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Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we discuss episodes seven and eight of Tea Leaves, our version of the Harry Potter TV show. We go back in time and watch the inception of James and Lily's relationship, and what role Snape plays in driving them together. Episode eight sees Dumbledore's Army disbanded and Umbridge in control of Hogwarts. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: ·      1:57 We begin with …. Harry? No, it’s James Potter. This is an episode back in time. James is around his fifth year of Hogwarts, enjoying the last of the summer before returning to school. He eats breakfast with his parents then goes out into the picturesque English village to walk the forest with Sirius. ·      13:53 Off to Hogwarts. James is a very popular student, and we see him switch into Hogwarts mode as he greets all his fans on the Hogwarts Express. James isn’t totally kind however, and it becomes extremely obvious. ·      35:46 Back to Harry for episode eight. Classes are going well for him. Firenze has replaced Trelawny as divination professor. The DA is learning how to cast a patronus, and Umbridge learns about their secret meetings. She decides to act. ·      50:12 Umbridge runs Hogwarts with a sharp eye. Snape and Harry continue their occlumency lessons, but Malfoy interrupts and calls Snape away. Harry takes that opportunity to learn something more about Snape, but he comes away with a different image of his father.   [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we discuss episodes five and six of season five of Tea Leaves, our version of the Harry Potter TV show. Harry wins a victory on the quidditch pitch, but it's a short lived victory. He has some of his darkest dreams to date and comes face to face with a challenge that will continue to stare him down until the end. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: ·      1:44 The first quidditch match of the season! Gryffindor wins, but Harry and George are banned from playing quidditch ever again by Umbridge after they beat up Malfoy. Malfoy was sour over his loss and began throwing insults at Ron. ·      16:45 Hagrid’s back. They see his light on at the edge of the forest after many months. They rush out to speak to him and he tells them about his journey through the mountains and the giants. The next day, Umbridge attends his class and he has to lie about where he was. ·      22:24 Harry has a dream, and it’s not a good one. He sees Mr. Weasley get attacked through Nagini’s eyes, and he then embarks on a journey back to number 12 to visit him. Harry begins to worry if he’s been helping Voldemort without knowing it. Has he been possessed? ·      37:23 Occlumency takes over Harry’s life. This whole episode is defined by the several lessons they have together. Snape is intruding into Harry’s mind and seeing memories and other things he would never share. The last lesson, Harry deflects the spell and goes into Snape’s mind. That’s the end of their lessons, to say the least.  [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Umbridge takes the stage as one of the worst people ever. She gives Harry detention, and it's one of the worst he's had. Hogwarts turns on Harry as his story surrounding Voldemort's return is under fire, despite Dumbledore's support. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: ·      1:15 Classes at Hogwarts are underway! Harry and Umbridge lock horns in their first DADA class, and she gives him detention. The episode opens up with some shots of the grounds to engrain the idea of nature in magic into the audience. The Gryffindors sit through one of the worst defense classes ever.  ·      17:44 Harry goes through the worst detention he has ever experienced, and we begin to understand just how horrible Umbridge is. Umbridge forces Harry to miss keeper try outs, but Ron still makes the team. ·      29:50 Harry writes to Sirius about his scar. The Gryffindor team has their first practice where the Slytherins are watching and jeering along. ·      34:26 Episode four begins with the mass meeting at the Hog’s Head. Dumbledore’s Army is created in that meeting, even though Harry feels like he has nothing to share. Everyone in the bar writes their names down on the parchment and the group is officially formed. ·      41:56 Dobby tells Harry about the Room of Requirement. Harry asks him because he can’t think of anyone else who might know. Dobby tells him and the trio goes to check it out. It’s perfect, so that’s where the first meeting takes place. The DA assembles and Harry tells them how useful the disarming charm is. Many don’t believe him, but he tells them about how it has saved his life many times. They have a very successful first meeting, and for the first time that year, hopes are running high.  [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we analyze the new Harry Potter TV show trailer. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: ·      Watch the second trailer here! ·      1:44 This seemed a lot more intense than the first trailer. There were faster cuts, brighter music, and more shots of darker confrontations. The color palette of this trailer also seemed darker. ·      13:00 We got some first looks at professors. McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore were all features in this trailer, and they all had lines and dedicated screen time. There were some things that surprised me, and others that didn’t. ·      28:15 The trio had some screen time as well. They’re growing on me overall, but there are some minor parts of their characters that are still giving me some pause. I wonder how different the characters are going to be from book to small screen… ·      32:42 Potter family reunion? We saw two young people running across a bridge together. They were fairly young, and that scene was nestled between Hagrid talking about family and Harry looking into the Mirror of Erised. I mean…what else could you need?  [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox

Send us Fan Mail 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.  [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we reflect on our just finished season four of Tea Leaves, our version of the Harry Potter TV show. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: ·      2:16 Voldemort is really scary. With the people we’ve seen working on this show, it really isn’t going to be a strictly kids show. There is going to be a darker, more mature air about the characters and that will translate to a more intense Voldemort. ·      10:47 Dark magic and Amos Diggory. We first see Amos and slightly annoying and at odds with Harry, but that is driven out of our minds at the quidditch world cup. After Harry brings Cedric’s body back from the graveyard, we realize that Amos was never at odds with Harry and that there are bigger fish to fry. ·      16:42 Dumbledore and Harry don’t have as close a relationship. They are in a transition year between the first three and last three seasons, though we’ll have to get into season five to know about this I think. ·      22:35 Harry feeling more connected with his past. ·      26:04 Looking forward. There are a few magical threads getting woven together. Magic is clearly getting more advanced and taking on a deeper meaning, and these new developments and conflicts surrounding Voldemort will lend itself to a more dynamic and dangerous magical ecosystem.  [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we discuss the season finale of season four of Tea Leaves, our version of the Harry Potter TV show. Harry and the champions face the final task in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and the Dark Lord returns. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: ·      2:16 Aftermath of the Second Task. Ron is a hero (and gets more heroic with each version of the story), and Harry just can’t shake the nagging feeling of the crushing task in the lake. ·      10:37 Rita Skeeter and Karkaroff are stirring the pot. Rita writes an article about Hermione playing with the hearts of Krum and Harry. Karkaroff barges into a potions class and flashes the dark mark at Snape, but Harry catches a glimpse. ·      18:08 The trio go to Hogsmeade and Sirius tells them everything about Crouch’s past. They learn that he was in line to become the next minister but was cast aside after his son, Barty Crouch Jr., was convicted of being a Death Eater. ·      23:59 Moody, Crouch(es), and Karkaroff all implode. Mr. Crouch appears in a bad state but disappears when Dumbledore comes to help him. Harry goes into the pensive and watches the trial of Barty Crouch Jr. ·      35:08 The trio discuss what just happened to open the last episode. Then, families arrive and everything prepares for the third task. ·      49:17 We’re back in the forest in Albania. We follow Voldemort as he gains his power back and moves to the Riddle house, turning the light on in the living room and planning to kill Harry. Eventually, he emerges from the house and sees Harry and Cedric standing in the graveyard.  [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we discuss season 4 episodes 7 and 8 of Tea Leaves, our version of the Harry Potter TV show. Harry faces some of the most and least profound challenges of the season in this episode. Hagrid is revealed as a half-giant against his will as Rita Skeeter continues her rampage, and the Second Task is some of the darkest content we've seen yet. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: ·      1:35 Episode seven begins with Harry triumphant in the common room. He has emerged from the first task with a great score and the egg in hand, and he feels on top of the world. After the tense relationship between Ron and Harry, they finally find their common ground again and can forgive each other. ·      17:19 Life at Hogwarts. He sends a letter to Sirius, goes to help Hagrid with the blast ended skrewts, and Hermione shows him and Ron the kitchens with the house elves. Winky is in a bad way, calling Ludo Bagman a very bad wizard and lamenting her glory days with Mr. Crouch. ·      22:03 The Yule Ball. What a fun time of emotions running high and breath of fresh air from fighting dragons in the first task and death. Ron and Hermione exchange words at the end of the night. ·      30:58 Episode eight begins with Hagrid drama. Rita Skeeter overhead Hagrid and Madame Maxime talking at the Yule Ball about his being half giant. Malfoy makes fun of Hagrid for it and the trio gets very mad at Rita. ·      36:04 The egg. Cedric tells Harry to take his egg to the prefect bathroom and figure it out, so Harry does. He eventually figures it out with the help of Moaning Myrtle. He gets stuck in a trick stair on the way back and it found out, but Moody comes and saves him. Lucky him… ·      44:02 The Second Task. It isolates Harry and prepares him for the intense challenges ahead. He’s incredibly nervous, and for good reason. Though he comes out all right, none of the champions comes out quite the same.  [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we discuss episodes five and six of Tea Leaves, our version of the Harry Potter TV show. Harry has more strange encounters with Mad-Eye Moody, and is continuing to confront his identity as the fourth champion in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: ·      1:56 Harry goes up to the Owlery, and jumps on a table for Moody. He wants to confide in Sirius the dreams of Voldemort he’s been having and the pains in his scar that have come along with them. He wonders if there’s something greater stirring. Then, he goes off to class and learns all too well about the imperious curse. ·      18:38 Viktor Krum drops his name into the Goblet of Fire and the four champions are chosen. This moment should show us why we should care about Krum, and what makes him ticks. He respects competition but doesn’t seek fame. That evening, Dumbledore chooses the name at the evening feast. In a startling change of events, Harry’s name also flies forth and he becomes the fourth champion. ·      41:13 Episode six begins with Harry walking down to the champion’s room. The staircase he walks down is huge and the camera is still in an unbroken shot to show just how small Harry is. Over the next few days, he learns about the dragons, tells Cedric, is coached by Moody, and finally competes in the First Task. He emerges victorious and the episode comes to an end.  [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we discuss episodes three and four of Tea Leaves, our version of the Harry Potter TV show. The trio make their way from the Death Eater ravaged grounds of the Quidditch World Cup to Hogwarts. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrive, and Dumbledore officially sets into motion the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: ·      Listen to the last episode, Tea Leaves S4 S1+2 here! ·      2:00 We open on another forest. It’s on the Quidditch World Cup grounds, but it’s a bit gloomier than before. The air of dark magic should still hang over the grounds, a scar of the Dark Mark hanging in the sky. The Weasleys and Harry and Hermione make their way back home. ·      20:56 Off to Hogwarts! Charlie Weasley hints on Platform 9 ¾ that he will be seeing them sooner than they think. On the train, Draco hints at something similar in between bragging about his father wanting to send him to Durmstrang. Harry also sees Cho and maybe forms a little crush. They arrive and meet Professor Moody, and Dumbledore reveals the Tri-Wizard Tournament in a dramatic end to the episode. ·      35:19 Episode four begins with classes. They go to herbology, care of magical creatures, and divination. They encounter Malfoy when they leave and then comes the Malfoy/ferret/Moody encounter. ·      41:46 Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. We separated the welcome feast and their arrival because this should be a bit more of a serious moment. The flying carriage and ship arrive, and the Tri-Wizard Tournament has begun.  [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we discuss the first two episodes of Tea Leaves season four, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Voldemort kills Frank Bryce at the Riddle House, Harry returns to the Burrow with Hermione and the Weasleys, and they all go to the Quidditch World Cup. Not only do we see an exciting game, but the Death Eaters attack and cast the Dark Mark into the sky. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: ·      Listen to episode 339 The End of an Era here! ·      2:03 Goals for season four. 1. Explore complexity within and between characters 2. Begin the true rise of dark magic 3. Draw Harry closer to the outside world ·      13:29 We open episode one in a forest. It’s nighttime. The darkness coalesces into a pale, frail form on the ground. It’s Voldemort right after the events of the Philosopher’s Stone. Then we move to Little Hangleton and follow Frank as he goes to the Riddle House and gets killed. ·       29:53 Harry jolts awake in a cold sweat. He is in 4 Privet Drive, and just had the worst dream. He writes to Sirius about it and goes down to eat breakfast with the Dursleys. They get a letter from the Weasleys about the Quidditch World Cup, and Vernon begrudgingly lets Harry go. They arrive to get him with quite the banging entrance, and Harry goes back to the Burrow to enjoy a magical life again at last. They wake up on the morning of the Quidditch World Cup and make their way to their portkey. Along the way, Harry’s party picks up Amos and Cedric Diggory. They grab the portkey and the episode ends. ·      42:50 Episode two opens with another quiet forest. This one is more cheerful. In a flash of light they drop to the ground. They enjoy the Quidditch World Cup, and then run from the Death Eaters as they infiltrate the camp. The Dark Mark is cast in the sky, and the episode comes to an end.  [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we reflect on our just finished season three of Tea Leaves, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Tea Leaves is a series where we make our version of the Harry Potter TV show, episode by episode. Next week will begin season 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: ·      2:03 We are entering the “Dark Hogwarts” era. The first three seasons feel like the introduction to the wizarding world and setting up the conflict. The fourth season represents the beginning of the true conflict of the story. ·      12:00 The best moments are the most personal, and we should see a lot of those. Harry’s past is going to come alive before our very eyes this season. We are going to see a much darker current emerge in the story, and that kind of story demands a different kind of storytelling. Humans are empaths so we should be able to feel what Harry is feeling. ·      18:38 Malfoy follows the pattern of the story to a tee. He is something of a static bully for the first three books, but the moment the fourth book begins he becomes something more. Malfoy’s journey as a Death Eater defines his arc and reflects the greater conflict, and the Goblet of Fire is the kicking off point of his journey. ·      24:54 Complexity. Characters like Neville have just as complicated a past as Harry, and now that the first three seasons are over, we can dive into their characters more deeply.  ·      30:14 This is getting real. That’s what we’ve been dancing around this whole episode. Now is the time; it’s finally beginning. Voldemort is on the rise, and Harry must rise to meet him.  [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we discuss the season finale to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Dumbledore sends Harry and Hermione back in time to save Buckbeak and Sirius from their fates. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: ·      1:58 Quick recap and Harry in the hospital wing. It’s important that we begin this episode with something quiet and calm after the crazy adventure last episode. Fudge and Snape walk in and tell Harry that Sirius will receive the dementor’s kiss any moment. Dumbledore gives Harry and Hermione their task and sends them back in time. ·      16:17 The insanity of the time turner. Harry and Hermione land in the hospital wing and make their way down to Hagrid’s hut. They narrowly escape with Buckbeak then make their way to a vantage point on the Shrieking Shack. Once they all emerge again, Hermione howls to draw Lupin away and they run to Hagrid’s hut to hide. Harry sees the dementors from the window and rushes to the lake, casting the famous patronus. They fly with Buckbeak up to the locked classroom with Sirius and send them away into the moonset. They make it back to the hospital wing just as Dumbledore closes and locks the door. ·      34:50 The end of the year. Lupin is resigning much to Harry’s dismay, and the trio packs their things and loads onto the Hogwarts Express. On the way back they get a tropical bird with an owl for Ron and a signed letter for Harry to visit Hogsmeade. We zoom out of the train and find Frank in a faraway English village looking out over the Riddle house. A light flicks on, and the screen cuts to black…  [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we discuss Harry's patronus lessons with Lupin. Gryffindor continues to dominate on the quidditch pitch and Sirius Black breaks into Hogwarts again. The trio go on their Shrieking Shack adventure and Harry tries and fails to protect himself and Sirius from the descending dementors at the lake. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: ·      1:31 I went to Scotland! Here is one of the tour guides I really loved who showed me around the Harry Potter world in Edinburgh. ·      7:26 Quick recap and Harry and Lupin’s lessons. The boggart dementor should be smaller than the actual thing so we can have some differentiation. When Harry is falling through his memory in the presence of the dementor, I don’t like the film version of the fade to black. I would rather see it through Harry’s eyes and watch the memory bleed into his reality. Lupin is there every step of the way, and we should really begin to trust Lupin in this opening. ·      26:18 Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw quidditch match. More dementors get on the field, but it turns out to be Malfoy. Lupin is still impressed with his production of a patronus. Afterward, they return to their dorms and celebrate. Black breaks back into Hogwarts when they go to bed, and he and Harry have a dramatic chase through the castle. We look into his eyes for the first time. ·      41:06 Episode seven opens with studying for OWLs. Harry and Ron are trying ot study for divination, but it’s hopeless. Harry goes into for his OWL and Trelawny has a real prediction. There is clearly something afoot… ·      43:26 The Shrieking Shack. This is the final sequence of this episode, and it is of course the famous Shrieking Shack chase. This scene should have the audience hating Sirius and turning on Lupin. We should see the horrible image of Lupin helping up Sirius and hugging him like a brother, but we soon learn the truth. Lupin transforms and the black dog defends the trio. Sirius collapses at the lake and Harry tries to defend him against the hundreds of dementors, but it’s no use.   [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we discuss episodes four and five of season three, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. After Sirius Black's break in, the air in the castle in intense. Harry plays a quidditch match against Hufflepuff where he sees dementors and the Grimm. He gets the Marauder's map and goes to Hogsmeade where he learns the truth about Sirius. Episode five follows the Marauders at Hogwarts. We watch their relationships grow and develop, and how they go off into the world. We spend the last few minutes from Peter Pettigrew's point of view as he betrays James and Lily. Enjoy! Topics/Summary: ·      1:35 Quick recap and the tense atmosphere at Hogwarts. After Sirius broke into Hogwarts, the air in the castle is tense. There’s no telling where Sirius could be now, and the illusion of Hogwarts’ safety is broken. Snape teaches DADA in Lupin’s absence, his first lesson being werewolves. How interesting… ·      18:07 Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff. This is the most intense quidditch match to date. Harry and Cedric are battling for the snitch through the impossible storm and cold. Eventually, Harry sees the great Grimm appear in the clouds, and then the dementors flying through the air. He falls from his broom and the screen fades to black. ·      32:34 Harry recovers in the hospital wing. He slowly comes to with his team all around him. They bring him the remains of his Nimbus 2000. Lupin is his final visitor. Lupin offers Harry lessons to defend himself against dementors, who agrees.  ·      34:45 The Three Broomsticks. Harry gets the Marauder’s Map from Fred and George, and he immediately uses it to get into Hogsmeade. He overhears a conversation in the Three Broomsticks where he finds out that it was Sirius who betrayed his parents and got them killed. Harry returns to the castle furious, devastated, and confused. The episode ends with Hagrid telling the trio that Buckbeak has been set for trial. The last shot is Harry staring at the Map in his bed, reflecting on the awful day he has had. ·      38:38 We open episode five with James Potter walking through the Hogwarts grounds. The first half of this episode should be spent with James, Sirius, Lupin, Peter, Lily, and Snape. They have a complex series of relationships that make a huge difference for the story to come. ·      44:50 They all go off and live their happy lives. We see everyone go off and continue being great friends. However, the whispers of Voldemort are spreading, and soon the conflict arises. We’ll take a closer look at the first war in later seasons, but we will visit the wreckage of the Potter’s house yet again in this season. Instead of following Sirius afterward, we follow Peter and his guilt. We end this episode with Sirius and Peter’s confrontation from Peter’s POV.  [email protected] thepotterdiscussion.com Nox