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In this episode, we discuss Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Albus Dumbledore and how they evolved over Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. We also discuss Voldemort's continuing rise to power and how that sets up Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· 1:16 The goals we set for season two. 1) Explore Hogwarts. If there’s one that we could have done more with, it’s probably this one. However, we still did a ton in this regard. 2) Develop relationships. Check! 3) Begin Voldemort’s journey. We absolutely did this as well, especially with the diary. Tom Riddle as a shadow of the Dark Lord functions very effectively to set up his rise to power.

· 21:20 The power of dark magic. With Sirius Black in our future, the idea of dark magic should evolve in this season. Seeing Ginny floating above the Chamber of Secrets, for example, would be a sight that would really draw the line between dark and light magic.

· 26:41 Harry and Dumbledore. It should be clear that Dumbledore is pulling the strings here. He has a say in the goings on of the wizarding world. Additionally, Harry has a deep dark past, and that past is what influences a lot of Dumbledore’s decisions.

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In this episode, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger come to the end of their second year at Hogwarts. We spend most of the episode in Ancient Greece following the inventor of the horcrux: Herpo the Foul. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· Listen to Tea Leaves S2 E7 here! Read more about Herpo the Foul here (if you dare)!

· 1:56 Quick Recap and Herpo the Foul. We open in Ancient Greece, thousands of years ago. Herpo the Foul lives in a big, nonmagical family. He feels like he can’t make his voice heard, and that he has no power. This leads to the formation of an obscurus and his magical journey begins. This part of the episode should be the majority. We explore his life and how he used his powers to gain an edge, eventually breaking out of simple curses and discovering horcruxes. The similarities to Voldemort should be obvious.

· 26:13 Back to Harry. We open in the girls’ bathroom with Fawkes, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart returning from the Chamber. Harry and Ron go up to Dumbledore’s office where they are scolded, but also rewarded. Harry hands Dumbledore the diary and we should feel the weight of that moment, especially because of how much buildup we had in the previous part of this episode. Lucius and Dobby enter, and Harry gives the diary to Lucius before they leave, who hands it to Dobby. Dobby is free! Finally, we have a final shot of the trio getting on the train and going back home. It is the end of this year, but certainly not the end of the story. Soon, they will learn of the horrible, terrible, escaped Sirius Black…

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In this episode, Harry and Ron follow Hagrid's advice. They follow the spiders into the Forbidden Forest and talk to Aragog. Then, they delve into the Chamber of Secrets with Lockhart in toe and face Tom Riddle for the first time. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· Listen to Tea Leaves S2 E6 here!

· 1:20 Quick Recap and Follow the Spiders. Harry and Ron make their way into the forest after Hagrid tells them to follow the spiders in the last episode. The spiders lead them to Aragog, who tells them the history of Hagrid’s expulsion. He reveals that Hagrid is (obviously) not the heir, but that he can’t speak of the creature at the castle because it’s too terrible.

· 18:30 The chaos builds in the castle. Harry and Ron rush to the staff room the next day because they figured it out. But there’s a staff meeting at that same time so they hide. McGonagall reveals that Ginny has been taken down to the Chamber, and that Lockhart simply must go down to save her, seeing as he has been talking about he knows everything about the Chamber. Harry and Ron go the Lockhart to help him, but find that he’s a fraud. They pressure him at wand point to go with them.

· 24:14 The Chamber of Secrets. The version in the books and films is actually pretty good, but there are too things in particular I want to point out. The first is the ancient air of magic. We can’t forget that this chamber was made over a thousand years ago by Salazar Slytherin himself. Harry and Ron should realize that, and it should add to the tension. The second thing is adding a moment between Harry and Riddle. Like the fragmented memory we discussed in the last episode. We should see their shared mind.

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In this episode, Harry sees the memories from Tom Riddle's diary and begins to wonder: who's the real heir of Slytherin? Lockhart throws a Valentine's Day party, and Hermione gets petrified. After Harry and Ron's visit to Hagrid to discuss the basilisk ends in Hagrid arrest, they are resolved to "following the spiders" to finally see the end of this saga. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· Listen to Tea Leaves S2 E5 here!

· 1:33 Quick Recap and Riddle’s first memory. This memory isn’t really coherent. It’s more to show us who Riddle is and how important he will be. Quick shots of Riddle, maybe standing in the Chamber of Secrets, maybe somewhere in the castle.

· 14:17 Polyjuice! This whole saga is going to be fun. The trio takes the potion in the bathroom, and Hermione unfortunately grabbed the wrong kind of hair and becomes a cat. Harry and Ron are still on a timer, however, so they must forge on. They go talk to Malfoy and find that he is not the heir.

· 20:55 Valentine’s Day. This is a great time for Lockhart to be an idiot. The Great Hall is adorned with a million gift shops of decorations. Ginny sends Harry a singing dwarf.

· 23:30 The diary has been stolen. His bed sheets are hanging off the frame and his trunk was rifled through. He finds that the diary has been stolen, and he rushes down to tell Ron, but instead he finds out that Hermione was petrified.

· 28:50 Harry and Ron go talk to Hagrid to get more information on the basilisk that Hermione found out, but he is taken to Azkaban. He tells Harry and Ron to “follow the spiders.” The episode ends with Riddle’s second memory. He shows Harry how Hagrid was found out as the heir and was expelled. Harry thinks Riddle is a true Hogwarts hero, but still wonders: how in the world could it be Hagrid?

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In this episode, the hidden force within Hogwarts continues to roam the castle, petrifying students and ghosts alike. Tensions on the quidditch pitch rise, and suspicions of who this heir could be rise with them. An unexpected suspect rises to the top of the pool: Harry. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· Listen to Tea Leaves S2 E4 here!

· 1:44 Quick Recap and Dumbledore’s office. They are examining Mrs. Norris, trying to decide what happened to her. The air is intense, with little conversation and noise. Lockhart is of course trying to break in to offer his well-traveled advice, but they won’t hear of it.

· 8:08 The Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Quidditch Match. We should see more of Harry and Draco’s complex relationship with intense searches for the snitch. In addition, Dobby’s bludger is on a mission to take Harry out of commission. Harry crashes and Lockhart takes all the bones out of his arm.

· 16:51 The Hospital Wing. Dobby reveals to Harry that it was him that blocked the platform, and that he enchanted the bludger to go after Harry. We aren’t too happy with Dobby at this point. We also see Dumbledore and McGonagall bring in Colin Creevey, also petrified. This is getting real.

· 24:35 The trio decides on using poly-juice potion to continue their investigation, then go dueling. Lockhart’s Dueling Club isn’t exactly a raging success, seeing as Snape wiped the floor with him. When Draco and Harry duel, Draco summons a snake and Harry speaks parcel tongue to it, though it doesn’t know it. Justin Finch-Flechley thinks he was almost attacked.

· 30:52 Justin got attacked! Harry found him and Nearly Headless Nick petrified in a hallway, just when classes get out and the entire student body sees him. Now Harry is seen as a threat and the need to investigate these attacks grows.

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In this episode, Harry and Ron crash their flying Ford Anglia into the Womping Willow. Snape brings them both up to Hogwarts, and they serve their detentions. A mysterious voice echoes from somewhere far away, and Harry begins to wonder who, what, and where it is. Something is afoot at Hogwarts....

Topics/Summary:

· 3:33 Quick recap and Snape taking Harry and Ron up to the castle. It is important that Snape is the one to bring these two up to show his ability to move outside the lines, especially early on. Dumbledore defends Harry and gets his punishment down from expulsion to detention.

· 15:23 Detention. I was debating whether to have any middle time between their conversation with Snape and their detention. Of course they need time to put their bags down and say hello to their friends, but that might change the air of the detention. Harry is addressing Gildroy Lockhart’s fan mail and hears a voice. As he walks back to his dormitory, he hears it again and begins to wonder what it might mean…

25:25 The final beats of the story. The whole quidditch practice showdown happens, and Ron’s wand backfires on him. We also have Professor Lockhart’s class and we begin to understand just how incompetent he really is. The final sequence of the story is the Deathday Party. Harry, Ron, and Hermione go to Nearly Headless Nick’s party, and as they leave, Harry hears the voice again. It is closer and more intense than ever before, so he runs after it. They come across the horrible scene with Mrs. Norris, the water, and the writing on the wall: “The Chamber of Secrets has been opened; enemies of the heir, beware.”

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In this episode, we analyze the second trailer released by HBO for the Harry Potter TV show. This one is for a behind-the-scenes special called Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic. It is a behind the scenes look at the production of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first season of the Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

Listen to episode 326 analyzing the first official trailer here!

· 2:54 Dominic McLaughlin looks so much like Harry! But it’s not in the way that he looks like Daniel Radcliff, but that he looks like the Harry from the books. There are still some differences, but that continues to support the idea that these characters will be similar, but not the same.

· 9:00 Wow! We’re getting behind the scenes footage! It’s crazy to think that we just got the release date to the TV show itself, and we’re already getting full releases of behind-the-scenes specials. We’ve almost graduated the point where the product itself is the goal, but an expansion of the fandom and the story.

· 14:56 Philosopher’s Stone? Christmas? We glossed over some of the most important pieces of information we learned from the trailer. For one, the project is called Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, not the Sorcerer’s Stone. And it will be released this year! Christmas has the right feeling of magic and family to make for the perfect release date.

· 21:13 Still no Voldemort? HBO has confirmed that he has been cast and will appear in at least a few seasons, so it’s odd that we haven’t heard a peep. They’re really keeping this under wraps! I don’t really care about the name of the actor playing him, just the interpretation of the character. In this way the casting does actually matter, so any information would be great!

· 27:29 Snape and Dumbledore and still stealing the show! Even in the special trailer, these two had big features and interviews. I want them to have a heavy feature, but it would be a shame if they took over the screen.

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In this episode, we analyze the trailer for the Harry Potter TV show. We have our first looks at Hogwarts, The Hogwarts Express, 4 Privet Drive, Snape, Dumbledore, and many more exciting characters and places in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· 1:36 4 Privet Drive looks similar to the films. The Dursleys clearly have a mean streak, and Petunia has a big feature. Is she going to be the one doling out punishment to Harry the most? The cupboard under the stairs is more depressing than the films for sure. The whole house looks similar, but it feels a little darker.

· 12:40 Harry looks great in action! This is the first time we’ve seen him acting live.

· 14:22 Rubeus Hagrid makes an appearance, but it’s not what I imagined. His voice is just the voice of a normal person, not the big clumsy person we know and love. I’m sure we will grow to love him as we always do, but right now I don’t see the vision.

· 18:35 The Hogwarts Express is fantastic! It looks pretty much the same which is the right choice. They did it right the first time and I’m glad they didn’t mess with it. However, King Cross is something of an improvement I think compared to the films. Hogsmeade Station is also a cool place which comes across well.

· 23:41 Hogwarts is …… interesting. In every shot, I thought one of two things: this is a sky lodge, or this looks exactly like the film. I’m a little disappointed that this is our first impression of the castle because the best parts of the castle are big and bright, not closed off and lit with torches like the majority of what we saw.

· 30:30 The characters look awesome. I am blown away by Snape and Dumbledore! Snape clearly has such depth and I’m so looking forward to seeing him develop. And Dumbledore looks like a combination between the Gambon and Harris versions which might be the best of both worlds. Ron is something of a dufus, but that might open the door for the biggest character transformation in the whole series.

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