Harry Potter and the Reread Podcast

We made it! David and Kyle recap the final chapter of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and recap the book in general. Discussion includes their most and least favourite parts, what they had forgotten, and what they now think of the least-favoured book after a re-read. While there are certainly some ups and downs in the book, there's no denying how crucial this one is to setting up the overall plot. Enjoy!

*100th EPISODE!*

David and Kyle celebrate 100 episodes of the Reread Podcast with the best chapter of the series so far. We see a range of emotions shared by Harry and Dumbledore in their most in-depth conversation yet. This chapter arguably begins the next Act of the overall series and our hosts are here for it.

The duel continues and after what's been a very long and - at times - arduous read, hosts David and Kyle are treated to one of the best battles of the entire book: A Dumbledore vs. Voldemort showdown inside the Department of Mysteries. This chapter marks a turning point in the series as Dumbledore and Harry go from scapegoats to leaders and heroes of the upcoming war against Voldemort, and it's a thrill to read.

If you're a fan of action sequences, then this chapter is just for you. But for one of our hosts, it's just too much. It does of course end with the death a beloved (?) character. Join hosts David and Kyle as they work their way through the action during this Department of Mysteries battle and why it looks terrible if your name is Lucius Malfoy.

Thes-trals? Thres-trals? Thres-tals? Whatever they are, our cast of young wizards and witches have disbanded in the heart of London and have finally discovered the Department of Mysteries. But much like any unhealthy fixation, Harry discovered the end goal isn't what he expected. Join hosts David and Kyle for the latest episode.

We get a fight and we get flight. Harry, Hermione and Umbridge are heading out to the Forbidden Forest looking for the 'weapon' in an attempt to get rid of Umbridge. However, the plan backfires until Hargid's half-brother comes along and then hosts David and Kyle wonder if they'll ever see him again in the series? Plus, Harry is still honed in on the Department of Mysteries and makes the escape to London on deathly wings.

Well, Harry is like a dog without a bone in this chapter and he's pretty serious about finding Sirius. Will his friends be able to convince him that his reactive plan might make things worse? Hosts David and Kyle talk about the plan to break into Umbrdige's office to contact Sirius and some of the unexpected help from some minor characters.

If you love books full of descriptions of students going to classes and taking tests, then do we have the podcast for you! Hosts David and Kyle make their way through the next chapter, O.W.L.S., where the fifth-year students at Hogwarts take their standardized tests and cap things off with a dreamy outro with severe consequences for Harry.

So what the heck has Hagrid been up to this year at Hogwarts? Turns out he's hoarding a secret half-brother in the woods and decides to get Harry and Hermione in on the fun. PLUS more Quidditch. How practical is Hagrid's plan? Hosts David and Kyle discuss more on this week's episode.

What do you want to be when you grow up? This is the question being asked of fifth years in the latest chapter of the OoTP. But hosts David and Kyle wonder about the timing of this type of discussion. Regardless, this chapter features an incredible scene between McGonagall and Umbridge trading verbal darts, breaking into Umbridge's kitten-themed office and a glorious exit from the Weasley twins.

Have you ever had a core belief of yours totally shattered? Well, it happens to Harry in the latest chapter recap. But as we know, Harry is totally capable of managing his emotions and works his way through, right? Of course not. Hosts David and Kyle discuss Snape's Worst Memory, the Inquisitorial Squad, a suspicious tea time with Umbridge and more in the latest episode.

Hosts David and Kyle break down the latest OoTP chapter and discuss the new style of Divination classes provided by Firenze the Centaur. But that's only the start, as there's some drama within the DA, which leads to an epic escape from Hogwarts from its illustrious Headmaster. When will Cornelius Fudge ever score a win? Spoiler alert: Not in this chapter.

David and Kyle are back to review the latest Order of the Phoenix chapter. Does Hermione's Rita Skeeter plan work out? Harry continues to have "dreams" involving Voldemort and our hosts wonder: is he EVEN trying with the Occlumency? And Trelawney gets the long-awaited book, but why is it so important that she stays in Hogwarts?

Voldemort's happy because all of his little friends from Azkaban have come out to play, and the culprit - in the eyes of the Ministry, at least - is none other than Sirius Black. Hosts David and Kyle discuss this, along with Harry's awkward first date with Cho, Hermione's missteps, and Rita Skeeter's return. Check it out!

The Christmas break is over and Harry is back at Hogwarts and taking err...remedial Potions? Just kidding, he and Snape are practising Occlumency in this chapter. Sirius Black, who has been fairly chipper over the past couple of chapters is also making some decisions that our hosts David and Kyle think will come back to bite him.

It's a Christmas miracle! Hosts Kyle and David totally forget about the return of this character in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It makes for a fun bit of reading in what's otherwise kind of a dark chapter where Harry finds himself in a spiral and we learn some more about Neville's family life. Get all the deets now!

Harry has just had a terrible vision and he's heading straight off to the office of the aloof Albus Dumbledore. Hosts David and Kyle agree that Dumbledore handles the situation quite well and are impressed with a cool new reveal about how portraits can travel between various photos of themselves to new locations for intel. All that, plus our first look at St. Mungo's Hospital and the return of Sirius who actually acts like an adult for once?

Hosts David and Kyle are back to discuss the recent events at Hogwarts following the return of Hagrid. Our cast of main characters have their first Care for Magical Creatures class with Hagrid and we learn a couple of things: 1) Harry hasn't gone insane, and 2) Professor Umbridge is racist....like really really racist. There are some awkward romantic feelings Harry has to work through, and we end the chapter with an interesting attack on a beloved character from an interesting point of view.

He's baaaaaaack! Hagrid has returned to Hogwarts, and the crew meets up with him to see what the lovable oaf has been up to while away from the school. Hosts David and Kyle talk about Hagrid's journey through the mountains to recruit Giants and also have to give Professor Umbridge her flowers in this chapter. While she is not liked in this podcast, she's on top of things.

Guess what? It's a Quidditch chapter! Hosts David and Kyle work their way through the Gryffindor vs Slytherin quidditch match and the "muggle duelling" that occurs afterwards and leads to serious consequences for Harry. Oddly enough, one of our hosts actually agrees with the severity of Umbridge's punishment.

Dumbledore's Army is officially here. Hosts David and Kyle review Harry's first Expelliarmus lesson and why it is a practical first choice of lesson. Is naming the group after Dumbledore a smart idea, though? This episode also features a discussion on how the Room of Requirement is one of the best plot devices in the series and also the return of Dobby the House Elf.

Our hosts discuss the controversial Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four, which was introduced at Hogwarts and how it provides Umbridge with even more control at the school. Kyle and David discuss a small part of this chapter that's used within the Hogwarts Legacy video game and question the many loopholes and inadequacies of the Decree itself.

NOTE: Some technical difficulties were experienced while recording, please excuse some of the audio.

This week, Kyle and David take on In The Hog's Head in the latest Order of the Phoenix review. Both hosts agree it is nice to read about something beyond classes for once. We meet a ton of new characters, as well as learn some new revelations about secondary characters we've come to know throughout the series.

Delores Umbridge has made her mark in Hogwarts. In this chapter, her new role as Hogwarts High Inquisitor is announced and hosts David and Kyle break down her first order of actions: assessing all of the teachers. Harry also has trouble keeping his tongue under wraps and continues to pile on detentions higher than a wingardium leviosa'd feather.

David and Kyle are back with their recap of the latest Order of the Phoenix chapter, Percy and Padfoot where we learn more about the titular characters, Percy Weasley and Sirius Black. Percy is becoming further estranged from his family, which the hosts remember during their re-read, but they spend some time discussing the key differences between the movie Sirius and the book Sirius, with the latter being not as likeable. Also, a minor character continues to be mentioned in the fifth book and the hosts clue in on what kind of impact they'll have in the plot later on.

In this week's episode, David and Kyle discuss Harry's infamous detentions with Delores Umbridge and question how something like this can happen within the confines of a school. Ron is also named keeper of the Gryffindor quidditch team and the hosts have very different opinions on his appointment.

David and Kyle are back to discuss the first day of classes during Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts: History of Magic (how does one make Giant Wars boring?), Potions (Snape is still terrible to Harry), Divination (Can confirm that Hermione still doesn't take it) and Defence Against the Dark Arts. It's in this last class where things get interesting. Why are the students not practising defensive spells? Was Harry's outburst warranted? Plus we get to see a new side of a professor who steals the show this chapter.

David and Kyle discuss these three key topics from the 11th chapter of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: 1. The Sorting Hat's new song (why aren't people more concerned?; how brave can an 11-year-old really be?), 2. Professor Umbridge's introduction speech (i.e. how to out your evil plan to everyone without really outing your evil to everyone.) and 3. Harry vs. Seamus (who was in the wrong? and a debate on whether Ron handled the situation properly as prefect).

All aboard the Hogwarts Express! Harry and his friends board the train to school in this chapter but hosts David and Kyle spend a lot of time talking about a decision Sirius Black makes en route to the station. Once on the train, Harry is separated from Ron and Hermione and we meet a new key character in the series: Luna Lovegood. Plus, the appreciation for Ginny Weasley continues this week.

Harry is a free boy! Hosts Davis and Kyle talk about the aftermath of Harry's trial, the two new Gryffindor prefects and Mrs. Weasley's deepest and greatest fears as Voldemort rises to power. This chapter really shows the reader how dangerous the upcoming war will be and foreshadows some of the trauma the Weasleys will experience down the line.

Today's reread episode is all about the wizarding justice system. Should it come as any surprise that hosts David and Kyle can't make sense of it? Where are the wizard lawyers? Do they really just vote on people's innocence with a casual showing of hands? Is Minister Fudge still a terrible character? All of this is answered and more!

A short episode for a chapter where not much goes on. Here's the summary: Harry arrives at the Ministry of Magic for his trials early. He learns it's been moved to a different location and earlier time. He rushes to get there. Hosts David and Kyle break down who might be responsible for this last-minute change and why, along with some other small details from the latest chapter of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

A secret weapon you say? The Order of the Phoenix mentions one and says that Voldemort is after it. Kyle and David discuss what it is, and if it's *actually* a weapon or not. Plus we learn more about the family of Sirius Black and how the pure-bloods of the world are kind of...err...incestuous.

Hosts David and Kyle ring the bell on the battle between Sirius Black and Molly Weasley over Harry's right to know what's been going on within the Order of the Pheonix. Which character has the moral high ground? Spoiler alert: neither; both are pretty nasty to each other. In this chapter, we discuss the argument as well as how Harry and Sirius can bond over feelings of inadequacy and uselessness.

David and Kyle are joined by special guests Lindsay and Katrina to discuss the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie. Join us for some lively discussion as a the crew gets down to business talking some new characters, some book movie differences, and of course ranking stuff. 

He's back! A fan-favourite character returns in this chapter of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Sirius Black is back, and he reveals a lot of crucial information about a key character in the book. Hosts David and Kyle break down the return of Sirius Black and how it sets up the rest of the book. They also discuss the latest Witches' Weekly gossip column written by Rita Skeeter and how it's pretty sad for a grown woman to be attacking a teenage girl. Hermione, to her credit, responds perfectly, and it sets her forward in her ultimate goal of taking Rita Skeeter down once and for all. 

On to the Second Task! Hosts David Janssen and Kyle Jahns take a deep dive into Chapter 26 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: The Second Task. We learn more about Harry's inner psyche in this chapter (does he really ALWAYS need to be the hero?), how Dobby is the true MVP of the chapter and a bit on the task itself and the methods each champion used to find (or in one case not find) success. Listen now! 

The Egg and the Egg...we mean the Egg and the Eye. In this episode, hosts David and Kyle break down Harry FINALLY figuring out what kind of clue the golden egg contains, as well as a tense discussion Harry overhears between Professors Snape and Mad-Eyed Moody. A character narrowly avoids having their mastermind plan ruined in this episode, but some quick thinking on getting the Marauders Map out of Harry's hands closes a pretty big plot hole in the book. 

Rita Skeeter releases her embellished and scathing article on Hagrid that sends the latter into hiding for a while at Hogwarts. Hosts David Janssen and Kyle Jahns discuss the article and its fallout, Harry's continued avoidance of the Golden Egg and touch on a lot of foreshadowing on display in chapter 24 of Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire.