The Harry Podcast

Thanks for your patience, everyone! We’ve had some difficulties over the last few weeks that made it tough to record an episode. We hope you like this one, in which we talk about Lupin as a teacher, how intention affects magic, and whether destroying an individual’s soul is an immoral form of capital punishment.

In today’s episode, Madeline and David examine Harry’s emotional state, the laziness and corruption of the Ministry of Magic, and why Hermione feels she has to betray the trust of Harry and Ron.

In today’s episode, Madeline & David examine one of the most fun and powerful magic items in the series, as well as a very revelatory conversation Harry overhears at The Three Broomsticks.

As we reach the low point of the book, the hosts discuss Snape’s motivations and actions surrounding Lupin and Sirius, as well as how everything goes wrong for Harry specifically and the people of Hogwarts in general.

In today's episode, the hosts examine Harry's conversation with Lupin and the implications of Sirius Black's attack on our favorite portrait-guardian.

In this episode, the hosts discuss the very thought-provoking concept of boggarts. What does it mean that a boggart needs a target in order to take form? How is fear combated? How would our own, less concrete fears manifest?

On today’s episode, we talk mostly about the subject of Divination in the series—how it is portrayed by characters within the novels, how it relates to real-world figures and practices, and how it paradoxically is seen as ludicrous self-aggrandizement while simultaneously appearing to in fact be 100% accurate.

Apologies for being a week late! In this episode, Madeline and David dive deep into how Dementors are first presented to us, what they may represent, and a couple ideas about social commentary that Rowling may have been thinking of when she created them.

Your hosts walk through the various instances of foreshadowing in this chapter, as well as debate Molly’s and Arthur’s positions on whether or not to tell Harry what’s going on with Sirius Black.

Apologies for the delayed post! In today’s episode, your hosts discuss the magic of the titular purple wizard transporter and how the character of Stan Shunpike becomes important to an understanding of how exactly the Everyman suffers during Voldemort’s eventual regime.

This episode, your hosts discuss the concept of wandless magic and how it relates to the themes of positive and negative emotion in the series, as well as the shifting power dynamics in the Dursley household and Harry’s development into a more emotional pubescent character.

Your hosts return with the first episode of Season Three of the show! We introduce Prisoner of Azkaban and talk a bit about its place within the overall Harry Potter canon, as well as continuing our ongoing discussion of Rowling’s book-by-book improvement in her first chapters and the way she writes exposition.

The hosts give a thorough breakdown of what Dumbledore realizes from Harry's encounter with the Diary, as well as contrasting the drastically different tone of this chapter from the last one, and wrapping up the second season of the show.

In this extra-long episode featuring special guest Conor Crockford of The Barn: a podcast about The Shield, the hosts discuss the monster-character of Memory-Riddle, horcruxes, agency, and with a special focus on how Rowling uses horror archetypes to capture the excitement of this climactic chapter.

Apologies for the several-week delay on this episode; we’ll be back to our normal schedule now. Your hosts break down the concept of memory removal as it is used in the Harry Potter series, and what effect that magic has on society in general and the character study of Gilderoy Lockhart in particular.