Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we discuss episodes four and five of season three, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. After Sirius Black's break in, the air in the castle in intense. Harry plays a quidditch match against Hufflepuff where he sees dementors and the Grimm. He gets the Marauder's map and goes to Hogsmeade where he learns the truth about Sirius. Episode five follows the Marauders at Hogwarts. We watch their relationships grow and develop, and how they go off into the world. We spend the last few minutes from Peter Pettigrew's point of view as he betrays James and Lily. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· 1:35 Quick recap and the tense atmosphere at Hogwarts. After Sirius broke into Hogwarts, the air in the castle is tense. There’s no telling where Sirius could be now, and the illusion of Hogwarts’ safety is broken. Snape teaches DADA in Lupin’s absence, his first lesson being werewolves. How interesting…

· 18:07 Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff. This is the most intense quidditch match to date. Harry and Cedric are battling for the snitch through the impossible storm and cold. Eventually, Harry sees the great Grimm appear in the clouds, and then the dementors flying through the air. He falls from his broom and the screen fades to black.

· 32:34 Harry recovers in the hospital wing. He slowly comes to with his team all around him. They bring him the remains of his Nimbus 2000. Lupin is his final visitor. Lupin offers Harry lessons to defend himself against dementors, who agrees.

· 34:45 The Three Broomsticks. Harry gets the Marauder’s Map from Fred and George, and he immediately uses it to get into Hogsmeade. He overhears a conversation in the Three Broomsticks where he finds out that it was Sirius who betrayed his parents and got them killed. Harry returns to the castle furious, devastated, and confused. The episode ends with Hagrid telling the trio that Buckbeak has been set for trial. The last shot is Harry staring at the Map in his bed, reflecting on the awful day he has had.

· 38:38 We open episode five with James Potter walking through the Hogwarts grounds. The first half of this episode should be spent with James, Sirius, Lupin, Peter, Lily, and Snape. They have a complex series of relationships that make a huge difference for the story to come.

· 44:50 They all go off and live their happy lives. We see everyone go off and continue being great friends. However, the whispers of Voldemort are spreading, and soon the conflict arises. We’ll take a closer look at the first war in later seasons, but we will visit the wreckage of the Potter’s house yet again in this season. Instead of following Sirius afterward, we follow Peter and his guilt. We end this episode with Sirius and Peter’s confrontation from Peter’s POV.

ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.com
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Harry explores Diagon Alley after escaping from 4 Privet Drive. He learns that Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban to find him, but he hopes that Dumbledore will keep him safe at Hogwarts. The trio meets a dementor for the first time on the Hogwarts Express, and Professor R. J. Lupin is there to help them. They go through the first few classes of their time at Hogwarts, and episode three ends with Sirius Black's break in to Hogwarts. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· 2:22 Quick recap and Harry in Diagon Alley. He gets to explore a little bit and we get to go along for the ride. He spends a lot of time admiring the Firebolt. Ron and Hermione arrive after a while and they all go around buying their books and supplies. The night before they leave for King’s Cross, Harry hears Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking about Sirius Black’s true goal being to find Harry.

· 17:53 Off to Hogwarts! They get Ministry cars from the Leaky Cauldron to King’s Cross. On the platform, Mr. Weasley takes a confused Harry aside to tell him not to go looking for Sirius Black. On the train, they have their first terrifying encounter with a dementor. They arrive at Hogwarts and the episode ends with the welcome feast.

· 32:36 Episode three begins with divination class. We learn about the wild predictions of Professor Trelawny, and then McGonagall dispels them. We have our hippogriff class with Hagrid, then off to the bogart. Lupin jumps in front of Harry when his time comes to face it, and Harry asks Lupin about it later. This episode ends with Sirius Black’s first entrance into Hogwarts, the Gryffindor dormitory door slams shut, and the castle is in chaos.

ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.com
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, we discuss the first episode of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third season of Tea Leaves. We meet Sirius Black, and follow Harry through the beginning stages of his story at Privet Drive. He takes the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron and meets Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

· 2:01 Set up some goals for the season. 1) Introduce Death Eaters. 2) Explore the Marauders as a means to Harry’s past. 3) Deepen Snape’s character.

· 10:26 We open this season at night. The leaves are orange and yellow, and Sirius Black walks through the wrecked Potter house. He sees his friends dead and realizes that he must now go on without them. Hagrid arrives and takes Harry away. We then see

· 18:22 Now we see Harry. He’s doing homework in his bed like in the film. We see him living at Privet Drive, following the Dursleys’ orders and just being all around miserable. His Hogwarts letter arrives with his Hogsmeade permission form, and he strikes a deal with Mr. Dursley. Aunt Marge is coming to visit so if he can behave for her, Mr. Dursley will sign his form. It’s game on when Aunt Marge arrives. What a beloved member of their family! Harry cannot believe that he will have to put up with her for so long. The very last night, she pokes and prods about Harry’s parents. She seems to be simply inflating in her rampage, and soon she begins to float above the table. Mr. Dursley tries to hold her down, but it’s no use.

· 28:30 In a huff, Harry storms out of the house. He goes a few blocks away. He sees the Grim in the bushes and stumbles backward, accidentally calling the Knight Bus. It takes him to the Leaky Cauldron where he meets Fudge, not the expel him but to make sure he’s safe. Harry retires to his room at the Leaky Cauldron and reflects on the crazy day he’s had. He goes to sleep with thoughts of Sirius Black, Azkaban, and great black dogs swirling through his head.

ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.com
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

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.

ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.com
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

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…

ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.com
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

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.

ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.com
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

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?

ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.com
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Send us Fan Mail

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.

ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.com
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox