Vanessa and Casper explore the theme of Affirmation in chapter twenty-one of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This week Casper and Vanessa discuss Harry and Hermione’s different relationships with house-elves, Ron’s sense of sufficiency, and some icky sexist moments that stuck out in this chapter. Throughout the episode we consider the question: Can you affirm yourself?

Thanks to Sam Blanckensee for this week's voicemail! If you want to read our response to J.K. Rowling’s tweet, you can find it here. Next week we’re reading Chapter twenty-two, After the Burial, through the theme of Bitterness.