Magical Theory, a Harry Potter podcast

Turn to Page 152, The Woes of Mrs. Weasley. Today’s lesson is called Everyone In The Family The chapter begins with the aftermath of the trial. Harry is shocked, Dumbledore has fled, and the Wizengamot ignore Harry and Mr. Weasley (with a couple exceptions). Malloy and a fudge are seen talking together. The entire Order is relieved by a result they claim was a certainty. Hogwarts lists arrive, with a new book for Defense Against the Dark Arts, a post that was apparently difficult to fill. Ron is named Gryffindor prefect, as is Hermione, leaving Harry feeling odd. Sirius is gloomy as the calendar flips to Hogwarts, Moody gives Harry an old photo of the Order, and Harry finds Mrs. Weasley sobbing over the dead bodies of her children and Arthur - the forms of her Boggart and deepest fear.

Turn to Page 137, The Hearing. Today’s lesson is called Three Hours Early The chapter begins with Harry entering the courtroom and recognizing it from the Pensieve. The Wizengamot comes to order and Harry recognizes Percy, who makes no indication back. Dumbledore arrives in the nick of time, but also avoids Harry’s attention. Amelia Bones leads the questioning of Harry, who recounts the attack. Dumbledore brings in Mrs. Figg to corroborate. Tensions escalate between Dumbledore and Fudge regarding why there were two dementors in Little Whinging. Harry is acquitted by a majority and cleared of all charges.

Turn to Page 121, The Ministry of Magic. Today’s lesson is called Anxiety The chapter begins with Harry waking early but fully. He barely touches breakfast as Lupin and Mr. And Mrs. Weasley listen to Tonks tell of her night shift fatigue. They reassure Harry that Madam Amelia Bones will give him a fair hearing. Harry joins Mr. Weasley on his way to work. They take the Underground then the visitor’s entrance to the Ministry. Harry is taking in his surroundings without emotion. Perkins arrives to tell Arthur that Harry’s hearing has had a time and location change. It’s now in Courtroom Ten by the Department of Mysteries, five minutes ago.

Turn to Page 98, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Today’s lesson is called The War at Home The chapter begins with the kids going to bed after the revelation of Voldemort’s seeking a weapon. In the morning, they join Molly and Sirius in battling a Doxy infestation. Harry meets Kreacher, the Black family house-elf and Sirius and Harry ponder the Black family tapestry. Sirius bemoans the fact he is stuck in this house that he hates. Finally, Harry learns that Dumbledore came through last night without stopping in to see Harry.

Turn to Page 79, The Order of the Phoenix. Today’s lesson is called Lost Innocence The chapter begins with Sirius telling Harry about his family home and predicament. Molly makes a stew, the twins make a mess, and Tonks makes faces. After dinner, Sirius prompts Harry to ask about the Order and the wizarding world. Molly defends her position that Harry is too young, but is overruled by other Order members. Harry learns about Dumbledore’s trouble, Voldemort’s silence, and ultimately the suspicion that Voldemort is after a weapon he didn’t have in the last war, but Molly puts her foot down before Harry learns details.

Turn to Page 59, Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Today’s lesson is called I’ve Had It Worse The chapter starts with Harry entering a newly appeared door and building, under the advice to be quiet and not wander. Molly Weasley emerges and beckons the advance guard into a meeting while directing Harry upstairs. Hermione and Ron are elated to see their friend, but Harry is sour with their withholding from him and eventually that boils over to angered yelling. Fred and George arrive with extendable ears and Ginny stops in to see Harry as well. Apparently Dumbledore has organized the Order of the Phoenix, and while the underaged witches and wizards aren’t allowed, Bill and Charlie have joined. Meanwhile, Percy has had a falling out. The chapter ends with Harry being greeted by a screaming portrait and then a welcome face, his godfather Sirius.

Turn to Page 42, The Advance Guard. Today’s lesson is called Best Kept Lawn Winners! The chapter begins with Harry writing three identical letters and sending Hedwig to deliver them. The Dursleys leave the house, and others enter. Lupin and real Moody lead a pack of witches and wizards to gather Harry and accompany him by broomstick to an unknown location. Once they arrive, Harry is given a bit of parchment declaring he is at the Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix.

Turn to Page 20, A Peck of Owls. Today’s lesson is called Petunia is the muggle Snape The chapter begins with Mrs Figg revealing what she knows, as a squib, including her communication with Dumbledore. Mundungus returns and goes to tell Dumbledore. Harry lugs Dudley into their house and Petunia and Vernon go insane. Letters from the ministry arrive to label Harry a criminal. Petunia pulls a fact about Dementors out of nowhere. Sirius sends a letter telling Harry not to leave, but Vernon concludes he must and is in the process of kicking Harry out when Petunia gets a Howler, and declares Harry must stay.

Turn to Page 1, Dudley Demented. Today’s lesson is called 0 to 100 The chapter begins with a bespectacled boy in the garden. Harry is listening to the news for any inkling of Voldemort's activity. His friends are vague and withholding in their letters, but the news day-after-day, holds nothing. A loud disapparating-esque sound causes Harry to start, and then his aunt and uncle to freak out. Harry trudges off, eventually encountering his cousin Dudley, and then, shockingly, two dementors - that attack him and Dudley. Harry barely fends them off and saves his cousin before Mrs. Figg finds him.

Turn to Page 716, The Beginning. Today’s lesson is called Truth & Honor The chapter begins with Harry in a blur of pain and memory, taking small solace in being alone with Hermione and Ron. Hagrid gets Harry to smile for the first time since the Graveyard. He shares with the trio his expectation that Voldemort would return and his readiness to fight. Karkaroff and Bagman are both fled to parts unknown. At the final feast, Dumbledore honors Cedric and Harry by telling the school the truth: that Voldemort killed Cedric, that he was back and powerful, and that Harry fought him. On the train home, Hermione reveals she captured Rita Skeeter, an unregistered animagus. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle enter to bully, but get wrecked by jinxes and hexes from many sources. Fred and George reveal that Bagman fled over his debts and that he had swindled them out of their winnings at the Quidditch World Cup. Harry decides to give them his winnings from the Tournament.

Turn to Page 692, The Parting of the Ways. Today’s lesson is called Freakin’ Fudge The chapter begins with Dumbledore processing Barty Crouch Jr.’s confession. He dispenses new tasks to Snape and McGonagall, and requests Harry to come to his office. There, they meet Sirius, and Harry recounts his experiences in the graveyard, with some difficulty. Dumbledore is stoic except for when Harry mentions Voldemort using Harry’s blood for the potion. Harry sees his friends and the Weasley crew, but Dumbledore requests they let Harry rest. Harry is awoken by shouting, and Dumbledore returns to learn that Fudge administered the Dementor’s Kiss to Crouch, preventing him from future testimony. Dumbledore tells Fudge that Voldemort is back, Fudge discredits Harry based on Rita’s writings, and Fudge departs on bad terms after leaving Harry’s winnings. Sirius is revealed to the fledgling Order, Bill hurries to help his father recruit at the ministry, Sirius rushes to reconnect with other allies, and Snape is given a secret

Turn to Page 670, Veritaserum. Today’s lesson is called Nothing But The Truth The chapter begins with Harry traveling by Portkey, with Cup and Cedric in hand. He keeps his eyes shut as he lands, and people begin talking near him, and to him, and about him. The news that Cedric is dead passes through the crowd and Dumbledore attempts to survey the situation. Fudge is panicked. Moody removes Harry from the crowd. In Moody’s office, Harry answers the old auror’s questions about his experience that night. Harry recounts some: the cup portkey, the graveyard, the restoration of Voldemort’s body, their duel, priori incantatem, and the revelation that a Death Eater was at Hogwarts. Moody reveals himself to be the Death Eater, who put Harry’s name in the Goblet of Fire, and helped him directly and indirectly to succeed at the tasks. Tonight, he stunned Fleur and Imperiused Krum to attack Cedric. He declares his intention to kill Harry but as he raises his wand, Dumbledore’s stunning spell crashes through the door and

Turn to Page 659, Priori Incantatem. Today’s lesson is called The Past is Never Far Away The chapter begins with  Harry receiving his wand from Wormtail so that he can properly duel Voldemort. Voldemort makes Harry bow and then leads with Cruciatus. He asks Harry if he wants the pain again, and when Harry doesn’t respond, Voldemort uses the Imperius Curse. Harry resists and breaks the spell, jumping behind a gravestone. Voldemort promises to end it and kill Harry, and Harry decides to face him head-on. He spins out from behind the headstone and casts Expelliarmus, which meets Voldemort's killing curse in the air. The spells lock and an epic experience follows. Harry sees small beads of light riding the connection between their wands, and focuses on pushing the beads to Voldemort's wand. They release shades of Voldemort’s spells: Wormtail’s new hand, then Cedric, then Frank Bryce and Bertha Jorkins, and finally, Lily and James Potter. They comfort him and share a plan, then rush toward Voldemort and the D

Turn to Page 644, The Death Eaters. Today’s lesson is called Old Habits The chapter begins with Voldemort. He taunts Wormtail and pretends that he will heal Wormtail's missing hand, but instead he calls forth his Death Eaters using the Dark Mark tattoo. Voldemort pontificates aloud about their loyalty and their fear. When they arrive, he taunts them with a recounting of his downfall and his despair, and his expectations that they prove themselves. Voldemort also shares parts of his plan and how Wormtail and Nagini helped him gain enough strength to execute tonight’s finale. Harry listens closely. Voldemort gives Wormtail a new hand. Finally, attention turns to Harry, and Voldemort releases him and insists he be given his wand. LINKS https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/how-the-dark-mark-affected-harry-potter-characters Hogwarts Legacy State of Play - Official Gameplay Reveal 4K: https://youtu.be/aOx7D1PSt9A Hogwarts Legacy – Official 4K Reveal Trailer: https://youtu.be/BsC-Rl9GYy0

Turn to Page 636, Flesh, Blood, and Bone. Today’s lesson is called RIP Cedric The chapter begins with Harry and Cedric emerging from the portkey into a graveyard. A figure carrying something enters and Harry is incapacitated by pain, while a disembodied voice says “Kill the spare.” An Avada Kedavra spell kills Cedric, and Harry recognizes Wormtail, who ties him up and proceeds to complete a ritual into a large cauldron. It involved a bone from the grave of Tom Riddle, Wormtail’s hand, and Harry’s blood, but at the end - Lord Voldemort is back. Music: Pooka by Kevin MacLeod LINKS: Hogwarts Legacy State of Play - Official Gameplay Reveal 4K: https://youtu.be/aOx7D1PSt9A Hogwarts Legacy – Official 4K Reveal Trailer: https://youtu.be/BsC-Rl9GYy0 https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/health-hazards-herbology #MagicalTheory #HarryPotter #podcast #WizardPhD ✨Like the podcast? BECOME A PATRON: https://patreon.com/wizardphd Want a one-time gift instead? Contribute here and buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/wi

Turn to Page 605, The Third Task. Today’s lesson is called Riddles in the Dark The chapter begins with Harry recounting his experiences in Dumbledore’s office with Hermione and Ron. They lose a night of training, but resume with the Impediment Curse and the shield charm, in preparation for the third task. Rita Skeeter writes another piece of nonsense about Harry and Hermione has a potential breakthrough about how Rita gets her information. Later, Mrs. Weasley and Bill come to Hogwarts to support Harry. Fudge will take Barty Crouch’s place as a judge. And Ludo Bagman announces the third task. The champions enter the maze, Harry encounters Spiders, Skrewts, Sphinxes, a strange mist, and worst of all - a deranged Krum. Harry and Cedric help each other throughout, and agree to take the cup at the same time, to cause a tie. Music: Pooka by Kevin MacLeod LINKS Hogwarts Legacy State of Play - Official Gameplay Reveal 4K: https://youtu.be/aOx7D1PSt9A Hogwarts Legacy – Official 4K Reveal Trailer: https://youtu.be/B

Turn to Page 581, The Pensieve. Today’s lesson is called Curiosity The chapter begins with Dumbledore asking Harry to wait in his office while he and Fudge survey the area of Mr. Crouch’s disappearance. Harry greets Fawkes and gazes around the office before spotting glittering lights. He inspects this interesting thing until eventually falling into what he determines is a memory - similar to how he fell into Tom Riddle’s diary. He sees a large judicial room and watches different sessions of interrogation. First, Karkaroff offers names to the committee in return for leniency. Most of his offerings were not valuable - though Snape was among them, and defended publicly by Dumbledore, but Augustus Rookwood of the Department of Mysteries seems like actionable new evidence. Next comes Ludo Bagman, sometime later, accused of sharing information with Rookwood - but he claims it was just an accident. These hearings are overseen by a determined, and maybe zealotous, Barty Crouch, with Dumbledore and Moody in attendance

Turn to Page 564, The Dream. Today’s lesson is called Or The Dreamer The chapter begins with our trio recapitulating the madness of Mr. Crouch. Theories soar, but nothing sticks. Sirius replies with god-parental panic and caution. The trio has an awkward run-in with the twins, who seem to have stressors of their own, but both groups are tight-lipped. In Divination, Harry falls asleep and has a lucid dream of Voldemort scolding Wormtail but declaring his mistake cleaned up because a person was dead. When he awakes, he finds an extremely interested Trelawney, but insists instead that he simply has a headache. He excuses himself from the class, but instead of seeing Madam Pomfrey, he goes to Dumbledore’s office. He manages to guess the password, and overhears Dumbledore talking with Fudge until Moody interrupts them with acknowledgement of Harry’s presence. Music: Pooka by Kevin MacLeod LINKS Hogwarts Legacy FAQs: https://www.hogwartslegacy.com/en-us/faq Hogwarts Legacy State of Play - Official Gameplay Revea

Turn to Page 535, The Madness of Mr. Crouch. Today’s lesson is called Who Knows What? The chapter begins with our trio going to the kitchens. Dobby welcomes them with open arms and gets his new socks, but Winky is drunk in the corner. She is nearly incoherent, but when Harry brings up Mr. Crouch, Winky declares that he needs her to help to keep his secret. Hermione receives hate mail after the Witch Weekly article, and is determined to figure out how Rita Skeeter is spying on them without being seen. She eliminates the use of an invisibility cloak after asking Professor Moody. The champions are led down to the sight of the third task, which will be a gigantic maze filled with beasts, spells, and other obstacles. Krum asks Harry to hang back, and interrogates Harry’s relationship with Hermione. As they talk, a delirious Barty Crouch Sr. emerges from the woods, stumbling and asking for Dumbledore. Harry leaves Crouch with Krum and hustles to Dumbledore’s office. By the time they return, Krum is unconscious and

Turn to Page 509, Padfoot Returns. Today’s lesson is called The Paw Patrol The chapter begins with Harry relieved that Ron could share in the glory of the second task. A note from Sirius implies he will be coming back to Hogwarts to see Harry. In potions class, the Slytherins still hate on Harry, but Pansy also turns her attention to Hermione, showing her an exclusive by Rita Skeeter in Witch Weekly about Hermione loving Harry and Krum, including details that cause Hermione pause. Karkaroff comes to talk to Snape during class, and reveals something on his arm, while Snape tries to dismiss him. At Hogsmeade, the trio go to a secluded spot to find Padfoot. They and Sirius discuss all the developments and odd-happenings, trying to figure out what is behind all of it, and how to protect Harry. Music: Pooka by Kevin MacLeod LINKS https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/web-how-do-you-become-animagus https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/everything-you-didnt-know-about-animagi https://www.wizardingworld.com/