MuggleCast: the Harry Potter podcast

* We're live from Andrew's living room in Chicago! * The new WizardingWorld.com website (sort of) goes live and we get our official passports! * Question is… what do we do with them? * Wizarding World Gold: what is it and how much is it going to cost fans? * Following Crimes of Grindelwald and a Fantastic Beasts 3 delay, is this news breaking at the wrong time? * What benefits would we like to see from a premium Wizarding World service? * Muggle Mail covers where people listen, politics, The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore, security at Hogwarts and "good" Horcruxes * Why did Voldemort put so little protection around his other Horcruxes? * Did Dumbledore experience a "surge" before his inevitable fate on the Lightening-Struck Tower? * Why didn't we talk more about the fact that Draco was crying when Harry found him in the bathroom? * Did Snape create Sectumsempra for James Potter and Sirius Black? * Quizzitch: Where do Harry and Dumbledore apparate to upon their return from The Cave? * We're off next week! * Bonus MuggleCast (available on Patreon): What if… Dumbledore had told Harry the truth about Snape in that moment of hesitation? * This week's episode is brought to you by Scentbird (visit Scentbird.com/MuggleCast and use code MUGGLECAST for perfume or cologne for $7.50!) and ThirdLove (visit ThirdLove.com/MuggleCast for 15% off your first purchase!)

* Welcome Slug Club member Natalie! * News: we get our first look at animatronic Hagrid and discuss the changes coming to Pottermore! * Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Chapter 26, The Cave * 7-Word Summary: Together they enter the mysterious boat ride * The perfect breaststroke: what do we make of Dumbledore's new-found agility? Is it pure adrenaline? His eagerness to find the Horcrux? * Next level magic: it leaves traces and can be felt! Might J.K. Rowling explain this further in the Fantastic Beasts series? * Why does this Horcrux have the highest level of protection? Is it because it once belonged to Voldemort's mother?   * Has Voldemort visited the cave since he placed the Horcrux here?  * Why is Harry's blood more valuable upon entering the cave but not for exiting? * The simple approach: even in the most dangerous of situations, Dumbledore is still teaching Harry * Is it possible that because part of Voldemort resides within Harry, that the magic within the cave is mistaking him for Voldemort? * Magical weight vs. human weight and how Voldemort's tends to overlook those he considers to be "less than himself" * Does Dumbledore's reaction to the bodies in the lake reflect the fact that he's resigned himself to his fate? * What do we think Dumbledore is seeing when he drinks the potion? We recall we didn't have the context of Ariana when we first theorized about this in 2005! * Dumbledore's Ring of Fire: what spell does he cast to ward off the Inferi? * Despite her absence Laura does an amazing job Connecting The Threads (and planning the discussion)! * The hosts reveal their Horcrux Hidey Hole, MVPs of the Week and Rename The Chapter! * Quizzitch: Which Death Eater calls Dumbledore "Dumby"?  * We've finally got @mugglecast on Instagram! Thanks for the help, Amy and Amanda! * This week's episode is sponsored by AWAY. Get $20 off a suitcase by going to AwayTravel.com/mugglecast20 and using promo code MUGGLECAST20.

* For the first time in five years, J.K. Rowling stays quiet on the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts * Fantastic Beasts 3 filming is delayed until 2021! How will this impact the fandom? Will people lose interest in the series? * This Week in MuggleCast History returns! * Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Chapter 25 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Seer Overheard * 7-Word Summary: Harry discovers who listened to the prophecy * Harry and Ginny: why did Rowling gloss over some of the happiest moments of Harry's life? * Hermione begins to unravel the identity of the Half-Blood Prince... and Harry "just knows" it isn't a woman! Is he being sexist? * Why is Harry still so defensive of the Half-Blood Prince? Truth is, we've seen him behave this way before! * The Room of Requirement: easier to access than previously thought - you just need to be drunk! * Why has Dumbledore been so reluctant to see Trelawney lately? * Harry learns Snape was the one who overheard the prophecy! Would Dumbledore have ever told him? * What does it say about Snape's character that despite playing a role in Harry's father's death, he still continues to insult James? * Is Albus and Aberforth's relationship as contentious as we're led to believe in Deathly Hallows? * Lax security: is there any reason to think the school will be safe with Harry and Dumbledore headed to The Cave? * The hosts Rename The Chapter and give their MVPs of the Week * Quizzitch: What is the first spell Harry casts at the Inferi? * Bonus MuggleCast (available on Patreon): what if Hermione had discovered the identity of the Half-Blood Prince in this chapter? Would it have been too much for Harry to deal with?

* Which character, if any, will JKR pay tribute to on May 2? * MuggleMail covers the power of love, Felix Felicis and interesting listening locations * Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Chapter 24 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Sectumsempra * 7-Word Summary: Harry almost gets discovered by Snape bathroom * Breakup Central: Ron and Lavender and Dean and Ginny are splitsville! * Charms Class and Quidditch: we reflect on how Harry's time at Hogwarts is coming to an end * Katie Bell has finally returned and Harry remains convinced Draco was behind her attack * Harry is hung up on Felix Felicis and Hermione draws an interesting conclusion about the effects on the potion * Ravenclaws and Gryffindors: how Quidditch championship matches bring out their wild side! * Let's go to the bathroom… because it's where all the important shi*t happens in the Potter series * Sectumsempra: Why would Harry use a spell on Draco when he has no clue of its effect? * Why doesn't Harry argue that he was defending himself against an Unforgivable Curse? * Was Snape also keeping tabs on Draco? Was Moaning Myrtle assisting him? * Should a professor be able to use Legilimency on a student to find out the truth? * Does Harry's punishment fit the crime? Shouldn't it have been more severe? * The Room of Requirement: we get brief glimpses of the Vanishing Cabinet and the Diadem Horcrux * The Half-Blood Prince's book has done a lot of good for Harry and he lets Hermione know it! * Ginny rushes to Harry's defense and SLAMS Hermione not once, but twice! * Snape detention has an interesting twist to it!The hosts believe it's important that Gryffindor wins the Quidditch Cup without Harry * Harry and Ginny: did it feel rushed? Forced? Or about damn time?!?! * We Rename The Chapter and give our MVPs of the Week! * Quizzitch: What unlikely companion does Harry find outside the Room of Requirement? * This week's episode is brought to you by OpenFit! Text MuggleCast to 303030 to receive full access to all the workouts and nutrition info for a month! * In Bonus MuggleCast, available exclusively on Patreon, we discuss what would have happened if Draco had died as a result of the Sectumsempra attack! [podcoin]

* Universal reveals the beasts we can expect to see on Hagrid's motorbike adventure including one never seen in the films! * We take voicemails in defense of Slughorn, on the Room of Requirement, Harry's daydreaming and Hufflepuffs ability to find things * Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Chapter 23 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Horcruxes * 7-Word Summary: Secrets are discovered inside the Slughorn office * Compromised security: what's up with the Fat Lady denying Harry entrance to Gryffindor Tower? Could Felix have still been at work? * Dumbledore is initially shocked that Harry has acquired the memory. Did he really think Harry could do it? * Do we actually know where Tom first learned about Horcruxes? * We contrast Tom and Harry's approach to extracting information from Slughorn * Wizards of a certain caliber have always been drawn to Horcruxes... really?!?! Like who? * We learn Dumbledore is particularly fierce about Horcruxes. Why is that? Could Grindelwald have made one? * Horcrux Breakdown: the diary, the ring, the locket, the cup, Nagini and something of either Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's * Did part of Dumbledore's prophecy explanation reveal that Harry is a Horcrux? * Can Voldemort feel when one of his Horcruxes is destroyed? Not in the books, but it works in the films! * Does Dumbledore's rant about tyrants creating self-fulfilling prophecies mean even more now that we know more about Grindelwald? * The hosts rename the chapter and give their MVPs * Quizzitch: How long does it take to make Felix Felicis? * In celebration of recording on 4/20, we offer thoughts on which characters in the wizarding world like the ganga!