Prophecy and Death in the Ministry of Magic | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Tea Leaves S5 E9 + 10)

In this episode, we discuss the final showdown for the fifth season of Tea Leaves, our version of the Harry Potter TV show. Umbridge uses her new power as Headmistress to keep Hogwarts in check. She almost uses the Cruciatous curse on Harry. The DA rushes to the Ministry after Harry had a vision of Voldemort torturing Sirius. Then, the final battles ensue. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      1:46 Umbridge is appointed as Headmistress of Hogwarts, and it’s rough out there. Umbridge runs a tight ship, and she has some very strict rules and regulations she now has the power to enforce. Harry has lost an important ally, and he’s also left thinking a lot about his father.

·      24:49 Hermione tells Harry he should talk to Sirius about all of these things swirling around the castle. Harry sneaks into Umbridge’s office to use the floo network, and they have an important conversation about the state of things at Hogwarts and Sirius and James as kids. Fred and George make sure Harry has a nice long conversation.

·      46:08 The final showdown is upon them. They pile into the phone booth and dial 62442. The DA must fight Death Eaters, and Harry goes through some of the most challenging trials he has seen yet.

 ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.com
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

Intro

Oscar 0:00

Welcome to the discussion. Welcome back to the Potter Discussion discussing the Harry Potter books, the films, TV show, and the wizard wolf fandom. I'm your host, Oscar, and this is episode 351. Thank you everybody so much for joining me today. It is, of course, such a pleasure to be talking with you all today. We are past episode 350, and we are now into episode 351. It's super exciting. We have two more episodes in our Tea Leaf series. We are approaching the end. This is the second to last episode in this season, which is really exciting. We're gonna get to some really cool stuff this episode, and we're gonna have a lot to talk about. This is going to be uh this is this is the preseason finale, I guess. And you might be a little confused about why this isn't the season finale as we get farther in this episode, but I promise next week you will find out why. So definitely stick around to hear that uh if you want to uh get a good scoop on the final few moments of the fifth season of Tea Lease. Of course, this is our version of the Harry Potter TV show for those who have not tuned in before. We're going through each book scene by scene uh and really creating this version of a TV show that we want to see. So it's really, really fun. Uh and we have some more uh important decisions to make today. So definitely stick around here, all those. If you have any questions, comments, topics, and again, all that you want to reach out to me uh with as you're listening, do not hesitate to reach out to thepodger discussion at gmail.com. That is thepoderdiscussion at gmail.com. Alright, that is everything I want to mention. So without further ado, let's get into today's episode.

Umbridge is appointed as Headmistress of Hogwarts, and it’s rough out there

Oscar 1:46

So episode nine begins, and it is bleak. It is very bleak indeed. Dumbledore has flown the coop. He confessed to his crimes. He was raising an army to take over the ministry. It was called Dumbledore's Army. He was teaching them defensive magic against the ministry's orders, and he was training up his students to eventually storm Cornelius Fudge's office and take control of the magical world. And they found him out, they they they saw his tricks. Fudge, the intelligent and wonderful minister that he is, was not gonna fall for that much longer. So naturally he rushed to Hogwarts. And when Umbridge, his loyal servant and deserving of uh of much praise, discovered this this horrible activity, this this army that was amassing in the deep, dark, dank dungeons of Hogwarts. She found them out, dragged them to, and Dumbledore fled. And now uh Umbridge is the head of Hogwarts, she is the acting headmistress, and boy is it rough. It is rough out there. So this is a really important moment because this is a very, very important foreshadowing. Now that Dumbledore is gone, we have an opportunity to experience Hogwarts without him. And this is a kind of state that we will return to very soon at the end of the next book, once Dumbledore has been killed, we are left with a Dumbledore-less Hogwarts. So this is a really important environment to kind of begin to familiarize ourselves with. Oh god, it was terrible. And I think that's a very literal way of looking at it, with, you know, lots of uh bleak things and lots of uh you know, bland colors and kind of dark imagery. And yeah, I mean, it it definitely is a little on the nose, but I think it it it makes a lot of sense. It makes a lot of sense. It would be a real shame if we saw Hogwarts in this really confined state, kind of under like the rule of some, you know, master who is who's really not right for the job, you know, and then it's just like kind of sunshine and rainbows literally thing. That would be a little much, and I think the juxtaposition wouldn't quite be as effective considering the circumstances. So this is a good moment to really begin that. But I will say, I don't think it should be as extreme because this it's it's not okay, let's let's put it into into perspective here. It's not like Voldemort's back, alright? Because that's that's what Hogwarts in uh book seven is is all about. Voldemort is back, and that is kind of his you know domain, is Hogwarts. We're not really there. We're not really there yet. So I don't think we should have the same kind of vibe of of that that time. I think it should be definitely a little bit different. Um, it is definitely going to take on a darker light, however. And I think that is a really important part of the evolution and kind of like switching back and forth, because in this episode we're gonna get to some really unfortunate things. Uh, and it's gonna be kind of a rude awakening for Harry, and I think we have to kind of set set that up. That Hogwarts is not all it's meant to be, you know, all the time, which of course is, you know, a theme that we've been extensively exploring for the past, you know, five seasons. So Umbridge is the head honcho, and she is running a tight ship. I definitely want to have some shots of her. I want to spend the first few minutes kind of following her around and kind of seeing how she interacts with the student body. Because we saw when she was promoted to High Inquisitors, she was, I mean, uh, first of all, heavily abusing her power. Like there was no there was no uh secret that she was drunk on this power and she was using it left and right like she should not have. And I think being a headmistress is only worse. You know, it's only worse. But I think it should be worse in kind of a different way. She was using her power all the time when she was the High Inquisitor. She was, you know, patrolling the halls and setting laying down the law, and then eventually she got the students to do that for her, and then it was kind of like that. So it was it was a very hands-on approach. I think now that she has power, real power, that is to say, I think there is absolutely no reason for her to be walking the halls. You know, she doesn't have to be uh going left and right and individually separating students and breaking up, you know, people talking in the halls, saying they're starting rebellions. Like, she doesn't have to be doing that because she has people doing that, she has the students doing that, but mostly she has a whole, you know, set of powers that she didn't have before. So Dumbledore, we know, we kind of forget how powerful Dumbledore is. Uh, of course, magically, but also, you know, he is the headmaster of Fogwarts, and that's said that is saying something. The headmaster, we know, has certain privileges that the regular staff do not, and this of course the students do not either. So it's kind of interesting to see how he uses those and how we kind of forget that he has those. Like, um, I always think of, whenever, you know, I kind of think about this idea of him raising and lowering the walls for desapparating, because he can just kind of, if it's if it's convenient for him, if he if he really needs to, he can desapparate uh out of the Hogwarts grounds, which of course is like the number one thing you can't do. That's one of the you know big protections that the Castle Grounds have that you can't and desapparate them out of. So it's uh it's kind of impressive to kind of think about that. And of course, Stumbledor is such a powerful wizard and he has so many little tricks up his sleeve. I would be shocked. I would be positively shocked if that was the only thing he could do. If that was the only little trick that the Hogwarts headmaster could do. After a thousand years of headmasters, the coolest thing they can do is apparate and separate, and everyone else can't. Like, that's definitely not right. So Umbridge is absolutely gonna be abusing that power, and she's absolutely going to be uh moulding the castle in her image, I guess is a good way of putting it. She's kind of it's it's it's interesting to see uh the kind of chain of command because Fudge is kind of giving, you know, Umbridge marching orders, and then Umbridge is kind of interpreting those and putting, you know, making them into law at Hogwarts. So it's this kind of horrible game of telephone that's slowly destroying the castle. And what we should be seeing here is when there is someone else calling the shots, the castle never works the way it should. In this case, Fudge, I'm sorry to say, is Voldemort, and Umbrage, I'm sorry to say, is Snape. So it's a it's a almost an uncanny parallel to see. That Dumbledore is, you know, has has fled by his own choice, I will add, in both, in both cases. He chooses the moment to exit, and then he leaves Hogwarts to ruin. Of course, he has no choice, but he must leave it in the hands of others who will uh not treat it the same way he does. So that is a really important part of this episode. Harry is is watching this happen, and he's beginning to understand that there are very that there are large consequences for Noble Lore not being there. So that is a uh a very important part of the episode. Another part of the episode that we're not gonna move to is talking about his occlumency lessons, or I should say, his absence of. Because after last lesson, if you don't recall last episode, uh that's when Harry went into the pensive and saw uh not not Dumbledore, Snape's pensive, and saw some memories of Snape as a student at Hogwarts with the Marauders and how he did not have a good time of it. Uh and after that, Snape shut him out, and that's that. So it's a it's a really hard time uh for Harry in that in that respect, because I think we're kind of grappling with Occlamency almost this whole book. Uh it's it's it's a really important idea, and we are kind of left kind of in the in the dust at this point, and it is first of all, 100% Harry's fault. I mean, there is zero reason for him to go into the pensive, and seeing as he literally knows exactly what it is, and he still went in, I mean, come on. So, it is a hundred percent his fault that they're not having lessons anymore. Snape has the right to do that, uh, but it is unfortunate because Harry just kinda, you know, need those. So Harry now is kind of left to figure it out on his own. So Snape and Harry are not getting along too well, and honestly, I'm not surprised. I think that is that's the only outcome that I could possibly foresee, is that they are on even worse terms than when they started. So Harry's not gonna have a very fun, uh not gonna have a very fun time at all doing uh these these uh lessons in the earlier season, and then now that they're gone, he kind of is only realizing what he's missing. And especially that Dumbledore is gone too, he has nothing and no one to kind of lean on. As much as they hated each other, as much as they didn't get along, as much as they were at odds constantly, Harry and Snape did rely on each other to some degree. Of course, Snape could very well do without him, but they both they both relied on each other for something. And I think that maybe is kind of an underlying realization that they both kind of mutually made that only maybe leads to them outwardly expressing even more animosity just because of how they're they kind of want to avoid that. Uh after years of what seems like rivalry, they don't want to turn on a dime and just start uh recognizing each other's like strengths and connection to uh a past that they both so desperately want to return to. Anyway, all that to say, their relationship is getting very complicated. Very complicated very fast. And especially with the last uh with two episodes ago when we were back at Hogwarts that time and watching it all from Snape's eyes, we got like a a very inside look. Maybe a bit of too much of an inside look at uh kind of Snape's memory, and that I think is one of the driving factors of this growing uncomfortable air between them. They learned a little too much about each other, and I think that is uncomfortable for enemies, you know, quote unquote enemies on the face of it. So they're kind of left now with no other like option but to hate each other even more, because the alternative is to realize that they're both more similar to each other than they want to admit. So this is a very complicated relationship, and this uh their occurrency lessons, the memories that they have seen, and the uh need these kind of new points in common that they are on that they are grudgingly admitting, you know, kind of to themselves that they have. I think it's it's developing into a really uh interesting relationship. So that is something that I definitely want to keep uh keep track of. Uh and the absence of Dumbledore is another interesting foreshadowing moment for their relationship at the very least. So keep this in mind, keep Snape and Harry in mind, because they are gonna definitely come back uh for some more later. So the the there are there are a few more important things here and a big one is Harry wondering about his father. And this is a theme that I think this these few episodes kind of kick off, and then we're kind of gonna be grappling with this question for a long time. Uh for a very, very, very long time. Uh, this idea of, you know, who was his father really, and uh kind of how is his perception, how is Harry's perception of who James was different than who he actually was. This memory should be everything we need to know. I mean, really it should be. Because we see James for who he really is, and the truth is he's a bully. He's a real bully. And there are parts of him that I think Harry doesn't know, doesn't isn't really aware of, and it is just it is just unfortunate to watch. Really it is. I think James has some tendencies that are quite negative and that come across in a very abrasive manner that I think would would would do him better to hide uh or to hold back on at the very least. So that is going to be a a uh kind of a relationship here with his father that he is kind of developing. And how but so this is a kind of a very abstract discussion so far, so I want to kind of bring it down to some some real concrete scenes here. Kind of aware, what are we actually seeing? So I mentioned the first few moments were following Umbridge around, uh, or that is to say, not following her around. Of course, she is sitting in her office. We should see her signing things and going to meetings, and uh, you know, it shouldn't be too long because it's kind of a I dare dare I say a useless point of view. It kind of is. But what we're really doing is not necessarily watching her life through her eyes, but watching her interact with the castle and see how it's different from Dumbledore and see what different ch what changes are going to be made. So anyway, that's that's that. Uh, but we need to kind of move on from there. So we talked about Snape a little bit. I think they should interact. They should interact a little bit. Uh Harry should maybe start off this interaction by going to Snape's office and asking him to continue lessons. Um I think the book does mention that Lupin told Harry to can to keep keep lessons going, so maybe we can include some correspondence there. But I think the focus, uh the focus of the uh this their their kind of interactions should be on their relationship and kind of how it has changed and kind of what things are now between them that weren't before. That I should say, that asterisk make it impossible for them to continue lessons, no matter how much Harry might want them. And I should add, Snape probably wants to continue them too, because Snape recognizes that this is a bigger fight, you know. The reason why Dumbledore wanted Harry to start these lessons is because it's a really important skill for him to have, and we've seen just how detrimental uh this this lack of of occupancy can be on Harry, and this next episode we're gonna witness it firsthand. Harry knows how important it is, Snape knows how important it is, and yet, and yet, they just can't bring themselves to do it, and that's really what we should be seeing. So maybe Harry goes to Snape's office and tries to get lessons, but Snape just slams the door. And maybe we have a that maybe like in that scene where where Harry goes, maybe after Snape closes the door, we see Harry kind of kind of crestfalling like he wanted to continue, but also kind of battling with his feeling of of intense dislike towards Snape. And then on the other side of the door, maybe we watch Snape and we watch him kind of writhe and think, and we see his brain churning, and we see the memories and the relationships kind of in his past all kind of swirling around his head, and we see just how conflicting it is to reflect on all that. So it's a it's a it's a tough time for both of them for sure. Um, and they are kind of because they're they're both stuck. They both want to continue, but they both can't possibly bring themselves to continue. And for good reason, Snape is livid that Harry uh would would would look at his memories like that, and of course, Harry is still uh very uh uncomfortable with this whole situation, but those are only two of two two reasons to continue going. It is just it is I mean, we could talk about this forever. Really, we could. So uh, but I think after a scene like that, after Harry might go to Snape's store to try to continue lessons, I think that's a good moment for him to kind of exit the castle because he's just there's there's so many thoughts going through his head, and I think um actually this is a I just I didn't even write this down, but I think a a really cool uh addition would be for Harry to go to the spot that James was was making fun of of Snape, was levitating him and doing all that that you know nasty stuff to him. For for for that crowd in the memory, that's that's the memory that Harry saw. Maybe Harry finds that spot and sits, you know, and just kind of thinks and just wonders, like, is that is that who my father is? Like, is that who my family is? Trying to kind of battle this this horrible feeling uh of of kind of unknowing, of, you know, is is everything that he thought a lie? And then I think we should kind of be like reflecting on that. Like, well, what did he know? Did he have, you know, several character analyses of his father? Did he know people who knew him? Like, yes, but but not really. I think this is a good moment of like, I'm sure you've you've probably heard the saying, like, if you want to like know how someone is, don't look at how they treat their equals but how they treat their subordinates. Like, that's exactly what we're seeing here. Uh and I think it's even more telling that James thinks of Snape as his subordinate, because he's like, he's like, James is this great critish hero, and you know, he has all these cool friends, and he's so popular, and you know, Snape is just this little snivelling whatever, and they don't really pay attention, like he's he's just so such so under him, you know, I guess. But to maybe dive a little uh just just for a moment, uh maybe James thinks that because he's jealous of the relationship that Snape has with Lily. So projecting that that uh you know you know idea of of lowliness onto Snape is his way of convincing himself that Lily will eventually see sense. So, all that to say, I think Harry is definitely bummed out now. He goes out um to the to the to that spot, he sits and he just he just can't believe it. He's kind of mulling it over. It is such a complicated, you know, time for him. Dumbledore's gone. Snape really isn't doing much for him. McGonagall is trying to hold it together, but it is tough for her uh to kind of to keep everything together in one piece with Umbridge and Snape trying to pick it apart. So it is a really tough situation that that Harry's in, and and his confusion surrounding his family is really only making matters worse. But luckily, uh I think it's time to kind of to bring it back to Earth. So we've been talking about these very kind of uh difficult moments, but now let's get to something a little more easy to digest. Harry has a career meeting with Professor McGonagall, something nice and simple to get us back on track. But to his luck, he is so lucky that the headmistress of Hogwarts sits in on his career meeting. Uh that's wonderful. So, uh, and I I love how McGonagal in the meeting literally could not care less if Umbridge was there or not. Um and I think this is this should be kind of a a moment, a kind of like a reality check for for Umbridge for sure, but also for us. Because as you know, McGonagal might not have power in this scenario. She might not have uh much of a say in terms of how this how this uh castles run, but that is her office, and she will do whatever she wants. I think it's such a good it is it is such a good like listen, you can you can tell her uh to you know fix her lesson plans all you want but there are some things that she just won't do and I think this is a really good example of that. So some things Umbridge cannot control I guess is the bottom line uh which is very good to know to know. So they have a career meeting with uh Harry and and McGonagall have a career meeting McGonagall and then Umbridge of course walks in and asks if she can sit down and then uh McGonagal is just she it's like it's like someone walked in and gave her a like a message and left. Like you like you would think Umbridge wasn't even there. I think that that should be much to Umbridge's dismay because all she wants is to kind of be this big imposing presence and they're cowering in fear before her and then they you know make they they say that the lust that's like too scary they can't go on with her there like all that's all she wants. But no McGonagall's not having any of that. So they discuss Harry's career and Harry says he still wants to become an auror and McGonigal is very happy to hear that so she encourages him to work hard uh which is interesting to use that that uh wording because that was a line that appeared in the latest teaser for the TV show. So we are definitely going to see that McGonagall is encouraging Harry to work hard to form solid friendships and do that, this, that and the other thing. So that's a really cool uh detail to see. So she's very adamant that Harry continues studies and and work hard to build up that strong base of of academics which she is still in support of him becoming an or so that is good to go. But and this is like this is so annoying of Umbridge. Umbridge is kind of like after the meeting she kind of just like oh well Harry just just so you know uh you know you might you might want to consider like a a different different career because the mission the ministry is not gonna hire you. Yeah sorry like it's just like a oh god like really after all that really and the worst part is she's right that's the worst part Umbridge is a hundred percent right there's no chance that Fudge is gonna hire Harry after all that no no no they were best butts in Prince of Azkaban they were pretty solid in Goblet of our second Boldemort's back the second Fudge has to actually do something he and Harry are public enemies number one boy is this a tough tough time for Harry trying to get a job because boy does Fudge hate him. So I mean that is just awful to see so that is this is kind of like the majority of the episode kind of like the first chunk of the episode because this is a very good way of uh seeing the castle seeing relationships shifting and seeing some tensions begin to build that will carry us through the rest of the story. But there is more to discuss in this episode so let's move on.

Hermione tells Harry he should talk to Sirius about all of these things swirling around the castle

Oscar 24:50

Understandably after that whole ordeal Harry's head is spinning so Hermione suggests he talk to Sirius which is a good suggestion but the only problem is the flu network is totally controlled. Umbridge has her finger over everything. The only unmonitored fireplace is Umbridge's own in her office. So they have to hatch a plan. Fred and George are the perfect people for the job so they cause a distraction and Harry goes into Umbridge's office and he talks to Sirius through uh Umbridge's fireplace. And this is an important conversation because they start out with uh Achamas you lessons uh and Harry says I they've stopped it and then uh Sirius says that Lupin says and he should probably keep going uh but they kind of talk about that in kind of how they arrived there how Harry and uh Snape are now in on on not very good terms and this is kind of where the conversation leads and they're they they begin talking about their you know Sirius and James and kind of who they were and who they were at Hogwarts and I want here's here's what I want I don't want to see Sirius as as James. I think that that would be too bad if we kind of you know kind of lump them in into one person. I want I want them to be distinct but Sirius should also be like James in that he didn't really see what they were doing. So to that end Harry should I think you know if they the conversation evolves and Harry says to Sirius like so like you guys were were not very nice to Snape you know you were you're clearly bullying him I I he maybe Harry says like I I see why he he hates you so much and then Sirius should say like ah well you know we were young we were foolish you know that's just how it was like something like that something where Sirius kind of brushes it off and makes it seem like much less than it is I think that's what we need in that scene to be because once we see that we recognize like oh Sirius also clearly has no idea like just how serious his his actions were with Snape. So that's a good conversation to have with Sirius but unfortunately the conversation can't last forever because Harry is worried about being caught so he runs out of the office only to find that the school is a swamp it is a literal swamp. Fred and George used one of their portable swamps and they uh they they unleashed it in the school filch is going crazy and this is right before uh the the OWLs too so this is not go this is not good for anyone. Umbridge is freaking out and she is promising to expel Fred and George in response they summon their rooms and this is of course the famous uh the famous fireworks scene they set off a bunch of fireworks it's not quite as uh I I don't love the film version um I I like the the the you know the spirit of it um but I like the kind of the the placement of it in the in the book a better so the whole thing's a swamp maybe Umbridge is covered in mud like she fell in some whatever uh you know a bog students are loving it Malfoy is not loving it but everyone else is like hey this is this is pretty sick in here and then uh to finish it off Fred and George hop on their brooms which they summon from her office then they set off a bunch of fireworks uh a dragon chases Umbridge around and in the Great Hall there's a huge W that that hangs in the sky as Fred and George zoom off into the sunset. So a wonderful wonderful tear to my eye scene there. They're uh you know breaking free they're going off to start Wheezy Wizard Wheezy's so good for them. I'm actually really excited to see that scene I think that's that's gonna be super cool. So uh all that is uh much to their chagrin of course Arber just not happy with that and Filch is positively uh he's positively furious so what a what a time that is next up uh after after that whole whole ordeal there is a Quidditch match and I think what a good what a good way of kind of transitioning out of that uh because the Quidditch team is in shambles Harry's gone uh now Fred and George are gone so what are they gonna do? Ron's new keeper like what's going on here so they have the whole team together uh and uh Harry and Hermione go and watch the game together which is something that they never did because Harry was always always on the field so it was nice for Ron to kind of have a moment in the sun there. But before they can really sit down and you know really get into the game Hagrid comes up to them and asks them to come with him. And uh I we don't have to spend too much time going into detail with this these uh this next sequence because it's very similar to the book. Um Hagrid brings him into the forest and introduces Harry and Hermione to Grop uh his his his half brother who uh doesn't speak much English but uh Hagrid wants uh Harry and Hermione to keep teaching him English if he's if he's fired because of course Hagrid's very worried about that now uh so he wants to make sure that Grop has someone to look after him. Grop is not exactly a gentle soul uh I guess you could say he likes to pull up trees and pick up people so that's that's really fun. But you know at least they know now. At least they know but they can hear screaming from the uh from the state names and they know the game must be over so they hurry out of the forest and up to the common room where Gryffindor won. Uh this is Gryffindor for the Ravenclub by the way Gryffindor won the match I mean fantastic and of course Ron is ecstatic he is so so happy and of course he's saying did you see that like the dive and I did and then like the play and then he went up but oh no I was like he he gives a hair in reminding all the whole recount of course but he thinks that he they they saw it which of course he they uh they didn't but another kind of uh an important side note here is Jenny was the seeker uh that they used because Harry was not there so they need to seek her and Ginny is actually a a sleeper she's really good at Quidditch because of all the Quidditch she played with with with her brothers uh for so many years and I think Harry Harry in particular should be proud of Jenny and should notice just how good she was on the pitch uh just as a just as a side note so they have that whole conversation but then Harry and Hermione once pull Ron aside again they and they uh and she explains the whole situation to him about Grop and all those things that are that are that are going on. So now Ron is like what? So what we're really doing is setting up the scene for Hagrid because now we're getting a little worried about what's going on what's what's what's going on with with Hagrid. It's maybe a few days later they are in an astronomy lesson on on the astronomy tower. It's very quiet. They had their their their telescopes or whatever they uh whatever magical objects they're using to study and there are you know no one's doing anything it's very very silent. And they hear a commotion very very very far below and I like the imagery of the astronomy tower in the episode that Dumbledore is is is absent. So that's interesting. But they see far but look that there are six wizards rushing towards Hagrid he he bursts out of his hut with his with his crossbow and there are six wizards and they all try to stun him at once and of course he is a little too strong for that so they all kind of just bounce off of him and he kind of he he he charges them and then we see that McGonagal is running towards them too she I guess witnessed uh witnessed it and decided to try to help Hagrid but the wizards turn on McGonagal and stun her and she is she's thrown across the uh across the lawn and and is now kind of lying unconscious. Hagrid bursts uh bursts through the wizards and and and sprints off into the forest I mean wow just wow like this is this is what I was talking about when like uh Harry kind of has a rude awakening in this episode because this is like what like McGonagall should not be stunned like that's not how that's not who she is and yet there she she is like she's unconscious on the ground like that's so strange. So this is like this is like what? This is so strange. And the next day everyone's talking to him McGonagall's on the hospital wing and it is just it is it is it is seems it seems inconceivable that this would happen. But they don't have much time to think about it because they have exams. Like they they have to keep going so they're Harry is feeling so alone. All these people who he thinks he can talk to just like that he has no one. First Dumbledore went then Snape and he kind of are went on bad terms. McGonagall stunned in the hospital wing Hagrid ran off like what's going on i everyone is everyone's gone everyone's abandoning him this is this is a really tough time. But they have exams they have to do like that's that's that's the cherry on top they have to keep going on so later that day Harry has a history of magic exam and he is oh man he is struggling it is he is trying to stay awake and eventually he just kind of just kind of closes his eyes. He's like he's he's just thinking he's just thinking and just like that he's back in the Department of Mysteries. He's walking down the hallway he's he's finally he's he goes through the door that he has been going towards for all this time and he walks down the hall it's this huge cavernous room like some like some cathedral chamber filled with orbs little little orbs big orbs of of of you know kind of s whis whispering smoke of whispering silvery smoke in each of these glass orbs. And he hears he hears people talking he goes down he goes down to row 93 and sees Voldemort is is trying to force someone someone is someone is kind of under under his control like maybe like Dumble he Voldemort has has his wand like pressed in their back and they're like their like back is arched like some it's a very uncomfortable scene like and and Voldemort is ordering this hooded figure to to grab a prophecy off of the shelf but they but they won't do it they won't do it. Eventually their hood falls and it's serious it's serious getting tortured by Voldemort and here he bursts open his eyes are open he is on the floor and everyone around him is like what's going on he bolts upright and he runs out of there with Ron and Hermione and he says Sirius is being held at the ministry I just saw I just saw Voldemort with Sirius at at at at the ministry and he is like fumbling over his words he can't possibly you know d conceive of this so it is it is a really stressful situation for him. Rightly so Hermione says are you sure? Are you one hundred percent sure? But of course Harry is blind to her words of warning because he uh is so deadly afraid of losing Sirius so just as a quick sidebar let's let's pause the action for a moment we are beginning to see a theme develop in this episode and that is isolation Harry is losing people at a rate that he has not done that he has not lost you know them since his parents died. I think that's we just should really say that so it's so it's obvious. Underlying trauma is such an interesting part of stories in general because it's impossible to know what is subconscious and what is what is conscious. This is a moment of kind of both of those things colliding and kind of making them like making the other worse. I guess you could say so what I mean by that is Harry has lost so many people he's lost his parents and just in the last few weeks he's lost everyone at Hogwarts who might be his ally so that's that's the conscious part of it. But the subconscious part is he is terrified of being abandoned again. He will I mean is he ever gonna say those words? No and that's why it is a subconscious part of his psyche is that he is so terrified of of kind of losing people who are important to him. So when he gets this vision of seeing Sirius being tortured and of course no one gets tortured by Voldemort and lives I guess you could uh is maybe why he's so nervous so that's that's that's the subconscious part is that he sees Sirius getting tortured and he knows that Voldemort might kill him and he just can't possibly sit by when when when that's happening which of course I understand like that's that that makes total sense. So that's why Harry is so agitated why he's so worked up about this whole thing but unfortunately there is not uh he he can't just go straight there. Uh he can't just up and leave uh because uh unfortunately uh he has to check and this is this is good thinking Hermione says okay look I I I know that you wanna go to the ministry right now but let's just make sure let's just make sure that he's that he's there so again they go to to to Umbridge's office and they they go in no one's there so Harry goes in quickly uses loop powder he goes and he's in uh he is he's in number 12 Gram old place and he sees creature and he says you know he has creature if Sirius is there and creature says oh no no he's not here and that's Harry's like kind of like a little panicking now like for real panicking now but before he can get too far a hand grabs Harry's head and rips him out of the fire it's Umbridge. It's Umbridge and uh it's a it's an unfortunate situation. Umbridge has all of Harry's friends Neville is getting held back and of course Ron and Ryan are there also and Luna and Jenny there. Uh they're all getting held because they were trying to help Harry after they realized what was going on and then Umbridge has Harry because she found him she found him communicating with Sirius and I think she she knows that it was Sirius but in in her mind it's Harry communicating with a mass murderer exactly what she thought. She was helping Voldemort all along and this is the permission that Umbridge needs to uh use the Cruciardist curse on Harry to extract information from him. I like the detail in the film how she puts the photo of Fudge down on her desk. And I think the symbol there is that she's kind of going rogue a little bit. Would Fudge condone the use of the unf unforgivable curses on students? Absolutely not. I think to his credit this is the moment where I I want to give credit where credit is due Fudge is an idiot and he's a coward but he is not a a malicious leader. That is true. So I think he would absolutely not condone uh this this this horrible magic that Umber just planning to use on Harry. But before she can Snape walks in and she's glad to see him because she wants to use some Veritas serum on Harry to extract the truth to hear all of the lies of how he is he is working with with the Dark Lord and how he is the the figurehead of Voldemort's operation all of that. And of course Harry's not going to tell her any of that because it's false but likely he doesn't have to make that choice because Snape says oh uh sorry I uh used it all on Marrietta Edgecombe you know there's there's none left so the good job that I'm I'm glad we know that that it wasn't uh that the DA was not divulged by choice so that's good uh but so Umberge is like well can you can you make some more then and and uh Snape says of course I'm making more it'll be ready in like a month or whatever he says you know because of course Verita seems a very advanced potion and oftentimes those potions take a while to make so Snape leaves but before he's is out of earshot Harry yells he's got padfoot at the place where it's hidden Yeah that's he yells that some secret code and Snape turns around and Umbridge is like looking back and forth like what is Severus what is he telling me like what is he talking about? And of course Snape says oh I have no idea and walks out and just like that Harry had one last hope one last hope and it was gone it was gone that sucks but thank thank God Hermione is thinking here because she says fine fine I'll I'll tell her fine Harry if you own I will and Umbridge is exactly what Umbridge wanted to hear. So Hermione brings them all uh brings uh them to so Umbridge and Harry and Hermione go to the forest because Hermione is bringing uh Umbridge to the weapon that that Dumbledore is developing she brings him to Grops uh you know kind of clearing and of course he's gone that's a little scary but the centaurs surround them and I think this is kind of a moment where Umbridge's uh kind of bigotry is her downfall because she sees the centaurs as less than human and it is I mean much to her detriment uh so she she blocks their arrow that she f that that that they fire and wraps one of them up and the ropes kind of go around their net one of the centaurs necks and that puts them into a frenzy they charge uh Harry and Hermione are stepping back they are not part of this they grab on a bridge and carry her away so they're free just like that Harry and Hermione rush back and they meet with Ron, Neville, Luna and Jenny who are who who all also broke free and they say we have to go. And this I love this moment. I love this moment with the DA because it's such like a like a yes like they're they're actually doing it. And I love what Neville says about like they say that like Harry like Harry is saying okay I have to go like I have to go to the ministry right now and save Sirius. And Neville says like well we're we're coming to like we're coming too and Harry says no it's way too dangerous and then I love I love how Neville says like well what what about like the DA? Like was that all fake? Like this is this is why we are in Dumbledore's army like this is what Dumbledore's army is for. And so Harry knows he's right you know Harry knows he's right and as stupid a thing as they're doing they have they should all go. So he says yes of course but then they realize how they get there. They can't exactly fly not not all of them can fly if they don't have have enough broomsticks. They can't operate so Luna says oh well we fly of course that's a really cool uh I I like that line in the in the Film. So here's what I'm thinking. So we're we're at the end of this episode. Here's what's gonna happen. So they all go to the forest and they they they get their thestrels, and it should be a little disconcerting because some of them can see them, some of them can't. This is a moment of utmost intensity. I don't want dramatic music, them flying in and you know, whatever. No, no, no. This is exactly what I see. They all they're in the forest, they feed, they see the thestrels, they get on, and they take off. Okay? So they're flying through the air, and they're definitely a little like they're a little wary, the people who can't see them. This is exactly how the episode ends, okay? They f they we we we follow them as as they fly, and then eventually we get into the clouds, and Hogwarts kind of fades behind them. And then in the distance, we kind of see these huge clouds amassing. So it's a pretty clear night, but as they kind of get away, you know, turn, turn some bends, Hogwarts disappears, and they're just kind of in the highlands. Eventually they see this huge mass of clouds, you know, ahead. And it is, it's it's it's nighttime, you know, it's very dark. And these huge clouds are maybe in some kind of uh I think a skull might be a little on the nose, but maybe there's a vague, a very vague outline of some kind of snake or skull or some very foreboding image that they all fly into. And they like we're we're following them, but we kind of slow down and they get ahead, and then we kind of stop and watch them, and it's silent. All we hear is the flapping wings, and we see them going off towards this huge mass of clouds, of course, a foreshadowing like there never was. They they they eventually get out of sight, and then we cut to black, and there we go. That is episode nine. That was a very that was a long episode, but the setup was important because now we are at the last episode of the story. I will point out the story is going to end this episode. This is not the last episode of the season. Okay? Keep that in mind, alright? Let's move

The final showdown is upon them

Oscar 46:08

on. Here we are in episode 10. The screen is black. We're seeing directed by the title of the episode, all that text for a good few seconds, and all we hear is opening. Someone opens a door, and people shuffle in, then the door closes, and then we hear five clicks. Like someone's typing something, and we hear click, click, click, click, click, click, click. And then, like, an elevator, you kind of hear like a slow grinding of gears. You know, we assume they're descending. And then it's still black, and we're still getting like the text of, you know, who worked on the episode and all that. And then we immediately cut into the episode when we hear the as the phone booth hits the bottom of the ministry floor. And we see that they're in the ministry. That's that's where that's where they were. They were stepping in the phone booth, the phone booth is going down, the visitor's entrance, and then the episode, like, we we the the the camera begins. The second the phone booth hits the ground, we hear we hear the boom and it cuts open. And they open the door, and they're in the atrium. Harry was here before, we were here before, we know what's going on, but it is dark, and it is silent, and it is huge. This is a really good, really eerie moment. I mean, how creepy is the ministry at night? So I was kind of thinking, like, we could make this like really scary. I think it could very easily become like uh, and this is kind of what I was worried about. Um, of course, the fame uh backrooms, the movie just came out, or not just, but a few months ago, whatever. Um, I'm worried that it's gonna come across like the backrooms if we if we make it a little too eerie. Um but honestly, I feel like we shouldn't do that because we are I think we we lose a bit of the spirit of the show, because it is still, you know, it's still a Harry Potter. We aren't quite there yet. But I wanted to be clear, and this is kind of like why I was thinking of it being eerie, is because it is huge, and they are just they're 15-year-olds, and that's kind of what we should realize. At the end of episode 9, we're we're like, yeah, they're gonna do it, they're gonna save him, and like we're like so happy. Uh they've they defeated, you know, Umbridge and they got those thesals, and now they're here, and then now they're here, and now they're here. Like, it's kind of this like realization of like, oh, like, we're here now, and we're 15, and this is this is a way above our pay grade. That's kind of what they should be realizing. Because the atrium is gigantic, and it's so bright in the film. I think it should be a lot darker. Like, we can't even see the ceiling as they run through. We there we hear their footsteps echo. And this is such a good opportunity. I'm I'm imagining as as they run to the elevators, they uh we have like a shot of them of like of like above, or like we're like on the side, or something like that. Like, like the viewers, the camera is very far away from them. And it's still, it doesn't track them, and we just see them like run across the screen like little pinpricks uh uh uh running through this gigantic room. So they take it, they they find the elevator and they uh take it down to the Department of Mysteries. And this is gonna be a really like surreal moment for Harry because this is what he saw in his dream is this is this hallway. So they're here. They they get out of the out of the elevator, and they have, by the way, we haven't said a word. They aren't gonna be speaking. Like this is a little too intense for that. And again, this is a moment of no music, absolutely no sound, no, no nothing. All we hear is their their breath, their heartbeats, their footsteps, the the the uh huge cavernous echo of every little click of a button every time they open the elevator door, it like reverberates throughout the entire hall. And they're in this this department of mysteries, and Harry is like walking around recognizing this, and it's just one long hallway. And they eventually get into get into a chamber with many doors, and they don't really know what's going on. Harry's looking for the for the prophecy door, and this is this is like a really weird This scene is so weird. That's all I can think about when like reading it. They go in like there's like a room with a bunch of tanks of brains that's gonna come back later, and they there's like a room with a bunch of clocks, and there's like a bird who gets like hatched out of an egg and then goes back in the egg and then gets hashed out again and goes back in. It's just like it's just so weird. Like, I don't even know how it was described, it's just like what the heck is going on? And Hermione puts an X over each of the doors uh that they have gone into, so they know which ones are not it. Eventually, Harry opens the door and they're in the Hall of Prophecies. They found it. They found it. It's also important to mention that they did see the veil. And the veil is, I think, it should be it should be a I mean, different is is kind of uh is cheating. I don't want to say different. I like how it comes across, but it feels too um it feels too kind of stereotypical. Like a stone archway and like a whispering kind of silvery like sheen. That seems a little on the nose. I like the stone part of it, but what I would rather have in the middle, it's described in the book as a black curtain. That's definitely not it. Let me tell you that. Uh definitely not it. But I like the darker imagery as opposed to the kind of like lighter uh stuff, because I think the and again, we've been talking like we've had theories about the veil. Uh we all know about the veil. Uh, of course, you know, perhaps the ministry was built around this veil, not the other way around. So anyway, we can talk about this forever. But the veil should be, I think, I like the stone, like I said, I like the stone, but in the middle, instead of like a silvery sheen, it should be dark. It should be very dark. You you can still see through it, but it's like a dark, like uh like a like a dark mist, I suppose. Kind of like a uh a cloud. So anyway, we see that. Uh, but eventually they find their way into Hall of Prophecies, and it's very still. Uh very still, and there's huge shelves of all the prophecies. Uh, and they eventually, and Harry knows he remembers row 93, row 93. So now, like, like a new he's kind of invigorated. Uh, and it's almost like we've forgotten what's down there. Like, we've been so transfixed on Sirius that we forget that Voldemort is here too. And the moment they walk in the hall should be that moment that they that they realize. And this is exactly how it's gonna go, okay? They open the door and they see it's the Hall of Prophet, and they realize, okay, this is it, this is it. And Harry like nods at them and and and like kind of they like they they know that that that this is it. They they raise their wands, they they they light their wands. This is what we see. So it's it's rows, uh, it's like rows and columns of of uh these shells. And there's one long uh there's like some main pathway through the middle, you know, like so you can get around the the space. They walk on one of those, kind of like the central pathway, and it is black. It's blackness. The only light comes from the prophecies themselves, so they can't see too far ahead of them. All they can really see is maybe, let's say, 30 feet ahead, at the very most. Yeah, let's say, let's say about 10 meters they can see ahead. And there's there's not really much there. I mean, there's the prophecies, of course, but it's just like I don't know, there's not much. And as they walk by, they can kind of they can like almost hear something, like it's coming from the prophecies themselves. That's a cool detail, I think, that the prophecies are are are are are whispering maybe to each other. So here's here's uh the the the shot that I'm imagining is they walk in and before they start walking, they they hold their wands up and they can't see too far ahead. So we just from their perspective, we look out, and at a certain point, you just you you you can't see. You can't see anymore at a certain point. And that's a moment of like, oh wow, like Voldemort is down there. Like he is down there. That's what the realization, the implication should be. So eventually, Harry, and I I don't I don't like the film how he runs down to road 93, like that's just like he's he's he's forgetting himself. I think this should be a moment where it's like like they were dunked in cold water, and they realize they are in the ministry alone in the middle of the night. Voldemort is a few feet that way. What are they thinking? But they can't turn back now. They creep forward, they creep forward, and the rows start passing them by. They get to 70, they get to 80, they they hear nothing. Harry's he's he's terrified, but he he hears nothing. Eventually 90, 91, 92, 93, he's not there. Harry looks around, and it's this horrible realization. This horrible realization that they were tricked and there's no one there, but unfortunately that's not the worst part of it. Because out of the dark, so now there's no door. They don't know where they came from, they don't know what's around them. They don't know anything. And this is such a good moment. I love I I I like how the films do it, and I think I want to turn that up. I want to turn that up a little bit. So once they get there, Lucius comes out of the darkness. Uh, and he says, like, oh, how touching, or whatever, I don't know, whatever he says. Something cold and snide and drawling. Um so whatever he says, I I I don't really um the lines aren't what I'm really focused on here. The important part is it's a little creepy the way he does it. I think it it comes across almost to like to villainy, you know what I'm saying? Like uh I I saw this great interview of of uh uh an actor who I'm forgetting their name, but you would know exactly who it is. Um who says, like, the the best villains, like someone uh the the villains are like the most scared, like they they come across the best on the screen when they don't think that they're villains. Like that's the feeling that I think serious, uh not serious, Lucius should be giving off here. Because the way he does in the film, and I guess this might be kind of a commentary on his character, but he is like he is the villain. Like he's a rich guy, and he has like long white hair and he has a snake cane. Like, there's nothing about him that doesn't say he's some rich super villain. And honestly, I don't want to change that imagery too much because it's important for his character. But in a moment like this, he should come across as more human. Because the real like, I don't know. I guess I guess what I'm trying to say is it would be a lot more alarming if I saw someone who, like, I don't even know, like, how do I how do I put words to this? It's like when we look into his eyes, when he's walking towards us, and we can see that it is someone there, not just some like brainless archetype, but it is a person with real desires and a real ability to do harm, that's when we're really afraid, okay? So that's kind of I guess that's what I'm trying to say here is Lucius, yes, we don't we shouldn't see him and think, oh thank God, Lucius, it's it's him. Like, no, I still he is a villain. He is still an uh someone who's evil. But I want him to come across as human. Because that would make this moment of the of of of um the DA standing in the middle here, and then Harry, like out of the corner of his eye, he sees this glint. This this this glint, and it's like his heart stops, and he's his like head, like almost without like thinking about it, his head like cr like turns slowly over, and he sees just in the the very edge, the very edge, there's this the uh very like this silver mask, something there, like is there something watching him? Is it just a prophecy? And then it moves, it moves towards him, and Harry's heart stops. Harry's heart stops. I love the costumes in the film. I honestly would not be mad if they do something very similar because those costumes are fantastic. Those like metal great, like silver black uh uh masks that they have, and there's just this thing walking towards him. Oh my gosh, it's so terrifying. We don't know who it is, so he doesn't say anything at first. He doesn't say anything, but we but we see the cane. Uh the mask is the first thing that they see, but slowly we kind of see these robes billowing out and and the the the tap of a cane, the rhythmic tap of a cane as this person walks forward. And I love uh I I love in the film how he takes off his mask with a very s like a lazy flick of his wand. That's exactly what I want. He he he he he walks up to Harry and he kind of the and so he's he's pretty far. Like uh I think that's what makes it really, really scary is they see Harry sees him from far far away. Now, everyone sees him now, of course. So he's like a few feet away from them, uh, and then he kind of takes his wand. And before like before he even uh takes it off, like we know who it is, because of course he had his cane, his snake, and he takes the wand out of his cane, and like he's flying a s like a swatting a fly. He kind of draws his wand over his face and his mask falls away, and it's Lucius. It's Lucius, and we see and he we we see his eyes, we see the whites of his eyes. Man, that is gonna be that like the the chunk of the episode up to here should be like we like the viewers, we aren't thinking, we aren't like wondering what's going on. All we're doing is we are in the moment. We are so in we are we are living this moment so intensely like it's not it's not even it's not even a scene. Like this is why we have these elements. So no music, that, like though that kind of that kind of air is what we're bringing. So up to here, so this is kind of the that part of the episode is that kind of vibe of where there's no there's no music, there's no, you know, dialogue, no, it's just we are just in this. We are living this with them. That's that's what we get out of that scene. So that is gonna be heartstopping. I mean, that whole sequence is going to be absolutely fantastic. I am so thrilled to see it. But now the battle must begin. So Lucius says, Oh, Harry, Harry, Harry, good to see you. So so worried we would we had we had missed you, but I guess I guess we were just early. You know, he says something like that, like it's so casual, like they had that they're just they're just getting dinner together, like they're old friends, uh, something like that. And um Lucius, uh they kind of just like talk about the prophecy a little bit, and Harry sees that it's is that his name? And uh eventually, uh, they're surrounded now. You know, the these glinting masks are all around them, and I can't wait. I can't wait for Bellatrix. Oh gosh, it's gonna be awesome. Bellatrix, uh, I love how she enters too. She cackles. She's she she uh oh gosh, she's just fantastic. Um so she cackles and comes up behind him. Uh, and I and I love her lines like itty bitty baby, stating Harry. She is nuts. Like, she is so nuts, it's it's so funny how how literally insane she is. Neville, it's important to say, flinches hard when when he sees her, he like withdraws. And Bellatrix sees him and smiles a horrible, horrible smile. And eventually Harry, Harry is, you know, the they are getting ready to fight, but they're acting like they're resigning. Harry grabs the prophecy off the shelf, and he says, now, you know, like it's like this this turn-of-a-moment thing. Uh, and there are now, there are death eaters all around them, but still, they they uh they all turn, they all cast some some spell, and they split. So this is we aren't gonna have to go in too much detail here, but there are there are a few important uh key details we should hit. So, first of all, they're all on their own, and this is where we should see some DA things going on. Uh, I want to see some spells that that that they were working on in class for sure. Um so they are uh going back and forth. And uh, first of all, I also want to make it clear, there is no fight. Like, it's not even close. I think it is it's it's it's a little too close in the film. Like, let's not forget, these are 15-year-olds fighting Death Eaters. I think there there should be no illusion that the 15-year-olds are winning. Okay. So what I what I also really want to see is uh like it's it's it's uh like a scramble to get away. Um so Ron goes in the brain room and like just throwing spells left and right, and then a Death Eater walks in, so in a panic, he grabs one of the brains and throws it at him, but he doesn't work. It like sprouts tentacles and like wraps up, and then he's like, there's some kind of spell that comes over him, and he just kind of uh is you know, it's like a lunacy spell, and he just starts kind of going loopy. So he's out of commission, Ron's gone. Uh Dalahov stuns Hermione, so she's out of commission now. And then some other important things, uh oh gosh, so I think uh the Death Theater breaks Ginny's ankle, so she's like she falls to the ground in pain, and then someone else throws Luna into a table. So they're they're getting destroyed. Like they're just they're getting absolutely destroyed. Harry, I think, to his credit, should be kind of holding his own. Uh Lucius isn't dueling because it's above him. Uh he is he's so above it. Uh, but Harry is kind of holding his own. Um I I don't it's I don't know. I it's kind of the whole scene where Ginny casts the spell and the whole Hall of Privacy is destroyed. I don't really think that's necessary here, honestly. Um we can just because they're all like they're just it's just not working. Like, uh because um they need it in so the reason it happens in the film is they needed some incentive to walk, run through the door uh to this the the the chamber that was had the veil in it. But no, the the veil is just a room now. It is still as big, but it's not like down the whole hole. I don't know. Anyway, uh so they're getting destroyed, and eventually they kind of all find their way into the the the veil, the room with the veil. And uh this is, I think, the most important, and actually not the most important part, but something that I really, really want to emphasize here is Bellatrix and Neville. So they kind of they they eventually find each other, or I should say Bellatrix probably sought Neville out. And they're all, they all find themselves in the room with the veil. Um they're like, Harry is trying to carry Hermione, and like they just it's just everyone is down for the count. Like, it is it is really tough. Neville and Bellatrix are now dueling. Well, I should say dueling. Bellatrix is just playing with her food, and eventually she locks Neville in a Crusier's curse. And that should just be a Oh god, like that moment where she is casting this Christianist curse at Neville, like it should just be the worst. Like the way she laughed at him, the way she saunter up and just is is is clearly having the time of her life torturing Neville. I mean, it should just be I mean my skin crawls even thinking about it. But she eventually lets him free, and we can see that he, I mean, he is on the ground, he is like not coherent, like it is a horrible, horrible scene to watch. And eventually, so Harry still is clutching the prophecy. Hermione is like draped over him, and like Ginny is like hopping, and Luna's like half there, and Ron is still going nuts, and it is just it is like Lucius didn't even have to break a sweat. It should it should be very intense. You know, I I still want the intensity of the scene, but it shouldn't be intense because we're seeing it from the DA's perspective, you know, that they are kind of on the losing end, so they are like they're fighting like like animals, you know, they have to fight or flight here, like um, so that's kind of why it's intense. But for Lucius, it's just kind of like whatever. So Lucius walks into the to the room with the veil, and it's it's a it's a big room, it's a huge circular chamber. We can't we can't see the ceiling. That's that's important. We can't see the ceiling, and the veil is in the middle, this dark cloud hanging under this ancient stone arch. We don't really know what's going on in there, um, but we can hear something coming from it. Uh so that is uh something important to note there. And we hear the tap, tap, tap of Lucius's cane as he walks towards Harry again and holds out his hand, says, Oh, Harry, like, you know, I'm sorry, sorry, so much had to had to be sacrificed for this, but uh, you know, this is this is really what's what's best for us all, you know. Something like that where he's uh expressing this false sympathy again. Does he think he's a villain? No. He thinks he's doing the right thing. So he he wants to uh in his mind, you know, stay stay courageous to the end, I guess. Of course, for Lucius, that definitely is not not something that we would uh agree with for sure. But eventually, eventually, Harry Harry gives it to him. I think this this shouldn't be a moment. Um I like how Harry actually does give it to him, because if he like he there's there's no other tricks to pull. Like all of his friends are at wand point or unconscious, or both, and Harry's just kind of standing there with the with with the prophecy. There's no one to say now to. There's no spell he can pull out, there's no like he's just there. And all he can do is give the prophecy away. So he does. I think that's gonna be a moment of satisfying logic, despite the plot armor that seems to surround the vast majority of our of our modern day franchise characters. I think this is a moment where we can kind of shed that uh in uh in in in lieu of a more realistic interaction. So we see that take place. Lucius now has the prophecy, and he is uh he is chuffed, as the kids say. He is so happy to have this prophecy, he holds it up, and we kind of see this like venomous pride swelling. But it doesn't last forever. It doesn't last forever, and let me tell you, let me tell ya, the battle that's coming up is my favorite, favorite sequence in the entire series. I know, I know, it's strange, it's strange to say so. Uh uh in is actually actually clarifying the film, it's my favorite part of all the films is this battle coming up, because it is like the epitome of like the the the good guys swooping in to save the day. And it is just so satisfying. Every time it is so satisfying when we see uh this kind of like uh of course the the Death Eaters, and I'm actually uh an important note to make here is the Death Eaters have that telltale, like they can fly in this like kind of black cloud, they kind of zoom through the air. And the Ministra uh the the DA have that too, but it's like the opposite. It's some like it's like like a silvery like Patronus almost they become and kind of fly, dart through the air. That's kind of what what we see is this like uh out of the uh you know, off the screen we kind of see this this light appear, and then Sirius kind of like like uh protronus getting cast, kind of bursts out of it, and cast throws a spell at at Lucius, and just like that, the battle is on. Here, this is where I think some music can kick in, and I I will say I love the score in the film in this moment. It it fits really well. Uh, it's very intense. So the order starts to arrive, and this is such like a heroic moment, and this is where I think that the the Death Eaters are now gonna kind of get get crushed because they did, you know, maybe one of them got uh uh you know a spell in the face or something, like nothing serious, of course. They're again kids, they're fighting kids, so nothing too terrible could happen. But now they're not fighting kids. In fact, they are uh fighting people who are more talented than than themselves. So we see the order kind of all flit in and kind of appear uh and and begin fighting, and it's this awesome moment. I love seeing Madeye, you know, with his with his staff, uh, because like he's such a pro. And actually, I I want to make that note that we do see Madeye in action. And this is kind of the first time and kind of the last time, too. So it's important that we see him. Of course, of course, Kingsley is there, and uh he he jumps right in, and Tonks appears, you know, and Lupin. Also, I definitely want to make sure we see we see Lupin there. So it's it's especially like especially with someone like Lupin, it's this going back to this theme of isolation. This is a moment where Harry, like, the reason why, I should I say the the deeper reason why I love this scene, and uh it's not just because it's it's cool, you know. I force I love when they swoop in and save the day, like that's that's always satisfying. But the reason why it's not necessarily cliche is because it is exactly what Harry needed. It is exactly what he needed. All these people, all these familiar faces who could help him, who he can lean on, are now here. Because this is kind of like this is almost like the the resolution, like we've kind of been building this tension, tension, tension. Dumbledore gone, McGonagle gone, Hackard gone, no more lessons, like this mounting ball of tension of there's no one here for Harry, and then it all kind of you know becomes unbound. Like it's just this this big like rub rubber band ball of like abandonment, and then in this moment when Sirius appears, and then the order just floods, and it's like the rub the rubber band ball explodes, and Harry's back with his family, with his friends. Uh he gets the orders, you know, he he he gets the DA and they they find some like corners, some you know, some some stones to hide behind. But Harry jumps out because he wants to help Sirius. So they're going back and forth, and people are the dead theaters are flying everywhere, and it's just like it's getting crazy. Eventually, Harry and Sirius are dueling together there uh up on a ledge. Uh Sirius, you know, does some fancy footwork, Harry does uh does a nice one, and I I love I mean the film, The Nice One James, really good detail. And a little little uh foreshadowing here for our next episode. I think we should keep that line in. Uh so Sirius hits him with the nice one, James, when Harry hits a hits a good spell. Uh and eventually it seems like the battle is won. They they disarm the last few. Uh Lucius is is cast away. Uh it's a very, really satisfying uh and a fitting final moment for Sirius. He he uh casts a really nasty spell, Lucius, who gets kind of blasted backwards. And Sirius turns to Harry, and this is this is what I'm imagining. He like reaches out, like he's about to hug or embrace or grab his hand, and like, like, like, you know, something like that. But but the moment before they can touch, Lucius uh uh Sirius gets hit with a spell. And it's like this moment of like shock. Like Harry, like, his smile fades, and it's like like it's like kind of like confusion, like what just happened? And we see Bellatrix standing on uh standing, you know, somewhere on like a ledge or or something. She she lowers her wand and seriously it should be this this very strange kind of moment. Like like what would do we we don't really know what's going on. Of course, he's also he's near the veil at this point. So he kind of like stumbles and it's almost like we see, like we see the moment that he like he he he dies, like we watch it in his eyes, like we see him kind of like fade away and then like kind of float backwards into the veil, and he just kind of disappears. Like he's it's not like he he like gets smaller into like he's just like like that moment is kind of like his soul just kind of you know like evaporates, like you know, like where where does water go once it's evaporated? Like in the air? Like I don't like you can't see it, you know. That's that's kind of what's going on here. Like Sirius's soul just kind of evaporates and Harry is left, like talk talk about shock. Talk about shock. This is a shocking moment because it was Sirius is getting tortured, he's not here, Lucius is here, everyone else is getting tortured, Sirius is here now, Sirius is killed. Like, what a roller coaster that is. What a roller coaster. And so now uh Lupin tries to hold Harry back, but uh he can't. He just he just can't. Harry runs. Harry sprints like he has never run before after Bellatrix, who is skipping through the the the HM, I kill serious black, I kill serious black, and then oh man. She is she is chanting, she is singing, and the I one of my favorite lines of hers in this whole moment is she says, Oh, he's coming, he's coming, he's gonna kill me. Like, she is just oh my gosh, she is so crazy. She's just like how does one person like she is so unique, honestly, to her credit, she is so unique. She is truly a snowflake. Great job, Bellatrix. So Harry, Kat Harry, you know, knocks her to the ground with a spell, and Umbri uh, Umber, gosh, they're basically the same, right? Bellatrix doesn't think that Harry has it in him, so she is so she kind of smiles, but I think when she sees him, she kind of her smile fades a little bit because she sees how intense he is. And I think at this point, we should kind of recognize that Harry does have the power to make a make a little something something happen here. I think he's powerful enough and he is enraged enough to cast something pretty serious, uh, pretty pretty harmful at Bellatrix, and Bellatrix kind of recognizes that in his face. Oh, like she sees it in his eyes, like he would kill her, he would do it. Like, like Moody said, you know, you have to mean it. Let me tell ya, Harry means it in this moment. But before he can get his thoughts together, and would he have no, of course not. He's not old enough, he's not there yet, he would never have done it, but he could have. That's what I'm saying, he could have. But before he has to make that choice, Belichick smiles again. She laughs, she laughs at Harry, and Harry's like, what's going on now? And now now he feels something different. Like, I I I think we should make that clear. He feels something. A change in the wind, some temperature, some something. Because who is here? Well, it is it is the only person who could make Beltrix smile like that. It is the only person who can make a change like that in Harry. It is Voldemort. Finally, we finally we meet him again face to face. And the way the film did it was like, for like seriously, I honestly do not like how how the film portrayed Voldemort's arrival. How he was like, he was like, like, like some he's making some weird sound, like drifting in, like, with his mouth open, like, what the heck? I don't know what they were thinking with that one. So I think a much more effective entrance would be something like we saw Lucius do in the uh Hall of Prophecies. And that's why I had that like that, so we could have a really good moment of foreshadowing, and now we kind of see, like, Harry should Harry's, you know, cast has his one pointed at Bellatrix, and then Bellatrix kind of looks at something over Harry's shoulder and starts laughing. That's the moment that gives us like the like the heart stop moment, is Bellatrix looks over his shoulder and sees something and just starts to laugh. Like that's when you know something's not quite right. So Harry turns around. And I I honestly I don't even think there should be like he emerges out of the smoke, or he like, like, no, I just I think it'd be so much better if he's just standing there. There's no like build-up, there's no boom, and he's there, there's no flash of light. He's just standing there. Like it's powerful in its simplicity. And again, the the atrium is very dark. Is very, very dark. So all we can really see are like his hands and his head. Because he's wearing you know dark robes. We we can still kind of see those. But we see his red eyes through the darkness. And it's kind of like, um, you know, this is such a specific. I think it is the second Lord of the Rings movie. I don't know. I uh huge Lord of the Rings man, I watch this all all the time. Um if you know what I'm talking about, it's the moment that Frodo goes into Shelob's lair, and then he's walking around, and then he his back is turned, and then we see this form in the back, and then its legs like come out, and then they start. Like, if you don't know what I'm talking about, basically the main character goes into uh a cave, which is actually a spy very large spider's layer, and he his back is turned, and we don't see that it's the spider yet, but when like we can see it and like he's turned around, it's behind him. And then once it like unfurls its legs and we realize, oh that's it, and then it comes towards him. That's kind of what I'm going for here. Yeah, I'm sorry for that tangent. But Voldemort is standing there, and obviously we know it's him, but it's only when he starts moving, and it's like this is kind of where we see that that that glide. He shouldn't like he is taking steps. Like, of course he's walking, like he's not literally floating, but it's like the way he moves is inhuman. And again, this is a good contrast with Lucius because this is how Lucius appeared, but this is not who Lucius is. We saw the humanity with Lucius, but with Voldemort, he is not human. He is not human, and we see that in his red, let me tell you, red eyes. So Voldemort is walking towards Harry, and this is like I I I like how can Harry even react? Like how like there there there is no reaction that Harry can have that would be fitting. Because what what what could he do? He can't cast a s like he uh he can't cast a spell, like I think honestly, I feel like that's that's the only, you know, way forward. And that's that's kind of what happens in the film too, which which I I I do like. They kind of you know, they they lock eyes, and first all it's like ten seconds, there's just nothing. It's just Voldemort there and slowly he walks, glides towards Harry. Doesn't even have his wand out. Like there's there's there's just no reason. And then Harry is like frozen, like the look on Harry's face is just like it's like his brain is shutting off. Like there's there's no there's no room left for him to react, almost. But then like he like kicks into gear, he like sees Bellatrix, he kicks into gear, and he turns and he he tries before he can even before he can even get his wand up, Voldemort like like waves his hand and Harry's wand like flies out of his hand, and it's it should be just the most like it should be pitiful. That's the word I'm like for really. It should be a very pitiful moment for Harry. Because it's just like the most the silent like clatter of his wand, like he moves, like and again, there is no music here, so it should be very just just like like Harry is like like pointless. Like he has he is there is no fighting for him. Like there's no there is nothing for him to do here. Like that should be the feeling. Like he cast he tries to cast a spell because like what else does he do? But Voldemort doesn't even like he barely lifts a finger and like Harry's wong just flies out like just clatters to the ground. Then then like then like the feeling is just like well now what? Like d does Voldemort just kill him? Like, is that it? Harry's just standing there. It's just Harry standing there. Like, what does he do? Like, there's nothing to do. Like, I I don't know how to get this point across. Like, he's just like chilling, and it's just Voldemort, like what the heck's going on here? So there's nothing to do. But timing is timing is good. Timing is good here because that is the moment that Dumbledore appears out of the fireplace. That is oh god, the timing at the moment is so good. It is so that timing is is is beautiful, beautiful timing. So Dumbledore emerges out of this fireplace, uh, and the line, it was foolish of you to come here tonight, Tom. God, it hits it hits so hard every time it hits. So then this is like this is intense. This is really intense. So I should also mention uh Voldemort should should have said some things to Harry. I don't want it to be totally silent. Uh so Voldemort had said some things, and then Dumbledore appears, and this is when the real magic begins. So this is like the chariot on top. This is why I also another reason why I love this sequence so much, is like the magic we see levels up. They get to the Department of Mysteries, and it's like it's very advanced, you know, what they're seeing, but it's not quite like applicable, I guess you could say. They get to the Hall of Prophecies, and they are they have Lumos on their wands, you know, they have a light on their wands, very basic spell. When Lucius appears and they have their battle, like we s like they're they're casting spells and they're like rapid fire and doing all that, and then the order arrives, and then like they really gets intense, and you know, some really advanced spells are going around, and I uh I I also would would love to see things like um it's not just you know jets of light going back and forth, but like wind and water and like parts of the stone and parts of the chamber, like they're there it's a true like duel, you know, like in like a like a street fight, like cats, you know, they like uh it's not just like hitting each other, like they're like ripping out fur. Like this is real, this is a real fight. But when Voldemort and Dumbledore get there, I it's almost like like the feeling should be like they just they they they transcend like magic. Like it's not like they're barely using their wands is kind of how it should feel. And I like how it's done in the film where Dumbledore casts uh a hairy aside and Voldemort throws uh Bellatrix into a fire and she is zoomed, she is, she is uh uh you know taken taken away. And it's just like they lock on. Like they just lock onto each other, and there's there's just like uh I I and this is interesting, actually. I was thinking about how uh uh kind of like a uh the famous part of this duel is how Dumbledore enchants the Fountain of Magical Brethren, the Wizard, the Centaur, the House of the Witch, to kind of come to life and protect Harry and fight for Dumbledore. I think that might work, honestly, but I just honestly think it's it's it's a little too it's a little too surface level. Like the magic that we're seeing here is so far beyond. It's so far beyond like basic things like that. Like, we should like like the air should be like like becoming solid, like and like becomes uh like the air around Voldemort, like, like crumples up and like comes towards him, but but but Voldemort like does some like slice and like whatever like it's sucked into some like like w vacuum that you know whirls up into a storm and like shoots in like a you know some kind of like laser at like it should be like the fabric of our like magical understanding should kind of be d absolutely destroyed. Uh I do like uh the the um I I I like the combo of putting Boldemore in like a huge huge sphere of water and kind of like holding him there, and he's trying to break out, and then eventually he falls to the ground and he gathers this like shh like huge burst of energy and just explodes outward. And this is a good moment. Uh all the windows shatter uh in in in the offices and they like funnel together, and Voldemort like like does this like uh classic Voldemort sound and funnels all these shards of glass to fly towards Dumbledore. But Dumbledore casts this. This shield in front of him and the glass just turns to sand when it when it uh reaches him. That's that's a cool I I I do like that. I wouldn't mind if there's something like that. Because we need something to diffuse the tension. That's why I like the glass turning to sand motif kind of here. Because we need something to diffuse the tension, and we can kind of see it happen in real time. Like, there's there's an understanding between them that they could do this forever. There would be no winner, they would just go back and forth. Like, Voldemort is Dumbledore is by far the most powerful for sure, but Voldemort uses magic in a different way, and that's how he holds his own. They could just keep going forever and ever and ever. So eventually, when this glass is turned to sand, it's kind of like a symbol of like, okay, like let's let's just leave it here. Uh, and for for their own good, they decide to end the duel there. But before before he can uh uh you know, before he he's gone for good, uh Voldemort speaks through Harry, and this should be kind of like the Occlamency final boss moment, because Harry is like possessed, you know, almost by by Voldemort. Um, and uh we kind of see like uh Harry like s almost like speaking through like Voldemort speaking through Harry, and it's this horrible moment, and then Harry like falls to the ground, and um, you know, and he's kind of in this own, like, his own little bubble, and we see Voldemort looking over him, and he doesn't touch him. Voldemort does not touch him, and that is such a symbol. Oh gosh, that's so that's such a cool moment where uh we kind of see like Dumbledore is watching as as you know, Voldemort is just looking over Harry's like prone form on the ground. That's when Fudge and a bunch of miniature workers, good timing, guys, like gosh, geez, now they're here. They rush through uh the fireplaces, and Fudge sees him and says, He's back. And Voldemort looks over and is like, ah, gosh, like he saw me. And he he in a swish of the sand, in a in a blink, you know, the air kind of folds up, the sand kind of swirls up, and Voldemort is gone. That is such an intense moment, like gosh. Wow, that was a lot of fun. The episode's not quite over yet. Not not quite over. Uh we're basically there though. So they go back, they go back, Dumbledore and Harry are sitting in Dumbledore's office, and this moment is like It's just like it's it's just kind of heartbreaking, honestly, because we're kind of here and we've almost forgotten about Sirius because of the whole duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort, but now is like seeing Harry sitting there, and I I want to have like some kind of ticking, like maybe there's a there's there's like a clock, and we just kind of are sitting there with them, and they aren't saying anything, and they aren't really doing anything, and you know, Harry I I I don't love like the idea of him like smashing all the things in Dumbledore's office. That that that doesn't seem quite right. So he just kind of sits there and just kind of thinks. Just kind of thinks about everything that's that's happened. He thinks about his dad, he thinks about Sirius, he thinks about all these all these horrible challenges and all these these questions that are being asked of him that he feels like he can never quite answer. And it's just it's just that. That's kind of what we sit with with him for a while. And eventually Dumbledore explains. Dumbledore explains kind of what's what's going on, you know. Why Dumbledore wanted the prophecy, what it meant, which by the way, it got destroyed, so it should be should be mentioned. Um and that's kind of it. Dumbledore explains everything. It's just a very quiet, very powerful scene. And that's kind of the end. It ends right there. In Dumbledore's office. So there you go. That's it. I mean, wow. What an a Well, is this the longest one yet? It might be. An hour and a half is kinda crazy. So did not think I'd be sitting here for this long. But what a good few episodes that was. Wow. I I was so looking forward to to episode 10 for the longest time. But you might be wondering, that's so first I should say that's the end of the book. So we've reached the end of the story, but we have one more episode to go. Alright? One more. And I will I will leave you in suspense for next week. Tune in next week. You are not gonna regret it. That's all I got for you guys today. Thank you so much for listening. What an episode. If you if you liked it, I am so, so appreciative of you sticking around to the end. Um really, I mean, just just sitting here talking with you is is is the best. Really, it's the best. Um questions, comments, topics, the podger discussion at gmo.com. Let me know what you thought of the episode. I would love to hear Jad just say. And of course, uh, this episode was a lot of fun. So if you think someone else should hear it, go ahead and share. Really would help me out. Uh you guys, you guys know the drill. You guys know know the drill by now. Uh, so there you go. That's all I got for you guys today. Have a great week. I will see you next week for our season finale. And as always, remember that happiness can be found even in the darkest of times. If one only remembers to turn on the light. I will see you later.