Critical Magic Theory: An Analytical Harry Potter Podcast
Episodes
IT IS CHRISTMAS... AT HOGWARTS
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL (WHO CELEBRATE)!! AND TO ALL.... AN INVISIBILITY CLOAK!! USE IT WELL!In this episode of Critical Magic Theory, Prof. looks at ...
Prof Responds: Dumbledore, Necessity, and the Myth of “No Other Choice”
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Prof Responds episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble returns to Harry Potter to engage listeners’ reflections on Albus Du...
The Fears, Fallacies, and Folly of A.W.P.B. Dumbledore
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this penultimate episode of our Critical Magic Theory series on Albus Dumbledore, Professor Julian Wamble takes a deep look at one of the most comp...
Prof Responds: If Not Him, Then Who? Dumbledore & the Pitfalls of Wartime Necessity
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Prof Responds episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble takes a critical look at Albus Dumbledore’s most morally complicated...
Dumbledore, the Great & (Reluctantly and Ignorantly) Powerful
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble revisits Albus Dumbledore through a very different lens: not as the wise, whimsical ...
Prof Responds: Dumbledore’s Schemes & Scams, Plots & Plans
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Prof Responds episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble dives into your discussion about Albus Dumbledore and asks some of the...
THIS is a Dumbledore Episode
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the first installment of our Albus Dumbledore series, Critical Magic Theory host Professor Julian Wamble unpacks the contradictions that define Alb...
Prof Responds: Hogwarts & the Fallacy of Equity
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Prof Responds episode, Professor Wamble tackles the fallacy of equity at Hogwarts: the idea that sharing wands and classrooms means sharing op...
WTF is Hogwarts doing???
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What is Hogwarts actually for? Beyond floating candles and talking portraits lies a school with deeply entrenched ideologies—one that prepares stude...
The Horizontal Arc of Severus Snape: Unpacking His Final Lessons
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After six deep-dive episodes, Professor Julian Wamble closes our exploration of Severus Snape—one of the most complex figures in the Harry Potter se...
The Ends, the Means, and the Man: The Ethics of Severus Snape
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this final chapter of The Severus Snape Trilogy, Professor Julian Wamble takes listeners back into the moral heart of the Harry Potter universe to ...
Prof Responds- The Tragedy of Severus Snape
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Prof Response episode, Professor Wamble revisits Severus Snape to explore the heartbreak and moral ambiguity that define him. Building on list...
Half-Blood, Whole Paradox: Severus Snape’s Identity Crisis
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of our Severus Snape journey, we dive into the contradictions that define him. Is he truly a good member of the Order of the Phoenix, or s...
Prof Responds: The Repentance, Regrets, and Reality of Severus Snape
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Prof Responds episode, we dive into nearly 400 listener comments about one of the most polarizing figures in the Wizarding World: Severus Snap...
"He's Just Complicated": The Gray Space of Severus Snape
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Severus Snape is one of the most divisive figures in the Wizarding World—part villain, part hero, and wholly complicated. In this episode of Critica...
Prof Responds: Lions, Magic, and Gryffindors’ Gamble for the Greater Good
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Prof Responds finale on the Hogwarts houses, we wrestle with the lion’s legacy: is Gryffindor bravery actually just recklessness in disguise...
Rewarded Recklessness: The Making of a Gryffindor
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble turns to the final Hogwarts house: Gryffindor. Often celebrated as the house of hero...
Prof Responds: Snakes, Supremacy, and the Slytherin Stigma
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Prof Responds episode on Slytherin House, Professor Wamble takes on the accusations that he went too easy on the snakes. Drawing on listener c...
Shedding Old Skins: Rethinking Slytherin House
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble turns his critical gaze toward his own house—Slytherin. Long framed as the villain...
Beyond the "Smart House": The Spectrum of Ravenclaw
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Prof Response episode on Ravenclaw House, Professor Julian Wamble dives deep into the themes and tensions raised in the post-episode chat, cen...
Can curiosity k*** the Ravenclaw
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is curiosity always noble? In this episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble dives into Ravenclaw House and the complicated legacy of ...
Hufflepuffs & The Politics of Conditional Morality
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Professor’s Response episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble returns to Hufflepuff House with one central question in mind...
Don't Pet the Badgers: Unpacking Hufflepuff House
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Critical Magic Theory! In this house series premiere, Professor Julian Wamble kicks things off with a deep dive into one of the most b...
Prof Responds: The Shawls, Sherry, and Shenanigans of Sybill Trelawney
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If Sybill Trelawney was wrong all the time, how is it that she keeps being right? From crystal balls to crystal-clear prophecies, shawls to sherry, th...
Sybill Trelawney: Seeing, but Not Believed
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens to a seer in a world that refuses to see her?In this episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble opens the third eye and di...
Prof Response- Bigger than the Box: the Rubeus Hagrid Story
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Prof Responds episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble returns to the larger-than-life figure of Rubeus Hagrid, unpacking the...
Caretaker, Friend, Scapegoat: The Rubeus Hagrid Story
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is not just a story about a lovable half-giant. It is a story about the monsters society teaches us to see—and the people we discard because th...
Prof Responds- The Umbridge Trap
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this Prof Responds episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble returns to the woman in pink—Dolores Jane Umbridge—to unpack the p...
The Devil Wears Pink: The Violence, Villainy, and Vanity of Dolores Umbridge
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble dives into the soft-voiced, hard-hearted horror that is Dolores Jane Umbridge. She ...
Prof Responds- Gilderoy Lockhart: Ravenclaw or Ravenfraud?
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Prof Responds episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble dives into the dazzling disaster that is Gilderoy Lockhart—our favor...
Fame Is a Fickle Fraud: Here Lies Gilderoy Lockhart
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What would you do to be remembered?This week on Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble dives deep into the shimmering shallows of Gilderoy Loc...
Prof Responds- Mom or Mess, Petty or Possessed: McGonagall & Quirrell
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do maternal tropes, mediocre men, and magical possession all have in common? In this "Prof Responses" episode, Professor Julian Wamble returns to...
Ambition and Audacity: The Two Faces of Quirinus Quirrell
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if the villain wasn’t overtaken—but offered himself up? In this episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble dives into the swe...
The Silent Suffering of Minerva McGonagall
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“She was watching the Dursleys all day while everyone else celebrated—and somehow, we still expect more from her.” In this episode of Critical ...
Prof Responds- Remus Lupin & the Struggle to Stay Human
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Critical Magic Theory, where we deconstruct the Wizarding World of Harry Potter—because loving something doesn’t mean we can’t be cri...
3.3%=100%: The Remus Lupin Story
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why didn’t Lupin ever write to Harry? Why did he run from Tonks? And how does someone who survives so much still feel like they deserve so little?In...
Prof Responds: Has anyone seen Peter Pettigrew?
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if the biggest betrayal in the Wizarding World wasn’t just about evil—it was about never being seen in the first place?In this episode chat o...
The "Ratdacity" of Peter Pettigrew
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thirteen years hiding in plain sight. A friendship shattered beyond repair. A betrayal so bold it rewrote the entire course of the wizarding war. Th...
Prof Responds- Death Eaters, Country Clubs, and the Cosplay of Power
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Can a villain be a good leader? Not if he’s noseless and narcissistic.Welcome back to Critical Magic Theory, where we deconstruct the Wizarding Worl...
Lord Voldemort: More Diva than Dark Lord
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is this an episode of Real Housewives of the Wizarding World? No, just an episode about ole Voldy V- the ultimate diva. From his obsession with power ...
Prof Responds: The Power, The Pettiness, and The Pretty
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this lively and deeply engaging episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble responds to the fiery post-episode discussion about Tom R...
[Tom] Riddle Me this: The origin story of a pick me
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Critical Magic Theory, we begin our deep dive into the origins of Lord Voldemort by unpacking the complexities of Tom Riddle Jr. Pr...
Prof Responds- The Pureblood Showdown
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With chaos, controversy, and critical insight, Professor Julian Wamble dives into the passionate post-episode discussion following the Pure-Blood Show...
It's a Pureblood Showdown: The Best, The Worst, and Everything in Between
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
BUST OUT YOUR YEARBOOKS!! It's time for the best and worst of the Purebloods! In this episode of Critical Magic Theory, we wrap up our epic 14-month j...
Prof Responds: LAVENDER BROWN
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special mini-episode of Critical Magic Theory, Professor Julian Wamble introduces a new segment: Prof Responds. This segment is designed to co...
Lavender Brown: Messy? Maligned? or Misunderstood?
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Through a mix of critical analysis, and a healthy dose of chaos, Professor Wamble and Cassie (one of the Patreon “chronic overthinkers,”) reconsid...
Merope Gaunt and the space between victimhood & villainy
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TW: DV and SA are discussed in this episode. Can a villain also be a victim? Embark on a journey through the layered narrative of Merope Gaunt, the en...
Poverty, Power, and the Paradox of the Gaunts
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join us as we unpack the paradoxical realities of the Gaunt family in the Harry Potter universe. Discover how Marvolo and Morfin Gaunt's fierce dedica...
Luna Lovegood's Path to Authenticity, Courage, and Friendship
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What if you could navigate life with unapologetic authenticity? Discover how Luna Lovegood exemplifies this bold approach, as we explore her fascinati...
Cedric Diggory: Not a Hero, but a Champion
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our latest episode of Critical Magic Theory dives headlong into the enigmatic nature of Cedric Diggory from the Harry Potter series. Join us for an il...
The Ministers’ Manipulative Ministrations
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What if the key to understanding the wizarding world's political chaos lies in the flawed leadership of Cornelius Fudge and Rufus Scrimgeour? This epi...
The Quiet Complexity and Courage of Neville Longbottom
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What if Neville Longbottom had been the chosen one instead of Harry Potter? Join Professor Julian Wamble on Critical Magic Theory as we explore this i...
The Duplicity of Barty Crouch Jr: Radicalized Victim or Perpetual Villain?
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What if the key to understanding one of the Harry Potter series’ most enigmatic figures lies in examining the fragile line between victimhood and vi...
The Mind Games and Mayhem of Barty Crouch, Sr.
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What if the very officials tasked with protecting the wizarding world were its greatest threats? Join us on this episode of Critical Magic Theory as w...
The Chaotic Neutrality of Horace Slughorn
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Does Horace Slughorn's neutrality make him a hero or a coward? Join us on Critical Magic Theory as we dissect this enigmatic Potions Master from the H...
James Potter: Heroic Gryffindor? Privileged Bully?
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Curious about how a childhood bully turns into a heroic figure? Join us on Critical Magic Theory as we dismantle the layers of James Potter's characte...
The Seriously Tragic Tale of Sirius Black
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Critical Magic Theory, we challenge the widely held perceptions of Sirius Black, diving into the depths of his character with our t...
Andromeda and Regulus: Pureblood Rebels with a Cause?
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can the enigmatic lives of Andromeda Tonks and Regulus Black offer us lessons in courage and defiance against pureblood supremacy? Join us on this epi...
The Bellatrix Paradox: "Love?" Loyalty, and Lunacy
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is Bellatrix Lestrange driven by true love for Voldemort, or is it something darker? Join me, Professor Julian Wamble, on Critical Magic Theory as we ...
Draco Malfoy: Spoiled Rich Boy or Reluctant Anti-Hero?
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is Draco Malfoy a misunderstood anti-hero or simply a privileged, spoiled rich boy? Join us on this episode of Critical Magic Theory as we untangle th...
Draco Malfoy: Misunderstood, Maligned, or Merely A Malfoy?
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is Draco Malfoy misunderstood or just a product of his environment? Join us for a compelling discussion as we celebrate Draco's birthday and kick off ...
Lucius Malfoy's Path to Power (& Flawless Hair)
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Could Lucius Malfoy's impeccable hair be the only redeeming quality of this notorious antagonist from the Harry Potter series? Join us as we peel back...
Narcissa Malfoy: The Villain, The Mom, & the Hero?
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can the matriarch of the Malfoy family be seen in a different light? Unravel the complexities of Narcissa Malfoy's character with me, Professor Julian...
The Best and the Worst of the Weasleys
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Embrace the charm and complexity of the Weasley family with Professor Julian Wamble as we traverse the intriguing landscape of family dynamics in the ...
Maybe she's born with "it." Maybe she's Ginny Weasley
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever considered the intricate layers behind Ginny Weasley's character in the Harry Potter series? Join me, Professor Julian Wamble, as we unr...
Ronald Weasley is NOT Your Coworker
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Unlock the hidden layers of loyalty and humor within the Harry Potter series' most underrated character. Joined by Ron Weasley aficionado Dani Alexand...
Ron Weasley- Almost Too Normal to Appreciate?
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Unravel the enigma of Ron Weasley with Professor Julian Wamble and the pod's FIRST EVER guest, Dani Alexander. This episode promises a deep reexaminat...
Fred & George's Fits & Giggles
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are Fred and George Weasley merely the jesters of the Wizarding World, or is there a darker side to their antics? Join me, Professor Julian Wamble, fo...
The Perils of Prefect Percy
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered why Percy Weasley's relentless ambition didn't land him a spot in Slytherin? Join Professor Wamble as he peels back the layers ...
Arthur's Peer-ent Trap
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Could your affection for the whimsical Arthur Weasley be tinted with shades of complexity you've never considered? Join me, Professor Julian Wamble, f...
Mommy Issues? or Molly Issues?
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
SummaryIn this episode, Professor Julian Wamble explores the character of Molly Weasley from the Harry Potter series. They discuss Molly's role as a p...
CRITICAL MAGIC THEORY TRAILER
17 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Host, Professor Julian Wamble invites you to join him on his journey to deep dive in to your favorite Harry Potter characters to gain a deeper, more c...