Hello magical friends and welcome to episode 145 of WZRD Radio! I’m your hostwitch Bess and you know we’re excited for July. It’s a big month around here!
Let’s get started celebrating with some music! Here’s Autumn Brooke and “Chocolate Frogs.”
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We kicked off July with “Chocolate Frogs” from Autumn Brooke [lyrics], The House-Elf Tavern Choir singing “Pour Me a Butterbeer” [lyrics], and Muggle Snuggle’s “Quarter Grapefruit” [lyrics]. Not a bad way to start off the month!
Here’s another wonderful way to begin: a field report from the one and only Special Correspondent in the Field, DQ!
ScitF DQ: Happy summer wizard rock fans. This is Special Correspondent in the Field DQ with a fanfic fieldwork just for you. As we all know, July is the month when Hogwarts students are looking forward to the beginning of their summer holidays. And for one young man, it is also the month in which he celebrates his birthday, A birthday, which is a very significant interest to Harry Potter fans. Obviously, I am speaking about Mr. Neville Longbottom, who just happens to be this correspondent’s favorite character. And so this month I am offering up a one-shot that can be found on FanFiction.net, in which Neville Longbottom finally gets some of the love which he very much deserves. And so this month, I am recommending “To Love and Be Loved” by Cuban Sombrero Gal. This one shot was published on July 28th, 2008, it boasts a respectable 903 words and is dedicated to Hannah as it was written as part of a pop culture challenge. In the author’s own words: “this one’s for Hannah (Princess of Frobscottle) simply because she has the same name as Neville’s wife. And because I’d be nothing but a bored pile of mush without my favorite David Tennant loving, spotty shoe wearing, Stephen Fry bashing, mattress surfing cousin. Love you lots. Frobscottle for life!” If it isn’t already obvious, this fan fiction focuses on the love between Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbott because sometimes it’s perfectly fine to ship two characters who do end up together in the canon series. And now a passage from “To Love and Be Loved.”
If fifth year was the turning point, then seventh year is the catalyst. The DA throws itself into battles it cannot win, emerging alive through pure luck alone. In this war, houses have dissipated completely: everyone is as brave as a lion, as wise as an eagle, as loyal as a badger, and as cunning as a snake. Hannah and Neville find themselves fighting side by side, two 17 year olds with everything to die for and even more reasons to live. “I love you,” Hannah whispers as they separate during the final battle. “Good luck.” He knows it means nothing because she said it to every soldier–he still can’t wrap his head around that word, not even now–but his heart still skips a mandatory beat. He loved her that he knew, but Neville Longbottom was never going to fight his wards on someone else’s behalf. If there was one thing Luna had taught him, it was stay true to yourself, and right now the battle was more important than Hannah. With that Neville sprinted off to the greenhouses knowing that he had the power to help produce a world in which he and Hannah might one day be happy.
Where in this story does this passage fall? How exactly will the author end it? It’s up to you, dear listeners to find out by going to FanFiction.net and reading “To Love and Be Loved” by Cuban Sombrero Gal, this is Special Correspondent in the Field DQ saying, we hope that you have someone to love and who loves you, because even on days when it may not feel like it, you deserve it.
Happy birthday Neville, and thank you DQ! What an enticing excerpt.
To soundtrack your reading, here’s our next music break, with The Cruciatus Curse’s “Death Eater Vibes” leading the way.
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That was The Cruciatus Curse and “Death Eater Vibes” [lyrics], “no dark mark, no crime” by Hogwarts Therapist [lyrics], and Dream Quaffle’s cover of the Totally Knuts song “They Won’t Let My Wand Through Airport Security.”
And here are just a few ways to celebrate the biggest month in Harry Potter fandom!
EnchantiCon is rumored to feature a few of our favorite wrockers, so keep an eye on St Louis, MO July 10-12. [link]
Bisexual Harry is taking the summer by storm, with a house show in St. Louis followed by Confluence. They’ve even promised us a new album! [link]
If you’ve been missing Tonks & the Aurors and you’re in Roseburg, OR on July 25th, you’re in luck! They’ve got another awesome library show on that day. [link]
Also on the 25th Lake Orion, MI is hosting Harry Potter’s Birthday Celebration with all the trappings. [link]
Brimfield, MA is hosting a Harry Potter Weekend July 31- August 2nd with potions-making, magic shows, and movie night. [link]
The month is closing out with more POTTÖRHEAD concerts! July 31st in Köln and August 1st in Waiblingen so keep an eye on their social media! [link]
And, before I forget, WZRD is taking what I think is our first-ever summer vacation! Your hostwitch and Special Correspondent in the Field will be taking all of August off. But don’t worry! The radio station will still be going strong so you won’t even have time to miss us before we’re back again in September. [link]
As for June’s wizard rock releases…
The long-awaited and greatly celebrated “Celestial Warmbottom: A Tribute to the Empress of Wizard Blues” album was released. [link]
As always, you can find links to all these events in the episode transcript, and if none of them seem quite right, plan your own and send it in for me to share in the next episode.
While you’re checking those out, here’s our final music break. First up is Bisexual Harry and “The Wrevival Wrap.”
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That was Bisexual Harry with “The Wrevival Wrap” [lyrics], Bradley & the Dadleys’ “Harry Potter is Playing at My House” [lyrics], and Candle Wix’ “Wizard Anarchy” [lyrics].
And here’s the end of our episode! I hope you found some fun things to do this month.
If you heard your new favorite song, go to the transcript at WZRDRadioPod.com, follow the link, and buy yourself a copy. You’ll get a great new addition to your music collection and a wizard rocker will know they’ve got a fan. And you know what I always say: without our wizard rockers, we wouldn’t be here.
You can support WZRD and the Community Wrock Fund by joining the Patreon at Patreon.com/WZRDRadioPod. There are two, five, and ten dollar tiers that all get the same perks, including early episodes and bonus content, and support the Fund in helping our wizard rockers get their music out there.
You can still guess this episode’s theme on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok at WZRDRadioPod. You can also get in touch by commenting on the transcript or emailing me at WZRDRadioPod@gmail.com.
Until next time, magical friends!
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