It's been two decades since the release of the first Harry Potter book, and the winter holidays might just be the perfect time to do some nostalgic reading or watching of the series. Fans of the wizarding world can also look forward to the release of the second installment of the "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" films next year. But even diehard fans might not have exhausted every method to enjoy their favorite wizards, like The Potterotica Podcast which blends — you guessed it — the steamiest fan fiction with the world of your favorite wizard.
The product of three Chicagoans: AllieLeFevere, Lyndsay Rush and Danny Chapman, the weekly podcast creators make use of the treasure trove of sexy, fan-written content and read, with permission, a unique work every week. And there's no shortage of LGBTQ-friendly material either, aside from Drarry — Harry and Draco's relationship or "ship" name — Remus and Sirius (Wolfstar) and Ginny and Luna (Linny) are their most common pairings. The friends have not only maintained the comedy podcast for four seasons since January 2017, but they've been featured in a variety of publications like The Huffington Post, New York Magazine's The Cut, in the Chicago Tribune and more. The group has also toured done live readings of Potterotica.Now, in preparation for the podcast's 5th season, the trio sat down with Between the Lines to weigh in on some of the favorite parts of hosting the show, what they're looking forward to in 2018 and the "ship" they'd want to be a part of most.
What's your favorite thing about hosting the podcast?
Chapman: Definitely our fans, the Potterotics. They are so funny and creative – constantly creating things based on the podcast like cross-stitches, images and games. They've sent us large Harry Potter penis cutouts, cans of penis confetti, amazing hand-knit socks and more. What I wasn't expecting was how caring and loving they are too – someone will post about being lonely in a new city and the importance of the Potterotics, and then 3 minutes later will have 50 posts welcoming them to the group and giving words of encouragement. We're waiting for our first Potterotica wedding as a result of their interactions.
LeFevere: I echo Danny! I had no idea that our Potterotic community would become my favorite part of the pod. I swear, they're funnier than we are. And have given us a reason to keep creating this very silly, sexy podcast every week. It's pretty special when you realize other people look forward to our episodes as much as we do. Also, I get to laugh to tears every week with two of my best friends, alongside our wacky Potterotic family, and in celebration of talented fanfic writers who took the world of Harry Potter (that we absolutely love) and added their own brand of weird, steamy magic.
Rush: Danny and Allie nailed it — our listeners make it so much more fun than we could've imagined. I think additionally it's been very cool to explore the fanfic world and see all of the talent, imagination and passion. And finally, it's just such a fun creative outlet comedy-wise so that's very fulfilling as well—getting to improvise and tell jokes with two of my favorite people.
Is there anything you're most excited about for season five?
Chapman: There are so many pairings in the Potterotica world and we've tried to spice it up by going a bit broader. In Season 5 we're going back to basics with a combination of Harry/Ron/Hermione so it'll be fun to see the characters we know the best. We haven't done a story yet with them so who knows what will happen!
Rush: Hopefully some Ron action. I love him so much and I don't think he gets enough credit/love/stories!
Because you get permission to read the fan fiction, but don't look through it beforehand, what's the most surprising match that you've come across?
LeFevere: We look for stories based on a few things: The primary 'ship' (relationship) that story will feature, verifying there are no consent issues, everyone is of legal age, there is no violence, incest, etc. and story length (to fit with how many chapters/episodes we want in a certain season).
Because of that, we have a sense of who's in it (at least the main players). However, we've had plenty of surprise cameos from other characters in the story that we did not expect. For instance, season four was a James Potter/Lily Evans/Sirius Black Love Triangle, but we had a Remus Lupin/Sirius Black sex scene in the Shrieking Shack and that we didn't see coming — but totally welcomed!
We've also read two different "Quickie" stories, shorter stories with 2-4 episodes, where Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger were caught shagging in secret, even though they weren't the primary 'ship' in the stories.
What's your favorite piece you've ever read on air?
LeFevere: Ooh, that's a tough one—every story had contributed some wacky inside joke that's carried through the rest of the pod. But I have to say Season 3 "The Critiquer" takes the cake, as it had the most hilarious premise. It was a post-Hogwarts Drarry story where they were both in their 30s with Draco running a prestigious magazine where he anonymously 'critiqued dick picks' and Harry as a retired Auror who gets drunk one night with his buddies and anonymously sends in a dick pic to The Critiquer where he receives a bad review based on his poor dick photography skills. Determined to get an "O" for Outstanding dick pick, he keeps sending them in. Draco, fed up with the terrible dick picks he keeps receiving as The Critiquer, decides to teach a photography class. Harry, fed up with the terrible dick reviews a keeps receiving from The Critiquer decides to take a photography class. You get where this goes …
Chapman: We had a Potterotic write a story, Quickie #3, just for us — me — featuring a young Minerva McGonagall and a young Garrick Ollivander. It was a pairing that I think few think about but it was super sexy and the fact the podcast inspired her to write it was amazing. One line, "Garrick Ollivander was a man who was pulsing with magic, rippling it outward like a stone in a pond." still gets me.
Rush: I think my favorite was a three-part story we read mid-season, where Draco had temporarily lost access to his inheritance so, was performing as a stripper in Muggle London. Hermione and her friends Ginny and Luna go out for a girls night to his strip club, not knowing he's a performer there. Spoiler alert: he's wearing a mask and Hermione gets a lap dance from him before realizing it's her archnemesis. It has just a ton of fun aspects about our favorite characters being in their 20s. Also, the song Draco was dancing to was Magic Stick so it was just all sorts of hilarious.
If you could be part of any ship, who would you pick?
LeFevere: Hands down, Wolfstar (i.e. Remus Lupin and Sirius Black). Sign me up for that threesome.
Rush: Me plus Ron Weasley forever!
Chapman: My love is usually reserved for McGonagall — so spicy! But I'm going Neville — he's lookin' hot!
The Potterotica Podcast can be found via iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher and more. More information about upcoming tour dates and episodes can be found at potteroticapodcast.com.
