Episode #41: The End of Harry Potter
This may very well be our last full episode before the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In this episode, we discuss how we’re feeling (perhaps the five stages of loss would be appropriate), and take one final crack at a few theories before signing off and preparing for the weekend.
No news this week, but a few links of interest:
- Get your HPProgs T-Shirts. You can order through the HPProgs Store, or email us (harrypotterprogs AT yahoo DOT com) to get a limited edition HPProgs red, white or black tee.
- Check out Filmspotting.net’s review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
- If you’re in NY, make sure to check out Wizard Rock 2007.
- Catch us on the James Madison Show on Friday between 6 and 7 PM, it’s all about Potter, and you can call in!.
That’s it. Enjoy the show, towards the end we discuss our plans for the podcast after the release of the book(in short, we ain’t going no where as long as folks want to hear what we have to say).
You can listen to the podcast with the player below, or download it directly as an mp3.
July 16th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
Fact: I have not yet listened to the episode.
Fact: The title is making me tear up.
Question: How many Stanley-nickles would it cost me to postpone the release for a year?
July 17th, 2007 at 12:26 am
I think that it might be a good idea to do a podcast after every 5 chapters or 10 chapters or something.
and Name the episode “Dealthy Hallows chapters 1-whatever” and just talk a little bit about it, and people can choose not to listen if they havent read that far.
Maybe?
July 17th, 2007 at 1:10 am
This probably is my first time commenting here. You guys have really done well with the podcasts. I really hate to see HP go, but all good things come to an end eventually. I’ll continue to listen after book 7 comes out. Thanks guys for a great podcast.
July 17th, 2007 at 1:24 am
Very Interesting. I thought Voldemorte saying you will lose everything to Harry was just something that looked cool in the trailer. Was it in the book?
If Hagrid survives I will be surprised. Snape is toast.
July 17th, 2007 at 7:30 am
Like most everyone else, I look toward the last book with mixed emotions. However, I am more excited than anything else. My curiosity is so peaked I’m about to burst. I don’t really see it as the end, but the beginning of combing over ALL the books to look for the clues we missed or to say, “ah ha! I was right!” There will be so much to discuss with the completion of the series that we’ll be able to review and rehash for many years to come. To me that will be just as much fun as prognosticating. Because of the intelligence of our hosts and our listeners, we will be able to examine more closely the many facets of JKR’s jewel. How exciting. Truly, I can’t wait.
July 17th, 2007 at 10:24 am
I’m.Slowly.Dying.Of.Want.For.The.Seventh.Book. I can’t wait!!! (Hey I’m only ten.)
July 17th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
I cant wait until Friday..
Every day I fight the temptation to read spoilers..
but then I remind myself how sad I’d be..
oh my goodness..
I am bursting with anticipation
July 17th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
I can not wate to hear Jim Dale’s reading of book 7! I feel sad and excited at the same time! Me being partly blind I have enjoyed your podcast. It helped me understand some more things better so once more thanks!
July 17th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
I’m terribly excited. But in a way that makes me want to talk about specifics. For example, one thing that has been left out of prognostications, understandably so given our ignorance, is that JKR never writes a book that merely fills in gaps from previous books. She adds new characters, good and bad, new magic, new spells, new relationships. Remember when we learned about the Floo Network? Or the Portkey? Or Horcruxes for that matter? Surely, JKR will not merely be tying loose ends without making it a brand new book. I’m looking forward to new JKR writing.
July 17th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Hey, my local paper interviewed me about how I feel about the 7th Potter book and I mentioned ya’ll! Except they spelled Prognostications wrong. Sorry. =[
but here’s the url thingy.
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/071707/xtr_136065.shtml
and I also wrote you guys a letter after I listened to episode 41.
Dear Greg and Penny,
As I was listening to your 41st episode it made me more excited than sad with the Deathly Hallows coming out. For about the past week or so, every time I think about the end of Harry potter I get very sad and cry. =[
but listening to your podcast has showed me that there’s more to be excited about (even though the sad things are overwhelming as well)
We finally get to find out if we’ve been right throughout the 10 months of theorizing and wondering during your podcast.
Anyways, I just wanted to let you both know that I’m anxious to hear what you have to say about the Deathly Hallows and after Potter.
Thank you for prognosticating.
(Sorry it’s so long)
July 17th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
I haven’t listened yet but it sounds like its goin’ 2 b good. (Its on my nano). I just wanted to tell every one that JKR has confirmed Hermione and Won-Won’s itemship.
July 17th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Please keep on doin’ a podcast after Book 7
July 17th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
I think I just went and ruined the end for me as someone posted a link on another site to a supposed copy of the book and me being me (I always have to read the last page first) couldn’t resist.
Unfortunately the link looked pretty legit and although I probably know some of what happens I will still savour the book when I get it on Saturday.
I’m with the others who posted before me there still will be plenty to talk about after the book and will happily download your podcast to hear it all.
July 17th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Just a little tidbit of info from my personal life to get everyone in the spirit.
I work at UPS… I load the trucks at the wee hours of the morning.
I got to be a witness this morning as 417 boxes rolled off a semi truck into our warehouse splashed with the Harry Potter logo and warnings not to open until the day of release.
Apparently, every Harry Potter book is an event at UPS because we soon become flooded with online orders of the book.
It was quite entertaining. I kicked myself later for not taking a picture!
-Meg-
July 17th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
Oh, I listen to your podcast religiously btw. I prefer it over the larger podcasts because I’d rather listen to in depth discussion of the book then listen to some people ask the same 7 questions to a group of 6 year olds over and over. I don’t even listen to those anymore because they drove me nuts.
I went and downloaded all the old episodes too! I’ve just slacked about actually commenting.
Keep up the good work! Hopefully you’ll keep it going long after book 7!
-Meg-
July 17th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
Thanks so much for a great podcast–I will certainly be one of your listeners even after book 7 is released. I’ve told many of my friends (we’re in our 30’s and 40’s) about you and so far they’ve all downloaded back podcasts because they enjoy you so much. So stay around–it will be comforting to know you’re still podcasting while I am mourning the loss of Harry Potter’s world.
July 17th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
Hey everyone
Loved the show as ususal!
I agree with the comments on this page the end is heartbraking but also very exciting!!
I work one day a week in abookstore and it just so happened to be the same day the harry potter books arrived this week. You cannot understand how crazy i was going knowing the words we are all waiting to read were sitting just 10 meters from my desk and yet i could not read them! I’m very glad i dont have to work the rest of the week, id go mad with anticipation! 11.01 am on Saturday seems so far away but i know it’ll come around much too quickly!
JJ
July 17th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
Thanks everyone for your comments, and for listening!
JJ, Meg: can you elaborate a bit more on the security in place for the books? I’m interested in what precautions they are taking. Pictures would be great, if you can, but please don’t put your jobs at risk on our behalf.
July 17th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
I liked the podcast, as usual, and am also torn between desire for Book 7 and dread for the end.
This podcast, like most of the talk about Book 7 is almost entirely dedicated to who dies and who lives - who wins and who loses. I think J.K.R. and this entire series has become way too sophisticated for such simplistic binaries. Yes, people will die. Yes, they will be people we care about. But that’s not it. It just can’t be. These books have become more mature and nuanced than that.
So, along those lines. Here’s my quick predictions (I’ll start w/the live/die stuff but that’s not the meat of it):
- Harry and Voldemort BOTH live.
- Ron dies - sorry, but that’s the role she’s written for him.
- Snape definitely dies.
- As for the rest????
- We will NOT find out definitively if Snape is good or bad. He’ll be left ambiguous. He’s going to fulfill Sirius’ comment, “The world is not divided into good people and death eaters”.
- We will find out that Dumbledore trusted Snape on faith, not because he knew Snape was good. Like Voldemort causing something to happen by believing in it, Dumbledore is trying to give Snape a reason to be trustworthy by trusting in him.
- Harry will sacrifice his magical power in order to destroy Voldemort’s magical power (Yes, I know about the prophecy, but prophecies don’t have to come true, people believing in them makes them come true).
- Ginny and Harry will get married and live happily ever after - finally giving Harry what he’s wanted more than anything in the series: a family.
- Voldemort will be crushed because “there are worse things than death”.
- J.K.R. can never write another HP book because he’s no longer magical.
You heard it hear first. ENJOY BOOK 7!!!!!!
July 17th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Really enjoy your podcast every morning while riding the NYC subway.
What are your thoughts on the spoilers of the New York Sun ( http://www.nysun.com/article/58535 )
July 17th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Hey Greg,
There is crazy security in place for these books!! The boxes are covered in “tamper evident tape” and come with some strict rules. The boxes cannot be opened until half an hour before the official release time. They must be kept in a secure place out of the public eye. The manger of the store and the workers who will be around the books all had to sign these “contract” things saying they will not break the rules. (I didn’t have to as i will no be working again until after the book is released)
Let me just mention this is not the normal procedure when books arrive in store. Normally books can be on the shop floor as soon as they arrive and if not the box can at least be opened and this is the first time i’ve ever seen books being kept in the managers office, so its safe to say that bloomsbury is really paranoid about this book!
JJ
p.s Photos may be possible but i can’t promise anything
July 18th, 2007 at 1:10 am
I don’t know how I feel about the book coming out… :\ I want to find out what happens, but then again… I don’t want the series to come to an end just yet!
I’m going to an HP release party Friday night. I’ll be dressed as Luna Lovegood. (Alas, I was unable to find radish earrings… I may just have to make my own) I will run straight home as soon as my book is in my hands! I’m dying to read it! …but I’m also apprehensive, I’m not sure I’m quite ready for THE END.
I definitely think ya’ll should keep up the podcast! Even though there may not be anything to prognosticate about, you can still discuss the books and whatnot. HP Progs is the only (and the BEST) HP podcast that I listen to.
The end of the Harry Potter series is definitely a VERY sad event for all of us fans… but I haven’t cried about it…….. yet.
July 18th, 2007 at 4:59 am
I don’t know if you all have heard, but the whole book was definitely leaked onto the internet. I pasted a link to a spoiler-free news article about the leak. But just briefly, its officially out there - someone got ahold of a copy, took pictures of EACH and every page, and from there people are in the process of typing it up.
http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2007/07/17/despite_tight_security_harry_potter_book_leaked_on_internet/?p1=MEWell_Pos4
So for those of you really not wanting to be spoiled, you might want to avoid the internet. I know someone who read the whole thing already and someone else who’s in the process of reading it. Luckily both are people who respect my desire to not know anything about it yet. Myself, I’m going to wait til it’s official.
July 18th, 2007 at 5:29 am
Christopher Penn, aka http://twitter.com/cspenn, has posted a way to keep HP7 spoilers off Twitter on this blog post:
http://www.christopherspenn.com/2007/07/18/block-harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hollows-spoilers-on-twitter-with-pipes/
July 18th, 2007 at 7:14 am
You guys don’t have to worry at all, I will continue to listen and support and Im sure everyone else will too.
Aww, Greg don’t be sad, I know how you feel these are the last hours before all of our questions will be answered, and your right we don’t be able to prognosticate anymore, but I think we will be able to come up with opinions ideas and what-ifs for a while to come.
July 18th, 2007 at 10:46 am
I’ve started reading the book from the photographs in order to avoid spoilers. The sooner I read it, the sooner I can stop worrying about seeing something that would spoil me. Since it’s the whole book that was leaked, rather than just epilogue or something, it’s not spoiling; you still experience everything in order. The quality of photos is not too good in places, and I still prefer paper version (and still buying one!), but I figure it’s one way to avoid spoilers, as I said
July 18th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
There’s a Digg link to the blog post about blocking HP posts on Twitter:
http://digg.com/tech_news/How_to_block_Harry_Potter_spoilers_on_Twitter
July 18th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Did you guys know that Deepdiscount.com and Levy Home Entertainment are in deep doo doo for releasing Book 7 early. Scholastic is planning to sue and I don’t blame them. That is the most underhanded thing I have ever heard next to someone stealing one and taking pictures. What is this world coming too when you can’t even enjoy the anticipation of something that brightens the day of millions. How sad.
July 18th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
I can’t belive the books are almost over! Three more days guys. Three more days.
July 18th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19816389/
No spoilers — but all I can think was WHY WASN’T IT ME??
July 18th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
I hope Scholastic puts them out of business, honestly. This kind of behavior is just cruel, never mind a total breach of contract.
Uhg.
July 18th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
NOOOO! I HATE MY BEST FRIEND!!!! HE TOLD ME ALL THE SPOILERS!!!! AHHHHH….I’M SO SAD… T_T
July 18th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
Did anyone else notice in the movie during the dumby voldy fight when Voldy sent the glass at both dumby and harry, dumbledor turned the glass into sand. Voldemort looked shocked and muttered earth. Anyone else notice this?
July 18th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
I just got back and am now officially settled in. Whew. This podcast was so…I don’t know. I don’t want anyone to die. Except Voldemort and all the Death Eaters. But, there will be more than 2 deaths. I wouldn’t care if Hagrid dies, he’s just a bit annoying. Wait, did I say a bit? I meant really.I will be devistated when it ends. I will go into these five stages most likely.
1) Shell-shockedness
2) Grief and tears
3) Getting very annoyed at small things that remind me of Harry Potter
4) Recklessness
5) Acceptence
Yamil, I have no best friends who read Harry Potter. I try to get them into it, but they don’t even try. I only have online buddies, but I haven’t talked to any of them, except on sites that are spoiler-free. So…sorry about that.
I heard the spoiler on countdown. Don’t believe it. It makes no sense logically.
Constance, shame on you. By now, I have heard the big spoiler on Countdown and have limited my self to spoiler free sites and haven’t watched TV. Shame, shame. Bad. No-no. Just don’t share any with me. Huh.
That’s my thoughts.
July 18th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
I think The Early Show listens to HP Progs. This morning they mentioned something about spoilers but no specifics then they assured their viewers that they wouldn’t be releasing spoilers
July 18th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
From now until Saturday (or until I finish the book) I will be staying offline. (and avoiding anyone or anything that may potentially contain HP spoilers!) I’m gonna be playing it safe.
Here’s to the end, I guess… Long live Potter!
July 19th, 2007 at 3:05 am
I too am signing off until I am finished with the book. I’ve accidentally run across enough of a spoiler that I’m scared. THE NEW YORK TIMES HAS ALREADY POSTED A REVIEW OF THE BOOK THAT CONTAINS SPOILERS!!! The horror! I’ve already sent the jerk who wrote it a nasty email but I’m afraid I’m now scared and angry enough that I will be avoiding the internet, television news and print news until after I’ve finished the book. I’m just going to settle in and read the last 200 pages of His Dark Materials to pass the time. To Greg, Penny, and all my other HPProgs friends, it’s been real, see you on the other side.
July 19th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
I’m a nervous wreck. I’m wringing my hands and have dissolved into furious tears about it being over. For good. But I will still have HPPROGS. That is what keeps me from not locking myself in my room until DH comes out. It is just sad someone did that to the book. Very unbelivably saddening. Ugh. I nearly threw a sharpy at my computer when I heard about it. But, thankfully, I had enough self-control to stop myself. I have sent angry letters to the NY Times too. They are horrible. I’ve waited 10 years for this…10 years. I will NOT be spoiled.
July 20th, 2007 at 4:35 am
hy penny n greg
greetings from greece
great podcast ill be able to cope with being in samos n not getting bck till the uk untill the 28th
much luv