Was it just us, or was Draco’s finale just a bit disappointing?  By the end of Book 6, it looked like Draco was prime for some kind of glorious and game-changing redemption.  His failure to off Dumbledore left him in a bad place, but it was clear that there was still some good left in him.  Along with the hints that, in order to prevail, Hogwarts would have to unite against a common threat, we had all the signs that Draco was going to turn coats at a crucial moment, a la Darth Vader, and help Harry save the day.  But alas, all we get is a mopey blond kid, more scared than anything else.  What happened?  How did Draco lose his mojo?

For fun, take a look back at an old, old Draco prognostication, circa Goblet of Fire.

Make sure to tune in next week for what looks to be a really great show.  Travis Prinzi from Sword of Gryffindor will be our guest on the show.

In the news:

• JK Rowling is Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainer of The Year.
• Good Morning America previewed “The Tales of Beedle the Bard”.
• Harry Potter, the character, makes it onto Details Magazines “50 Most Influential Men Under 45″.
• JK Rowling received a 2007 Writers’ Guild Award.

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Last week we discussed love, and focused on the distinctly maternal focus taken by J.K. Rowling.  This week, we examine the father figures in Harry’s life.  From his actual, albeit ephermeral father James, to surrogates in Lupin, Sirius and even, to some extent Snape, we take a look at Harry’s bevy or male role models, how they shaped his character and how they contributed to his being what appears to be, for all that we can tell, a good father to his children as well.

Make sure to vote for HPProgs for Best Podcast in the 2007 Weblog Awards!  We’re hanging tough in 4th place!  Thanks to everyone who’s voted!

There’s news this week, but we’re on the road, so we can’t provide links.  Suffice it to say, Penny, at least, will be traveling to New York when Equus comes to town.

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*Deathly Hallows Spoilers Included*

It’s been less than a week since the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, yet most of us have now read the book more than once; inevitably, bits and pieces need to be re-read to make sense of them. In addition to re-reading, the comments on our last post were extremely amazing, and really helped make sense of the book. This week, we look back through the comments and pull out a few topics to discuss further: a possible relationship between Harry and Voldemort? Examples of Voldemort’s spells not working, references to Nazis, the fittingness of Snape’s death. What was the purpose of the epilogue? And what did we need the Deathly Hallows for anyhow? Of course, there’s more questions that need to be discussed (who discovered magic later in life? Where did Harry’s parents get all that money from?), but they’ll have to wait until next time.

Thanks so much for all the great comments, keep them coming, we couldn’t do the show without them!

In the News:

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is breaking sales records.
• JK Rowling on the Today show: Announces Encyclopedia of characters and talks about DH.
• Naomi Watts, Joseph Fiennes, and Stuart Townsend not necessarily in the Half Blood Prince movie.

Make sure to listen to our interview on The James Madison Show from Friday, July 20. The interview can be found a the website if you click the podcast button. Special thanks to James and Frank for having us on.

Don’t forget to order your HPProgs t-shirts! Contact us if you’re interested in a red, white or black limited edition t-shirt.

Join in on the HPProgs Thank-You Book to JK Rowling!

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Just in time for Episode #35, Scholastic released the cover for the Deluxe edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. At first glance, the picture seems quite unassuming (even austere, but certainly not threadbare). So we have Harry, Ron and Hermione riding a dragon…but then, the wheels begin to turn, and bits and pieces of information from various parts of the Potter-verse start to collect, theories start to form…and we have interesting ideas on our hands. In this episode, we review the discussion started on our last post about the draconian figure adorning the cover.

Also, we’re announcing our Second HPProgs contest! Anyone is eligible to enter this one, and there’s a really, really, really cool prize. Listen to the episode (near the end) for the details.

Vote for HPProgs on PodcastAlley! Subscribe on iTunes!

In the news:

• HBO to feature a “First Look” at the OoTP movie.
• ABC Family will air Potter movies till we puke.
• Deluxe Edition cover art for HP and the Deathly Hallows has been revealed.
• See the Death Eater Masks (a.k.a. MRI images) on the official OoTP website.
• Good interview with HP producer, David Heyman about Potter series.
• New Competition for French HP fans to win tickets to French Premeire of OoTP.
• OoTP Soundtrack announced and now available (link to HPPROGS Bookstore).
• Scholastic Question 5: Where are the Horcruxes?.

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It’s time to talk Draco, the guy you love to hate.  Harry’s other, other arch-nemesis (you know, besides Snape and Voldemort…) is a constant source of consternation to our beleaguered hero.  And in Book 6, Draco openly joined the ranks of the Death Eaters, filling his father’s incarcerated shoes.  He’s certainly come into his bad self.

What can we expect from Ye of Bad Faith?  Is Draco destined for doom, or is there, perhaps, a light at the end of his tunnel?  We’ve discussed Draco in the past, but today we give him the full podcast treatment.  Enjoy!

And your news:

• Harry Potter popular with Scottish kids.
• Name Book 7 contenst from The Guardian.
• Lucius Malfoy: 12th richest fictional fictional character.
• Potter, The Movie, wins BAFTA.
• A wee bit of Potter, on the Wii.

Also see our past post on Draco Malfoy.  You can listen to the podcast by using the player below, or download an mp3 directly.

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