This week we discuss: Ginger Rogers tap-dancing pineapples; Hagrid’s big mouth; the best way to talk bad about people; Fluffy’s Inferno; ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?; trio teamwork vs. special skills; why is chess an essential skill in this world when physics is not?; Quantum of Quirrell; the Hatfields and McCoys of the Wizarding World; is Quirrell full Dark Side?; echoes of Janus and Batman; Harry’s priorities; the Ultimate Boon; what made Lily Potter so special (or not); thank Merlin we stopped Slytherin from numeric determinism; and our eternal hopes for fun with Hot Neville in the Restricted Section.

Chapter 16: Through the Trapdoor

S: They have the most awesome exams! Flitwick’s exam is making a pineapple tap dance across his desk!

C: That’s my favorite.

You didn’t think I’d find this, did you?

S: For Transfiguration, they turn a mouse into a snuffbox. And this line makes me laugh every time: “Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.” PUN!

Harry’s scar is hurting a lot, he keeps having bad dreams. They get through their exams, Harry’s frustrated and keeps feeling something nagging at him, something he can’t connect. It clicks when he thinks of Hagrid. ‘Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy EXCEPT HAGRID HAS THE BIGGEST MOUTH OF ANYONE I’VE EVER MET AND MAYBE HE WOULD!”

I don’t think Harry gets enough credit for being a really smart character. Not school smart, but when it comes to connecting dots, he’s smart.

C: Except in Book 5.

S: Yeah, but in Book 5 he’s angsty and hormonal. In this case, he decides that it’s too much of a coincidence that someone would turn up with a dragon egg just for Hagrid when they’re illegal. He questions Hagrid, and no, the guy kept buying me drinks, almost like he was trying to get you drunk, Hagrid? And no, I didn’t see his face, in fact! Then he offered to play cards for the dragon egg, and we talked about monsters and I told him about Fluffy – “play him a bit of music and he falls off straight to sleep! …. I should not have said that…”

Let us all take a moment…

To appreciate…

The gaping maw…

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