Lord Voldemort's Request

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text Book 6, Chapter 20: Lord Voldemort’s Request - Good Will Vanessa: Chapter 20 Lord Voldemort’s Request Vanessa: (reading aloud) Harry and Ron left the hospital wing first thing on Monday morning, returned to full health by the ministrations of Madame Pomfrey and now able to enjoy the benefits... I’m Vanessa Zultan. Casper: I’m Casper ter Kuile. Vanessa: And this is Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. Casper: This week’s episode is our last one before we take a two week holiday break. So, if you’ve been running behind, now is your chance to catch up. And we’ve got less than a week left to donate to RAICES, as part of our amazing “Don’t Be A Dursley” campaign. We have set goals, you have beaten them. We’ve set another goal, you’ve beaten it again. It’s been amazing to watch how our entire community has come together to support this issue. And we’re so, so grateful. Thanks to anyone who’s got a final donation to make in this last week. Vanessa: Also, Casper, did you know that my favorite director is a man named Richard Linklater? And that he lives in a city named Austin, Texas? (Casper laughing) And I am curious if he is a member of our local group there. Casper: They are the amazing Longhorn Snorkacks and it’s run by Caitlin Mimms. And if you wanna join our local group in Austin, so to HarryPotterSacredText.com/groups where you can find their info as well as more than 55 groups around the world now. We’re so glad to have you all with us. Vanessa: And, Richard Linklater, if you are a listener, “at” me! (Casper laughing) So Casper, it is your turn to tell me a story on the theme of good will. What have you got for me? Casper: So, growing up in England, you know, I was English a lot of the time but, I was also Dutch. My parents are both from Holland and we spoke Dutch at home. And so when we were visiting my family in Holland I always had this sort of weird experience of, like, knowing the language and the culture in a lot of ways. But also being completely not up to date with what was happening in popular culture. It’s one of the ways in which, in England, I did feel like I really belonged. Like I knew Dame Judy Dench and Sir Ian McKellan, and of course, not everyone knows those. But, there are these figures - people who the country has decided somehow that we all like. Like, national treasures. And, moving to America I kind of had the same experience, because, although a lot of countries in Europe look to America, you know, we consume American media, there were still a lot of things I didn’t know. So when I first heard about Mr. Rogers, I had literally no idea who this was. I was like “who is this guy? Why is he wearing a cardigan?” And it has just been such a delight to learn from people who grew up watching him how much he meant to them. And I just thought about how these characters in our national imagination represent kind of, the good will of who we are as people. Like, we lift up these people because they help us to be the kind of nation that we want to be. To be the people that we want to be. You know, Mr. Rogers, he was a Presbyterian minister. There was so much behind these little acts of like, taking off his shoes or putting his feet in the like, same mini pool as his black colleague in a time when segregation was still so politically rife. And, of course, continues to be. And I think we can learn a lot about a country by looking at who it’s national treasures are. And so, with that theme of good will, I want to think in this chapter about, like who are we lifting up in this chapter of “Birthday Surprises.” Like, who is being looked to as the kind of archetypal person to whom the whole society gives good will. I kind of still don’t really know who the wizarding world has as its national treasure. Vanessa: It’s so interesting that you didn’t know who Mr. Rogers was. Peter and I, my partner, just had this conversation because he’s from Germany and I was like “I wanna go see the new Mr. Rogers movie” and he was like “Who’s that? A super hero?” (Casper laughing) And I was like “Sort of” Casper: Yes! (Casper laughing) Vanessa: And the story that I told about Mr. Rogers is a famous one. Which was, that his car was stolen... Casper: Oh wow... Vanessa: ...one day in Pittsburgh. And they announced over the radio, you know, Mr. Rogers car was stolen. And it got returned with a note saying “I’m so sorry Mr. Rogers. I never meant to steal your car.” (Casper laughing) And that to me is just like the iconic Mr. Rogers story. That there is so much good will towards Mr. Rogers, that even someone in like dire enough straights to steal a car was like “But I don’t want to steal a car from Mr. Rogers.” Casper: Yeah. Well and he just embodies good will, right? Like, he just wished everyone well and therefore everyone wished him well. Vanessa: Do you know where goodwill gets put aside though? Casper: Ha! The thirty second recap. Vanessa: That’s right! Casper: Thirty seconds on the clock, are you ready? Vanessa: I’m ready. Casper: Three...two...one...go! Vanessa: So, Herminone has forgiven Ron and Harry. She’s like “Yeah, I’ll help you with your homework again.” Ron has to have this awkward conversation with Lavender. Poor Lavender. Ummm, Harry has to go for his lesson with Dumbledore and Dumbledore is like “Shame on you that you didn’t take my assignment of Slughorn more seriously.” And Harry is like “Uh, you’re disappointed and that’s the worst.” And then, uh, they go into two memories and one of them Tom Riddle is trying to collect something and like that’s very interesting. And then in the second memory...what happens in the second memory?! It’s gone from my head. And then...Oh! He comes to ask (sound of countdown buzzer going off) for the Defense Against the Dark Arts job! (Casper laughing) Oh! Casper: (more laughing) That works on so many layers. What is the memory? (Casper continues laughing) Vanessa: It, like went right out of my brain! I read this chapter this morning. This is what your late thirties look like people! Casper: Welcome, welcome. Vanessa: Okay. Maybe you can talk a little bit about the second memory. Uuugggh. On your mark, get set, go! Casper: Okay, so, Harry is back with Dumbledore and he’s going to have these two memories. And first, he sees, um, uh, uh, the young Voldemort working at Borgin and Burkes and he’s like “Why is he working there?” And it turns out that he’s actually asked the former headmaster to be a professor at Hogwarts, but, um, the former headmaster had said “No.” Then he goes and visits Hepsibah, who is a rich, old witch, who has a Hufflepuff cup and a golden Slytherin locket. Oh, and there’s Hokey the house elf who’s memory this is. And, then, oh, Harry sees it and he comes back and the red eyes, glinting, dead, old lady, has the things, disappears. And, uh, the, de-, curse of (sound of countdown buzzer going off) defense, DA. Curse of the da- Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Vanessa: I want a folk song to be written called “The Old Rich Witch.” Casper: (in a singing voice) The old rich witch waved on her round, she had nice things and lots of clothes… (Casper laughing) That’s the first line. Vanessa: Okay, can we start with something that, no matter how many times I read this chapter, I have very mixed feelings on? Casper: Yes! Vanessa: So Dumbledore is like “I’m not mad, I’m disappointed.” Right? He all but uses Harry’s middle name here. In his like, non-reprimand reprimand. Casper: Yeah. I mean, he’s pretty stern. Like, he’s like “Did you really do everything you could? No.” Vanessa: Ye- Well, but, he doesn’t say the “No.” (Casper laughing) Which is even worse. And Harry says, right, like “I just wish he’d yell.” Casper: Yeah. Vanessa: And part of me is like, props to you Dumbledore. Like, props to you that you have so much authority that, like, he is lecturing himself, right? That Harry is like, this is what I did wrong and this is what I’ll do better next time. And that, like, Dumbledore doesn't’ even need to do it. Casper: Mmhmm Vanessa: And I want to say that that is good will that has been built up. That like, all that Dumbledore needs to do is be present and just like his presence is going to be enough to like show Harry that he didn’t take something seriously. The other part of me is like, you are shaming this child when, like, you miscommunicated something. Casper: I think he made it pretty clear. I mean, the thing that wows me in this moment and where I do really see good will, is where Harry says, “I’m sorry,” and Dumbledore says, “We’ll speak no more of it.” And what Dumbledore is able to do after that moment of being reprimanding and helping Harry let go of the shame that he does feel when he’s being reprimanded.

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