The Potter Discussion: Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and the Wizarding World Fandom Sound Owl Media

In this episode, we discuss some of the most underrated professors at Hogwarts. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      Audible Announcement
·      2:38 Slughorn. With all the events of the Half Blood Prince we look over his appointment as the potion’s professor after a while, but that is a mistake. He introduces us to many facets of magic that become important later and his guidance in potions becomes quite valuable.
·      8:36 Flitwick. We talk about our favorite charms professor often, but not about how much he gave Harry. Some of the most basic and most important spells that the trio and the rest of the students use come from charms class. He also conducts the school’s frog chorus.
·      12:36 Snape. We discuss Snape a bunch, but not how hard he works and how much he is vilified. We see him as the big bad professor that exists to put Harry down and be a big bully. It is a real shame that it takes until after his death to realize that he was working hard for many years to keep Harry safe.
·      17:30 Binns. What a guy. First of all, he teaches a boring class according to the students and he is very dedicated to the history of magic. He is so dedicated in fact that one day he died and he just kept on teaching. He left his body behind and continued on.
·      19:57 Sinistra. The astronomy professor is one who we never talk about. She works in the background and in completely invisible. But she has to wake up very late a lot of teach the students a fascinating part of magic.
·      22:39 Madame Pince. The library is extremely important! And we never talk about the librarian. If you need to find a book or find some piece of knowledge, she is the one to talk to. She also probably keeps Dumbledore up to date on the status of the library.
·      26:06 Madame Pomfrey. She heals all and can bring a quick fix to any problem with a student’s health. She grew Harry’s arm back! Without Madame Pomfrey, we would be reading about a much more deadly castle.


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In this episode, we discuss what things and places make Hogwarts what we know it to be. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary: 
·      1:44 The Owlrey. This is one of the most British wizarding systems thing there is at Hogwarts. They use owls to send messages and the Owlery is where the owls live. It is the boundary between the Muggle and wizarding world, and is made all the more magical because it can also be found in the Muggle world. 
·      8:11 The great hall and the sorting hat. These two things are very symbolic of Hogwarts. When Bellatrix runs through the castle in the sixth book she destroys the great hall. The sorting hat was the beginning of everyone’s journey at Hogwarts, but it was also the end when Neville pulled the sword out of the hat. The final duel between Harry and Voldemort took place in the great hall.
·      14:25 The moving staircases and the moving portraits. Without these, would moving around in Hogwarts be the same? No. The moving staircases don’t seem that important, but they act as the symbolic bridge between the beginning and end of the story. The portraits are the nod to the readers and students that even when a character dies, they may live on in a portrait like Dumbledore.
·      21:40 Quidditch. This is one of the most important parts of the castle. They are side by side for the entire story, and the quidditch pitch is where Harry found his passion. Hogwarts wouldn’t be even close to the same without this magical sport. Much of the story occurs around quidditch like when Quirrell tries to curse Harry off his broom or when Cedric catches the snitch in the storm and tries to give it back. It is important to every member of the magical world, especially in Hogwarts.
·      26:40 Deadly events. Without all the opened chambers, horrible creatures on the lose, spies, imposters, double crosses, and Death Eaters, would Hogwarts be the same?


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In this episode, we discuss why Hermione deserves more credit in honor of Emma Watson's birthday. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      1:54. Absolutely she does. This episode is not to decide if she does or not, but to find some of the best examples of where she works in the shadows and didn’t receive the credit she deserves. For example in the Prisoner of Azkaban, it is Hermione’s skill with the time turner is why they manage to save multiple lives. She knows to hide and knows how to time their exits and entrances so no one knows that they are there and they can do the things they need to do.
·      9:20 She figures out the Chamber of Secrets. She had the paper in her hand crumpled up from the beginning! Harry and Ron just didn’t see it for a very long time and it was only when they found Hermione’s discovery that they began to make progress on the case. Without her, they wouldn’t have made it in time and Ginny might be dead. 
·      13:09 The trap door was all Hermione. She saw it, first of all, when they were running away from Filch after the midnight duel. Then it was her who saved the other two from the devil snare. She also figures out the logic puzzle and propels Harry to the rest of the challenges. Most importantly, she recognizes that it is bravery and friendship that make a good wizard.
·      18:14 She doesn’t get in the middle of Harry and Ron. In the Goblet of Fire, Harry and Ron have an argument because Harry’s name found itself in the Goblet and Ron felt betrayed. Hermione had the smarts to stay out of it. 
·      20:24 Dumbledore’s Army. In the Order of the Phoenix, the idea for the DA came from Hermione. She convinced Harry and set up the ledger, the gold coins, and decided the leader. She was the one who incited it and kept it going. 
·       24:23 The woods in the Deathly Hallows. She cooks and cleans, casts the protective spells, brings the other’s things when the leave the wedding, and she has just about everything in the extended bag of hers. Would they have gotten even half as far without her? Even Harry and Ron agree: not even close. 


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In this episode, we pit Flitwick and McGonagall head to head to see who would win. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      1:33 Why them? We don’t know Flitwick very well, so this could be an interesting pair. We do know a good amount about McGonagall, so putting them against each other could be a good contrast for Flitwick. 
·      6:36 Flitwick’s strengths and weaknesses. He is a sharp dude. He knows how to articulate what spells he wants to cast and has them all on the top of his mind at all times. In a duel, he could use that to keep his opponent on their toes and make sure he always has the upper hand. He was also a dueling champion in his youth which certainly doesn’t hurt. However, he doesn’t have a commanding presence or a huge amount of confidence which is a weakness. 
·      14:09 McGonagall’s strengths and weaknesses. She is very direct and means every spell she casts. It takes a certain drive in a person so cast powerful spells and McGonagall is in large supply. She is also very competent. She knows what she is doing and knows the theory and practicality of dueling. In addition, she is fierce and wants to protect the people she cares about. That could turn into a weakness however. 
·      18:04 Battle of Hogwarts. They meet on the battlefield and draw their wands. The wind’s blowing and a tumbleweed goes by and they look into each other’s eyes. With this one, Flitwick is coming out on top. This is a stressful situation that McGonagall wouldn’t stay on top of. Flitwick’s speed comes in handy and his ability to duel as a second nature.
·      22:06 Something on the line. If the loser of the duel’s family will die, who would win here? Absolutely McGonagall. One of her greatest strengths is her protectiveness and her drive to save the ones she loves. 
·      24:39 Flat plane. There is nothing inside, there is nothing outside. Who wins? It’s difficult, but Flitwick would win. McGonagall is a master of wizardry, but Flitwick is a dueling master and no one could rival his speed.


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In this episode, we discuss what would change if Dumbledore wasn't as intelligent. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      1:43 Harry would have died when he found the Sorcerer’s Stone. Dumbledore swooped in at the very last moment after realizing that he had received a fake message from the Ministry. Her passed Hermione and Ron and warded off Quirrell and Voldemort just in the nick of time. But if he wasn’t as smart, he wouldn’t have had that chance so Harry would have died.
·      7:10 Sirius would have been executed. The intense operation that saved him was carried out by Hermione and Harry but put in motion by Dumbledore. If he didn’t have the same intelligence, it wouldn’t have worked. It took a huge amount of planning and preparation that only an intelligent Dumbledore could have done, so there is no chance for Sirius to survive.
·      13:50 In the Order of the Phoenix, Harry almost goes to Azkaban. He is attacked by two dementors alongside Dudley in an underpass. However, he is underage and goes to trial. The trial goes smoothly and Dumbledore manages to get him out of any punishment. If Dumbledore wasn’t as able to defend him, Harry would have been charged, tried, and convicted. Listen to Breakdown: Fudge here.
·      19:13 He wouldn’t find and destroy horcruxes. However, it took a lot of planning and skill to find them. Dumbledore is the person who knows Voldemort the best and that’s why he can start looking for them and finding them, getting closer to defeating him. The absence of intelligence would mean Dumbledore wouldn’t look for the horcruxes and Voldemort would surely win.
·      23:00 Dumbledore would have lived past the Half-Blood Prince. The reason why Dumbledore was dying was he had touched the ring which was a horcrux and he became cursed. Snape gave him a year to live, so Dumbledore decided to use it to his advantage. However we just discussed that Dumbledore wouldn’t go looking for the horcruxes if he was less smart, so he wouldn’t be cursed. And further, he wouldn’t be able to recognize that his death at Snape’s hand would be infinitely more valuable than his staying alive. 


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In this episode, we discuss why the Dursleys aren't that bad. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:
·      1:46 They showed Harry right and wrong. Harry saw what a dysfunctional family looked like. He could appreciate the good relationships is later began to make. They also taught him the social norms of the muggle world that came in handy later. Muggle studies is a class at Hogwarts for a reason. Most importantly, he didn’t develop a big head. He went to Hogwarts as a humble person and that helped him the most because he could blend in and stay in the background as well as he could.
·      11:58 Harry and Petunia are family. This is commonly overlooked. We know this very well of course, but it’s something that we don’t think about. Petunia knew Lily very well and Harry values having someone like that close. Harry is the closest thing to Lily that Petunia has left and as cold as they might be to each other, they are still family. Petunia might feel guilty about leaving Lily because they didn’t get along and she hated James, so Harry is a way to make up for it.
·      17:04 They parted as equals. For a long time, the Dursleys have been the enemy and Harry has dreaded returning every summer. By the seventh book and they’re saying goodbye, we realize that they had grown much closer. It is much harder to say goodbye to someone who you respect as an opponent than value as a friend. This is similar to the Tale of Three Brothers where the third brother took off his invisibility cloak at the end of his life and parted this life with Death as equals.
·      23:39 They protected him just like Lily and James would have done. They didn’t want to expose themselves and that was the motivation at the start, but as the story went on and they warmed up to each other, it also became about protecting Harry. Harry and the Dursleys grew closer than we or they realized.


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