#441: Brian? (OOTP Chapter 8, The Hearing)

Mike from Potterless Podcast joins the show! He shares why he got into the series so late and some of the moments that shocked him the most. Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 8 - The Hearing 7-Word Summary: Harry is attacked by Fudge but Dumbledore prevails Have any of us ever been before a judge? Given Harry is being charged with UNDERAGE magic, isn’t it ridiculous an adult can’t accompany him to trial? Where exactly was Harry’s owl sent? Was it even sent at all? We’re introduced to Fudge’s “right-hand“ woman... Dolores Jane Umbridge! Why do we think Dumbledore arrived at the Ministry three hours early? Given the number of people required for this trial, there is no way the time and location wasn’t changed at least the night prior! By changing the time, is the Ministry hoping Harry would need to use magic, getting him into further trouble? Is Ms. Figg a credible witness? We debate if she really saw the Dementors! Dumbledore makes Fudge SUPER uncomfortable! Who really sent the Dementors? Voldemort? The Ministry? Do we think Fudge made the decision to implement Umbridge at Hogwarts before or after the trial? Would Harry have prevailed without Dumbledore present? What’s up with Harry’s heart swelling to unnatural size? This could have all been solved with a little bit of Veritaserum!  The Umbridge sucks count grows by 2! We Connect The Threads, Rename The Chapter and give our MVPs of the Week Quizzitch: What nickname does Malfoy give Harry while at the Ministry? Join our community at Patreon.com/MuggleCast and receive magical benefits, including early access to the show via our live streams! Thanks to this week's sponsor: Wondery's new podcast Bad Batch, an investigative series.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices