Chapter 13: The Very Secret Diary | Chamber of Secrets

[@shhimreading906]

i feel like ginny trying to destroy the diary in the bathroom could have been due to the fact she was in there opening the chamber and somewhat came to her sense, so rather than opening the chamber that time she flushed it down the toilet and ran away. or something to that effect

[@hufflepom]

Oh. I like that!

[@drVarulv]

I was going to say the same thing. Definately what I think happened

[@alonesrallah]

absolutely! this guys try to overthink things too much

[@richewilson6394]

At my high school during Valentine's Day we would have people buy crushed soda either the orange or the purple bottles in glass for their Valentines. It was a great fundraiser to help the school and we still do it today. So we didn't have any singing for Valentines

[@j.a.shawkins7640]

XD I love the concept of Hermione kinda running into herself and being like "Hey girl hey." XD Adorable. XD AS for the time travel, I think Ben is on to something: it kind of seems set in stone, so if you could BREAK that, THEN you'd lose your mind, because what was supposed to happen didn't happen.

[@duellingmasterheropokeland1468]

I think it would’ve been Fred and George they’ve definitely pulled that sort of prank on someone

[@ClareBearCB]

I think Ginny wrote the poem and Fred and George found it and sent it... explains why ginny is so embarrassed And it was Steven fry that couldn't say "pocketed it"

[@mattbabineau197]

Here’s a question. Why and how is Riddle’s trophy still displayed in the castle???

[@jamesfischer2427]

Everything related to horcruxes in Harry Potter is based on the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings. #ChangeMyMind

[@THPieta]

I love the idea Hermione is giving herself a high five every time she goes back in time. Just for a little bit of morale boost

[@davidhowell8407]

Picking up a dry book off the floor of a flooded bathroom is probably a red flag that that thing's cursed AF

[@conormurphy4328]

To be fair so is it transporting you into a memory vision

[@satsujin-shathewitchkingof6185]

Plot twist,the narrator is the part of Voldemort's soul inside Harry

[@mrtsunamiii]

And Harry is the good guy because the horcrux wants to just be set free!! 😊

[@jamessmithson-br7rm]

How does it know what happens at the end after it gets destroyed 😅

[@satsujin-shathewitchkingof6185]

@@jamessmithson-br7rm It's in the afterlife,watching the living

[@satsujin-shathewitchkingof6185]

@@mrtsunamiii To be fair,I've often wondered about that. How would it feel to be the soul inside the Horcrux?

[@tjloefflerjaetem]

Super plot twist... The entire story is the imagination of an abused orphan living in the cupboard under the stairs.

[@maja-kehn9130]

Stephen Fry was the one who had trouble with the phrase "pocketed it" and he actually asked the author if he could use a different phrase but she declined and made sure to put it in all following Harry Potter books. He mentioned it in an interview.

[@RealGaIaxy]

Lol you say that like JK did it in spite, definitely an inside joke between them

[@LangThoughts]

Her name is JK Rowling. Use it.

[@tylarjackson7928]

​@@LangThoughtsNa, I think most of the HP fanbase is fine with separating art from the artist in this case.

[@ObsessiveGeek]

@@LangThoughtsJK is too good for She Who Must Not Be Named!

[@LangThoughts]

@@tylarjackson7928 Over what? A Tħoʊgħtcɾɨme? She did ɴothɨng ɯɾong except have an opinion- one that would have been considered quite normal just 5 years before she brought it up! You kno wwhat? Trying to erase fɾęędom of ópinión and Depeɾsóńińg pęóplę is VERY 1984- and that’s a DYSTOPIAN NOVEL.

[@carolynbrubaker1619]

I love the idea of the twins sending the valentine. I mean "His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad"--classic Fred and George!

[@kayleighlehrman9566]

Part of Ron's magical intuition is probably the acquired streetsmarts from having grown up in a fully wizarding family, with a parent who works for the ministry. It's very possible that he knows stuff that Hermione wouldn't have been able to read about (like the taboo in DH, etc)

[@fabulouslytj1489]

Yes!! And with Bill being a curse breaker he’s probably heard lots of stories about dark curses and magic !

[@dmize2]

“Crashing through the halls, with my hair slicked back, potter is embarrassed so Im gonna go laugh!” -Draco whenever something bad happens to harry

[@cherry55108]

I’m not sure if this was intended to be sung to the tune of Jingle Bells but Crashing through the halls gave me Dashing thru the snow vibes and I sang the rest and IT WORKS and I LOVE IT!!!!

[@dmize2]

@@cherry55108 100000%

[@RancorSnp]

Well, to be honest it does make sense for the Horcruxes to have been thought of from the very beginning. Probably not in detail, but like the very first book opens up with establishing Harry as the boy who lived. And the threat that Voldemort will come back. If the entire series is centered around Voldemort's death and attempt to come back - it's very likely one of the first questions asked when writing the story was "how did Voldemort survive"

[@longc35]

I certainly agree that having something Horcrux like was conceived of from the very beginning, I mean their basically just Phylacteries making Voldemort effectively a Lich just with a Wizarding World spin on it. Honestly a lot of stuff in the Harry Potter series is just standard fantasy fare with a unique twist or interpretation, which certainly isn’t bad, it can be a lot of fun to see a new interpretation of an old fantasy standby.

[@diannepascolini2863]

Fred & George sent the valentine to Harry. They are in the position to know The Dark Lord, and they know Ginny likes Harry. So it is pretty obvious 😂

[@arinerm1331]

Heyyyy Brothers! Peter Pettigrew is not a **hair-raising** character, but ultimately he IS the **heir-raising** character.

[@Martyn_Wolf]

PP is a *heir-cleansing* character

[@aliceepalermo5047]

😂😂😂

[@emily79519]

I never thought that Draco sent the Valentine before but now that's totally my personal headcanon! That's hilarious!

[@ObsessiveGeek]

Definitely adds credibility to the Darry being a legit thing if that was the case

[@emily79519]

@@ObsessiveGeek I mean I view it as more of a bullying thing but I totally see how someone would view it as a Drarry thing

[@ObsessiveGeek]

@@emily79519 Yeah from Dracos perspective he’s totally bullying though from Harry’s it he would definitely consider “is Draco…into me??”

[@lauramarschmallow2922]

I could imagine Ginny was posessed by Tom, while she was in Myrtle's bathroom, when she got lucid and then threw the diary into the toilet. I suspect she was already kinda worried about the diary but was shocked when she "woke up" near the crime scene.

[@Tincan611]

HEYY BROTHERRR!!! I have a question that I thought you guys could ponder. If Harry was presented with a QILIN from Fantastic Beasts, would it bow to him because he has got a part of VOLDEMORTS SOUL in him as well??? Or is Harry too pure??? ❤️💙

[@magickgirl786]

My favourite headcanon about the poem is that Ginny asked diary!Riddle for help in making a Valentine's Day poem for Harry and that's why "Dark Lord" was used. So basically Voldemort wrote a love poem to Harry lmao

[@hufflepom]

I’ve been working on this theory for a few weeks, but here goes. The reason that no one connects the now attacks with the attacks from 50 years ago is because no one was petrified back then. When the Basilisk is monologuing in the walls he talks about ripping. What if all of the victims from 1942 just got bit/poisoned. Both types of attacks could be attributed to a spider. Myrtle was the only victim who died. We never explicitly hear that anyone was petrified the first time. We only learn that The Chamber has been open before from Draco. Draco learns this from Lucius. Lucius learns this from Voldy. We also know that Riddle couldn’t take credit for the attacks in 1942, so that could mean it was never referred to as “Slytherin’s Monster” or referred to as “The Chamber of Secrets.” Hence why Binns says that it is legend, no one thinks it’s a basilisk since there is no similarity between the attacks, and they just assume Hagrid because monsters. After Colin is attacked Dumbledore says the Chamber has been open again. Instead of the first time being 50 years ago it could be that it was open on Halloween and that day is “again”. Thoughts?

[@borjanavarrofernandez9747]

Man... Maybe you have a point. I don't remember if in the book they talked about other attacks before Myrtle. Maybe it was just a single attack that unfortunately ended in death.

[@hufflepom]

@@borjanavarrofernandez9747 it says “attacks” in this chapter when Harry goes into the diary. But it never goes into detail about the attacks, other than “the death of that poor little girl.” Which is why I think that the other victims were poisoned. We know that basilisk venom isn’t instantaneous, so they could have been bitten and then given an antidote. This could also explain why the monster could also pass as a spider.

[@MrGibbo9876]

​@@hufflepomfawkes got there in a few minutes every time? The only known antidote for basilisk venom is Phoenix tears..

[@hufflepom]

@@MrGibbo9876 we know that superficial or epidermal contact with the venom isn’t lethal (or seemingly dangerous) as Ron and Hermione handle the fangs and then use those fangs to destroy the Cup in DH. Perhaps the nature or severity of the bite was such that minimal venom penetrated into the bloodstream? Like a snake nibble instead of a full proper snake bite? I don’t know. lol.

[@mitchsmith7472]

You literally took thus theory straight from this episode 😂😂😂😂😂

[@jasminaliysa111]

Teacher from the UK here.. it's quite common in school for students to make corrections in red ink to show their edits in their work. It's not everywhere but in most schools I've worked or been in

[@ccorvid]

here I was thinking harry was just showing his Gryffindor pride!

[@guineapigrecordings9683]

Where I work we have to use a purple pen to make corrections as its seen as less jarring and angry when flipping through their books.

[@Laura-pk2fd]

"Pocketed it" was included for Stephen Fry (UK narator) for this reason!

[@c0urtn3y526]

Where did the diary come from - Mu theory is that it was a gift from the orphanage. Maybe a patron of the orphanage donated a diary to each of the orphans, embossed with their names so it would be a personalized gift. If you think about it, that would be a rare gift for an orphan - something for them individually and not mass produced.

[@CrazyMuggleGirl]

I like this! That would have increased his sense of self importance as well. It could be that he even stole that diary from another kid at the orphanage. As we know, he was not above stealing objects from the other kids.

[@rittersportfan]

Allthough the idea of Fred and George sending Harry this Valentine card is hilarious (even more if it was Draco), it make sense that Ginny've sent it. She has overcome her obsession by Tom just a few weeks previously (which was a very hard thing to do for an eleven year old girl) and has recovered from that horrible experience. She wants to move on, she still has her crush on Harry and allthough she's not confident enough to tell him about her feelings in person, she writes this (very embarrassing) poem and lets it being delivered to Harry. Even the term "the Dark Lord" might be a remnant of Tom Riddle's influence.

[@heylolp9]

I still believe that the reason why Dumbledore adresses people by their first names is because he taught those people in school They just always remain his students even if they're now adults and working at Hogwarts Same with Tom Riddle, Dumbledore knew him as a Kid, that's just Tom riddle, he's just a kid in old Albus' mind

[@jaspermooren5883]

I mean I don't want to break the magic for you, but in almost every high school teachers talk to each other on a first name basis. Only in the presence of students they tend not to. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Minerva McGonagall would call Dumbledore just Albus when there are no students around (but since the story happens from Harry's perspective we never see that happening). Albus Dumbledore is just as a headmaster and being super old so high status that it doesn't detract from the other teachers status if he talks to them on a first name basis, it really just elevates his.

[@heylolp9]

@@jaspermooren5883 I know, I too was in a Highschool equivalent school level. My point is merely that Albus Dumbledore even tells Tom Riddle during his 2nd Interview for the DADA job that he knows of Tom's chosen name but then reasons that for him, as his teacher, he will always be Tom, a pupil of his And it's reasonable given his 110 year life span that the teachers, being younger than him, having been mostly his students Additionally it's also just also a literary tool to show that He is very powerful as he is in a position of power and respect (at least while at school, the prophet is a different topic)

[@failurenotsorry6600]

i was always put off by it honestly.

[@OrleidisLozada]

New head canon: RON IS SECRETLY A SEER. That's also why all the crazy stuff he makes up for Divination next year actually all becomes true! 🤯

[@iamshikhersrivastava]

I've always thought Harry feeling like the diary belonged to "an old friend" is the feelings of Voldemort's soul bubbling up for Harry to notice ("he couldn't explain why"). That's why it said "someone he knew when he was little" - the part of the soul inside Harry is of grown up Voldy, and that in the diary is of teenage Voldy.

[@Zeke_O3773]

“Harry would have given all the gold in Gringotts to evaporate on the spot.” Ahhhh… this takes me back to my high school days…. 😂😂😂

[@asthmaticbee]

I love the idea that Draco sent the Valentine's to mess with Harry :D Pretty sure I once read a fanfic where he did that, actually.

[@slimstar16]

Draco also wrote Weasley is our King!

[@nathangaspar4989]

9:42 My high school had this thing called “Singing Valentines” and it is exactly what it sounds like: you’d choose a popular song from a list, but someone a Valentine and then members of the choir, which I was a part of in hs, would go around the school singing the songs to them. It was small groups and my senior year the group I was in Rick Rolled people.

[@rfactor1502]

So my valentine thought is that it was Ginny, by way of Fred and George. At some point Ginny said something about wanting to say something to Harry. F&G: "Don't worry, we'll handle it!" G: "Please don't." F&G: "Too late!" It effectively matches the canon that the ultimate source is Ginny, and explains how Fred and George know the lyrics so well despite not being there. It also further explains Percy keeping his relationship secret, because he knows to expect that result.

[@mlove.1376]

This is my answer to who sent the valentine. I just have the feeling that Fred and George somehow convinced Ginny, like older brothers could to send the Valentine, knowing how much she liked Harry. They never seemed to out rightly mess with Ginny for fear of their mother, but could persuade Ginny that this was an anonymous way to put her feelings about him out there. Then have the fun of watching everyone squirm. And have the security of being caring big brothers if Mom found out, as they didn't want Mrs. Weasley's wrath as she was extremely protective of her only daughter. Just how I always envisioned it. Thanks again for a great job dissecting another chapter.

[@stuartl7761]

Yeah I like that one. It really fits with all their characters and explains how the twins knew the song. Also I feel if it was purely the twins then there'd be more over the top and obvious jokes like Harry being the heir of Slytherin.

[@AlexCastArt]

I was listening to this chapter and there is in book confirmation that it was Ginny who sent it. Draco gets angry and yells at her "I don't think Potter liked your valentine much" and she runs away. I was so confused when they said there wasn't any confirmation, anyone else remembers that or am I going crazy? 😂

[@nerwen24able]

​@@AlexCastArt I wouldn't see that as confirmation that Ginny sent it. A eleven year old girl with a crush and the school bully picks up on that - I would have run away no matter if I would have sent that. I always thought, that Lockhart sent the dwarves out and Malfoy just made fun of Ginny.

[@juliajohnson4080]

I like that idea, it makes sense. She’d probably trust them and not realize what a terrible poem it was until after the fact

[@TheNoteblockLizard]

I was half expecting you guys to have a "The Griffin Door" candle sitting right next to that stack of books between you two XD

[@AliAngelpie]

‘His eyes were as green as a fresh pickled toad!!’ 🐸 😅😊

[@lilac_rain3855]

17:31 The mention of quick quotes quill makes me wonder if there’s just a copy and paste quill cuz surely even Lockhart has to get bored of writing all that out every single letter

[@MatthewMorris6148]

Over a week late, but I personally like the idea of Fred and George trying to think of ideas to prank Harry, and then they run into Draco, who overhears them. (Or vice versa). They then put aside their differences to prank Harry. Absolutely not what happened, but no one will be able to convince me otherwise

[@mscrabson]

28:00 Voldemort’s soul in the diary waiting ink input but getting sewage water instead and being like “ew”, pushing it out of the diary

[@t.j.armendariz354]

I think in British Polite society of the time, using initials when writing your name was rather common, think C.S. Lewis, JRR Tolkien, and the like, Tom by this point saw utility to the Tom moniker so he could vanish when he started going by Voldemort, and so still went by Tom except to his proto death eaters, but on written things I was custom to write his initials Also, I think it’s implied that the use of colored ink might have to do his house like Harry uses Scarlet because he’s in Gryffindor, I mean, we know McGonagal uses emerald (which isn’t her house, but is kinda opposite it)

[@mariaowen7453]

J.K. Rowling?

[@hellopez]

Singing telegrams were a thing in my middle/high school! The choir kids used it to raise money and you could choose between like 5 songs for friends/ crushes and such to have a bunch of our fellow classmates go into classrooms to sing throughout the entire Valentine's week. They really got into it too, even jumping onto desks. Felt like we were suddenly transported into a Disney channel musical 😂

[@keithg460]

I would both absolutely love that and be extremely terrified from a social anxiety level. Please don't jump on my desk. Please don't jump on my desk. Oh no, they're jumping on all the desks around me. It's worse: I'm the subject of the song. Kill me now.

[@aliceepalermo5047]

@@keithg460you’re so right - watching it from afar would be so much fun. If it ever happened to you, *boom* instant implosion of anxiety

[@adamrabe3105]

Almost choked on some cereal at the moment when "Draco hears something negative for Harry and then he runs to the scene".

[@jamesnewlan5006]

33:00 I believe Diaries in England are closer to Calenders or Schedulers for Americans

[@jenniferpalmer5130]

Yes you are right, I know a few Americans at my uni and they all call it a journal / planner

[@jessicavermeer7811]

I've always been impressed with the Dutch translator. He turned Tom Marvolo Riddle into Marten Asmodom Vilijn. The last name is an incorrect spelling of the Dutch word vilein, which means as much as vile, villainous or vicious. The anagram then becomes 'Mijn naam is Voldemort' or 'My name is Voldemort'.

[@stephanbrinckmann7928]

Social anxiety had me dragging my feet on getting a ticket to the tour, but knowing you’ll be starting book 3 at the time gave me just the push I needed! Boston book 1, chapter 1!? Lets goooooo

[@marthacalkins8054]

The technical term for the HP books narrator is “Third Person Omnicient”: that is, not a character in the book telling the story from their perspective (either 1st person - “I saw…” or 2nd person - “you said…”) knowing only what they can know from their experience, but an unspecified “eye in the sky” who knows everything, even if they don’t reveal it yet.

[@RJMiller73]

It’s Third Person Limited, not Third Person Omniscient. Third Person Omniscient means the narrator has access to the thoughts of all the characters. Since the narrator only has access to Harry’s thoughts, it’s Limited.

[@marthacalkins8054]

@@RJMiller73 Thanks! (It’s been a long time: rusty!)

[@cliffrock86]

This discussion is making me imagine Voldemort dreaming up having people call him the Riddler instead of Tom

[@ITSMEDUCKSHADE]

Hey guys, the review for this episode was mine! I nearly exploded when I heard it! I am very glad that my review has cemented itself in history as one featured in this podcast. Huge fan of you guys! -ShinyPsychic190

[@Ralph-rr9iv]

I am almost positive JK Rowling said that she almost introduced the Horcruxes in this book. So she had some idea as to how they were going to work.

[@lennyaarons-ditson3372]

Who hails from London uk?

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love this podcast! You guys are the Best🔥🔥🔥

[@ShadowDogProduction]

I think "reasonably" was there to indicate that Harry wasn't trying to be a smart aleck. So its not a judgement call on the content of his words but an indication of his tone.

[@cripplious]

you should read Ender's game if you have not.

[@jmace2424]

35:11 Actually in the 40s it was pretty common for people to list their first initial and middle initial on things. You see it on old deeds all the time.

[@sandrarose7129]

I always picture Harry teasing Genny about that years later after they are married. Makes me smile.

[@shaun9357]

Tom Riddle's diary appears after the CoS has been opened. From the diary, Harry learns that Tom Riddle was there when it first opened. Come on, Harry, put two and two together and give Dumbledore the diary. He's so dumb sometimes.

[@jenniferpalmer5130]

Yeah true but what was dumbledore doing for 12 years. He only started looking for horcurxes once Harry gave him the diary

[@ashleyflowers7308]

Justice for Ron! Please definitely do a video on Ron's super power: Instinct.

[@Ricochet5095]

On the Narrator idea, there are a series of fan sequels about Harry's son James. In those, they say the books we read were written by a witch who wrote about Harry's story and sold them as fiction in the muggle world under a fake name.

[@lauramarschmallow2922]

and then there were Berry Trotter books, where Berry sold the story for a ton of money and lounges around lazily.

[@RiseeRee]

Ron’s patronus is a dog, so his senses are on high alert lol

[@lauramarschmallow2922]

I think it was a jack russel terrier, wasn't it?

[@hishmab.75]

1:19:33 I read the books in French and you can imagine I was pretty confused the first time when "MARVOLO RIDDLE" appeared on the screen🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@TolliverHiker]

In regards to the brothers finding it weird Colin was bringing Harry grapes. (Last video) A commenter from the UK pointed out grapes were a common gift for those in the hospital. Then yesterday I was watching a show called Call the Midwives which is based in the UK. One nurse is in the hospital and they say “I bet you’ve had enough grapes by now.” Made me think “good on ya Colin!”

[@FifthConcerto]

I think J.K. did a great job of developing the relationship between Ron and Hermione. Hermione is consistently, whether directly or indirectly, the inspiration for Ron improving himself in one way or another. And Ron, even more so than Harry, I would say, is the reason Hermione loosens up over time and becomes more lax with the rules. And she sees the changes in Ron and falls in love with him as someone who is increasingly supportive of her and her interests and endeavors. It always seems, superficially, like Ron thinks Hermione is crazy and she thinks he is foolish and obnoxious, but ultimately, each sees great value in the other, and they compliment each other in ways that actually show up in how each of them changes over time.

[@Shrikeswind]

1:04:48 - Headcanon: Ginny wrote the Valentine, but Draco got hold of the dwarf with the Valentine and edited it. The Dark Lord was an original line to Ginny, the pickled toad eyes were something out of Draco's head.

[@catherineginn3232]

The “diary” actually being more of a planner makes some sense to me. I’ve watched a lot of British tv/media, and one of the things I’ve learned about the differences between British English and American English is that, in British English, “diary” actually means “planner” - or something similar.

[@heyman.9668]

"hwhoa you got a Valentine?! Who sent that, not me!👀" Imm dyyiinngg!🤣😭💀

[@boilerfan18]

Yet another great podcast. The real question about the time turner shenanigans in PoA is why Lupin wasn’t confused about why there were 2 Harry and Hermione’s at Hagrids.

[@BandcampTT]

600 views in only 10 minutes yeah you guys fell off

[@qiyo2812]

Here come angry people who don’t understand the joke

[@davidcoplon3056]

I love the amount of time yoj guys went on about T. M. Riddle. Written by. J. K. Rowling

[@SuchSauce]

Do they intentionally avoid mentioning JK Rowling? I hadn't noticed until now, but seems weird to not mention the author.

[@Jae20818]

It was totally Fred and George! That is absolutely perfect!❤😂

[@driaLOVES]

On Valentine's Day in my middle school, we would be able to buy crush sodas(in glass bottles) and have them delivered to other students. Even to this day, I find it a little weird.

[@shanekoch1990]

The conversation about how long Hermione is in hospital wing. Leaves me curious as to who spent the most time in the hospital wing out of the Golden trio.

[@bookcat123]

Well it’s not Ron. I guess the question is if all Harry’s hand-waved time skips with “so by the time he was released from the hospital wing…” add up to more than Hermione turning into a cat and then getting petrified. Ron just has getting bit by Norbert and breaking his leg - and we know Madame Pomfrey can mend broken bones in a minute.

[@deb4762]

Ron ends up in the hospital after getting knocked out in the chess game, bitten by Norbert, broken leg in POA, attacked by brains in OoTP and poisoned in HBP.

[@DeejonLoy]

Fred and George sent it. 😂

[@iamshikhersrivastava]

11:20 I'd like to think that the snowflakes falling on Christmas was magic done by Flitwick or Minerva or even Dumbledore so the snowflakes dissolve upon touching something but don't leave a watery residue. But Lockhart didn't think about this or couldn't perform the magic well enough so that the confetti doesn't mess up the food, etc.

[@BeastlyP1g]

Anyone else feel Gilderoy Lockhart is eerily similar to a former US president?

[@BustYoung]

One of the better chapters of the book for sure. A lot of red herrings that threw my 9-10 year old mind for a loop

[@suziwolf4830]

CHALLENGE: See how many times you can repeat the phrase "Murdered Myrtle pocketed it." 😂

[@Crabcakes-yk6kg]

I think it would be a cool idea to make a Super Carlin Brothers video made with small theory’s that would be fun to write even if they don’t go anywhere: Any ideas comments? I left a theory last week , but here’s another: What if the Marauders map never existed? What if Harry never dropped the map when he fell through the trick step? What if they were nice to Kreacher originally?

[@TheNoteblockLizard]

OMG! The Diary was thrown through Myrtle .... the very diary her own death was used to create ....!!! Why did it take me this long to realize that?!

[@EmilyCheetham]

Iv put dates in my diary in the past and one I bought had a date box in the corner of every page. As for the January thing my school diary was from September-July which was the school year.

[@lisacox4984]

The Potter film soundtracks are the soundtracks you can't stop listening too! By the way, a discussion of the soundtracks would be fun.

[@Phena5372]

I love the idea that Draco was the one who sent the valentine, but I feel like it's more likely to be Fred and George.😂😂😂

[@Vi_Vi_1]

Ron's instincts are actually a confirmed fact from JKR: I don't remember the interview but it was explicitly stated after the series ended to pay attention to Ron, because he's pretty much always spot-on with his judgement of the situation

[@hufflepom]

Wormtail made the Dursleys Hair-y (Harry) raising. (Enjoy my bad joke of the week lol).

[@Invisiblegirl109]

At my school we do valegrams which are soooo much fun. We just sing a love song to people. It’s a choir thing and it’s amazing.

[@mienfu9824]

Thank you for another great episode! I love this podcast, and listening to it every Sunday on my way to college is my favorite part of the week. Question for you: What if Draco went to Durmstrang like he wanted to? How would the story change had Draco not been in Hogwarts?

[@fraserjackson]

Using initials in a sporting context (eg on the award in the Trophy Room) is actually quite a common British thing, especially in the first half of the twentieth century. As an example, check out official scorecards of cricket matches from the period.

[@cptjeff1]

Yeah, the use of initials on engraved items generally is extremely common, as you generally only get a limited number of letters.

[@kitjune9333]

Ron stopping Harry from opening the diary was based more on his knowledge of unpleasant things that have happened to folks who opened bewitched books, than on instinct. His suggestion that Riddle got his award for murdering Myrtle was unwittingly correct. I always believed Ginny had sent Harry the valentine but you guys got me rolling at the thought that it might have been Draco.😂

[@AHufflepuffAndASwiftie]

See?? THAT'S I question Fred & George literally SELLING love potion as a JOKE in their joke shop!! Are the love potion that they sale just not THAT powerful or do they like wear off more quickly?? 'Cause the one Romilda gives to Harry in his 6th year (the one Ron accidentally takes) seems PREEETTTYYY (ha, see what I did there? 😉) powerful . . . That's like the only really questionable thing Fred & George ever do--at least, to me . . . It's like, "Uh, guys? Maybe you DON'T wanna be selling what essentially sound like roofies to a much of teenagers at a high school?? That's seems really questionable to me . . . " 😕 And, in the movie, I THINK Ron is the one who says that "throwing a book" line, so It's interesting that they changed it from Harry to Ron for the movie . . . 🤔 Also, I LOVE the idea of Fred & George sending Harry the Valentine's as a prank!! AND they MUST have heard their dad (or even Lucius Malfoy at one point) refer to Voldemort as the "Dark Lord", so maybe it was a good kinda "disguise" to not reveal it as them . . . 🤣 And, for Polyjuice, I know that in FB (& yes, I know, that's not necessarily considered always to be very cannon, but . . . ), Theseus sees himself when Newt takes the PJ & does NOT go "mad"; he knows EXACTLY what's happening there. 😉

[@MelanieNLee]

Theory: 14-year-old Myrtle Warren developed a crush on upperclassman Tom Riddle, sometimes following him around. She saw the award with T.M. Riddle on it, and, being Muggle-born, bought or sent for the engraved diary and gave it to him, perhaps belatedly, for Christmas and/or his 16th birthday, which would've been 12/31/1942. The diary is actually for 1943. Tom accepted it "graciously ", but resented the gift. He was so mortified he decided to kill her, since she was Muggle-born anyway. She never realized who or what killed her. In an act of irony or poetic "justice", Tom made Myrtle's gift to him his first Horcrux. ❤ 📖👻

[@myrarefolly]

"Wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey" is a popular phrase The Doctor [Doctor Who] uses, particularly The Tenth Doctor played by David Tennant, who played Barty Crouch Jr. In The Goblet of Fire movie. (I know it's not exactly what Ben says but it's close enough and I just love the connection 😅)

[@JVN-zq4eh]

Love your work! Been watching ever since you did the Utah teapot episode. I have an interesting question: What if the quill tried to write down Petunia's name, having some amount of magic inside her, but the book was being 'elitest' and only chooses muggle borns with exceptional magical quality (like Hermione and Lily)? (compared to wizard borns who would question why their child wasn't admitted.)

[@Chubbs2020]

What if Tom got the diary as a Christmas gift FROM the orphanage!? They probably give each minor a small generic gift. A diary/planner with his name on it. And when ron said "got a diary -could be bothered" Tom was probably initially reluctant to start writing it it but eventually did. And Ron's instincts still correct!

[@anivijudi]

In Europe we're often taught to use different coloured inks to help organise our notes. We'll write in blue or black but underline things in green or red, so when I read the books what stood out to me wasn't that Harry wrote in red ink, but that he probably had to carry around ink bottles of different colours and also probably had different quills for each ink pot to avoid cross contaminating them. That seemed like a lot of extra weight and fuss to keep the feathers from getting damaged. My own school bag was HEAVY so I felt very sorry for him, no lockers where I grew up either. Also Voldemort's full French name is Tom Elvis Jedusor, so that it anagrams into "Je suis Voldemort".

[@kevinanjos6519]

It was funny how in portuguese (Brazil) his name is Tom Servolo Riddle, what makes the anagram means "Eu sou Lord Voldemort" I found it strange when I read the english version and discoverd his actual name was Tom Marvolo Riddle

[@ericcapece2330]

Listening to your discussion about the diary not wanting to be thrown away, lead me to drawing some comparisons between the diary and The Ring from LOTR. It appears to be just a plain gold ring, but those who come to possess it, long for it and treat it as something incredibly valuable and meaningful to them. Both items contain a portion of their creator's essence which helps solidify this line of thinking for me. I am really enjoying this series and I am looking forward to the years ahead to dive into each book so thoroughly! Thank you guys for doing this!

[@anna-racquelperez1500]

I am a hard-core Ronmione shipper and my last read through I marked every time there was a nod to at least Ron liking Hermione (bc I truly believe it happened first) and yes I also picked up on the Smarmy comment but actually I have a theory that it was this summer, leading into their second year, that their crushes start to blossom. Here's how I see it: Harry isn't responding to their letters. They are writing to each other back and forth concerned for sure, but also keeping up with each other. I think before this they both considered themselves Harry's friend, but now were able to put aside all the teasing Ron did in year 1 and just talk. They write about pretty much everything and are only able to write to each other so they just keep it going. Why do I think this? Because when Ron first mentions that he doesn't like spiders, Hermione giggles and says that she had no idea he didn't. Why would it be such a big thing that she didn't know something like this about him to the point that she needed to point it out? Because they've spent the summer talking about everything else!

[@kerncod22]

Gilderoy Lockhart should get a “quick quotes quill” and as I write this… you mention the quill lol. Dammit, thought I had thought of something y’all hadn’t yet!:) touché

[@brittanyofhouseblackwood]

Hearing your character say "revelio" a million times in Hogwarts Legacy is almost as annoying as hearing Donald Duck and Goofy say "looks like a good place to find some ingredients" in Kingdom Hearts 3