Join hosts Aureo, Irvin, and Sierra and guest Taavi (Of Muggles and Mudbloods) as they discuss chapter 11 in the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Firebolt
In this episode:
- Harry really needs to talk more
- Ron is the BestTM in this chapter
- Puns everywhere
- The world is oh-so-grey
- Lots of mysteries, and lots of clues to those mysteries
- Tea time for all of us
- What makes a flobberworm flobber?
- A little trouble doesn’t stop Minerva-Quidditch-Superfan-McGonagall
- Sybill Trelawney’s Secret Heartache
- Cheaper ways to kill Harry Potter
Resources:
- “Hermione’s Horrible Holidays” – Irvin
- “Wreath Theory” – Irvin
- “Getting a Clue for Christmas” – Irvin
- “Professor Trelawney’s Secret Crush” – Daniela Teo (Two-Way Mirror column)
The Pub’s Jukebox: “When 13 Dine” – The Pumpkin Pasties
My comment came across as more negative than I intended – I very much like Snitches_get_snitches’ ideas, but the number-cruncher in me wants to check average scoring rates and tweak and optimise the point values.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!
Regarding the flobberworms, I have always pictured them quite a lot bigger than the standard garden earthworm. Although, having checked, they are only 10 inches long. So long, but not enormous by any means:
https://www.hp-lexicon.org/creature/worms-and-worm-like-creatures/flobberworm/
Apparently, their mucus is good for thickening potions but does that make them particularly magical? I’m not too sure.
But if flobberworms aren’t terribly magical or terribly uncommon, I don’t see why human biologists haven’t come across them.
So the options are:
~Ev
I hesitate to share this cursed knowledge, but… the largest known species of slug are close to that size.
*side-eye emoji*
To be honest, I read the comment, thought “Huh. I wonder how big slugs get?” and googled it. I was expecting some prehistoric* giant slug called something like “gastropoda jabbaii”, but found that current ones get disturbingly large.
Google-fu is not always a blessing…
* Though, realistically, you’re not going to see many fossil slugs. Make no bones about it.
The awkwardness History of Magic classes would depend a lot on how events are framed. Harry, Ron, & Hermione did break into both the Ministry and Gringotts, after all. I can imagine members of the next generation getting in trouble for arguing with the teacher about what really happened.
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I suspect Harry could recognise Lupin in some of the old photos if he looked closely enough, but he’s not taking any notice of anyone else: he’s drinking in his parents.
Speaking of parents, Ron & Hermione are getting good practice for when they have angsty teens of their own.
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The Dementors probably make Sirius hear his own voice saying something like “Why don’t we make it Wormtail?”
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As far as dementors are concerned, a soul is a soul, but Harry’s has hot sauce.
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Any other animal, domesticated or not, would likely be put down after injuring a child as seriously as Draco seems to be (he plays it up, but he’s still got a nasty gash on his arm), regardless of whether the child was bothering the animal.
I love this all so much. Completely agree with you about Sirius and the dementors, and holy crap that is depressing!
I’m picturing Hermione lecturing Hugo. “We never had trouble like this from our other children! Rose wasn’t snogging people in class! Harry never fondled anyone under the desk!”
Holy moly I am also now so depressed thinking about Sirius and the dementors…
It makes sense that Sirius coped better in animagus form. Dogs are well known for being chill.
There’s an apocryphal story about scientists working on ulcer medication who wanted to test it on dogs (this was before research ethics was invented). Unlike humans where ulcers can be exacerbated by stress, they had to artificially induce ulcers in the dog, who would then refuse to worry and go take a nap until they got better.
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OMG! You can’t just ask someone why they flobber!
Besides Tremors and Dune, Flobberworms are also the inspiration for The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Harry and Ron are well aware that dark wizards could jinx a broom, but this isn’t a broom, this is a firebolt. That would be like shooting at a Jaguar E-Type.
I’m gonna outsource episode titles to you at this rate. ROFL
Tell you what, I’ll provide one for the next episode. Something about parsnips, I’ll have to think about it…
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BTW since it’s Christmas themed, an alternate set of ingredients could be 7 geas a laying on characters in this chapter:
(For those unfamiliar, a “geas” is a bit like an oath or compulsion – essentially an obligation with consequences)