Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, Dementors, and the escaped mass murderer SIRIUS BLACK! | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (S3 E 2+3)

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. 

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the potter discussion. Welcome back to the potter discussion, discussing the Harry Potter books, films, TV show, and the wizard world fandom. I'm your host, Oscar, and this is episode 335. Thank you everybody for joining me today on this lovely day. It is, of course, one of my greatest honors in life to be recording with you all today. I am so excited to be continuing season three. And as promised, as these seasons are getting longer, as these stories are getting thicker, we have to start doubling up. So today we are going to be uh analyzing episodes two and three. Some fun stuff is gonna happen in this episode. Uh, the uh some a few key scenes that I've been waiting for for a long time. So I'm super excited to write these episodes with you. This is, of course, Tea Leaves, our series where we are making our version of the Harry Potter TV show. If this is your first episode with us, if this is your hundredth episode with us, whatever it is, I certainly hope you'll stick around because there are gonna be some amazing things that we discuss in this episode. So I am super excited to do that. Before we do, there are two bits of TV show news I want to share with you. One of which is that the actor who portrays Ginny, Gracie Cochran, revealed that she would not be returning for season two due to unforeseen circumstances. This news came out a few weeks ago, but I wanted to let it sit, see if anything else surrounding that issue came out. But it seems like that is the case. So unfortunately, Gracie Cochran, uh, who we didn't really get to know all too well, uh, she is already out the door. And I I'm sorry, this that's uh very tough. I hope everything is is is okay with her. I hope the unforeseen circumstances are nothing uh unmanageable. So I'm wishing her the best of luck, and it is too bad that we are already seeing that. But that's that's just how it is, you know. There's uh a lot of actors, it's bound to be challenges. Uh so that that is uh too bad. But there was also an uh announcements, that's uh the second announcement is that they are already casting for season two, specifically Colin Cravey is already being cast, so there are definitely uh the season two is in the works. We know that for sure, and it's very exciting to hear about these little beats and pieces that it is for sure coming our way. So just a few little tidbits I want to share with you, but uh that is everything I have for you before we begin. So without further ado, let's get into today's episode.

Quick recap and Harry in Diagon Alley

SPEAKER_00 2:22

As always, we must begin with a quick recap of the last episode, episode 334, season three, episode one. So this was the very first episode. We set our goals for the season, and then we opened on the wreckage of the Potter's house. We saw Sirius Black going through it, then Hagrid arrives and took Harry away. Sirius went through his life, and then you know, we had the whole chase of Peter Pettigrew, he cast the curse, and then got taken to Azkaban. Uh, and then we have after that we open on Harry, we see him reading in bed, you know, doing his doing his homework, and then we have the whole Anne Marge. He has to sit through her, you know, picking and prodding. Then eventually he just le he he loses it, he explodes, and so does Anne Marge. She uh expands and flies away. Harry storms out of the house and sees a great black dog staring him down, which sends a shiver down his spine, he trips and falls, throws out his arm, calls an iPus, which takes him to the leaky cauldron where he meets Cornelius Fudge, who says, Don't worry, don't worry, my man, you're all good. People, this happens all the time, don't worry, but also never, ever, ever, ever, ever leave. So there's definitely something going on there, but we don't really know what's going on yet. Uh, but we also learn of Sirius Black, who's on the loose, and Harry is beginning to really worry about what is happening next. So he goes to sleep in his room in the leaky cauldron with all these thoughts swirling in his head. And that is where we open, and I want to say, quite a dark episode. Quite a dark episode last week. I want to make sure we, you know, we open this on a nice light note. So the opening of this episode is gonna be Harry and join Daigon Alley. He has, you know, Fudge Fudge tells him he can't leave, uh, but he is absolutely allowed to explore, you know, the whole uh Daigon Alley. So I want to make sure that we have a nice little, you know, something that's not about Death Omens and, you know, him being expelled from Hogwarts. I think it's it's a nice refreshing, refreshing change. Uh and another so the the big thing I want to explore with this sequence is I want to explore Daigon Alley more because we've been there uh you know a few times at this point. This is our third time there, and it was very fun uh last season because we got to go to Nocturne Alley, and then we got we saw a little, you know, a different side to it there. But now Harry is literally exploring. That's like that's what he's doing. And I appreciate the way it's done in the books where we have it's kind of like in this montage style almost where Harry's like walking through, and we get, you know, he went here, he went there, and he spent a lot of time at Florian Fortescue, you know, the ice cream vendor who helped him with this history of magic homework. Like those little details, those are those are really cool. And it's that kind of, and I think we'll you'll see this trend in the next episode as well. I want to get into the rhythm, you know. I want to really see what the rhythm of the wizarding world is like. And I think that is that's especially meaningful with a place like Dogging Alley, which is not, you know, it's it's on Hogwarts, but it's still a you know a wizarding hub. So we're seeing kind of what the everyday life is like for wizards outside of a place that's like just for students. So I'm super excited to explore Dogging Alley, but of course the main event, you know, the the attraction that Harry just can't keep keep his eyes off of is the firebolt in quality quiddish supplies. The firebolt is being displayed. It seems every year there's a there's a new room, you know. There was it was the Nimbus 2000, then it was the Nimbus 2001, and now it's the Firebolt. And uh this is definitely important. It's funny to think how this is almost like a wand. You know, I was I was uh reflecting on that idea, especially with the you know, the firebolt's fate of uh spinning out of the passenger car back to Earth in the escape from four-perfect driving that athlete hollows. We've got that coming, but still, but you know, we haven't even gotten it yet, so we can't get too ahead of ourselves. But I I was it was thinking about that, how like you know, the wood matters, and there's all these different features, and it's like you choose one and it like it's different for everyone, and like some are better, some are but like it's it's all about finding the right one. Like that's kind of an interesting part of this. So I I do find that interesting. Uh so that that's pretty cool. But I want to make sure that Harry spends a lot of time looking at that fireball, and I'm very curious how the fireball's gonna be designed, uh, because we have, I mean, we have a pretty specific design for broomsticks um in the film. So I'm wondering if they're gonna deviate too far from that or what what what we're uh gonna see in there. So it's gonna be a fun time exploring Dagon Alley. I think there's there's you know twists and turns, and especially from the little uh hints we've seen in the Finding Hair documentary, which we made that whole episode about that a few weeks ago. That was a really cool dial, like it was a little mini documentary. You got a lot in the set. The set designers clearly have their work cut out for them, and Dagon Alley is no exception. We definitely got a solid peek at what it is like to live in Digon Alley. So I am really excited to see that. I think Harry has such a fun time, you know, for the few days he has exploring there. But of course, he's not alone for long because the next event, you know, the next thing that big uh that happens in episode two is Ron andy show up. And this is kind of their their reunion, you know, they haven't seen each other in a long time and they have a lot to discuss. So they go around Dagon Alley, they get their books, you know, they get all their stuff, they they uh begin to prepare for the upcoming year. I think it's interesting. Uh there are a few things I want the, you know, the the important things that I want to make sure we see are one, uh in the bookstore, I want to make sure we have uh, I mean, of course, the uh biting book. I think that's that's really important uh because Hagrid is the is the uh care of magical creatures professor this year, so I want to make sure we have the biting book. We see how the bookkeeper is so annoyed uh to give Ron and Hermione their books. Harry Har Harry already has his when he goes, so he's very, very happy to um have that. And of course he mentions I I do want to hear about the invisible books. I think that's an interesting one too. So anyway, working in a magical bookstore would be super fun. I mean, that guy seems to hate his job, but deep down I'm sure he loves it. I mean, I'm sure, you know, those those those biting books aren't too fun to deal with. But still, I'm sure he's uh he is a pretty good time. So that's a lot of fun. So run her mind to get there, get their biting books, and then of course they have to get their their divination books. That's a that's an important one too. And the important detail in this scene is I want to make sure Harry sees the book about death omens because he's beginning to, you know, he's he's he's beginning to reflect on all of this as things are beginning to kind of stir in the visiting world. He definitely senses that and he definitely sees that the grim, you know, this this huge black dog, and that's that's what catches his eye. He sees the grim on the cover and he thinks, gosh, like that's kind of scary. And I don't blame him, I don't blame him at all. And especially how we set up the Grim last episode, I mean huge, like just really terrifying. And I am so looking forward to seeing that adaptation on the screen for the TV show. But I think it's you know, it's it's these little moments that the Grim kind of comes alive again, and that's really when it's when it's really scary. And it's important, and we'll uh discuss this more in depth in the next episode. But fear is a really big theme for this whole season, really. Because I mean Dementors are all about fear, Grim, you know, bogarts, all like werewolves, like all these things that are just really scary, and these things that like literally are like the definition, like Dementors and Bogarts are literally the definition of fear. Like that's how that's how they exist. So it's important that we kind of get these ideas and really establish them early on. So I am looking forward to seeing Harry uh in Flourish and Vlots looking at the uh uh or you know, sorry, not uh, you know, looking at all these books, uh really getting an idea of what it is like to be a a uh target of a death omen. So super excited to see that. I think Ron and Hermione are gonna have a really great time exploring with him. But the bookstores out there only stop. They of course also have to go to uh the uh pet you know shop, the the uh magical emporium, and they have a a fun, fun trip there. Hermione really wants a pet, you know, so uh she she decides on the the small tiger that jumps down and attacks them. Ron is not a fan, and Scabbers is not a fan either, but Hermione still gets Crookshanks because she it feels so bad for him that he hasn't, you know, been been adopted. So uh she she takes pity on him and does it. So Crookshanks is now a part of the Granger family. Good luck, and of course, that causes that causes some serious tension between Ron and Hermione because uh Scabbers and Crookshanks do not get along. Is it a very much a uh oil and water relationship there? So we definitely that's definitely too bad. Uh they they definitely don't don't get along too well. So this is kind of the opening of of episode two. You know, I want to have something light, something that's not too, you know, uh, you know, heavy, because unfortunately, we are gonna get to that stuff pretty soon. So I am I am very hopeful that that is not gonna be the case uh for the beginning. You know, I don't want, of course, you know, we we can't escape it. You know, I I I I don't want to totally escape it. So with moments like Harry in the bookstore looking at the book of the death elements, he sees the grim, those are the moments that I am okay with because it's not like you know some crazy interaction he's having. Like it's it's not like already, you know, like how he saw the grim on, you know, a near near for Pirate Drive. That was intense. That was intense, and I don't want that kind of moment again because we already had it. And if the intensity stays the same for the whole season, it is, you know, it stays at nothing, you know. So I think it's important that we have kind of the ebbs and flows, but the occasional reminders, and that's what that scene at the bookstore is for. Harry sees the grim and almost gets like a whisper, like you know, you know that spell, uh, I'm I'm forgetting the the incantation in in this second, but uh how like you put like the wand tips together and you can see what one of the wands cast, like their their their their last spell. That's kind of what I'm imagining like this that that feeling is, you know. Like Harry sees the grim, and for a second he remembers, you know, that that alleyway, that that clump of bushes, the huge eyes looking at him like for just for a second. But he but then he's like pulled out. Like that's kind of that's that's the vibe I want to go with. So that is that is all to say. It is not gonna stay light-hearted for long because that night they have a huge feast, you know, they're all uh at the long table. So the the spirit of merriment continues, you know. I'm not jiving straight into the straight in into the darkness, but the motif of night is is is is coming for us, and it is nighttime now, and everyone's packing, and everyone's, you know, uh they hid a friend of George hid Percy's prefect badge, I think, or maybe his headboy badge. Um no, yeah, it it is his his head boy badge because they uh changed like the letters on like something like they they're they're they're playing pranks on him, so they're they're super mad. And then Ron is like freaking like everyone everyone it's the whole thing's just everything everyone's in a in a kerfuffle, like nothing's going right. Uh but Harry's packed, so Harry's just kind of watching. And then uh Ron says, I can't I can't find my my my rat tonic, you know. I just scabbers needs it, so Harry. I think I maybe left it in the bar. Could you go look? So Harry says, okay, you know, Harry obliges very, very graciously. Of course, Harry's finished packing, so he doesn't really mind. So he goes down, he finds Ron's rat tonic. It is on uh it's under one of the tables, as he says, but as he's walking back up, he hears Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking in their room. And this is kind of the first little peek into the year to come. So unfortunately, the the light-hearted atmosphere is not gonna last forever, and this is unfortunately kind of where this where this bubble pops because as Harry's listening, he is hearing some pretty disturbing things. Mr. and Mrs. Weasels are discussing serious black. They are talking about this mass murder that's on the loose, the danger that he poses to the students and to the people of the Wes inner world, it is a dangerous thing. And somehow Harry himself comes up. Harry is a topic of of of conversation. And Harry, you know, he he feels guilty about listening and he doesn't stay there forever, but he does hear his name, and that kind of glues him to the spot. Like almost almost involuntarily, he has to hear what they're saying. And I don't blame him. I mean, if you hear some people talking about you, like, of course you want to hear what they're saying, but especially for him, you know, when he is he knows deep down that he is the target of a lot of the goings-on of the Wizarding World. He is kind of the center of a lot of this turmoil. It is it is important for him to uh to know what's going on, and that is maybe a rather too noble justification for him for uh him to eavesdrop. I think he is still in the wrong, but uh it is his right to know, and of course Mr. Weasley does let him know that there is something going on later, which we will get to. But I think it is it is important that we first uh hear hear this conversation. So Mr. Weasley, uh Mr. and Mrs. Weasley discussed Sirius Black and how he's on the loose and how he is go he is he is trying to find Harry. I think it's important that we have all of that information out on the table because Harry has to realize that it is him who Sirius Black is looking for. We've had all this build-up, you know, the conversations with Stan Shenpike on the night bus and all these newspapers and fudge, you know, all these people saying like Sirius Black, this great mass murderer, is on the loose. Uh and you know, Harry, just like just out of curiosity, like, are you going like are you gonna stay in like they're being they're being pretty nonchalant about it, I'll give them that, but still it's not really coming close. So it's super, super, super important that Harry makes that connection now, because that tension is going to be palpable as Harry gets to Hogwarts. So Harry overhears us this this conversation, and he and he as he's walking away, he's considering he's trying to like reflect on that. And it's like he just can't catch a break. I mean, that's like that's kind of what I'm feeling. Like, he just can't catch a break. He's been he's been being dogged on, pun intended, all these all these few years, and now he just he just can't possibly escape it. So he's just like all these thoughts are just roiling in a tight. He couldn't possibly imagine what Sirius Black wants with him. I mean, it is just it is just impossible to believe. So I want to make that clear. And I mean it's gonna be hard, because again, one of the great things about reading this story is that we can hear their thoughts. We know what they're feeling. With Harry, we don't really know what he's feeling on screen. You know, we can of course we can we can surmise, but what because like what in a perfect world, what I want to understand looking at Harry is that he is just confused. He is confused and he is scared. Of course, we can convey that and we can guess. Like, if you were here, if you heard that a mass murderer is escaped to find you, I probably wouldn't be skipping down the down the hallway after hearing that. So I totally get it. But I do want to make sure that we see that that Harry is scared and confused, and there is something afoot. You know, there is something afoot, and he and he is the center of it yet again. So that is that is a very important detail that I want to make sure does not escape us. So this is quite the opening sequence. I am super, super excited to see how how this turns out. Uh and looking how long we are already going, this is gonna be a long episode. So I hope you're ready. Uh of course, you you have the whole thing already, so you can see how long uh it ended up being. But boy oh boy, am I excited to to to finish this out. So we have a lot more uh with this to discuss. So let's move on.

Off to Hogwarts!

SPEAKER_00 17:54

And now they're off to Hogwarts. So uh the ministry cars come and get them, and there are speci like there are a lot of them, and there are aurores, and they are like very it's very well put together. Harry's a little sus like a little suspicious about that, and this is where where we begin to kind of see like the whole Harry knows something, and they don't know that he knows it, and they Harry knows it too. So that whole kind of circle is is is is beginning now. So we have the ministry cars, they they they pack the ministry cars, they put all their stuff in, and they get in there, and they're as large as a park bench. I'm very fun uh to see. I I'm excited to see that how that appears on the little screen. So they drive to the to to King's Cross and they are very excited, they get out. I mean, a new year at Hogwarts. We're definitely kind of the the shroud of that night is is slowly fading. But like we had with the Grim, that little you know, we had the event, and then we had like a like a little reminder, a whisper, which is somehow even more terrifying than the actual thing. That's kind of what we have here. So there they they get to King's Cross, they go through the platform and they're on platform 93 Quarters. Look at that, they they have a little cafe, uh, which is uh new for the TV show. We see the uh all that, and it's a super, super cool little, you know, it's it's platform platform nine three quarters, so it's nothing not to love. So this they see the Hogwarts Express, they pay, they put all their stuff on, and then they get off. I don't like how the book did it, and I love how the film did it. So, what I'm talking about is Harry and Mr. Weasley, because of course Mr. Weasley has to warn Harry uh before he goes to Hogwarts, because what if Harry goes looking for for Sirius Black? I mean the risk is high. I don't like how the book did it, how you know Harry gets on the train and Mr. Weasley's like running and like it's like a whole like that's just like I don't really see the point in that. Because this should be a dark moment. This should be kind of like like with the Grim in the bookshop, this is a whisper of that conversation, which was a whisper or something else. Like, this is all just like Harry's beginning to see the trickles of something greater. And that's exactly what I what I want with with this. So uh Harry and Mr. Weezy, so Mr. Weezy pulls him aside on the platform and says, just like come over here, come over here. And I think there should be like a Sirius Black poster in the background, and I I like how the film did it with like they're like the lighting was very dark, like we couldn't really see their faces, but we could hear what they were talking about. Mr. Weasley says, Hey, Harry, look. You have to promise me do not go looking for Sirius Black. Do not and Harry Harry's kind of confused because why would he? Like, why would Harry ever do that? Mr. Weezy, why would I why would I go looking for him? And Mr. Weasley says just just don't like don't worry. Just don't worry about this. I just I I need to promise me, do not go looking for Sirius Black. And Harry says, Okay, okay, I won't. I won't. He is clearly confused, uh, and he is clearly uh he clearly knows more than uh but uh Mr. Weasley thinks. So I think as as the audience, uh we can we can guess why that is. So it's definitely important that we uh make that connection. So Mr. Weasley says, Alright, claps him on the back, says, Go on the train, have a good year, Harry. We'll see you soon. Uh Harry hops on the train and they are off. But they have to find a platform. So the train's chugging along, they leave the they they they leave the station, they get into the countryside, they have to find a uh a compartment, and they're all full except for one, with a man, an old man, not old, but not a student age man, sleeping in the carriage with his robes over his head, uh, and they the the trio walk in, and Hermione and Ron says, Who is that? And her Hermione says, Oh, that's Professor R.J. Lupin. And Ron's like, What? Uh but of course it's on his briefcase. That's that's an important moment. Uh we definitely in this episode got get some good banter from them. So they they get on the platform, uh, they get into their compartment, they sit down and they're a little confused because they don't want to wake him up. He's clearly sleeping, but still they they sit there and they're going through. And you know, it's it's they're just like living life. The the the trolley comes by and they are going through the countryside. It's it's beautiful, you know. I want I wanna I want to see the clear beauty of the English countryside. I think it's a very, very, very nice place. And of course, the uh uh that that bridge, it's like the Jacobite Bridge, something like that, uh, over uh in in in the Highlands. So, you know, we we get all that, we get the iconic shots. But this is I have been waiting, I've been waiting for this scene for so long. Because let me tell you, this like these few seconds coming up are some of my favorite seconds in the entire series. I mean, it is just it is just something else. Really, it is so it's raining, it's dark, it's cold, you know, they're they're definitely it's there's there's a storm outside, and they and they know it. And suddenly there's like a jolt. Like the train, like something happened, the the driver put on the brakes or something like that, you know, something something's going on. Uh and the uh train is beginning to slow down, and eventually it chugs, chugs, chugs to a stop. And the lights flicker and they go out, and suddenly it is dark. It is dark and it is cold, and and the train is stopped and the lights are out, and they just they just it's a little confusing. They don't really know what's going on. They can't really see all too well, and people start coming into their like Neville Neville walks into their compartments, she's like, What what's going on, guys? Like, what's what's what's going on? And then Ginny walks in, who is not Gracie Cochran, walks in, uh, and and and also sits down. So they're just kind of like, like, what what's go like what's happening? And it's clearly there's something going on, you know. And Ron uh I I love in the studio tour at at Levison. I I've been there a few times now. And one of my favorite parts of that tour is you can go on the Hogwarts Express and look at all the compartments from all the different years, and of course, the third year is the the the iconic water bottle on the on the table and the frozen window with the handprint. So that is, I mean, I wouldn't blame them if they didn't want to do that exactly, because you know, it's there's a fine line between doing exactly and making their own. So whatever it happens to be, but I do definitely want to have that moment where Ron is looking out the window and he can't really see what he's doing. He's still like, there's it's just there's someone getting on the train, like there's someone boarding. Like it's kind of a strange thing. Like, why like what's going on? Like, why is there someone getting on? And it's a little, you know, it's a little eerie. You know, they're like, who, well, who who is it? Like, who Ron, who is it? And Ron's Ron can't can't quite see, but uh frost, you know, frost is starting to creep across the window, freezing his hand, their breath is fogging. And whether it's a water bottle, whether it's something, whatever, like that, it it freezes on the on the counter. And this is definitely kind of a this this isn't a like a interesting, like scientifically. Let me tell you, I am no scientist at all. But to see water freeze that fast is kind of crazy. Like, that's kind of strange. So there's definitely something going on here. Um, and and this is kind of where and this is a great opportunity for for the filmmakers because the dementors, you know, I hate to spoil it, that is that's that's what's going on here. The the dementors are are death, they are cold, they are silence. That is important. The silence is very important. So if if I were the filmmaker, if I were making this this uh episode for real, what I would do is as the dementors, as you know, as the train is is screeching to a halt, like there should be some some noise, like the brakes, people kind of ruffling around, like chattering, there's like something, something going on like outside, like maybe maybe there's some music, and it's you know, but then like as they stop, like there's like the the music is still there, you can kind of hear hear their breath, you know, you can you can hear the cracking of the ice move across the window. But as the as the Dementor gets closer, I kind of want that to kind of like fade away. Like the conversations outside, they totally stop. Like the window just freezes up and it just becomes like so still. Inside the compartment, they are not, you know, they don't they don't say a word. And maybe you can just hear barely hear their ragged breath. Like they they are they are terrified that somet that's that something is coming. And of course, the the now we're really getting into it. The window of the compartment is fogged because it's super cold in there. And this like it's right here. This there is something about this moment that I just love. There is something that is just that is so terrifying about seeing that blurred outline of these like uh these the robes kind of uh creep into view and then like you just you begin to kind of see the size of it. Like they're they're they're floating almost like there's a wind, like like like they're like they're floating in water. There's these robes just kind of flow across the compartment. We see its huge head brushing the ceiling. It's like it's hunched, it can barely fit. It's this giant. You know, they can't they can't quite make it out. But we see it drifting drifting towards them, you know, drifting across, like it's not it's not looking at them. But then it kind of slowly turns its head towards their compartment door and raises its hand, and we can't see the hand all too clearly because again the window's fogged. But it but it but it gestures it it like love it, like I love the uh descriptions in the book, and I I can't quite recall if it's right now. I think it is later, uh, once we get to know them better. But I love the descriptions of like like the the the Dementor like lovingly pried his hands apart, like that. I very clearly remember that specifically. That's the imagery I want here, because it's like it's so like the the the juxtaposition there is so strong. So the the the the dementor raises its hand and kind of brushes in the air, and it's it's clearly using magic. The latch of the compartment opens and drifts open. And and and we can, you know, the door slides across and we see I love the shot of the when the that the green hand, like the greenish grey, just dead hand gr like reaches in and grabs the door and kind of kind of slate pulls itself into the compartment. So they are they I mean ever they are frozen. Like these kids are frozen. This this Dementor, it is towering, like the shadow is impossible. The whole compartment is filled with this, with with with with the shadow. The mentor looks around, you can hear. I I don't want the sound to be too loud, you know. I think that would kind of take us out of it, but we can clearly hear, like we hear, we hear the kids breathing, but there is like we clearly hear there's something else. Like the the breathing is not just them. Like they're it's rattling, it's just so cold. Like it's like it's even listening to its breath is like you could never be warm again. And it and it looks around and it just it just takes it in. It senses it's trying, of course, it's looking for serious black. We don't know that yet, but that is what it's looking for. And it and it finds Harry. And I mean, for some reason, it locks on to Harry, it feels his past, it feels his weight, and it sucks his soul. You know, we see his memory, we see his, you know, all this, like it latches onto him. And I'm I'm curious how they do this again. I think man, I don't even know. I love how it's done in the film. I think it works, but there's there's something just I don't know, something a little awkward about it. Like it's not, I mean, it's great, don't get me wrong, it's not supposed to be graceful, but there's just something that's not quite right. So the you know, the the um Dementor kind of you know begins to kind of draw these these memories out of Harry, and and and we, you know, we hear the screaming, we hear, we hear these, these memories kind of bubbling up, and it's getting dark, and it's getting dark, and it's getting dark, and eventually we kind of end in this in this horrible, horrible black screen and silence.

unknown 30:34

Oh man.

SPEAKER_00 30:35

I can't wait. I can't wait to see that sequence on on the screen. There's something so inescapable about the Dementors, and I just can't wait. Let me tell you, we gotta pick it up, because that is uh they arrive at Hogwarts and we end on the uh Okay, so okay, hold on, hold on, hold on. Before we get there, this this whole thing is going on. Lupin casts his cloak off, he he gets up, he has his wand, he casts his Patronus, and the last thing we see before that horrible black screen is is is this bright silver light shoot from his wand, hit the mentor, the mentor is is is flown backwards, and then uh we uh Harry is Harry then goes goes goes dark. So we see Lupin. Then when Harry wakes up, they're moving again. He's still he is he is cold, but the lights are on, the train's rattling, the rain has stopped, and Lupin says, Harry, you know, how are you feeling? Harry's cold. We kind of have their banter, Lupin gives him chocolate, begin to kind of begin to learn about Lupin's character, we kind of get to know him. So we're back to normal, kind of we're we're we're back to it, but it's just like it's just like the grim in the bookstore, you know, the whisper of the Dimentors, it just doesn't seem to quite leave him. Harry still feels warm, feels feels super cold. Uh and Lupin, he doesn't he doesn't eat the chocolate until Lupin comes back and says, you know, I didn't I haven't poisoned it, you know. And uh Harry takes a bite and immediately feels feels better. So then they get the Hogwarts, and then they have the the whole feast, and I won't go too in depth in that. I think we can we can deal with that later. So this is the end of episode two, and I know episode three, so the reason I put these two together is because episode two is heavy. Like there's a lot there. Episode three is not as heavy, so we we aren't gonna take as much time really diving deep into it, but it's still a very important episode. Don't don't get me wrong here. Uh so there you go. That is the end of episode two, but I know this is this is so strange. We are now going to move to episode three. So let's move

Episode three begins with divination class

SPEAKER_00 32:36

on. So we are now in episode three. It's kind of strange to be doing that in one podcast episode, but here we are. I'm glad we are fitting these both in. So we opened episode three in divination class, and I have such a clear image of we like the the screen opens up and it's fog. And this is man, I love this motif of just like the reminder, you know, like like a little tiny reminder that there's something else there. I want to open on fog, and we don't really know what it's for, like what's causing it. Like, and and I I want our first thought to be, is it a Dementor? Like, we just escaped, is it a Dementor? And then we kind of zoom out and we see it's a crystal ball. And then Trilani walks by and it's like, oh gosh. Because of course, Trilani is the most unserious person ever. Like, seeing her is is is really funny. So that is how how I want to open. And we are in Divination class, and this is the opening for episode three. So clearly they are so bored. It is like it is the worst, like where where they are. Um, and this is we have uh this is one of the first classes, and this is the tea leaves class. Ah man, what a it's so fun to start uh, you know, divination now because now we're doing now we're doing the namesake for for this series. So they are reading the tea leaves. How fun is that? That's that's exactly what what uh what what we've been doing for these past episodes as well. Harry and Ron are reading the tea leaves, uh, and they uh it is it is the funniest thing uh because Ron says like you're gonna like he sees a sun and then he sees like you know uh he sees a grave, he's a cross, and he's like, Well, you're gonna suffer, but you're gonna be happy about it, and there's a son, maybe you're gonna win some money. Great, you can you can lend me some. Uh it's like, oh gosh. It's it's just really funny how terrible they are at this. But I want that contrast because Trelani, you know, uh then well that Harrow, first of all, Harry's gonna go for Ron. Uh, and he's gonna say, like, oh, is that a bowler hat? Like, he doesn't really know what's going on. Uh, and then and then Ron's like, well, if you look at it like sideways and you kind of tilt your head, it could be like a sheep. And oh my gosh, Harry says, you've got to get your inner eye checked. I mean, it's just a really funny scene. But then Trilana comes over and looks at it, look look, uh, sees Harry's cup, and she and she sees it, and she reads it and says, Oh no, this like she's seeing these things, the club, trials, you know, you know, all she likes is seeing all these things, and then she sees she goes, Oh my gosh! Oh, she's she shouts, she cries out and hen and and drops Harry's cup because she has seen an omen. The worst omen, the omen of death. She has seen the grim in Harry's cup. And I want this this stuff to serve two functions. One, Trelawney is an idiot. Clearly, she does not know what's going on. Uh, and you know, this is before we really know her to be a true seer, occasionally, not clearly not now. But we see her that she is making these wild predictions, and we we should learn not to listen to her early on because I want to build that that uh credibility of clearly not knowing what the heck she's she she's doing. Uh, because then later, once we learn that she actually does, it kind of puts her into a different light. So that's that's the first function. The second is everyone else is kind of like, what? Like the grim? It's clear some people know what it is, some people don't, some people laugh, some people like immediately their eyes go wide, but Harry, like, Harry's heart sinks, and that's what I want to see on his face. Like, just kind of this this breath, like, oh my gosh, like I know what that is. Like, I like are you sure that's what you saw? That's kind of what what I want to see, Harry uh thinking, thinking through. So it's a pretty it's a pretty interesting uh scene, this this whole divination, but they have to go on because the divination is not their only one. So uh a quick side note before we move on to our next uh point is uh then they go to transfiguration class, and uh the whole class can't stop looking at at Harry. And Professor McGonagall says, you know, not not that it matters, but that's the first class that hasn't given me a round of applause, you know, and I I I do like how she points that out because it shows that she's a very fair person, so I I like that. I think she's uh doing some um any majus practice there. So she definitely wants uh to make sure to just see what's going on. Everyone keeps uh looking at Harry and she says, Oh, great, which which one of you's dying this year? Like clearly discrediting whatever Trelani says. So I want to make sure we uh have that clear. But they must go to go to the next class, and it's Hagrid. Oh, what a fun time this is. Hagrid is such a fun time. We know how this scene goes. I I don't think we have to spend too long on it. Harry, uh, Ron and Hermione, and uh, so of course they see that the Gryffindors are with the Slytherins, they're pretty bummed about that. But they all go out into the forest, and it's a nice day, you know. Maybe they've shed some of their robes, you know, the sun's shining, and Hagrid brings out the hippogriffs, and it's these beautiful, beautiful creatures, uh, but they're very proud. Hagrid warns them, of course, Malfo does not listen, he gets slashed by Buckbeak, uh, and he gets taken away, of course. But that is that is after Harry gets to run on Buckbeak, and this is uh an iconic moment for him, so definitely want to see that. See him flying through the air, see Buckbeak's talon, you know, drifting through the water. I think that's uh super cool. And I'm looking forward to the music here. Buckbeak's flight is a cue. That's I I really enjoy for the Prisoner of Basketball film, so I'm looking forward to this music. Anyway, that is that's what's going on. You guys know how this scene goes. I think exactly how it appears in the film. I mean, there's there's really no huge changes that I want to make here. I just want to make sure that we see that Hagrid is terrified of losing his job and Malfoy is clearly pretty hurt. You know, it's not like it's nothing. Uh, but he should definitely be really dragging it out. But now we're moving on to something a little more important, and that is the bog art. So there are a lot of really cool things that happen in the scene. The bog art is is a really interesting idea, and I am looking forward to seeing how it uh shows up on the screen. But here are here are a few key points. So, first off, it is it is time for Defense Against the Dark Arts. They go to the classroom, and then Lupin says, Okay, you won't need your books today, but pull out your wands and follow me. Of course, everyone likes a practical lesson, so they go uh they go to go to the staff room, and then Peeves is putting gum in the in the lock, and Lupin says, could you could you please move? And uh Peeves, of course, says no, no, no, and then Lupin sends it up his nose and gets them away, so they immediately he he earns their their respect. They go in in the staff room. Snape is there and says, Don't let Neville near near this thing. Of course, Neville is is very nervous about that. And Lupin tells him about the bog art. They uh, you know, he asks questions. The bogart, uh, no one knows its true form because it's you know it's it always takes the form of your greatest fear, so no one really knows what knows what it looks like. But how do you had you defeat it? Laughter. That is how you defeat a bog art, and that is that he uh what he makes clear to the class. So Neville is first. Neville Neville steps up, and I really like how this whole thing is done with you know, like it shifts and then it it it kind of locks on to you, and clearly you are terrified, but you Neville finds the courage in himself and he does it, and I want to make sure we get a good you know shot of Neville because Neville has a really important character arc, so I want to see his development here. And they're going through, you know, Ron's spider, and we see uh all this, you see, you know, this huge snake, there's a there's there's a clown. And I must say, I like how the film did it, but not exactly okay. Let me let me revise that. I like the feeling that the film invoked, but I don't quite like how it was done. I like this feeling of like it's your greatest fear, but defeat it with laughter. Lupin puts on music and they're all laughing, and it's like, oh, that's scary, but I'm gonna conquer it, like we're gonna conquer it together. Like, that's kind of the feeling here. But what I love is that when it really gets serious, you know, like the points and the points in this part where it really gets serious is when like uh it feels very isolating. Does that make sense? That seems like it doesn't make sense now that's that now that I'm saying it, but like the moments where true fear kind of begins to creep into the scene is the moments where like kind of the laughter kind of fades away, and it's just kind of it's just one student looking at this. That only happens a few times, but I am hopeful that it will also happen here. So, what I want is for Harry to be next in line. So Harry steps up and the bogart sees him and begins to change, you know. Uh, and this is this is a really interesting thing here because Lupin sees this happening, and in a split second, Lupin jumps in front of Harry. Uh and Harry is first of all kind of taken aback, but this is a this is a really important time here because I don't like how they did it in the film. It's very it's very kind of surface level, like we see this orb, and then it's a balloon, then it's gone. Like, okay, like okay, that serves the function, but I, you know, we have been spoiled with our with our bog art scenes at this point. I am thinking of Lita Lestrange. We have got a fantastic beast reference, that is right, with the Lita Lestrange flashbacks we got in the Secrets of Dumbledore. We saw her as a Hogwarts student. Uh, we saw her du you know facing a bog art, and man, was her scene good. We saw her step up to the plate, and we saw the bog art change, and it was like like the whole room went dark, like it like it became her own terrible, terrible personal theater. And we see this this bog art change, and we don't quite know what it is. Of course, it's uh quite a terrible sight, actually. But we don't quite know what it is, and it just kind of takes over the room, and it's floating, and it and it's just it's just there's something quietly awful about about that. That's what I want from Lupin specifically, because the the horror of his, you know, uh of his of his past is gonna be a big factor in this, and I definitely want to make shlear that that's that's what what we see. So, and I I have questions about this, honestly, because I mean, okay, this is a kind of a side tension, but I'll go on it anyway. You know how when the Dementor appears, you know, when the when the bog art dementor appears, Harry still feels the effects, like it's still cold, it's still, you know, he still feels the memories, but it's just a bog art, you know. So how does that work? If you know, and you you could say, well, if if it appears as your greatest fear, then it also has the powers your greatest fear. Like the sight alone is not what's scary, it's the thing that comes with it that is that is truly fearful. So I I first of all, I totally agree with you. Like, that seems like a very reasonable thing to say. But here's here's now what I'm saying. If the full moon appears, Lupin's just like I like you'd think he would have a reaction too. Like, the whole point of a full moon is that he becomes a Werewolf. Like, it's not just that it's big and scary. Like, he's not afraid of the moon. He's afraid of himself when he is uh under a full moon. Like, that's the point. So when when the full moon appears, he's just like just like standing there. Like, come on, there's like ah gosh. And first of all, I don't want to change it because that that would be a little hard to explain. Like, full moon, uh, excuse me, guys, just like exploding into a word. Like, yeah, I I 100% understand why, but that seems like a pretty big plot hole. Anyway, moving on, Lupin jumps in front of Harry, and in the little estrange bog art fashion, the whole room goes dark, and we see the clouds in the sky and the huge full moon kind of. And it's you know, it shouldn't be like scary, because it's just the moon, like, and it's, you know, this the students don't understand it, and that's that's okay. I mean, you know, they don't have to. That's that's the point. We should I do want a shot of Hermione though, who's like looking at the moon and looking at Lupin, and looking at the moon, like she's putting something together, and we can see it in in her eyes. But Lupin's looking at this moon, and it's it's almost like he's looking at the like an like an old an old enemy. Nothing new, nothing new. He sends it away, and that's when the balloon flies back into the uh uh cupboard, and it is it is clearly defeated. I mean, it could I the book has it like explode. Uh the film has the has the balloon fly into the cupboard. I'm not a hundred percent sure how to do it because honestly, I I might want to keep it with the film version because I think um it's a little bit it kind of takes us out of it, like the the the pop, like bang, everyone's laughing now, and we kind of forget what happened with with the moon. I don't want to forget that. So I do kind of like that that quiet ending, how it kind of flies in in into the cupboard and it shuts. And just like that, it's over. And then like, yeah, people are like, yeah, like they did it. Like, I don't want them to be like, what was that? Like, it's just the moon. People don't understand it, and that's okay. So I didn't it it's it's okay for like a celebration, be like, alright, alright, we did it, we did it. And I mentioned fear, like we would discuss more in this episode, is important. But the bagar is the very, you know, representation of fear itself. So I am super, super uh excited to see this motif of fear continue on. So after this, uh there is a hogsmead visit. And this is, I think, should happen pretty close after this whole sequence. Because after, of course, Harry did not get his uh permission slip sign, which I'm sure we'll have some scenes with McGonagall sprinkled out here of you know her refusing to sign his form. But the point is I want to have Harry and Lupin having tea because everyone else is gone. Harry and Lupin are enjoying their tea uh together, and and they're having like a conversation. Lupin saying, like, you know, Harry, you're you're not a hogwarts. And Harry's like, yeah, I'm hogs meet rather, I'm not there. And they they discuss the the bog art. And Harry is just Harry is kind of feeling uh really bad about this because he doesn't want to feel weak. Like it feels like you know, he he asked Lupin, like, you stepped in front of me, is that because you know you thought I couldn't handle it? And Lupin says, No, no, of course not. You, if anyone I feel could handle a Bogart, it was it was Lupin's fear that Lord Voldemort would appear. That's why he didn't. And fair, I mean, truly fairs. Like that, I I I totally understand that. If if Lord Voldemort appeared in the classroom, I could understand the panic, you know, versus like a snake. Like that definitely makes sense. But this is ca this causes a very introspective moment for him, and I'm I'm glad that this is towards the end of our episode, because this is definitely a this is definitely a uh an an an interesting moment here, because Harry says like you know, no, it's it's not Volden Word I fear the most. And it's interesting, I always think about this. It's interesting that he chose the Dementor as his greatest fear when he only saw the the Dementor for the first time a few weeks ago. I mean, really, like it's kind of abrupt. So I was thinking like, really? Like the the the Dementor is your greatest fear? Like you have such a dense past, your family is is like your family was killed, and truly it's the it's a Dementor, but now that I'm thinking about it more more deeply, it's it's kind of occurring to me like it's not the Dementor. And it it's I think that's kind of the scariest part of them as a whole. I mean, of course, if you saw this like 10-foot hooded, you know, rotted skin thing, like you know, I'm not gonna be like, yo, what's up, dude? Like, it's that's I'm yeah, I'm running from that for sure. But it's what it represents that's truly scary. It draws the worst out of you, it draws your deepest, darkest memory. So, in a sense, I think Lupin puts this well like, Harry, your greatest fear is fear. That's it's that's very wise of him, you know. I I I agree with Lupin. That's very wise of Harry. So Harry isn't Harry's greatest fear isn't the Dementor, it's it's you know, the the memories of his parents. And of course, Voldemort is the cause of that, but the Dementor is the memories itself. So I guess I could understand why he's afraid of the Dementor over Lord Voldemort. So this is this is a cool, a very cool discussion they have, and I'm looking forward to kind of this like winter vibe of like Lupin in his office. I think that that could be cool. Towards the end of the conversation, uh Professor Snape walks in and hands Lupin his Wolf's pain potion, and he uh drinks it and says, gosh, it's disgusting. And Harry's like, Well, what are you doing? Like, of course, Harry thinks that Snape is is is evil and is kind of trying to poison him. That's not the case, of course it's not. Uh, but I definitely want to have that little thing at the end. But there's one more thing, one final closing out. Boy, oh boy, have we been going on uh in this episode. The final sequence is Sirius Black breaks into the castle. And the reason I left it for last is first of all, it's super exciting. And second of all, you know exactly how it happens. I'm not looking to change this. I think it's a I think it's fantastic, it's very well done. I love the fact that we don't see Sirius Black, he just is in and out. So the whole thing begins with Ron screaming. Ron is screaming. Uh, and is this, oh, is this Halloween? I think this is the Halloween feast because Harry in the book, Harry eats too much, and then he has a crazy dream, and then it I it's funny, it took me the longest time to realize that the scream was Ron, not Harry. For some reason, I always thought it was him, Harry, in the dream screaming. No, it's Ron screaming in in the book, and I do love how Jim Dale does it. You know, he makes a really good sound. So thank you, Jim Dale, for really bringing that scream to life. But Ron screams, everyone jumps up, the whole dorm is ablaze. They see the dorm door shuts. And I love, I love the fact that we don't see Sirius because it makes it even more mysterious. The dorm door shuts, Ron is shaking in his bed, Ron is Ron says, It was Sirius Black. You know, here me slash the curtains, and that's like he is clear, he can't string two words together. And you know, we have the whole sequence of you know, the Gryffindors run down to the common room, Percy appears, McGonigal shows up, they go, they, they, you know, it's just like, oh man, like I am, I am really looking forward to seeing that. Uh, I think I think it is gonna be a super cool thing. We go outside, and I think uh that that you know, this this this this whole thing is just gonna be so exciting. Uh, and I think we should end, we should end there. I mean, so much happened. So much happened in this. This is this is the long I mean, I I'm I'm I mean I don't know actually. I'm not sure if it's the longest one, but uh, this is to to my memory the longest episode we've ever done. Trying to fit two episodes in one is tough. And I kept trying to tell myself, alright, I'll try to keep it to 40 minutes. You know, I don't want to uh go go over, but man, it's impossible. So I'm sorry if I, you know, broke broke your schedule if you couldn't fit in the whole episode in whatever time you you had allotted. But I hope more TPD is not a bad thing. So I certainly hope you enjoyed this. Um I recently, you know, it's funny. I I recently had my first uh in real life fan interaction. That was that would that was pretty cool. I met someone who who listened to the show, which doesn't happen very often. I mean, this is this isn't a huge show, you know. It's not like there are thousands and thousands of people listening. It's just like it's a it's a it's a really nice community. So it's always super, super cool when I can talk to someone who listens. So anyway, if you're listening now, what's up? It was a pleasure meeting you. But anyway, uh all that to say, I am so excited for the community we're building, and I'm so excited for uh all these fun episodes that are that are coming up. It really means a lot to me that you stick around and listen and really spend your your Sunday or Monday or your your commute to work, your walk, your workout, whatever it is. It really means a lot to me that that that you spend that time with me. So thank you for that. Uh again, I hope you enjoyed this this this episode really dense. We we discussed some super exciting things. Uh, if you have any comments, any any feedback about this episode, of course, I'm very, very uh appreciative of that. I'm very grateful for everything you send in. Even if I can't respond, I see everything you send in. I want to make that clear. I see absolutely everything. So definitely reach out to the potterdiscussion at gmail.com. That is the potter discussion at gmail.com. For anything at all you want to let me know. Uh, that's that's a good place to do. And of course, go ahead and share the show. You know, if you uh if somehow, you know, uh you're uh you you know someone who has not read Harry Potter, this is actually a great way to get into it because we are going through the entire thing. I didn't think of that. That's this is uh that's that's another good audience for someone who really doesn't have much experience with the story. But of course, this is also the perfect podcast for someone who does, who's a who is a uh a huge Harry Potter fan. So definitely make sure you uh share this with someone if you if you have the time. Of course, it would definitely help me out. But that is everything. Man, what an episode. I am I'm really happy that we that that we did this. I've never sat and recorded for so long, but I had a blast. Again, thank you everyone so much for joining me. Have a wonderful week, and I will see you next week. Uh, as always, remember that happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light. See ya.