This week, we begin our Patterns in Potter coverage for Book 6, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The theme of this book is quite ambiguous; in fact, it is ambiguous. Sorry if I’m not being too clear here, but you’ll have to listen to the podcast to figure the rest out.

In the news:

• In honor of the 10th anniversary of the US release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Scholastic will be releasing a new edition of that book with new art.
• Winner of the Amazon Beedle the Bard contest was announced. Congratulations Rhiannon D. of Australia!
• Sadly, the actor who portrayed Marcus Belby in the HBP movie was killed last week. Our sympathies go out to the family of Rober Knox.
• Will the Half Blood Prince trailer come before “Get Smart?” Your guess is as good as our’s.
• JK Rowling has written an 800 word portion of a Harry Potter prequel. Don’t get your hopes up, she has no intention of writing the rest.

We look forward to hearing from you. You can leave comments here on the blog or send in your voicemails to 206-337-0357 in the US or 07092899490 in the UK. Please make sure to keep the message as close to one minute as possible and try to speak loudly and clearly.

Today is a new month (June, for those of you who have been hiding under a rock), so please vote for us on Podcast Alley and as always rate and review us on iTunes and Odeo.

You can listen to the podcast with the player below, or download an mp3 directly.

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.

You can listen to the podcast with the player below, or download an mp3 directly.