The Forbidden Forest

Draco hates everything. He hates it. Luckily, Luna is a wonderful friend, and so are Neville and Greg. Rho and James talk about moderating who you spend time around in recovery, and touch on a few finer notes about having sober friends.

Harry insists on honesty and accountability at the Granger-Weasley's and starts meetings at Luna's. Rho and James talk recovery, group counselling, solidarity and mom! Ron. 

Harry leaves the forest. No discussion here, we're apparating straight on into Chapter 43!

Draco leaves the forest. Rho and James sort of talk about it but mostly tell you some teasers about upcomming part three, Misunderstood Creatures as a way of avoiding dealing with this traumatic cliffhanger. (Sorry.) 

Draco and Harry prepare to leave. Draco panics. Rho and James are sorry.

Draco shores up his options for working with the Department of Mysteries and one Unspeakable Granger. He, too, struggles to come to terms with what may happen after they leave the forest. James stresses a lot about this and threatens to abandon the podcast. 

Harry struggles with the looming threat of leaving the forest and re-entering the outside world. Rho talks about the discomfort of revisiting a Harry that isn't handling things well. 

Draco confronts Narcissa at the Manor and his own hang-ups around intimacy (yes, still). Rho and James talk shop and James confronts so many unresolved feelings around their own mother. 

Harry cuts down a Christmas tree and they decorate it together, eventually falling into bed and finding solace in one another. Rho and James talk Christmas, alternate relationship dynamics and love languages.

Draco visits Beatrice for therapy and his research is off for submission at the Department of Mysteries. Rho and James talk about therapy!

Harry helps Draco to cast his patronus. After a storm in the hollow, Harry comes across a creature in need, stuck in the snow.  *Sorry for the added noise on the recording, but it's pouring rain up here in the mountains! 

Draco finds his way to the thestral cave. Rho and James talk about world-building and a bit of mythology, but mostly Rho just talks about how much they love these scenes. 

A new patronus and new confusing feelings of attraction lead to the first sex scene of the podcast. Rho and James talk attraction, the forced proximity trope and what to do with overwhelming feelings of desire when the object of that desire may not want them. 

Thestral research is paying off, so Draco takes a day to visit Hogwarts and speak to Headmistress McGonagall and Portrait! Severus Snape. He returns to chaos and Harry's many crises. James mispronounces aloo matar. Rho and James talk about the bird that nearly broke the podcast (and James), lesbian werewolves, coming out and leave you with 8 minutes of hysteria from earlier in the day (spoiler for...

Harry reinforces the hollow with protective magic, and gives both Draco and Hermione carvings he's made since coming to the forest. James cries through the episode and the discussion is minimal. 

Nightmares upon nightmares. Draco and Harry trek off to a swimming hole further in the forest than they've been, and are interrupted by unwelcome visitors. Rho and James talk narratives of sexual assault and common themes in their recovery. 

Harry finds and then decides to do an open-air reading of some 1600s gay erotica he found under the floor of a cupboard. Painfully frank discussions of sexuality and sexual feeling ensue, and the chapter closes with Harry and Draco under the stars. Rho and James talk for a very long time about queer authors writing stories, kink and BDSM and the anthropomorphising of magic.  Link to Wiki for...

Draco wakes up and runs into the forest. Literally. Just flees. Bye. The thestrals and Harry eventually catch up. Rho and James talk a bit about the Harry/Draco dynamic. 

Harry chooses vulnerability. Rho has regerts. 

Porcupine-induced panic leads to a frank discussion about how the deathly hallows are real and Harry died in the very forest they're sitting in. Three thestrals observe. Later, there's a fire and lot of feelings. Rho and James talk porcupines, the dark mark and their first chapter with fluff (which says way too much about them). 

Harry heads to the circle of Rowan trees in the west, where he idles and is beholden to nothing and no one. Nights later, he wakes from a dream. Rho and James talk about the intrinsic magic of old growth forests, empathy and the fact that we created a facebook group to house discussions and encourage people to talk recovery with us! The Forbidden Forest Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/gro...

Draco finally gets some unicorn blood and it goes absolutely pear shaped. Fortunately, thestrals and the garden and Harry shirtless chopping wood serve as good distractions. Rho and James get real about constructive criticism, the fandom's ability to self reflect and supporting survivors of sexual violence. 

Nightmares wake both of them, and Harry does magic over a cup of tea! And we finally get introduced to Edna. Rho and James chat about early moments of recovery and the wonders of snakes. 

Draco is disappointed by unicorns (that's definitely a theme here). He comes back to find Harry in the garden, and they share small, insignificant details about themselves with each other. Rho and James talk fandom! Why does HP only have gay ships? Are we fetishising gay men? What is attraction as it's presented in canon? Is the author dead and what does that mean for the future?

A return trip to Grimmauld Place builds trust between Harry and Draco. James outs Rho as a pathological top.