In this series that is overtly skeptical about a lot of new age or mystical things, we see something that is obviously meant to be genuine divination. It's powerful and it's undeniable, so do we suspend our belief or not? This series has simultaneously disbelieved and believed. It's fun, and the fact that Trelawney doesn't know about it somehow makes it more authoritative.
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JC: For Harry, this is one thing that he has that is really his own. I think about the students I've worked with. How important it is for a kid to have a thing that they are good at and that they know they're good at. To have an identity as, "I am a person who is capable of something."

For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.

LK: To me, this chapter is a masterpiece. People have secret agendas, everything is working on at least three layers at once, and everybody in this chapter is right and wrong about everything.

JC: It's a common refrain online for people who really dislike the author, for extremely legitimate reasons, who will often say, "Oh, the books are mediocre." This is the kind of chapter where I want to go, "How do you read this and call it mediocre?" As much as I dislike the author personally, I've got to admit this is just damn good.

For full show notes, transcripts, ways to contact the hosts or support the show, and more, visit hpafter2020.com.