PotterCast #100: In the City of Angels Transcript

Part 1 (0:00 - 19:41)

Borders Ad: Today's PotterCast is brought to you by Borders. In May, thousands of Harry Potter fans descended upon New Orleans for the Phoenix Rising conference. Borders and your friendly PotterCast hosts were there to take in the sights and share a lively discussion of the series that bewitched the world. Listen in and watch the action yourself. Check out the Phoenix Rising Borders Book Club discussion at BordersMedia.com/HarryPotter, or click the Borders banner at the top of the PotterCast page.


Melissa Anelli (MA): We are PotterCast. We're a weekly podcast that is posted on The Leaky Cauldron, which is one of the big Harry Potter sites online, and we're here to talk to you all about Book Seven and what we thinks going to happen, and your theories and our theories, and some jokes, and some games, and some fun.

John Noe (JN): I actually have a copy back there. I was just reading it before we got on here. I don't know if anyone's interested in Snape. (audience laughs) Anyone?

Paul DeGeorge (PD): No.


JN: No, they prefer to read it over there.

MA: It's John's copy though, so...

JN: Yeah. It's in a notebook with my handwriting. (audience and MA laugh)

MA: Well in each city that we've gone to- and this is like, what, eight, nine cities, something like that?

JN: Something like that. What's our car saying?

MA: Ugh, our car says a lot of things.

PD: 47,000 miles.

JN: I think like number seven or eight.


MA: Yeah. Well, we've been doing a predictions test in each city to determine, after the book comes out, which city knew their stuff. (JN: Um-hm.) Which city has it right. Which city has bragging rights for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. So, we have a little test for you guys. Who thinks it's Los Angeles? (audience cheers) You guys weren't- you weren't as loud as Tucson. Who thinks it's Los Angels? (audience cheers louder)

PD: Bring the knowledge.

JN: Not bad. Not bad.

MA: Okay, John, what's our first question for these fine folk?

JN: Our first question is the biggest most important question of the Deathly Hallows is: Will Harry Potter live or die by the end of this big old book? If you think he is going to live, cheer now. (audience cheers) (PD: Wow.) That's a lot of noise. (MA: Awesome.) Do you think he's going to die? (audience cheers more softly)

PD: Oh. (JN laughs)

MA: He's not going to die.

PD: I think "lives" wins.


JN: I think...

MA: Yeah. "Lives" has it sewn up. So (JN: Mark it down?) there.

JN: What was our other one, there?


MA: Mr. Snape.

JN: Number two.

MA: Uh-uh-uh-uh! Ah! Ah! Do you think he's good or- Wait, if you think he's not working for Voldemort? (audience cheers) "Good" is a relative term, I think we can agree he's a jerk. (audience laughs)

JN: Yeah. Well, what was our other one, Paul?

MA: Wait. No, wait! If you think he is- Oh, sorry, Paul.

PD: Oh, yeah. If you think Snape is evil, cheer now. (audience cheers)

JN: If you think he's an illusion, (MA laughs) cheer now. Yeah. Illusion's safe!


PD: If you think he's actually Professor McGonagall, (MA laughs) cheer now.

MA: Or Grubbly-Plank.

PD: No.

JN: Grubbly-Plank is the key to everything.


Audience member: He's Hagrid.

MA: He's Hag- Who's Hagrid?

PD: Snape is Hagrid. (MA: Is Hagrid.) Good theory.


MA: I like that one actually.

JN: Write it down.

MA: Our third question.

PD: Uh, (MA laughs) all right. The third question is whether or not Harry is a Horcrux. So, (MA: All right.) I'm going to say, do you think Harry is a Horcrux? Cheer now. (audience cheers moderately) Okay.


JN: Quite a bit, compared to the other cities.

MA: Yeah. In one city, we got complete silence. It was great.

PD: And if you do not believe Harry is a Horcrux, cheer now. (audience cheers more loudly)

JN: Woo! All right.

PD: Bodes well for Harry, huh?


JN: Yeah.

MA: Yeah, Los Angeles has the right idea. They've seen a lot of movies. (JN and PD laugh) Okay, question number four. (JN: Number four.) Will Harry return to Hogwarts to go to school? If you think so, now. (few audience members cheer)

JN: And, is Harry all done with his schooling at Hogwarts? (audience cheers more loudly) (PD: Whoa.) He got plenty, he knows- he's mastered that Expelliarmus spell, (MA: Wait, you...) so that's all he needs. (audience laughs)

MA: I was gonna say!

JN: That's all he needs!

MA: Was John about to say that Harry knows a lot?

JN: That's all he needs, you know!

MA: That's ninety-five episodes of PotterCast gone with that statement!


JN: Pretty much!

PD: They don't teach destroying Horcruxes, yet, do they? Huh?

MA: No.

JN: I think its maybe in the Restricted Section. I don't know if it's in a book or not.

PD: Yeah.


MA: It'll be where Grubbly-Plank teaches. (laughs) Okay, sorry. Number five, last one!

JN: Oh, I always forget number five! Number five is...

PD: Will Harry walk around? (audience laughs)

JN: Will Harry swim with the giant squid? (audience laughs) What? Oh!


MA: It's like doing charades over here!

JN: Will Harry, or anyone else for that matter, travel through the veil in the Department of Mysteries?

MA: No, will we see behind the veil? Will we actually see it? So, do you think so?

JN: If you think we're going to see behind the veil that kills everybody, cheer now. (audience cheers) And if you think that the veil indeed does kill everybody and no one will be traveling there and living to tell the tale, cheer now. (less enthusiastic cheer and some "boos") I swear!


MA: (laughing) John doesn't like this idea.

JN: I don't like going behind the veil! Sirius went behind the veil, (MA: Bad things happen!) Jo says Sirius is gone; therefore, no one's going behind the veil unless they want to die!


MA: Well, whose read His Dark Materials?

PD: Yeah. Bring it.

MA: Thank you.

JN: Who hasn't read it? Jo. (audience laughs) She said she hasn't read it.


MA: We visit the land where everybody's dead and, well, our important people don't die, anyway.

Audience member: It's a different book.

MA: I know it's a different book! It's possible, though.

JN: Okay.

MA: Right, John?


JN: Yeah. You know what I think it's time for? I think it's time for a public service announcement from our friends Harry and the Potters. (audience cheers)

Harry and the Potters: I'm Harry Potter from the band about me, Harry and the Potters. You know, if you ever have a problem, you can just ask Hermione. She's pretty much always right. (audience laughs and applauds)

MA: Especially in the movies.

JN: Especially movie-Hermione.

MA: Yeah, who knows all the wizarding stuff, too.

JN: Yes, well, speaking of movie Hermione, speaking of movies, how many of you think you're going to stake yourselves out on the red carpet for the premiere here in Los Angeles? (audience cheers) We'll be there!


MA: It's about time you got a premiere! Geez, yeah!

JN: That's so cool! You know, didn't they have...? It wasn't a premiere, but it was something for Chamber of Secrets?

MA: No, they had a premiere. They had a premiere here for Chamber of Secrets.


JN: Did they?

MA: But that was, you know, they were twelve.

JN: I mean, come on! (audience laughs)

MA: Come on!

JN: Did Dobby show up to that one?


MA: (laughs) Yes, Dobby showed up!

JN: Or did he have prior engagements?

MA: On horseback.

JN: You know, we keep saying the house-elves on horseback, but they were on horseback in the Goblet of Fire movie! Someone emailed or IM-ed me, at the Quidditch World Cup!


MA: You're right! You're right! Anybody see this?

JN: They walk by on horses!

MA: There's a still-frame...

JN: Or is it camels? (various audience members shout out)

MA: No, camels? Of a house-elf.

JN: That makes more sense. I don't know how a house-elf could handle a horse.

MA: It's some totally bored FX guy who thought, "I'm gonna stick Dobby on-" you know? (audience laughs)

JN: I wonder if anybody will notice!

MA: (laughs) Have you met a Harry Potter fan?

JN: Yeah!

MA: Okay, what's our conundrum, guys?

JN: Our conundrum is pretty cool, actually. This is one of Paul's favorites.


PD: Yeah, yeah! I chose the conundrum today 'cause I wanna talk about this. We're gonna talk about the school motto at Hogwarts.

MA: Who knows it? What is it?

JN: Aw, this is always exciting for us.

PD: Is there anybody who knows this?

MA: In Latin, come on!


PD: We've got a microphone right here if somebody wants to jump up and recite it. Bring it.

MA: Draco Dormiens Nun- I don't know, I don't know.

JN: Here he comes! Here he comes!

MA: Here he comes!

PD: He's racin'!


MA: Get it, get it, get it! (audience cheers) This, uh-oh!

JN: Hit the button, here!

MA: Not the fun...

PD: There we go.

Audience member: All right. Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus.


MA: Very nice!

JN: Wow! (audience cheers) Huge round of applause! That's cool.

MA: That guy looks like Joss Whedon. You do! You do very much! He's like, "Oh, cool! Aw." (laughs)

JN: Now what does that mean, though? Is it...?

MA: Never tickle...

JN: Never tickle...

MA: Ready, one, two three!

Audience: Never tickle a sleeping dragon!

JN: So the question today is, who or what is the dragon? Is it literal? Is there really a dragon in Hogwarts like there was a Basilisk? Interesting thought to ponder.


MA: Paul.

PD: Oh, okay. Well, I actually called out Melissa the other day about this, 'cause I was wondering and I was sort of pondering, you know it's sort of a passive statement to make as a school motto. Because "never" do something is a negative. Versus for a school you should be anticipating the fact that people are going to be learning and take a positive motto. (JN: Mm-hm.) And knowledge and gaining insight is more of a progressive thing versus saying, "never do this" or "never do that." So I was intrigued by that, and I was wondering what sort of role that might play.


JN: What the motto's trying to say exactly or the fact that it uses negative language?

PD: Yeah, well, both. It seems like a school is a training ground for wizards and an appropriate school motto might be like "Learn not to tickle sleeping dragons!" I don't know. (audience laughs)

MA: "Go to this class."

JN: What I always think of this, and I don't know cause I'm not usually right about anything, but when I think of buildings having mottos or schools have mottos I come back to Gringotts, and they have a motto on their doors; anyone remember what that is? That's a longer one.

MA: I really want to do the one from that book about hell (laughs) "Abandon all hope." That's not the case, that's not it.


JN: I don't know if anybody has it word for word but isn't it pretty much saying "don't rob our bank," (MA: Yeah.) "or we'll trap you in our vaults forever;" (MA: And eat you.) "and the dragons will rip you to pieces" things like that.


MA: Yeah.

PD: Yeah. Well, that makes sense for...

MA: A bank.

JN: Yeah, sure. Of course. In the Gringotts' case, their motto is like a warning so can we say that Hogwarts' motto could be a warning to anybody thinking they're going to mess with Hogwarts. That's how I read it: never tickle the sleeping dragon, the dragon being Hogwarts. Don't mess with Hogwarts or we'll come after you like a dragon.


MA: Well, it reminds me of what happened after Pearl Harbor, what they said about the U.S. that "you've just woken a sleeping giant," you know? You do that, you don't know the force that you're dealing with. And then you think about what the Sorting Hat said which is, "We must all unite from within or be destroyed from without" or something like that; (JN: Yeah.) and you think about how important of a line that is. How these books are all about the division- it's so prevalent- the division between the houses: if you're in Slytherin you mean this, if the houses came together imagine the force that that school would- and we were talking the other day about what if Hogwarts helped if the big battle was at Hogwarts? The arms of the towers are coming down and (JN: That would be so cool!) punching the giants out.


JN: I could just see the Death Eaters going up the stairs and the stairs swinging around and smashing other Death Eaters, (all laugh) that would be awesome. Do we even know if during the first Wizarding war and everything, even back in the Grindelwald days, if there was ever any attacks on Hogwarts?

MA: All we know is what Hagrid said in the first book, which was, "Voldemort didn't try taking the school, not yet anyway." And that always, from the first book, seemed to portent that he was going to try it in Book Seven- that the series almost wouldn't be complete unless we had Hogwarts under siege.

JN: Sure. So, that makes you wonder if anyone has ever attempted attacking Hogwarts; and if Hogwarts can be used as a fortress, and in a sense a stronghold for the Order and for the good and everybody. If there is going to be a huge battle and the lines are drawn, where is the Order and everybody going to hang out, anymore? I don't know if Harry will want Grimmauld Place as a command base when you have a huge castle that has all these protections on it. It makes more sense to keep everybody in that safe place; you could almost bring all the villagers and everybody from Hogsmeade whoever wants to hang out in Hogwarts. It's a big enough place you know, (MA: Yeah.) bring them all in there like Helm's Deep.


MA: (laughing) Helm's Deep; as long as we're not throwing Flitwick over the side.

PD: I was going to say I guess it's really interesting for me to hear you guys say that cause you're sort of building up Hogwarts to be almost like a training ground for a wizard army in a sense. It's a stronghold and it's almost like they anticipated a battle when they came up with the school motto in a sense. To me, that does sort of run contrary to the idea of a school, which is to teach openness and thought (JN: Sure.) and that sort of thing, which is aimed at avoiding conflict and war and that sort of thing.


JN: And then Godric Gryffindor has a sword. (PD: Sure.) What was he using that for back then? Maybe when they were around it was a different time, it was a more violent time maybe, who knows.

MA: Well, Godric Gryffindor, I don't know if I'm right about this, but he seems, from his lineage or whatever we've been able to pull, that he has a little bit of a Viking history. Is that right, or Welsh? I don't know where that all comes from, but he seems to have a warrior lineage, (PD: And a cool hat.) so that might be why. What'd you say? (audience laughs)

PD: I said a cool hat, too. Not a Viking hat, though; definitely not a Viking hat.

MA: No, no, not a Viking hat. But you know what I mean, like that kind of a warring background. Yeah, the Sorting Hat was his.

JN: Yeah, but it didn't talk while he owned it.

MA: I hope not. The founders made it talk afterwards.

JN: It'd be fun to have a talking hat, you know, walking around with it. That'd be awesome.


MA: Well, what Jo said about the motto, somebody asked her about it and she said, "Well whenever you see a school or whatever they always have these big fruity mottos, like Learning, and Wisdom, and Fortitude, Yay." (audience laughs) And she said that she wanted something that was good sound advice: Never tickle a sleeping dragon. Which I get but...

JN: She said it was just (MA: Good, sound advice.) good, sound advice.


MA: But she might have been being coy. (JN: Yeah.) It might have been symbolic of- I don't think she'd give the whole theme of her school to just a stupid- (JN: Yeah.) a little piece of advice.


PD: You think it's sort of Dumbledore catch-phrase, almost. (MA: Maybe.) It's a little- It's a little cheeky. (laughs)

MA: A little cheeky.


JN: I think it's very cheeky. I think it's very- (MA: Cheeky.) It's just a little, just throwing it out there: Never tickle a sleeping dragon. I always read that with a dot-dot-dot after it. It's like because (laughs) this is gonna happen.

MA: And then what?


JN: Exactly.

MA: And then what did you say? (JN: Yeah.) Well, what about the idea that's it's an actual dragon? (PD: Yeah.) That it's the dragon on the cover of the deluxe edition. It's the Hogwarts dragon.


JN: I don't know if it's so much...I don't know if it's that dragon but I love the idea of there being- See, I don't think it'd be fair for Salazar to have the only chamber in the school. Helga Hufflepuff had her play-place (audience laughs) and her ball-pit like McDonald's.

MA: This is the third show in which he's said that.


JN: I'm sure Ravenclaw had this awesome Ravenclaw library that we're gonna discover in Deathly Hallows. (MA: Mm-hm. Mm-hm.) Godric had some maybe a dueling training ground or something somewhere in the castle. (MA: What is it...?) And they all had their own animals?

MA: Well, what is it that Hufflepuff's make? Not burrows but under the ground- What is it called? Hufflepuffs, I meant badgers, I'm sorry. Those Hufflepuffs and the things they make. (audience laughs) They make yellow pins for everybody. (audience laughs) No, badgers they make- It's a...?


JN: Dams?

MA: No, not- Dens! It's like a burrow, it's like a network of underground (JN: Tunnels?) tunnels. There's a word for it and- A warren? No, it's like a three-letter word. (JN: The warrant!) I'll figure it out. I'll put it on PotterCast.com, eventually. And so I always feel like Hufflepuff has this- (JN: Yeah.) not dam.


JN: Maybe Hufflepuff's (MA: Den.) responsible for all the secret passages through Hogwarts.

MA: It's possible.

JN: That could be cool. I could totally see like, "I put one over here behind that painting, that'll be really cool". Totally Hufflepuff.


MA: Let's go spy on the Slytherins.

JN: Yeah.

MA: Maybe that's how the house-elves get around. (JN laughs) (JN: House-elves.) Oh no, don't give him more- Please, Please.


JN: Their chains, they're invisible. No one can see them.

MA: John maintains that Helga Hufflepuff enslaved the house-elves.

JN: Come on, Paul. Defend the Hufflepuffs.

PD: Oh yeah, pretend I love Hufflepuff. You know Helga Hufflepuff would never enslave house-elves. (JN and audience laughs)

JN: That's terrible.

MA: It was earnest.

PD: She loves people and animals (JN: House-elves aren't people!) and whatever sort of magical creatures house-elves are. She would definitely respect their rights to be free.


JN: Yes.

MA: To make it complete you have to hit John. That's the Sue way.

JN: And it has to be like three octaves higher.

PD: (laughs) Sorry.

JN: (laughs) That's okay.


PD: Squee! (MA and audience laugh)

JN: There you go. I was just thinking though, as we're talking about it, the idea that the other founders having chambers and having animals, if Salazar had a huge snake, you know the basilisk, why would we assume that Godric would have a dragon and not a gryphon?

MA: I didn't assume that Godric had (JN: That's what we're talking about.) a dragon.


JN: If it's- If it's in...

PD: Jumped right into that, John.

MA: The Hogwarts dragon. (laughs)

JN: The Hogwarts dragon that hangs out...


MA: He's like the mascot (PD: From the motto.) at the Quidditch games.

JN: When we talked about that with some people earlier, it was Gryffindor would be holding onto this giant dragon, which...I don't know. I would love it if there was more chambers and things and love it even more if there were animals especially seeing what would be in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuffs area. If there was a giant badger (MA laughs) or something that talked to you. Like (unintelligible) or something.


MA: (laughs) Terrible.

JN: I don't know. The Hogwarts dragon. What if there's a passageway in Dumbledore's office that leads to somewhere...

MA: Well, somebody had a wonderful theory yesterday I think that bears repeating. Which is that when somebody is a great wizard like Dumbledore and identifies strongly with phoenixes, that's how phoenixes are born. That when you saw a phoenix fly out of his tomb at the end of the sixth book that was a new phoenix. Because they're immortal so how- they don't die, so how are they born?


JN: Wait, you just stumbled upon something because Jo said that we'd never hear from Fawkes, again, didn't she? (MA: No.) Like Fawkes is gone, he'll never return to Hogwarts, again. (MA: No she didn't. No. No.) No, but it's written in the book; it's written in the book that (MA: No, it's not.) Fawkes did his final phoenix song...


MA: Well, Harry felt like that Fawkes was gone, but that doesn't mean we're not gonna see him. (audience member speaks)

JN: On Hogwarts grounds, yeah.

MA: On Hogwarts grounds.

JN: Sure, he might go visit Fawkes in his apartment or something, (audience laughs) but Fawkes is not coming back to Hogwarts according to Half-Blood Prince; so what if the phoenix that Harry is gonna use is Dumbledore-phoenix?


MA: Well, what I'm saying- (JN: That'd be so cool!) Well, what I was about to say, if that's the case, then maybe- If that's true, I mean it's totally out there- I mean it's a great theory but it's one of those out there ones that has just as much chance as being false as true but that the Fawkes is Godric Gryffindor.