Chapter 5: The Whomping Willow | Chamber of Secrets

[@Zeke_O3773]

I love the idea that the whomping willow was transplanted. Otherwise, who would the “whomping sapling” stop in Remus’ first year?

[@tsugambler]

I think it would have had to have been transplanted, because it would have had to have the ability to defend the passageway, and big enough to hide the entrance

[@PhilBagels]

It's Pretty Obvious that the whomping willow was transplanted. It had to have been fully grown when it was put there.

[@jaziybabe]

I feel like it would have to be, right?!?!?!!

[@Superiorer]

Or you know, grown to adult tree size in 5 days by magic.

[@jaziybabe]

@@Superiorer idk there is something really fantastical and satisfying about the idea that the tree has been alive for hundreds of years

[@lizzietizzy]

Thinking about you guys this weekend.... Went to my local library here in Maine - they have a beautiful children's section - I fell IN LOVE with the Harry Potter Illustrated editions. Whenever I have children I look forward to reading them THESE editions! Warm thoughts about your Papa Carlin and knowing he'd probably had preferred to read you boys these colored versions too 😝 HAPPY MONDAY from Maine, CARLIN BROTHERS! Love listening weeky!! #supercarlinbrothers #ledbypapacarlin

[@neonxvices]

i think part of the reason the car seems so sentient is that it can make noise and has moving parts. like if the elder wand's sentience was transplanted into something with more moving parts, maybe it would display a similar level of personality

[@aud2d2]

I always thought the Weasleys didn’t buy Ron a new wand or repair it is because they couldn’t afford it. It seems like a very harsh punishment for him to have a broken wand ALL YEAR. It interferes with his schoolwork, and having a working wand would surely help your grades?

[@brookchristy8311]

Ron says he didn't tell them thinking he'd get another Howler.

[@MultiDudeman]

If only the ford anglia showed up in book 7 at the battle of hogwarts, that would've been sweet, or if it showed up in book 5 to take them to the ministry of magic department of mysteries after they ditch umbrige in the forbidden forest, it would've been fun to see the car again in later books.

[@mileskintnermusic7349]

When you refer to bellatrix's wand as "rigid," ollivander refers to it as "unyielding," I don't think that's supposed to be a physical attribute, I think he's referring to the fact that, as wands seem to have a mind of their own, it will NOT obey any other wizard who uses it, and given its Bellatrix, The wand might deliberately try to harm any other user (save for Hermione, since she was portraying Bellatrix using polyjuice potion.)

[@carolynbrubaker1619]

Both the Whomping Willow and the Polyjuice potion in Chamber of Secrets show what an incredible gift JK ROwling has for foreshadowing. When I first read it I thought polyjuice potion was just kind of a side story that went nowhere and chalked it up to a novice's mistake (it was only her second book afterall). THen I got to the end of GOF and was gobsmacked!

[@kimgrod]

Pudding in UK is any dessert

[@Roefallow]

I always assumed the ford anglia stopped working was because they had just passed over the Hogwarts grounds wall and the protective enchantments stopped the car from flying.

[@brookchristy8311]

Cool theory

[@claytonlinville6323]

If that's the case, maybe the same thing caused the glitching in London but it was the Platform 9 3/4 protective enchantments as they flew over the Hogwarts Express and the platform

[@brandivermillion3453]

43:39 I just realized after you said what color Lockheart is wearing that it’s a kind of foreshadowing. “FOR GET ME NOT” and he ends up forgetting everything

[@jaspermooren5883]

I could also be very purpuseful by Lockheart himself, I mean he is all about those memory charms for most of his life. The colour is definitely not random, no.

[@MrDUneven]

Also reason why he seems to seek fame and fake glory is so that he wouldn't be ignored and forgotten.

[@keithg460]

He also loves Lilac. He's Lacking in abilities, and he Lies about it. Nvm, might be a bit of a stretch.

[@chriswedemann8599]

@@keithg460Fun wordplay, but probably not.

[@LoaniReaWilliams]

I like that consideration re: his favorite color. He lies because he lacks any true talent.

[@AliAngelpie]

Fun fact: during filming, Rupert Grint drew a picture of Alan Rickman and he was caught. He was immediately scared but Alan took it, asked for him to sign it, and treasured it until his death

[@MCGreggy28]

I can picture Alan Rickman, totally deadpan, saying “Grint’s paintbrush causes devastation on the best of canvases.”

[@AliAngelpie]

@@MCGreggy28 Same ☺️ ‘Is that me in a vulture hat and dress?’

[@madalynnr9940]

When you guys said Whomping Willow broomsticks I immediately pictured Wizard Cowboys riding the broom like its a bull or bronco

[@madisonbaron6670]

Omg I love this idea

[@Zeke_O3773]

I still think that leaping to the idea of taking the car when the barrier wouldn’t open is such a magnificent overreaction, and yet, when you compare it to their plans to break into Gringotts or the Ministry, it’s surprisingly successful.

[@elmermedina1713]

Harry and Ron are pretty accustomed to doing this by now, considering their hijinks last year

[@colbert4win]

Hogwarts' defense spells must be what caused the Ford Anglia to take a dive.

[@seventycross0yt175]

Possibly

[@mjm3091]

or it was Dobby doing last ditch effort

[@britlitsch6571]

The twins are hands down my favorite Weasleys. They are the best parts of both parents. Arthur's free spirit, inquisitive mind, willingness to stand up for others. Molly's love of family, caring nature, forgiveness, and power.

[@ginnyjollykidd]

I was thinking that. That Arthur is a very inquisitive person and passed that curiosity to Fred and George. The Twins don't do things by halves and go full tilt into experimenting with stuff. Thus the tradition of bangs coming from their bedroom. And coming down with some pretty painful consequences when refining certain body-transforming products

[@boilerfan18]

It’s funny, I never really thought about why didn’t Harry and Ron just wait at the station. They clearly would have gotten help in minutes, if not seconds.

[@JrWasToShort]

My theory is that Dobby would not let anyone leave the platform until Harry and Ron leave

[@mjm3091]

To be fair if we would like to make it even more logical - Dobby maybe charmed them with version of Confundus, just so they would do such illogical thing.

[@ZanyZed]

I always felt like it was in character. This is harry and Ron the kids in the previous book had to be independent and solve problems without adults, then were rewarded with praise in the end.

[@elfthreefiveseven1297]

The train has a "Not my problem" spell on it. Muggles see the train, but realize that "its not my problem". And forget it. (With regards to Douglas Adams)

[@PhilBagels]

Right! But technically, it's called an SEP field - Somebody Else's Problem.

[@GeroldGarthcia]

Hey guys just an FYI : in England the term pudding is a general term for desert. Like a three course meal could be appetizer, entree, and pudding. So when Molly makes treacle "pudding" it likely is treacle tart.

[@ryancasey919]

We truly are two nations separated by a common language (and the Atlantic Ocean) 🤣 thanks for this comment!

[@redbeard5939]

I always find it humorous when, after all this time of essentially being Harry Potter experts, the Carlins still seem confused by mundane British stuff that pops up in the books

[@Vincent.E.M.Thorn.Author]

@@redbeard5939 Similarly, I love when they pose the question, "Is that Magic, or just British?"

[@Goabnb94]

Could also be a steam pudding - put in golden syrup/treacle, then the dough. The syrup melts into the dough and creates like a sticky gel on the outside

[@codybeckus2652]

they already know that. it just comes down to the strange use of a word, which Britain does all the time.

[@mickeychick6903]

Hogwarts, a History. The Ford Anglia crosses the magical boundary and That is where the car goes ‘weird’

[@mjm3091]

It is also a magic full place - and this is nomaj invention, it could make you wonder how much of its sentience came from everything going haywire.

[@davidhowell8407]

Has anybody else noticed that Harry is kind of a legend in Gryffindor house. Let's put Voldemort aside and focus on what Harry does at school. He steals an enchanted car and flies it into a whomping willow during the sorting ceremony He and his friends secretly brew Polyjuice potion in an abandoned bathroom with the intention of sneaking into the Slytherin common room during Christmas which is successful He defeats slytherin's basilisk with gryffindor's sword But all of that's child's play, get ths he throws a filibuster firework into a Slytherin student's cauldron during Snape's class and doesn't get caught Absolute legend Edit: there is no way there is not just a line of students who missed the train in the leaky cauldron waiting to floo powder to Hogwarts

[@neverfoundland6424]

Fireworks they forget at Burrow are later used to feed salamander and to distract Snape so Hermione can steal the ingrediences for Polyjuice potion.)

[@lucypreece7581]

You guys talking about Fred and George taking after Arthur in their flair for invention and tinkering and it influencing the joke shop made me think about Arthur's pride at seeing the joke shop flourish and then his heartbreak and devastation at Fred's death cus it is never really focussed on and I can just imagine it breaking him. I imagine Arthur being a shell of a man after that but also I see him being the one the most determined to keep the shop open in Fred's name because he recognised the talents of the twins and deffo always saw himself in them both. Okay so now I just made myself sad. excuse me while I cry in a corner for a moment.

[@j.a.shawkins7640]

I think it's because we don't really get to see Bill and Charlie very much, so I always feel like Percy is the oldest, and relate to him in that situation, and I distinctly remember being like you two, you DON'T UNDERSTAND why he's mad at you. He's not even MAD at YOU, he's mad at the situation! YOU COULD HAVE COST ARTHUR HIS JOB!!! Like, Idk. XD I guess I always sympathized a bit with him.

[@itsallme1234]

Hey Brother! Love the podcast, reading these books one chapter a week gives me a whole new perspective. My new head cannon is that the car wasn’t alive until they crashed. Either Ron did unintentional magic or released a blast of magic when he broke his wand, and that gave the car sentience.

[@haus1990]

That's what I was thinking too!

[@jaspermooren5883]

I always read the 'no choice but to expel you' as that Dumbledore would actually be forced to expel Harry against his will. Maybe the Ministry would be in his neck or something. That kind of happens in the 5th book of course, where there's a whole trial and Harry only gets through that by a very thin margin at the expense of a lot of political capital for Dumbledore.

[@aud2d2]

I agree. i think that’s why Dumbledore looks so grave, because he would have to actually expell harry

[@richewilson6394]

Harry like treacle tart in the first book because he had it for the feast as well as in asking Ron if he tried treacle tart. So apparently he must have told the weasleys or mentioned it somewhere that he liked that as a sweet. Or Ron mentioned it to his mom.

[@SithScribe21]

lol “treacle tart”*

[@wendellgutierrez761]

​@@SithScribe21Nah, you're thinking of the candy, he's actually talking about the pokémon

[@cubedmelons876]

Those poor Treecko.

[@mistv901]

Ron totally told Molly. Just like he casually told her Harry thought he wasn't getting anything for Christmas, knowing he could potentially get less himself. Yeah, no big deal.❤

[@richewilson6394]

@@mistv901 Yeah If I found out anything from my friends like what their favorite foods are or flavors whatever I'd be using that for any Christmas or birthday present ideas. It's always a win when you can't think of a thing in particular for presents for a person.

[@satsujin-shathewitchkingof6185]

Something that popped into my head,if the car is infused with (and given life by) Arthur's magic,I bet it protects Ron and Harry because Arthur would protect Ron and Harry. Honesty, kinda feels like Arthur put his soul into it.

[@palmareal13]

Absolutely! I love this!!

[@LiveHedgehog]

Thinking about it - the Whomping Willow has to have been transplanted from a previous location, and not newly planted for Lupin. I guess you could argue that spells may have been used to grow/age it, but for the tree to be useful as a way to dissuade anyone from taking the secret passage to the Shrieking Shack, it has to have been full sized from the moment it was put there.

[@ginnyjollykidd]

I think it would have needed to be at least a few years old. After a year it could hardly be called a sapling-most trees, really, even pine trees.

[@MrShadowTheDark]

The fact that Ben's daughter calls her blanket a oh no is adorable tbh.

[@ShmiMonika]

1) I think that Ron doesn't get a new wand until summer because he simply didn't tell his parents his wand broke when they crashed not because Molly was mad at him and didn't want to get him a new one. There's a moment when Harry tells Ron to write home to get him a new one but he responds he would get another howler. I just think that while the Weasleys are poor they are never described as endangering their children with their choices about spending so to me there's no way that if they knew they would let Ron go a whole year that is actually dangerous. 2) As for the trace I think the age-related thing is a matter of you need to be a responsible adult to be able to perform magic to control if anything goes wrong (as is the rule with basically any age limit). Therefore the ministry doesn't really bother with having trace be more specific as if there's a qualified adult present they would (in theory) be capable of controlling magic and any possible damage related to it.

[@alinaberg]

29:57 "I'm mentally giving like Arthur so much Weasley" 😂 Ben, I love your brain!!

[@ulrikruby]

5:26 The Whomping Willow was planted at Hogwarts when Lupin started going there, but it must have already been an old tree otherwise how could it protect the secret tunnel? When the tree was planted that doesn’t necessarily mean as a seed, it could just have been moved to Hogwarts when it was already grown, which would still count as planting the tree. Edit: It seems J already realized oops.

[@FoxbrushDraws]

Learned because of this that real-life weeping willows (which the whomping willow, is pretty obviously a play off of) are one of the fastest growing trees, but are also unfortunately pretty short-lived, lasting about 30 years, but can be up to 50 with the right care and environment, and a good deal of luck. They are prone to decay and disease, especially if they've been cut or sustained damage. They are definitely a tree that looks ancient despite a relatively young age in tree standards. With that in mind, while I can imagine that the whomping willow was transplanted there full grown (or at least mostly full grown), by the time Harry was in school, it would have been quite old for a willow and probably being very carefully cared for by that time to keep it around as long as possible. Hitting it with a car probably cut its lifespan drastically by that point.

[@eweasel1]

of course the Malfoys bring Doby to platform 9 3/4. You don't expect that any of them carried Draco's trunk, do you?

[@satsujin-shathewitchkingof6185]

Levitation charms

[@donb7519]

​@@satsujin-shathewitchkingof6185that still takes effort and shouldnt be done before you get to the actual platform where muggles cant see though i dont think dobby can help in case a muggle sees him

[@satsujin-shathewitchkingof6185]

@@donb7519 I guess that's true

[@Blixthand]

Fun fact, in the UK edition Ron never mentions his parents being able to get back with apparition. The first time apparition is ever mentioned in the UK books are in book 3 when they discuss weather Sirius could use it to get in and out of Hogwarts, but since the US edition of Chamber came out almost a full year later than the UK, and only 1 month before the UK Prisoner, the editors would already know that apparition would be a thing and could add it. I'm torn about that addition, it makes sense they would pose the question of how the parents would get out, and that Ron would know his parents could apparate, but with it added, it makes even less sense that they don't just wait outside or wait by the car. If they are sure Mr. and Mrs. Wealsley can get back out, then surely the next logical thing would be to wait for them. Even if they do apparate they would of course go to the car, it's not like they would just go home and leave the car parked in the middle of London.

[@neverfoundland6424]

great point)

[@brookchristy8311]

Ron says they can apperate home. Not to a crowded train station. However I agree that it make no sense to me that they're like omg we can't get in we should fly a car over the train. Just such a major leap. Like even McGonagal is like ... why didn't you send the bird 😂... I guess kid logic will out here

[@Boundwithflame23]

I mean Percy is a prefect so makes sense to me that he’d want to get to the train first so he can start his prefect duties (and also maybe go snog Penelope while he has the chance XD) Also small correction at 23:19: It’s actually Dobby who says this because I think Harry was having him help with tailing Draco and Hermione is horrified thinking Harry ordered Dobby not to sleep but Dobby just did that of his own volition and seemed very proud of himself for it lmao

[@alexandercharizard3617]

well harry kinda did order him to do, in saying they should keep an eye on malfoy day and night

[@Boundwithflame23]

@@alexandercharizard3617 Fair point. I don't think Harry necessarily meant it as "keep an eye on Draco 24/7 without sleep" but of course Dobby being Dobby just interpreted it that way.

[@alexandercharizard3617]

yeah no i agree, harry didn't mean for dobby to not sleep, just saying it wasn't just because of dobbys eagerness, but also harrys poor choice of words@@Boundwithflame23

[@Boundwithflame23]

@@alexandercharizard3617 mmhmm. Though part of me thinks Dobby would have done that regardless of how Harry worded it XD

[@jordythomps6412]

I feel like the whomping willow would have had to be transplanted as a whomping sampling would not have been much of a deterrent to keep students away from the shrieking shack

[@satsujin-shathewitchkingof6185]

Only if having your ankles shattered isn't scary

[@xPhoenixUnreal]

A 50 pence piece was one of the "gifts" the Dursleys gave to Harry on his birthday, including one of Vernon's old sock.

[@neverfoundland6424]

it is in fact xmass gift in first year)

[@monctonguitarrepair8093]

Treacle is a British Golden Syrup, kind of like Corn Syrup. The most famous brand is Lyle's. Treacle tart also has a pronounced lemon flavor. Hope that clears it up. :)

[@JessicaClark-lq4gw]

The reason Rons wand isnt repaired isnt because his parents refuse to replace it. Im sure they would have if they had known. Ron didnt tell his parents that he broke his wand because he was scared that Molly would send another howler yelling at him that it was his own fault for breaking it.

[@seventycross0yt175]

I’m pretty sure Percy would snitch about it

[@JessicaClark-lq4gw]

@seventycross0yt175 im not sure percy knew either. He was pretty distracted during book 2 between his girlfriend and being a prefect while someone is attacking students. Its not like Ron would have been forthcoming with that information to him. Fred and George would have figured its Rons problem and not gotten involved. Also Ron pretty quickly fixed it with spellotape so it might not have been obvious to Percy.

[@darushkii]

I always thought the car started to fail when it got close to Hogwarts is because the magic of the school started to mess with all the electronics that might still be left in the car. Also, willows famously grow very quickly, and don't live very long! Probably applies to magic ones too, who knows...

[@thomaskusar5816]

OMG, J Ben.... i don't think i can take 5 (estimated) more years of this. i enjoy this podcast so much. i know you have stated the actual length of this podcast but itis so good

[@vorobuh_the_1]

I’m thinking it’s more likely the Dursleys started giving Dudley pocket money when he was six, so Harry didn’t ever receive any, but he also wasn’t expecting any before turning six.

[@brycemuller2081]

Hey guys loving the podcast and did you know that Severus means strict in Latin? It’s pronounced se-wu-rus. This could be a good trivia question, what does Snapes name mean in Latin

[@ProfDotGeever]

The way I view the trace (or moreso the way I'm rewriting it in my rewrite series) is that the trace is specifically searching out for instances of magic that breaks through the intended purpose and is exposed to muggles--so like, for example, magic that causes a direct or has the potential to cause a direct interference with a muggle such as a hover charmed desert landing on the masons, the trace would fire that as a potential breach of the statute of secrecy. However, the way I'm thinking about it to is the level of intent, because obviously young and underaged wizards have emotional outbursts or cause accidental magic from young ages all the time, Harry with the vanishing glass or Harry with large Marge. I know fudge was lenient with Harry because of Sirius around, but in both instances the magic use was not as a result of a specific spell being cast or purposeful magic being performed, but an outburst or leak. So even though it exposed muggles to magic, there weren't consequences to the witch or wizard. This would also be why (in my thought) Hermione repairing Harry's glasses in both movies is not a huge concern, as on both the hogwarts express and in diagon alley, no muggles are present and thus being affected, so underaged magic being intentionally used is seen as okay.

[@satsujin-shathewitchkingof6185]

Adding an asterisk to that,muggles that aren't already aware of magic

[@heylolp9]

What if Harry and Ron, like actual 12 year olds, didn't take the car and just waited for Mr and Mes Weasley to get back out

[@jakkaljakobie8774]

Crackpot theory: just, walk with me here. the weasleys live in the burrow. The weasel puns are blindingly obvious. They are pure bloods, therefore they are somehow related to other wizarding families, that's a given. The Hufflepuffs meanwhile are a dead line on the male side, but not the female line, as we saw with Hepsiba Smith. Hufflepuffs symbol is a badger, which is in the Mustilidae family, which also includes weasels. So... Are the Weasleys descendants on the female line from Helga Hufflepuff?

[@johnn2663]

44:32 - yeah, Harry and Ron shoulda checked their six before mouthing off about Snape 😂 Although, I *did* like the film version as well, where it's Filch who catches them. David Bradley nails that scene! "Oh dear, oh dear, we *are* in trouble"

[@deb4762]

The whomping willow would have been planted in the grounds in 1971 for Lupin starting school as the Marauders were born in 1960. Snape would have been about 32 in CoS

[@PalmelaHanderson]

Interestingly, and I feel like this doesn't get brought up enough, that means the marauders and Snape would be about 37 in book 6... which is when Lupin starts seeing Tonks... who was in the same year as Charlie Weasley... so when they start seeing each other he's 37 and she's ~23ish. There's a slight ick factor for me about that.

[@deb4762]

@@PalmelaHanderson No worse than some of the age gaps celebrity couples have had at times

[@PalmelaHanderson]

@@deb4762 true enough, but I just kind of assume most people in Hollywood are creeps. Like "oh, Leo is dating a teenager again... So anyway..." Lupin/tonks does not pass the /2+7 test, which is usually a pretty good baseline for ick factor.

[@keithg460]

​@@PalmelaHanderson Sure, but 'ol Lupin DiCaprio over here actually objected to them getting together for at least a year before Tonks wore him down. And it might not have happened at all if Albus hadn't died and in doing so convinced them that life was short and that the world needed a little more love.

[@donb7519]

​@@PalmelaHandersoni view it as fine since 1. Afaik lupin didnt know tonks before she was an adult and 2. Wartime would lead to more intense relationships between people being formed. Plus while they dont pass that test now they would in like a year or 2 depending on birthdates

[@richewilson6394]

Dobby admitted that he didn't know about the car until he heard they crashed into the whomping willow from Draco Malfoy probably telling his father.

[@riverhalorix4203]

it feels positively illegal to be this early, perfect timing for me to get some drawing in.

[@n1s2e]

So the "lucky that the car crashed at the school" Nah its not lucky its the hogwarts ground and what stops working in the hogwartz ground? Electricity like radios and other muggle parts. it still has sentiens becuse of the magic in it.

[@kayleighlehrman9566]

Talking about wands not needing to be straight sticks, leads to the natural connection to Count Dooku's curved lightsaber hilt and the potential for that to be used for a wand.

[@Hamilfan31]

chapter art!!! you forgot to review it! Hope you remember before next week so you can review it in next weeks episode.

[@Zachfive]

Okay, I’m glad someone else said it. I wasn’t sure if I just missed it or something.

[@thunderflare59]

What if Ginny forgot Tom Riddle's diary? That sounds like a good subject for a video.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

The most badass entry at school! 🚗🚗🚗🚗🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲

[@Kroloff1]

I guess one of the boys could have done some unintentional magic wiht their wands or wandless during the fall/ mallfunctioning the car which give some sentient to the car. Or the broken wand does, like a wand horcrucx

[@Mario-SunshineGalaxy64]

It’s wild that Ron’s first thought was to commit grand theft auto. He grew up in the Wizarding World, he must’ve known at least half a dozen way to get to Hogwarts that didn’t involve stealing the family car, and yet he did so anyway. There was also the option to not do anything and wait for his parents to take care of things, it’s not like they were just gonna leave the car in Muggle London.

[@TheSonofruss]

I have always seen Harry’s relationship with the Weasley family is like that of an Aunt and Uncle inviting a close friends child to visit and Harry is part of the family that is distantly related. As for the train the Muggles built the rail line and the ministry cunfunded them to forget about it and supposedly the two platforms in Kings Cross are unplotable. And the rail lines are similar to having been put under a fidelious charm

[@NerdyBernie66]

Going off the same vein of Dobby messing with the invisibility booster, it could have been Dobby that added sentience to the car and gave it attitude. This would explain why it saves Harry and Ron from the spiders. Dobby added into its personality to protect Harry Potter.

[@Tincan611]

J and Ben, love the show so much but my question is in deathly hallows, why didn’t Harry get another scar after he got hit by the killing curse? Surely it’s the same kind of magic as godrics hollow?

[@sawanna508]

The whole situation is different from Deathly Hallows. Voldemort shares Harry prodection because his blood is in him. Therefore he gets knocked down when Harry dies but the spell dosen't get reflected and his sole is not ripped appared the same way either. The scare is the entry point of Voldemort's piece of sole.

[@thestoryfactory8429]

The train, tracks, platform, etc are all Fidelious charmed. Like Grimaud Place, they can only be seen if you know they're there.

[@felicityanne979]

That's not how a fidealus works. You don't have to know it's there you have to be explicitly told the secret. Belatrix and narcissa are aware of the location of 12 grimuald place and can station death eaters outside but are unable to access it at all without the secret. The tracks and the train are literally on the other side of the magical barrier. The platform is just made to be unnoticeable by muggles in the same way the entrances to St Mungos and the leaky cauldron are and the same way hogwarts is disguised. Just as something else and with charms to prevent muggles from even attempting to access that location for any reason.

[@Foxfire-xq5ij]

I thought that the train and tracks could only be seen was due to the same magic that the Knight Bus, the Leaky Cauldron, and Grimmauld Place have. Only wizardas can see them, and muggles can’t. But it’s not the fideleous charm….

[@kendallnielsen1696]

I thought the reason Ron’s wand was never replaced was because he never told his parents it got broken. The only reason his parents find out about what happened (apart from them discovering the car was missing after dropping everyone off at King’s Cross) was because Dumbledore/McGonagall wrote to them. I always assumed he felt to guilty and bad about taking the car he didn’t have the nerve to also tell them his wand got broken as a result, especially after getting the howler and because they likely didn’t have the money to replace it after getting Ginny all her first-year gear and the Lockhart books for their 5 kids currently at Hogwarts.

[@lex9313]

i just noticed that in the intro, the book it flips through is one of YOURS? like it has notes and stuff :0 that’s such a neat egg!!!

[@madison2150]

I always imagined treacle tart/pudding as creme brulé with the KRONCHY part being the burnt sugar 😊

[@madison2150]

Yay! So excited for chapter 5!

[@TheNoteblockLizard]

Hmmm ... we're repeatedly reminded that technology tends to go a little haywire at Hogwarts ... Perhaps that's what causes the car, even while enchanted, to fail to function properly once it arrives at Hogwarts? Also, if you are right about Dobby trying to interfere with them taking the car, perhaps it's a combination of that, plus Mr. Weasley's enchanting, plus the overall magical interference of Hogwarts itself which brings the car to life? Ooooo, what if Ron and Harry were able to get on the train despite Dobby's interference? Do you think they might have been able to bump into Luna early seeing as this is also her first year? But also, would it have effected the rest of the story not to have the car there?

[@Gacked]

Great observation!

[@ObsessiveGeek]

An Express train doesn’t make any stops, I’m sure there’s a Hogwarts Local for us in Scotland that stops off at a few cities along the way. Though if you live in Hogsmede clearly you don’t need any major transportation, a quick broom ride if necessary is as much you’d require and then just walk the rest.

[@aliceepalermo5047]

Why do the Weasleys drive to Kings Cross anyway? Would they not Floo Powder to Diagon Alley and get to Kings Cross from there? That’s what I presume other families do?

[@kristinmartin2899]

I kinda feel they could’ve handled Lupins transformations better than planting a tree that could potentially hurt other students. Why not something like the room of requirement or something. The magic would rescrict other students getting in.

[@CJDM310]

22:59 The Malfoys of course would also be at Kings Cross station, so either Dobby was with them or more likely he left the house with no one to stop him because they were already at Kings Cross station.

[@koletaylor3636]

21:42 Home Alone, also directed by Chris Colombus! Did he get the idea after reading HP2?

[@AndrewJGaming]

It seems to me like there should at least be a fireplace on platform 9 3/4 so that people can get there by floo powder. There is simply no way most wizard families own a car and i dont even think Harry ever gets to Kings cross the same way two years in a row. So i think most families either take their kids by side along apparition or by floo powder. So if you are going to make the scottish students travel to london to travel back to Scotland by train at least they can essentially teleport to london.

[@My_journey1]

Is the car not failing becaus tecnology does't work in hogwarts.

[@clynn1995ny]

Treacle tart sounds like pecan pie to me. You make that base with golden syrup too

[@JitteryJackanape]

After last week I have decided to save these until Monday morning at the start of my shift. Great way to start my day!

[@InteGritti]

“I’m giving Aurther so much Weasley.” 🤣 I flipping love it

[@BrucasLoveX]

Treacle tart is a classic British dessert, a personal fave as a Londoner

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Loving these guys! Keep up the good work

[@monlovebug]

I super love the idea that the twins are the ones who take after Arthur the most🥹

[@islarf5095]

I like the idea that the magic around hogwarts is what caused the cars muggle mechanics to fail, probably effecting some of the enchantments, And probably why it gained sentience also with the muggle mechanics stopping to work.

[@rapxdzz761]

If a muggle sees someone die are they able to see a thestral?

[@madison2150]

Was anyone else fervently waiting and refreshing the playlist until the video released, hoping we didnt get a repeat of last week? 🥵😂 love these guys and this new podcast! I look forward to it every [sunday at 8am for my time zone]

[@tjmaraven]

But they warned us previously 😅

[@madison2150]

Oh man! I definitely didn't see that...Was it on their Instagram? I looked a few places to see if there was a space for updates or something but I'm not the most tech savvy with the different platforms. I must have been the lone straggler waiting for hours until I finally gave up 😂

[@TolliverHiker]

Yes! Same same

[@Boundwithflame23]

@@madison2150 It was in the community posts on the main channel. Which I think posting here as well might be a good idea in the future in case some viewers check this channel's posts first. Like I didn't even think to check the main channel.

[@madison2150]

@Boundwithflame23 I just checked it out and it was there. Sweet, thank you. I didn't really know about the community post feature but I will be checking there often to see updates and stuff! Thanks for helping me out! It sucked feeling like I was missing something and just wanting to listen to the guys 😅🥰 love them, love the community

[@jaghow1531]

Treacle is a british term for molasses more-or-less

[@lavishinglife2567]

I wait every sunday evening for your podcast!!! Keep em coming❤❤

[@joshuagideon7215]

Well muggles DON’T see the leaky cauldron

[@mienfu9824]

What do you think would happen if Ginny actually forgot the diary?

[@jamie7398]

She would use one of the school owls to write home to Molly asking if it could be sent to her. Not sure if it would affect anything but it might depending on how long it takes Molly to send the diary to Ginny.

[@Morithcat]

As a Brit, I do enjoy finding out what's very culturally (or in this case, culinarily) specific to us.

[@robertgronewold3326]

Both Mrs Weasley and Hagrid are a good examples in the Harry Potter series of mild prejudice. Both of them have a subconscious superiority to Muggles that is more cultural than their actual personal beliefs, and it sort of Slants their view on all things Muggle over the course of the books. Mrs Weasley's lack of understanding about cars is basically the first example of this in the series, but you see it pop up more than once.

[@emily79519]

McGonagall too with her "they're not entirely stupid" line

[@robertgronewold3326]

@@emily79519 And with McGonagall that is even more tragic because she almost married a muggle.

[@carolinesch.]

I just realised with Ron asking Harry if he had muggle money: why has harry never exchanged his wizard money to muggle money and just not told the dursleys and bought himslef something during the summwr holidays

[@RedDragonForce2]

@27:55 I believe this is a similar case to the Back Wall of the Leaky Cauldron, where you input a specific sequence of actions for a desired result. Basically, the Magical version of a Password, only without verbal input. The Spell or Ward has already been cast, so no Magic is actively used here, simply triggering the response that's been applied to the object, the Weasly Car, by inputing the correct actions. That's all that is.

[@LenaLovesgoodStories]

Another great episode, thanks guys! 😊 However, I CANNOT BELIEVE that you did not comment on my favourite line in probably all seven books here! Man! "I - I didn't think..." "That," said Professor McGonagall, "is obvious." I can picture her saying it soooo clearly. Love it so much i literally had the quote pinned to my bedroom wall at some point. Quite sad you didnt love it, too. Anyway, looking forward to next week. 😊

[@_devra11]

No no no. My theory is that everyone still has to go through a platform 9 3/4 at any muggle train station large enough to have multiple platforms. What if platform 8 1/4 goes to some other magical place. And the reminder Hagrid gave him was dont forget your platform number i dont want to see you get on an express train to Timbuktu. If you live in hogsmeade just wait for the "horseless" carriage. But if you live in idk Wales you just hit platform 9 3/4 at any large enough passenger train station.

[@inkaviolet]

Excuse moi, just Ginny and Colin? How about Luna? ;) The thing is, it's good that they weren't there at that particular ceremony, because if Luna wasn't planned yet by Rowling, it would be harder to introduce her later. Also, they were actually present for song. They saw first-years entering the Great Hall, McGonagall putting Hat on the stool, and Colin being called. The song should happen when Harry was reminisceing his own sorting. I wonder, maybe Fidelius Charm you were suspecting to be placed on the Hat prevent whatever Hat was saying/singing to be heard outside Great Hall?

[@thirteenthandy]

Oh man, the Piumpkin Juice at Universal is sooooo good. I wish I could buy it at the grocery store. I found it on Amazon, but it's prohibitively expensive.

[@javierc6346]

Guys, I don't understand how it's possible that after all this time, you haven't realized that Harry might actually be the Heir of Slytherin. His family comes from the Peverells, and so do the Gaunts and Voldemort. As I understand it, if the Founders came before the Peverells, then Harry is the Heir of Slytherin too.

[@demonraven234]

43:38 "I already forgot what colour it was..." It was forget me not blue. Kinda missed it's purpose 😂

[@hayden_604]

Watching this episode left me with a thought... Could the breaking of Ron's wand be an accidental, although important additional layer to Dumbledore's big plan? The thought here being, as master of the Elder wand, Dumbledore could simply have used it to repair Ron's broken wand, no? Pulling the other strings around Harry as he was, surely Dumbledore would have been privy to the fact that Harry's best friend was in possession of a broken wand, yet allowed him to navigate a year of his education with that wand...

[@heylolp9]

An explanation for the Platform Question of Mrs. Weasley and Harry and Ron following the physical Train could also just a case of the Fidelius Charm where the Ticket informs you of the Platforms and trains existence Wizard kids with Siblings could just have seen the ticket of their older siblings to already know, this also explains how no one spots people slipping through the wall

[@malcolm32]

I don't think every student does take the train. For a student who happened to live in Hogsmeade, for example, the Hogwarts Express stops **at** Hogsmeade Station.....in Hogsmeade. They'd just join the other students heading up to the school off the train.