SEASON OPENING!! | Dementors and Ministry Hearings in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Tea Leaves S5 E1+2)

In this episode, we discuss the opening two episodes to Tea Leaves, our version of the Harry Potter TV show. Harry encounters old magical enemies and barely escapes intact. Enjoy!

Topics/Summary:

·      1:45 Set our goals. Harry is growing up, and this season must reflect that.

·      4:52 We open with the Muggle news. Harry has been kept in the dark over the summer so he is forced to listen to the Muggle news to hear anything about Voldemort. He and Dudley get into some magical trouble, and Mrs. Figg and Aunt Petunia show they know more than they let on.

·      30:47 Harry is rescued. The Dursleys go off to their All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition, and some Order members arrive to bring Harry off to number 12 Grimmauld Place.

·      37:53 Episode two begins with the morning of the hearing. Harry is incredibly nervous. Mr. Weasley brings him into the office, but they find out that the time and location of the hearing had been changed. They rush down to the old courtrooms where the entire Wizengamot is assembled in Court Room 10.

·       49:03 Off to Hogwarts! They get their badges and lists in order and head off to King’s Cross, Padfoot in toe. They sit with Luna on the train and get to Hogwarts with little friction. Dumbledore begins the year with the feast and introduces Professors Grubbly-Plank and Umbridge as new staff members. Off to the races.

 ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.com
thepotterdiscussion.com

Nox

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

Intro

Oscar 0:00

Welcome to the pot of discussion. Welcome back to the pilot discussion, discussing the Harry Potter books, films, TV show, and the Wizard World Phantom. I'm your host, Oscar, and this is episode 346. Thank you everybody for joining me today. It is a lovely day. I am so glad that you are here with me, and we are doing something very exciting today. We are beginning season five. Last week we had our little wrap-up discussion to tie up loose ends and really put that whole situation to a rest. Season four was epic. Really, it was. I was really happy with it. We had some really cool moments, some really interesting ideas that came out of it. And now we have a wonderful opportunity. We are moving forward. This is Tea Leaves season five. Of course, Tea Leaves is our version of the Harry Potter TV show. We are going through each book scene by scene, writing out this thing until we get to the very end. I am I am very glad that you are here with me today. If this is your first time, welcome. There is a whole season ahead of us, so definitely stick around to hear it. And you can also go back in here for complete seasons of this uh show if you want to hear that. And of course, if you are uh vet of the show, if this is not your first episode, welcome back and glad to have you. For all who are listening, if you have anything you want to add to the discussion, if you have any ideas for upcoming episodes, do not hesitate to reach out to thepoder discussion at gmail.com. That is thepodger discussion at gmail.com. I'm always happy to hear from you and incorporate your ideas into the show. But I think I've mentioned everything. So without further ado, let's get into today's episode.

Set our goals

Oscar 1:46

As we do with every season, before we really get into the actual episode, we must set our goals because it's important that as we go into this, we have a clear lens of what we are actually looking at. And it's funny, as I was writing these goals, they were all kind of the same. They were all slowly kind of coalescing to one this big idea. And because of that, I only have one goal. Only one goal. And I know that's crazy because we've had three goals uh typically, but not anymore. One goal. And though we may return to the three goal system later, the reason I only have one goal is because, like I said, I wrote three, and then today I looked back at them and I thought those are the same. So I'm gonna give you this goal. This is our one goal for the season, and it is an all-encompassing theme that we are going to build out this season with, and that is I want Harry to start growing up. It's as simple as that. The Gobbit of Fire is such an interesting book because, as we were mentioning, it's it's a it is a clear transition point, and there are several things that contribute to that, and we discussed this more in depth last episode. I will put that episode in the show notes if you want to hear our thoughts ahead for this season. But Harry was moving from his early days into the true fight against Voldemort. Of course, his return being the climax of the story and the segue into the back half of this series. And we saw a lot of Harry's relationships change in the Goblet of Fire. We saw a lot of that begin to shift, and that is a super important idea because Harry's becoming someone else. Harry is growing and changing, and this book is now where he must truly face the world, and that is kind of where we are coming from here. Uh, one of my goals was, you know, Harry Harry begins to truly face Voldemort. And I was like, okay, yeah, that's that's a great goal. And then a second one of my goals was like Harry's uh relationships begin to mature. I was like, okay, yeah, that's that's a great one too. So, you know, and by the third goal, I was like, alright, these are all the same. So hair growing up, I think, is a great way to encapsulate that. And there was a lot there, I think. Especially, I mean, even in these first few episodes, we're gonna be seeing a lot of those those maturing relationships. Because part of growing up is realizing that things aren't quite what they seem. You know, things aren't aren't exactly what they may uh appear on the face, and that is what Harry's experiencing, though it is definitely exaggerated, seeing as these circumstances are quite extenuating. So we are gonna have a really interesting discussion uh each episode surrounding that goal. Of course, we are not going to be, you know, directly uh citing it, but just keep that in in the in the back of your mind for these next few episodes, is that Harry is going to be growing up this season, and a lot is going to be asked of him, so we have to keep an eye on that. But that is our goal. We have an episode to get to, so let's move on.

We open with the Muggle news

Oscar 4:52

So we are now gonna begin. This is episode one. We are opening up season five, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Here we go. So this is how the episode begins. The screen is black. We have like the director appears, the title appears, whatever it is. We have like the beginning text, and as these things are uh going across the screen, we begin to hear the news. The news is playing, and it's fairly normal, you know, very, very normal news. Uh and as these uh you know, we finish with seeing the names of the directors and all that, we fade in. We have a black screen, we're listening to the news, and we fade in on the television screen. And honestly, I haven't really thought about what the news story is. It there, I mean, it is in the book, um, that you know, these these stories. And I'm that I think the the two options that I thought of are one, just do it exactly like it is in the book, or two, have something that's like a foreshadow, something something like that, you know, like uh something that will foreshadow at the end of this book. I think that that would be a very clever thing to do. But anyhow, the news itself isn't that important. We're watching the television screen, and then we cut away and we see the Dursleys. The Drizlies are sitting there. Of course, uh Dudley does not want to watch news, he's he's he's not there. But Petunia and Verna, they're there, they're watching, they're making remarks, um, they are doing all these things. And then, of course, of course, uh, I think an interesting part of this scene is Harry. So Harry is sitting in the flower bed outside the window listening to this news because he's wondering if there's any goings-on about Voldemort. He's listening, he wants to verify that everything is smooth in the visiting world. So, this scene in the book is, of course, from Harry's perspective. He's listening in the flower bed, and then he uh there's a bang that goes off in the neighborhood, and he thinks someone just aberated or disapparated, and he bolts upright and he smashes his head against the window, and his eyes are watering with pain, and he's clutching his splitting head. And of course, that's when Vernon finds him and asks him what he what he's doing. I like how it's done, you know. I definitely like I like how it's done, but I think it'd be interesting if we had this scene from the Dursley's perspective. So we open up this whole season from the Dirsey's perspective. So we open up on the TV screen, then we cut to the Durslies, and then we just stick on them, you know, as as we watch the news, and then once it gets to, you know, in the book, it gets to uh water skiing holidays, and that's like the uh signal to Harry that, okay, clearly nothing's going on, and that's when he kind of begins to get up. But then from the living room, the Durslies hear the bang outside, and they kind of look around, they aren't quite sure what it is, and that's when we see Harry jolt up and smash his head against the window. That's when Vernon gets up. So that's when we switch from the Dursley's perspective, not to Harry's perspective, but kind of to like an omniscient narrator. Uh, and we see uh Vernon who's grabbing Harry and says, What are you doing? What are you doing? And of course Harry's just tr- he's just saying, he's just listening to the news, and of course, Vernon does not believe a word he's saying. He thinks Harry's up to no good, causing trouble where he shouldn't. Uh, and he is angry with Harry, but of course Harry does not, Harry doesn't want anything anything to do with it. Vernon pushes him away, and Harry walks away. He he goes over the gar the the gate to the garden and he walks down the road. His head is splitting, and he thought he heard someone apparate or disapparate from or two. Perfect drive. Harry is without news. That is what we're gonna slowly begin to realize. Harry has heard nothing from his uh friends, he has heard nothing from Dumbledore, and he has heard nothing on the news about Voldemort. So truly, he is in the dark right now. There is no one and nothing that he has at his disposal to understand more about what happened last summer. And that is, I think, a really important part of this to recognize. That it's easy for us, you know, we are sitting from the perspective of knowing everything about Harry and everything that will come and everything that has come. But I think an important part of this sequence, the important part of the beginning, uh, especially I mean, really the whole first episode, is that Harry knows nothing. His best friend, one one of his one of his closest friends, who he fought tooth and nail against and then taught uh fought with, Cedric Diggory was killed in front of his very eyes just a few months ago at the end of the Travis Tournament, and now Harry is left with nothing. Voldemort returned, murdered Cedric, and disappeared without a trace. I think it's important for us to put ourselves in Harry's shoes and realize that that is, first of all, infuriating. I mean, imagine something huge, crazy happens, and you can't find out and no one will tell you what happened. Like, it's just like, oh god, you just have to know. And this, the stakes. The stakes are incredibly high for this situation with Harry because, of course, Dumbledore has not told Harry anything, and and Harry was relying on Dumbledore to tell him something. Voldemort is the big bad. Voldemort is the one who killed his parents, the one who caused the first war, the one who we know that Harry doesn't, though he suspects, will cause another conflict. Harry is dying to know what the heck is going on with Voldemort. And he just knows nothing. To make it even worse, he's writing to his friends, he's he's writing to all these people, and still there he's getting nothing. He's he's getting replies. So, yeah, of course, he's uh Ron Hermione are writing back, but they're saying we can't say anything. Dombledor told us we can't tell you anything. It's just infuriating, and I absolutely don't blame Harry for for feeling down about that. Uh, I am looking forward to seeing how this whole thing is going to be portrayed on the screen because I like how it's done in the film. How we have kind of Harry just walking, he feels lost. That's kind of the feeling, is that as he walks down this road in in the TV show, he's he's walking down this road, he just feels lost. Like he's he doesn't really sure where he's going. So that's kind of the feel here is that he just doesn't know what's going on. Fernand let him go, he went over the gate, and now he's walking down the road, and you know, it's nice out and whatever, but he's just he's still, he just he just doesn't feel it. He just doesn't want to enjoy the day because he doesn't know what's going on. He's in the dark and therefore he cannot feel at ease. That is where we are beginning this episode. So he walks down the road, he can't believe that he is not hearing anything to do with Voldemort. Of course, he's relieved that he's not hearing anything. He would-I'm sure he would not want to hear something like 24 muggles were killed. Like, no, no, he does not want to hear the the Muggle news wouldn't say Muggles, 24 people, let's say. Uh so Harry's listening very intently for that, and of course he has been for a few days now. But he's glad, so this is this is uh kind of an interesting conflict here. He is really glad that he's not hearing anything, but he is all he wants is news, and he knows that if someone were to be killed, it would be on the news, so he wants to hear that. It's a really a horrible situation. He's he's he's he's in a jam for sure, and it's a jam that he can't even get out of. That's why it's so frustrating. He can't, you know, he he has no control over what what he knows or what he doesn't. Dumbledore is controlling that for him. So that's I think a big factor in why he's so annoyed at this whole situation. So Harry eventually finds himself in a playground because he just he just doesn't know where he's going. He has pounded these streets before, he knows where, you know, he knows what's what where he's going, but he just he just doesn't think about it. And he sits down on the swing and he just he feels lost. He doesn't know anything, he doesn't know anyone. He's so isolated, he just doesn't have anything. And that is a really tough situation to be in. But he's not alone for long because he's sitting on a swing in their local playground, you know, nothing, nothing special. It's pretty, pretty run down, just you know, whatever. I'm looking forward. This is a great uh this this whole walking down the street and sitting in the playground is a great opportunity to put on display some some nice 90s fashion, some nice 90s architecture. I think that's that's gonna be really cool. Uh definitely looking forward to that. So Harry isn't alone for long because he's sitting on the swing, and lo and behold, two trots up uh to say hi to him, but Dudley Dursley. Dudley and his gang are walking by with their racing bikes. I like the detail in the book about how the Harry can hear the you know the click of the bikes getting you know rolled past and this, you know, very expensive, very fine rubber gripping the pavement and pushing off again. Like it's this perfectly crafted bike, but Dudley, you know, Harry knows Dudley would never actually use it, you know, for anything even resembling a race. He just you know beats beats people up and eats. Those are his two activities. And he has been doing a lot of that. He has definitely been doing a lot of that, uh, and it shows for sure he is me bigger and meaner than ever. Uh, I like the details. It's in the uh Goblet of Fire where he's like slowly beginning to uh take on the size and shape of a baby killer whale, which always brings brings me a chuckle. So I shudder to think what size he's at now. I think I I like how they did it in the film because he wasn't like he he wasn't grotesquely large in the film, and I like that better because I mean it would just be ridiculous. Like one of the things that I'm finding as I'm rereading some of some of these books is that it's very dramatic. I mean, it's it's many of the moments in in all parts of the story are very dramatic. Is he actually the size of a killer? Well, no, that is insane, but he is a very large person that we can agree. So in this book, we can definitely notice that he has uh he is he's powerfully built and he is willing to beat up Harry if uh Harry dis disagrees with him. So he comes up on Harry and they have a disagreement because naturally that's just what happens. And I I like how it's done in the film. I will say I do like how it's done. There are a few things I'd change, however. The first one is uh it's all it's all a little too sudden. It's all a little too sudden, and I think that's kind of a plot hole. So in the film, Dudley's making fun of Harry, and then of course Harry gets mad and gets up, and then this guy goes it like it suddenly goes black. And then they're just like, What's going on now? And then they run to the underpass. That isn't that's an okay way of doing it, but I would rather it be something a little more gradual because I mean again, like I mentioned, it's kind of a plot hole. The the whole idea of the Dementors is that they are a slow, steady force. You couldn't possibly dream of getting around them. And it's it's kind of that idea of like, it's like, you know, it's not sprinting at you. A Dementor isn't jetting towards you, but it is never going to stop. That's kind of the fear that's building. And in the film, I don't like how when they're talking, Harry finally kind of snaps and guys up, and it's not him, but it's just like BAM-darkness, and then like rain starts. Like, it's just a little too sudden. And I also m far prefer the version of the book where the it's kind of uh the underpass is closer. Like in the film, like they they're like running through the fields to get to the underpass, like it's kind of you know crazy, but in the film I much prefer how uh they Dudley and Harry are alone when it happens. So all of his friends, I think so. Okay, so to get a perfect blend of the book and the film, here's exactly how this scene this scene should go. Harry's sitting on the belt on the swing. Dudley and his clicking racing bikes and his gang show up and they start laughing at Harry, start making fun of him, of course, status quo, and then eventually the gang leaves him, and uh Harry and Dudley kind of have this awkward moment where Dudley's still kind of leering at him, but Harry's just not having it at all. So his gang leaves him. Uh and Harry and Dudley are just kind of there together in the park. And of course, Dudley is not letting up, but we just see how stupid he is. Like he just, he's just he doesn't understand, he doesn't grasp just in general. But it's just, you know, it's a nice summer's day, but Harry kind of looks around and he sees maybe like a chill in the air. He's like, well, what's going on? And maybe it gets a little, you know, darker, a little more cloudy. And it is, it should we should mention that it is evening time. Like, you know, it is uh this the sun is setting, and maybe as the sun sets, uh Harry's breath begins to fog, you know, not like it should in the summer, and he kind of feels this chill, and he almost like he almost recognizes this chill, you know, like he's like he's felt it before, and he he is uh and Dudley begin to walk back, you know, together because they're you know they are if they're they're still family, and Dudley uh wants to has stick to Harry so he can still uh keep making fun of him. So they they they begin walking back, but soon it grows darker. The sun has set, and the clouds are rolling in, and Harry is definitely noticing something's up. It is cold. Dudley hasn't quite noticed it yet, but it is cold. Like he's he's getting chilly, like it is summer, it should not be this cold. And eventually, I think it uh the rain is kind of a is is an interesting detail. I don't really think there should be rain, but just they go into an un uh underpass, and eventually, like the stars just kind of w wink out, like then we see true darkness, and this is where Dudley looks around, he starts thinking, like, oh, it's really cold, and then that's when it gets truly like pitch black and the stars grow out, and Dudley panics and he punches Harry in the face, and Harry pull falls down, and this is when uh Dudley tries to run away. You know, he's he's he's he's trying to run, he's trying to get away. But then like this strange sound, like Dudley's like like his his footsteps suddenly stop, like he he s he uh slips on the uh on on ice that's forming on the ground and he crashes to the ground and he's panicking, and then he's he kind of like something something happens, like Harry hears that something in his voice changes, you know, like his his breath is ragged, and Harry's heart now is pounding because he knows that something is wrong. He knows deep in his heart what is going on, but his wand fell out of his pocket because Dudley smashed him in the face. He's his I like the details, his hands are falling going on on the ground like a spider, he's trying to find his wand. He says, in frustration, he says, Lumos, and his wand is right next to him. His his hand was close enough, I guess. He grabs his wand, and this is this is a really important moment. It is pitch black right now, mind you. He holds up his wand, so he grabs it. He's on the ground, he stands up, he turns, he holds up his wand, and right in front of him is a Dementor. It is huge, it is slimy, it is cloaked, and it is coming for Harry. And this is uh our first moment of fear in the season. We see that the Dementors, they are just as calm and terrifying as we remember them to be. The Dementor grabs Harry, and we can see uh in in the wand light, we see that Dudley, uh, there's a second Dementor there who is who is on Dudley, sucking the happiness out of him. And it is a terrible sight. He is he's on the ground, he's sick, he is not, he is just doing he is doing very poorly, is the bottom line. And the uh duh the Dementor grabs Harry and pushes him against the wall, and and also uh the the horrible suck, you know, his his you know the uh uh memories, the happiness is just getting pulled out of Harry. Uh so that's that's it's just horrible. We should really feel that. We should really feel that. And the sound, the the the Harry's breath is still fogging, the the you know, the night is still black. And I think it's important that there's that there's no music in this scene because it should be intense. Like we should feel like we are there watching, like like the Dementor is coming for us next. So Harry's pushed against the wall, and he is fighting, he has his wand, he eventually he finds it within himself, he closes his eyes, he finds it, and he casts a patronus. The stag bursts forth from his wand, it it catches the Dementor uh with it with the antlers and and Casa decide that uh the Dementor tries to run at it again, but it is repelled, and then of course the stag uh Harry calls the stag to the Dementor on Dudley, and it runs towards that one, and both the Dementors escape. One thing I want to note is stags are really big. And I think especially in when like I mean, just kind of in general in the film, when we see the stag, it's like not that big. It kind of looks like a baby deer. Like, it shouldn't be like that, it should be something really big. I mean, like a true stag is gigantic, you know. So I I want to make that note that when Harry casts a Patronus, it's not like this little ball of light that takes the form of a small, you know, whatever. No. This is a full, huge animal that's charging down the the path at these Dementors. So that is that is what we see. And then once the The two dimensions are gone. The Patronus returns to Harry, bows its head, and slowly wisps away into the night. Harry's still shaking, still shivering, but slowly the lights come back up. We can kind of see the underpass more clearly now. It's you know, typical graffiti lights, whatever. Uh, we see the ice is still there, but it's slowly melting. Dudley's lying on the ground still. He is panting, he is sickly looking, he is stricken, something horrible has happened to him now. And that's when Mrs. Fig comes around the corner. Uh, and of course Harry sees him, Caesar puts his wand away, says, Oh, Mrs. Fig, Mrs. Fig. And then I I really love the line. She says, Don't put it away, boy. There might be more of them. Uh, and in that moment, it's like, What? Mrs. Fig? Like the one who made the horrible stale cake, the one who has the thousand cats, the one who Harry stayed with when the went on vacation? Yeah. So that's a that's a really cool moment. And uh uh what I like about this is that this is contributing to the whole, you know, this the world is not exactly as Harry thought it was, kind of kind of idea. So Harry is faced with this new like moment of like, oh my gosh, like you know what's going on here. And of course, she she she does. So Dudley is not doing too well. They grab him. Uh between them, of course, uh Mrs. Fig has her bag of cat food and they're trying to support Dudley, who is in a very bad way, unfortunately. He is he is not doing too well. They carry him back through the neighborhood, and as they do, they talk. Mrs. Fig reveals that she knows what's going on. She's a squib. She has been uh helping Dumbledore keep an eye on Harry, and Menungus Fletcher was supposed to uh be keeping an eye on Harry, but he disapparated uh that that afternoon to go buy some more stolen cauldrons. So that uh Harry realized that he was right in hearing a uh a bang of someone disapparating. So Harry realizes that that's what he heard. Monungus left. Uh, and as they're walking back, Monungus apparates back in front of them, and Mrs. Fig beats the living crap out of him with her bag of cat food. She berates him for leaving Harry, and of course, he Munungus didn't realize what was what was going on, but she tells him that uh there were two Dementors that appeared, and he could have been there to stop him, but he wasn't. So it is a uh a really unfortunate situation for Mundungis, and he feels horrible, of course, but he's kind of a slime ball, and we are gonna get used to it. So, thank you, Mundungus, for your help. They eventually uh say goodbye to him with great disdain, especially on Mrs. Fig's part, and they continue bringing Dudley back to Forfeit Drive. They eventually get there, Mrs. Fig says, I'll be watching, you know, I'll be watching. Good luck, Harry, and sends him on his way. Harry knocks on the door. Uh, of course, the second the door's opened, Dudley pukes all over the all over the welcome mat, and Petunia and Vernon are shocked. They are so scared, they grab Dudley, they rush him inside, they don't care a lick about what what what Harry did. They they sit him down and they try to get they try to get a story out of him, but he is just, he is just so he's shaken up, he's they just they can't tell what happened. But the one coherent thing he does is as he's sitting on the couch and the the Durses are asking what happened, he points a shaking sickly finger at Harry. And that's when Vernon rounds on him and says, Set him right. Because according to Vernon, Harry jinxed him or set some spell on him or something happened. Uh and uh Harry now, it is now Harry's responsibility to cure him of this of this ailment. Uh and Harry says, No, it wasn't me, it wasn't me. Uh, and it is, of course, of course they don't believe him. I mean, why would they? And now we have a a very kind of a hectic uh a hectic sequence of events. A letter arrives. This is the first letter of the evening. It is from the Ministry of Magic. It says, You have been expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry because of your use of underage magic. A representative from the ministry will be to your residence shortly to destroy your wand. Uh-oh. That's ca- that's a uh that's that's not good. So Harry is now he is stricken. I mean, he just he can't believe that he has been expelled. But of course he understands because he cuts up a chronic, but then he's thinking, well, I I can't be expelled. Like he is angry, he is confused, he has all these things, he just doesn't know what's happening. And then a second letter arrives from Mr. Weasley who says Harry should not surrender his wand and he should not leave the Dursleys. Dumbledore is on it. Dumbledore is probably at the ministry right now trying to set it right. So at this point, Harry tries to explain to the Dursleys what's going on. They are still fussing over Dudley, they are still incredulous of what happened, they do not believe a word he's saying. But eventually something breaks through. He says, This was a dementor from Azkaban. And Petunia, for the first time, looks up. She clearly recognized something that that he said. Uh and hey, you know, Harry says this was this is the the the work of a dementor. And Vernon's like, What? And that's when Petunia says, Oh, the Dementors guard Azcoban prison, you know, the wizarding prison. And Harry's kind of kind of shocked, knowing that looking at her, you know, he she isn't uh he he isn't really sure how she knows that. But they don't have time to really discuss it, because Harry gets another letter, uh, another ministry owl, telling him that he will be able to keep his wand uh and he will have to face uh a hearing on August 12th to decide his fate. So he's some small relief there, but still he still has has that hearing, which is very nerve-wracking, I'm sure. So that is their final letter. Or should I say from from the ministry, I mean. Because soon enough, Sirius sends a letter to Harry uh and tells him not to leave. He has to stay, uh, he should not leave the house, he should not be uh, you know, trying to uh make trouble or cast more magic or run away, whatever. Sirius tells him just stay put. And then the final letter of the evening arrives shortly after. It's not addressed to anyone, it's not addressed from anyone. It just is uh a letter that says, Remember my last Petunia. And of course, Petunia, Vernon is trying to kick Harry out. He's saying, Out, I've had enough, out, out, out. After that letter arrives, Petunia says, Vernon, he has to stay. He has to stay. Intense. That sequence is so intense. I mean, I mean, really it is. What a what a way to open it up. And one of the very important parts of this whole sequence is Petunia. Because she plays a fascinating role in the next few books, especially this one and the uh final season. We are gonna get to know a lot more about her, and we're gonna begin to see her true colors. As a child, Lily went to Hogwarts and she didn't, and she always wanted to, and that's contributed to her dislike of magic. You know, it's kind of been ground into her this idea that magic is bad, that it should be feared and and misliked. Because Petunia herself uh was denied entry into Hogwarts, and that was something that really stuck with her. So, this little tidbit that she knows, you know, she's heard of Haskaban, she's heard of Dementors, and she clearly has an important role in this from that letter that she got. Remember my last Petunia. Clearly, she's involved in something, she knows more than she should. Those should be indicators for us that there is something going on. She knows something, and that there are, you know, the game is afoot, so to speak. Uh so I am definitely looking forward to seeing how that develops. But that is that is an intense first few uh scenes that we had going on there. But with that, let's move on.

Harry is rescued

Oscar 30:48

So all this is writhing in Harry's head into the next day. Uh, and now we have we're gonna finish out our episode with a few uh a quick order of events here. So the that beginning part is in my opinion the most important because there is a lot there that sets us up for the future. So that's why I wanted to spend so much time there. But here is what happens next. So the Drew's get invited to like the all England best kept suburban lawn competition or something like that. And they are thrilled. This is their pride and joy, this is their dream, this is everything they've lived for. All events are forgotten. They go to Harry, they say, You are staying here, you're not to leave the room, you're not to touch anything, or eat anything, or leave, or speak, or breathe, or blink, or cough. If you sneeze, I will kill you, is essentially what Vernon says. And then they're off. Uh, and Harry sits back down, he's writing letters to his friends. He goes to Hedwig and he says, Peck their hands until they write back. Harry is adamant, he wants information. So he sends Hedwig off and he's just sitting, he is thinking, What am I doing? Like, what do I do? He sees he's uh sitting there thinking, and eventually nighttime comes, the Derries still aren't back. And he hears a noise downstairs, and he isn't quite sure what it is. He creeps down the hall, because of course he thinks of burglars, and he hears voices. Familiar voices. Harry is not sure what's what's going on. He creeps around and he sees people standing in the landing, and he recognizes them. There's Moody, there's Lupin, there's there's a few people there, and he's there's like a crowd. He's like what the heck? Professor Moody? And it turns out that they are there to rescue him. They are here to take him away, and it was revealed that uh it was the Order, who we will later learn is the Order, who sent that letter to the Dirdseys to get them out of the house to get Harry off to uh number 12. So they are there and they tell him to pack up. Tonks goes up with him, and um she uh casts a spell and all of his things fly into his trunk. Of course, she is admiring his firebolt. Um and Lupin writes a letter to the Dirdseys, letting them know that Harry is gone, uh, that he has been taken for safekeeping uh to a different location. Moody gives Harry, and this is another important thread. It's a small thread, but it is an important thread. Uh Moody gives Harry a slip of paper in slanting handwriting, wink a wink, that says the location of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number 12, Grimold Place. And Harry has a lot of questions. Uh Moody says, memorize it. Harry's like, okay. And he's like, what's the Order of the Phoenix? But no time for questions. Moody takes it and burns it. Of course, this was Dumbledore's handwriting, Dumbledore being the secret keeper for the Fidalius charm that was cast on number 12, and that is where Harry is going. But of course, Dumbledore had to be the one to share the secret, so now Harry knows, and blah blah blah. Harry can now go. So they are ready to go. They wait for the signal, they see sparks in the air, and they take their brooms and they are off. And I like in the film, we see Mrs. Fig peering out the window at them as they go. I don't agree with they're like flying through London clearly visible. I think there should at least be I I am okay with with with a scene like that because it is cool, you know, see see the Elizabeth Tower and Parliament and you know, boats and they're going along the Thames and all that. Like, it's cool stuff to see. But I would it's kind of a plot hole. So I either want them to go through the clouds, because which is what they do in the book, or for Moody to cast some kind of spell around them so they are invisible. Uh maybe some like disillusionment charms or something like that. So eventually they make it to a quiet road. And Harry looks at the numbers, he sees 8, 9, 10, 11, 13. And Harry thinks, what's going on? Well, lo and behold, uh the house appears. Almost like it's described as like being inflated, like the two houses on the other side kind of jump out of its way. It appears, and they go in, and this is number 12 Grimold Place, the first time Harry has been there. And Harry sees Molly, the rest of the other order members go into the dining room. He sees hushed voices, he thinks he sees Sirius, but no, Molly. Dragon's boy says, There's there's a meeting going on. Head upstairs. Ron and Hermione are waiting. So I I'm looking forward to seeing how they design number 12. I like that what they were going for in the film. Like, clearly, a very nice house, but very old and very dirty. Uh and eventually Harry gets up to Ron and Hermione, and he is not happy to see them at all. Because in his mind, they were the ones who were basically keeping him from knowing everything. They were the ones who didn't tell him anything. He notices that there are uh like little marks on their hand, little cuts on their hand, from probably where Hedwig was was was was pecking them. And for a sec he he feels like he he thinks he should feel bad, but he almost he almost doesn't. And hey, we know just how angry he is, and he is he he begins to shout at them, he shouts that he has been kept in the dark. Uh and I I don't I think this scene should not feel like Harry is in the right. I think Harry is just frustrated and he's taking it out on Ron Hermione, and he is not right in shouting at them, absolutely not. So that is kind of the feeling I want there. But eventually they they he calms down, they explain everything to him. He is just his head is hurting, he just does not know what to think, he does not know what to feel. It is just awful. But eventually, the meeting's over, Harry can go down, and he is he is very glad to see Sirius. It's been so long since they've seen each other in person. They they hug and they talk for a few moments. Harry and Sirius go up, and Sirius shows him the family tapestry, uh, where Sirius talks about his uh, you know, where where his he's related to the Malfoys and to Tonks and also to the uh Lestrange family. Harry, it doesn't register for Harry exactly uh who the who that family is, but he he you know something sticks in his brain, like okay, that's I recognize that that that name from somewhere, yeah. So that whole uh sequence happens, and then I think that it's a a nice end to the episode would be uh Fred and George showing Harry their their their new jokes, and Harry just kind of talking with the uh the rest of the the uh kids there. Ginny, uh if uh is Fleur there yet? Maybe maybe Fleur is not not there yet. But Fred and George, Hermione, Ron, Jenny, they're all they're all there. And they all talk. They Harry learns about the order, Harry learns about what's going on in there, and they go to bed, and that is our end of episode one. How crazy is that? What a fun episode that was. I'm really glad, Harry, Harry, we finally have the Order of the Phoenix. Uh, we are gonna learn a lot more about them in the coming episodes, that is for sure. But we have another episode to get to, so let's move

Episode two begins with the morning of the hearing

Oscar 37:53

on. We now begin episode two. So we're gonna begin with Harry waking up because he went to bed and now he is waking up, and it is the morning of his trial, and he is terrified. He is so, so, so terrified uh about all these things that are happening. I mean, really he is. Um he is so nervous, this horrible feeling in his stomach, you know, like it's it's turning itself inside out slowly, is is is uh ever present within him. He can barely eat. Uh he mentions the toast he eats tastes like carpet. Uh I totally understand how he feels, that's for sure. Uh so he is feeling super, super nervous. He has this big trial ahead of him, and he because he's I mean, it's it's it's a hearing is what it's called, but that's not what it feels like to him. No, no, no, not at all. So he's going into work with Arthur Weasley, which is very nice of Arthur to take him in. Uh and they are heading in for their uh their their their their trial time. Uh sorry, their hearing time. And it's it's it's a fun journey in. Uh they take the escalator down to the underground, which is thrilling to Mr. Weasley, and then of course the underground itself is probably the best thing he's ever seen. Eventually they find themselves to the phone booth, where of course it's it's the guest entrance, and this is another thing that Harry's like, well, I think Mr. Weasley isn't quite right when he's what he's doing, but he seemed to know what he was doing. He he went into the phone booth, he put in his uh he he types in 6242, of course, that's the visitor's code, magic, uh, and he gets their badges, and eventually they start descending. Harry looks around and realizes they're going downward, like where are the heck are they going? So they descend into the ministry. And this is such a cool moment. I love when we first see the ministry in the film, and I was trying to think about this. The ministry is such a distinct set, it is so distinct. And the reason why I'm wondering if they can even change it is because of, first of all, the fountain is iconic. Like, they can't change the fountain, that's for sure. But then even thinking to like the uh fantastic beasts, that's like in it's the same. Like, that's what it is. Uh it that's exactly what it what it looks like. That that you know, black, blackish green stone, the red carpet, and you know, the huge the portrait of Fudge hanging, the windows uh all around. All of that, I mean, it seems incredible that they uh uh that the um the showrunners today would even try to change that. So I am hoping it is going to be at the very least highly reminiscent of this as they're walking through. They leave uh their they they check in uh with with Eric, the security guard, and they they make their way down. Uh they stop by Mr. Weasley's office because they think they have all the time in the world, but suddenly Perkins, Mr. Weasley's partner in the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, runs in and says, Arthur, Arthur, the the the the hearing's been changed. It's down in the old courtrooms, courtroom 10. And Mr. Weasley realizes that they're late because the time changed too. They rush down, they go to the elevators, the horrible, horrible, famous elevators, they click the button down to the old courtrooms, and they uh are shot downwards. Harry notices some wizards in maroon robes, some people holding random things and looking strangely, and uh Mr. Weezy mentions that they are the uh members of the Department of Mysteries. But as the and and uh as they they they arrive, and this is important because this this hallway Harry's gonna see a lot of times in his dreams. So we we should get a good look around. I I'm imagining like we focus in on one like specific detail, like like a uh like a sconce or the elevator or the door, like we see in the actual dream, the door, something that is very particular to hear, because we are gonna be back here in Harry's dreams a lot. So we are walking down the hall, it's quiet, it's very scary, very different than the hustle and bustle of the ministry above. And from down the hall, they see Lucius and Fudge talking, uh, and uh they know what's going on there. So Fudge clearly has uh someone whispering in his ear. But eventually they get to the door of the courtroom. Mr. Weasley looks at Harry. He says, Good luck, Harry. Keep your head, don't do anything foolish. This is this is you did you did nothing wrong, and all you have to do is explain that. So Harry walks in and he is dumbfounded. I mean, the entire Wizengamat is is is in front of him. So many wizes and witches in different colored robes, and of course, Fudge sitting in the middle uh with Umbridge right next to him. We don't know who Umbridge is yet, but we should see her, you know, have some close-ups on her expression as the trial uh goes on. So Harry sits down and he recognizes this courtroom as the same one that he saw in Dumbledore's Pensive, the one where uh Karkoroff was being held trial and where Bardicratch Jr. was uh captured. So he is very snarvous to sit in the chair, but he's glad that the chains don't come up and bind his hands, though they uh are definitely pretty pretty menacing. So he sits down, uh the proceedings begin. Fudge is clearly ready to get this thing over with, but in a I genuinely cannot think of a better word, but it is very auriful this next moment. Dumbledore walks into the room, he sweeps in the door, bangs open, he says, Witness for the defense. I love how they do that in the film. It's a very you know, voice echoing through the chamber Witness for the defense. Albus Percival, Wolfric, Brian, Dumbledore. Very, very dramatic pause there. And there he is. Dumbledore is in the house. Uh it is, it is A really cool moment there. And Harry is like this is his first kind of moment of hope because he hasn't he hasn't heard from Dumbledore. He's only been hearing snippets of where he is, but finally he's there. Dumbledore doesn't look at him, but it's that's fine. Harry's glad that he's there. He finally he can finally smile a little bit and face this thing together. So the trial begins. They go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, and eventually Fudge says, Well, you can't actually prove they were there. And Dumbledore says, Well, of course we can. He brings out Mrs. Fig, the witness. And I love Mrs. Figg in the film, she acts it so well. And I love in the book how uh they ask, um Fudge asks, uh No, I think it's Madame Bones who asks, you know, so can you can you describe them? And Mrs. Fig says, Oh, well, one was uh, you know, tall and rather skinny, the other one, you know, a bit shorter and quite large. And Madame Bones is like, not the boys, the dementors. Like she is exasperated. It shows how nervous Mrs. Fig is. I feel I feel so bad for her there. But eventually Mrs. Fig gets gets the memo and begins describing it a cold, a darkness, and of course Fudge is dismissing all of this thing, oh it's very convenient. The squibs uh can't can't feel the can't see Dementors. And of course, Dumbledore's like, oh well, you know, still, you can't you can't deny that these are the symptoms. And clearly he is right, and clearly Harry is gotten off, but Fudge is fighting. Fudge is fighting, and so Dumbledore goes up to him privately and says, You have to read the signs, Cornelius. You have to see what this is. And this it's one of my favorite lines of of uh Fudge's actually because he's so kind to Harry in the Prince of Basketman. He's you know still very kind to Harry in the Goblet of Fire. And now he goes in Dumbledore's face and he spits he he he says, he's not back. He spits that in Dumbledore's face uh because fudge is absolutely terrified of Voldemort and uh his his return. Dumbledore sees a lost cause when he went when he when he knows, so he backs away. And uh eventually he mentions uh you know that dark things are a dark dark things are stirring and the Dementors might not be so much in the ministry's control anymore, or maybe they are, uh, and that might be such a good thing. And that's when Umbridge speaks up and says, Oh, you know, well, are you actually suggesting that two members of the ministry or a member of the ministry sent the Dementors there? And of course Nuggler says, Well, I don't know what to I don't know what to suggest. And of course we get a little uh hint of Umbridge's venom there. Percy is furiously scribbling down all these proceedings. So it is a tense, it is a tense trial. But eventually, Madam Bones calls for a vote, and Harry is acquitted of all charges. Fudge is clearly frustrated, but he bangs a gavel. Before Harry can talk to uh uh Dumbledore, Dumbledore sweeps out of the chamber and he's gone, and the Wizing Gemot begins filing out. Uh of course, they they did discuss Harry's corporeal patronus, so they are very impressed by that. Maybe he gets a few uh nods of appreciation. But Percy walks by, his head held high, and as Harry walks out of the chamber and goes back to Mr. Weasley, Percy walks by Mr. Weasley and doesn't say a thing. And of course, we know that this is because they are fighting uh and that they are not uh on very good terms right now. But that's a small detail for now. Harry walks out and says, acquitted of all charges, and Mr. Weasley breathes a sigh of relief. Uh, and they can return home. They return home to a feast, uh, a feast of celebration, that Harry is good to go. He's acquitted, he is, he is all uh safe from uh they uh the life of expulsion. And I also uh appreciate the detail in the books of how Sirius, of course, Sirius is delighted to hear that Harry's not expelled, but there's this there's like a maybe a sadness. Maybe when he turns away, he's clearly a little disappointed because Harry guesses that Sirius was secretly hoping that Harry would come live with him in number 12 Grimal Place if things didn't quite work out, and Harry might have been hoping the same thing, you never know. But all in all, Harry is acquitted and he is thrilled. So they have uh their whole um you know, whole feast and toasts and everything, and there's Harry is so glad to be to be to be uh going to Hong Gorse next year. So at the end of the dinner, Moody pulls Harry aside and shows him a photo of the uh original Order of the Phoenix. And this is a small moment, but I think it's important. Harry uh Moody shows him his parents and Neville's parents and Sirius and Dumbledore and all these people who are in the order. Uh, and it's such a it's uh it's a it's a very cool moment. Harry's a little off put by it because he's kind of seeing these people who've all died, but at the same time, seeing his parents always gives him a little, you know, a nice a nice warm feeling. But that night, seeing that, seeing that photo, you know, he he dreams of Cedric. And we know that this is not the first time he has, but he's back in the graveyard. He sees Cedric get killed, his his body hits the ground here and wakes up, and it is Hogwarts Day.

Off to Hogwarts!

Oscar 49:03

It is August 31st, they're all packing up, uh, they get their book lists and they get their uh prefect badges. Ron and Hermione become prefects, and of course, Harry didn't get one, they're a little confused why that is. Uh, but all the same, uh, they are all packing up, and uh, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley had swept away to do some shopping. Ron got a new broomstick because of uh his his prefect status, and just like that, they are ready to go. So they head off to uh King's Cross. And Harry has a nice extra guard with him, the entire order go with him. Mundungus couldn't be there, so Sirius breaks the rules and uh becomes a dog and goes with them. And it's a it's a it's a very sweet moment of him because of course he finally is is uh has escaped. He's been cooped up in number 12 for so long, he's restless, he wants to get out, and this is his chance, of course, directly against Dumbledore's orders. So they uh they they get on the train. And it's a pretty uneventful train ride, honestly. Ron and Hermione. So, first of all, Harry says goodbye to Sirius. Uh they they all kind of say goodbye to each other, and then they get on the train. Harry sits with Neville, Ginny, and Luna to begin with, because Ron and Hermione have to go off to the prefect carriage. Uh eventually they come back and report that Draco was made a prefect, and uh they are all introduced to Luna Lovegood, one of Ginny's friends. And this is a moment, this is this is a funny moment. Um Neville has a plant, a mimbulous Mimbletonia, which he pokes and it explodes a stinking sap all over everyone. And of course, Cho chooses that moment to walk in the walk in the train carriage. Of course, Harry, I I I um like how they did this in the books where Harry's saying, like, oh, he wish you could have said something really cool, and everyone would have laughed as Cho walked, and you know, he's like this like cool tough guy, but nope, he's sitting with Luna Lovegood covered in sap from Neville's Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Uh Cho realizes this is not a good time and uh slinks out. Harry is very disappointed to uh see that. So they uh ride the train, they are riding the train up to Hogwarts, they're discussing the year ahead, it's very exciting. Uh and eventually they get to the castle. And this is uh this this is this is a fun moment uh because the thestrels are now here, and we don't realize what the thestrels are. But Harry sees them when they get off the train, walk up, they say hi to Hagrid, they go up to the carriages, the horseless carriages, but now they are not horseless, and Harry looks at them and says, What is that? Like he's shocked he's never seen that before. And of course, we I I mentioned a little Easter egg in the last episode, um uh the season finale of uh season four was they did see the horse, uh the the thestrels drawing the characters back down, but we didn't pay attention to them because Harry has had his mind on other things. But now we do see them. Uh Harry sees these these thestrels. Uh and he asks what the heck they are, and no one else can see them. They wonder if he's alright, but Luna says, I can see them too. Which doesn't exactly reassure Harry, that's for sure. Uh, but he uh eventually is okay. He says, you know, okay, okay, I uh guess that's whatever. Uh so they are drawn up to the castle, they go in, and this is the entrance feast. This is our final scene for the episode. So they sit down, Dumbledore welcomes them all, uh they have the sorting. And then the last, there are two important moments in this in this feast that we should mention. The first one, uh, they're both related to staff. The first one is Dumbledore introduces Professor Grubly Plank, who will be, which by the way, 10 out of 10 naming. I mean, of course, we know the author is well known for her very creative and sensitive names. Grubly Plank, one of one of the best. Dumbledore mentions that Professor Grubly Plank will be teaching care of magical creatures because Hagrid is absent. Uh Harry and Ron Hermani look at each other because they aren't quite sure what the heck's going on there. Uh, so they are unsure of that situation. But the second and more important, more I should say more more pressing matter is Dumbledore introduces Professor Umbridge, who will be taking over Defense Against the Dark Arts. And uh Harry mentions to Ron Hermani that she was there at his hearing, and she was clearly she voted for him to be charged. And she makes her whole speech about uh, you know, pruning, what must be prohibited, uh, all of that. And I I like how Ron asks her mind to translate once when she's done. So it's a it's a very fun moment there. But now we have our introductions. We have the feast, we have Dumbledore, and then eventually at the end of the night, we are all tired and fed and watered, as Dumbledore would say, and they make their way up to the common room and go to bed. That is it. Wow, what a few good episodes that was. I mean, really, I am so thrilled with that. I mean, this these these openings to seasons are always exciting, but I really like when the excitement isn't reliant on some huge event, you know, like Harry spent most of the time uh in Fort Private Drive, and that's like that was exciting, you know, with with the Dementors and learning about Mrs. Fig and all that, and all these realizations and petunia, like it's just so complex. Harry is growing up. Uh, I'm gonna harp back to this. Harry is growing up, the complexity of the story is blooming uh out of this. He's going to hearings, he's going to the ministry, and the order. We didn't talk about this too much, but Sirius explained to Harry uh that, you know, uh there is something happening, that Harry that Voldemort is gathering his army again, and that this must be stopped. You know, he we think he had something. This is a very important line. Actually, from thinking Mac probably should have mentioned that, but uh Sirius says, you know, Voldemort has something, something we don't think he had last time. That's that's that's the weapon that he's talking about that that will play a role. So, and of course, Mrs. Weasley is a guest that here Sirius is telling Harry that. So these moments are what makes this story so complex, and that's why Harry's growing up, he's slowly learning more, he is being brought into this circle of trust, and he's being forced to face the real world. So, what a fantastic few episodes that was. Thank you all for joining me. Every single one of these episodes is just the best. I mean, recording these, enjoying this uh story with you is really one of my greatest pleasures. So I want to thank you all for listening to me all these years, and I hope you have uh a wonderful, wonderful week. I will see you next week. Uh, make sure you reach out again, make sure you share the show if you if if you will. Uh enjoy the uh back catalog of episodes we have in preparation for next week. And of course, 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 all later.