2.5 The Whomping Willow

Harry could feel the seat vibrating beneath him, hear the engine, feel his hands on his knees and his glasses on his nose, but for all he could see, he had become a pair of eyeballs, floating a few feet above the ground in a dingy street full of parked cars.

It’s Monday, and this week we have a super exciting new episode of Podtrificus Totalus, a Harry Potter podcast done chapter by chapter, book by book. In this episode, we are joined by our first guest: Zoë from the Tea & Strumpets podcast. We had an amazing chat with Zoë about her history with the Harry Potter series, but if you want to jump straight to the chapter discussion, fast forward in your podcast app to the 24 minute mark.

This chapter sees Harry and Ron stranded at King’s Cross station. The barrier to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters has mysteriously closed, and the two friends must find their own way to Hogwarts – which ends in disaster and adventure.

We make a number of references to outside sources and popular culture, which are listed below:

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Hamilton, a musical by Lin Manuel Miranda

Dr. Filibuster’s Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks on the Harry Potter Lexicon

Filibuster in the Oxford English Dictionary

George of the Jungle (1997)

Apparition on the Harry Potter Wiki

Our Spell of the Week is Apparition, which adult wizards use to get around instead of flying cars.

You can hear more from Zoë on the Tea & Strumpets podcast, which covers Regency romance novels from a modern perspective. Follow them on Instagram @tnstrumpets or on Twitter @tnstrumpets, and subscribe to them anywhere you find podcasts!