just asking my friends why she seemed so familiar. And they were like, “She’s exactly like you.” I was like, “Oh! That’s why.”
[Laura laughs]
Melissa: So, some times you need to hear it from other people to know where you’re from. [laughs]
Andrew: [laughs] Yeah. Well, I mean, there were a lot of people who went out to audition, so what was it like waiting in line?
Melissa: Well, I slept most of the night, but my friend’s Dad, we were waiting for about four hours before we got called in – about four or five hours – and I was like, “Well, that’s not too bad.” She was like, “Of course it wasn’t bad for you, you were sleeping.” I was like, “Yeah. So?”
Laura: Oh, I was just wondering you thought the general atmosphere was like? What it was like to be around so many other people who were intent on getting this role?
Melissa: I didn’t feel actually very nervous because everyone was so nice. Like, there was like this huge group of girls around me and they were like, “So why are you here?” And I was like, “Same reason everybody else is.” And they were like, “Well, for what reason?” And I was like, “I WANT THIS!” [laughs] And they were like, “Well yeah, but is there any specific reason why you want it?” I was like, I was like, “I don’t know. I just want it!” [laughs] So, everyone was really nice and friendly. They don’t even think about intimidating you.
Ben: How far into the auditioning process did you make it?
Melissa: Well, we just went through the first round, which was really, really fun. And I was like, I didn’t pay attention actually. I was one of the last girls to say where I was from. And my friend kept nudging me. She was like, “Melissa, Melissa, it’s your turn.” I was like, “Ohhh!” I was like, “I’m Melissa. I’m from Oxford.” And they were like, “Oh, okay.” And I was like, “Yeah.” So that was that.
[Andrew laughs]
Melissa: And I said, “Okay, we’ve got that situated then.”
Andrew: [laughs] Well, that’s good. One question we have is about the auditioning process. What exactly was involved? How do they decipher between who was good and who would not fit the part?
Melissa: Like, basically, after we said our names and where we were from they had a group of us, like a small group, small groups of one hundred or so girls. And they walked passed us in our group and they would just kind of look at our faces. I had a hard time to keep from laughing because everyone is just looking at me and I’m like, “What am I supposed to do here? Am I supposed to laugh or am I supposed to be serious?” So, I just kind of smiled and was like, “Hi!” You know?
[Laura laughs]
Andrew: So you were a bit nervous, right? [laughs]
Melissa: [laughs] Yeah, a little bit.
Laura: I have a question regarding Luna’s appearance. Could you tell if they were looking for girls who fit the description of having blond hair and kind of silvery blue eyes or were they kind of letting that slide figuring, you know, someone could dye their hair and put in contacts?
Melissa: Well, my friend that I went with, I thought she looked exactly like her and I thought for sure she was going to get through without getting cut because she has really long hair – dirty blond hair. Not like bright blond, but dirty blond. And she has these really big, kind of pale eyes. And then they didn’t call her. And I was like “What?” They have this process. They look at you and see if you’re right for it, but they’re kind of looking for your personality even though you can’t really have personality when you’re saying your name and where you’re from. And then they kind of were like, “Well, that girl seems kind of like, all right. This is fine. You know? They want somebody that can actually relate to stuff. And they want someone that girls can relate to. They look for that as well because some girls, they do look like her, like when I came out and saw the next group of girls because some of my friends were in there. This girl with really dark hair and really dark eyes got through. I was like, “What? Hey, I got through too! You look nothing like her. This is great!”
[Laura laughs]
Melissa: So, everyone just went… It’s not a big deal appearance-wise, but it kind of is, because they want somebody that looks like her. But they’re also kind of like, “Well, we want somebody that girls can relate to.” Because she has to be kind of like… distant sometimes, but she also has to be someone girls can relate to.
Andrew: Right, and do you think you can do that?
Melissa: Yes.
Andrew: Do you think you look like her at the same time?
Melissa: Well, a tiny bit. I’m more like her in personality than anything… than looking alike, you know?
Andrew: So, where do you go from here? What’s next? When do you expect another message from WB?
Melissa: Well, I’m… My Dad actually, he’s back in London, he’s waiting, and he’s going to call me if they call me back. So I was like, “Okay Dad, that’s fine.” And he was like “Are you sure? You can stay there with your Aunt, or I can come.” And I was like “Yeah, you can stay home.” And he was like, “Well, who is going to teach you school?” I was like, “Aunt Wendy…” [laughs] And they were like, “Oh, okay…” So… My Aunt has been teaching me school since I was eleven, and I hang out with cousins too.
Laura: How many people were evaluating you while you were, I guess, auditioning? I’m not sure you’d call it an audition since they were mainly looking for an appearance, and kind of an aura, but how many people looked at you?
Melissa: I’d say at some points… Some girls had about ten, and I had around seven, so I guess around seven to ten people.
Laura: Mhm. Wow.
Melissa: Depending on which group it was and what time it was.
Laura: That’s pressure.
Andrew: Yeah, really, I’d say. So do you have any final thoughts? Such as what you’d hope to see in the final Luna Lovegood?
Melissa: Well, I just think that, whoever they pick, I hope that girls can relate to her, even if it’s not me because there were lots of girls that wanted it there, but I do hope whoever gets picked everyone can just say, “She perfect!”. So that’s what I am hoping for, no matter what.
Andrew: Okay, cool! Well, enjoy your time in the States and thank you for joining us, and best of luck!
Laura: Yeah, definitely.
Melissa: You too, thank you very much for having me.
Ben: It was great talking to you!
Laura: Oh, it was great talking to you.
Luna Lovegood Hopeful Interview
Andrew [Show Close with music in background]: That just about does it for us this week. We hope you enjoyed the show. Once again, I’m Andrew Sims.
Ben: I am BenSchoen.com, EmmaWatson.us, REDcast – all of these things. I’m just spreading myself out here.
Kevin: I’m Kevin Steck. [laughs]
Laura: I’m Laura Thompson.
Micah: I’m Micah Tannenbaum.
Ciaran: And I’m Ciaran.
Ben: Oh, and everybody! Everybody…
Andrew: [interrupts Ben] Thanks again for joining us.
Ben: What? Hold on! Hold on! We’re not done yet.
Andrew: Humph!
Ben: Everybody join us next week when we are going to be discussing… I have it, guys, I have the perfect person we’re going to discuss: Ron.
Kevin: Okay.
Ben: Ronald Weasley.
Andrew: Ciaran, thanks for joining us this week. I think we’re going have you on as a regular.
Ciaran: Okay.
Andrew: People, people love those foreign dudes.
[Everyone laughs]
Laura: That they do.
Ciaran: They do.
Andrew: We’ll see everyone next week for episode [pronounces it with a “V”] venticinco.
Ben: It’s [pronounces it with a “B”] venticinco.
Andrew: Did I say that right?
Ben: It’s [pronounces it with a “B”] venticinco!
Andrew: No, it’s not [pronounces with a “B”] venticinco!
Ben: Yeah, it is.
Laura: Yeah, you pronounce “V’s” like “B’s.”
Andrew: It’s a “V!”
Laura: You pronounce “V’s” like “B’s!” [pronounces it with a “B”] Venticinco!
Andrew: I’ve had five or six years of Spanish and we were never told that.
Ben: Not all time, but it’s venticinco, like…
Laura: Yeah, it’s venticinco.
Andrew: [in a mock Spanish accent] venticinco!
[Laura laughs]
Kevin: Huh.
Ben: Good night everybody! Good morning.
Laura: Bye.
Andrew: What was that kid’s name who, uh… what was that kid’s name who crossed Cuba?
Ben: Elian Gonzales… [talking fades out]
Comments
[Soothing music begins playing]
[Audio]: Hey, this is Ben from New Jersey and I wanted to tell you guys that I really love your podcast, even though I just started listening to it this year. Great, keep up the good work, love Harry Potter. Thanks. Bye.
[Audio]: Hi guys! This is Sam from Maryland. I just wanted to let you guys know that there’s a new podcast in the house and it’s called iMuggle- AND we’re now on iTunes. So, watch out! I mean, we’re not ever going to be as good as you guys, but still. Please could you just mention us on the show, because we’re just that great? Oh, and remember, sporks rule.
[Audio]: Hello, this is Marjorie from Georgia. I am, well, pretty much I’ve just turned 12. My birthday was January 11th, so Happy belated Birthday to me. Anyways, I just wanted to say that I love your show and I listen to it while I do my homework, while on the ride to school, on the ride home from school, and also at night when I’m in bed. So, yeah. And I haven’t gotten that far into it because I just pretty much discovered how good it was. So, yeah. Bye.
[Audio]: Hey MuggleCast, this is Sarah from New York. I just wanted to say how upset I am that there’s no episode this week, so I hope you make it up next week with a really long two-hour episode, and everybody’s on it. You guys are amazing. Keep up the great work, and I love the girls on the show. Woohoo! Ummm, and… yeah!
[Audio]: Hi, my name is Alex. I’m from Ohio. I just wanted to say I love your podcast and I’m watching it all the time on my iPod, and I don’t have any questions. I just wanted to call and thank you for having it. Thanks! Bye!
[Audio]: Hi, this is Sam from England. Just wanted to say your show is great. Keep the good work going. Thanks!
[Audio]: Hey! This is Lionel Wichowski from Orange County, California, and I would so, so, so like it if you could give a shout-out to everyone at RSM Intermediate School. I would just frickin’ love it! I would love it, I would love it, I would love it. And I love the show. You guys are awesome. I love you, Andrew! YOU’RE CRAZY! But I love you! Bye!
[Soothing music ends]
Bloopers
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: That sounds like such a three-year-old thing.
Micah: They’re probably plenty of other main characters for her to whack off in Book 7.
Ben: Okay. [laughs]
Andrew: But… but…
Ben: She’s just going to “whack off” these characters?
[Everyone laughs]
Andrew: You just said whack off?
[Kevin laughs]
Ben: Yeah! [laughs]
Andrew: What’s wrong with you, Micah? Get your head out of the gutter. Um…
————————————————————————–
Andrew: Ummm… what is the job of the keeper… Kevin!
Kevin: What?
Andrew: Read these.
[Kevin laughs]
Ben: What is the job of the keeper of the keys? We haven’t actually seen Hagrid keep keys since The Sorcerer’s Stone- and where did he get Harry’s key?
Andrew: Madison, come over to my house sometime.
Kevin: I think that would be a little bit scary, but…
[Laura laughs]
Kevin: To meet you, I mean, Andrew.
Andrew: Why?
Laura: [laughs] Yeah.
Andrew: Why?
Kevin: It was a little traumatizing for me, so…
Laura: I wouldn’t want to go to your house either.
Andrew: Kevin, I remember seeing you walk in through the door of the hotel, and I was like “That’s Kevin Steck? God, he’s short!”
[Everyone laughs]
Kevin: Okay, shut up!
Ben: He saw me and he’s like, “Oh my god! He’s huge!”
Kevin: [laughs] It’s true!
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: I remember he saw me, and the first thing he did was his eyes got really big and he goes, “You’re a lot bigger…”
Andrew: Me? [laughs]
Ben: No, no no…
Kevin: No, Ben.
Ben: …Kevin.
Andrew: Good, cause I was like..
Kevin: Ben. Yeah, I saw Ben, and I’m like, “Holy crap”… [laughs]
[Everyone laughs]
Ben: Kevin’s eyes got really big and he was like, “Holy crap! You’re a lot bigger than I expected!”
[Andrew laughs]
Kevin: It’s true!
[Everyone laughs]
Laura: Awww.
Andrew: Wow. I don’t think Ben’s that big.
Kevin: For such a small personality, you’re a big person.
Ben: Ouch. Ouch.
[Andrew laughs]
Kevin: Okay.
Andrew: So anyway, that’ll be the blooper. Let’s, ummm… well we got that out of the way at least.
[Laura and Andrew laugh]
Kevin: Yeah. Ummm, okay.
———————–
Written by: Micah, Martina, Sarah, and Laura