Decisions Decisions
The Lesson: Virtue isn’t determined by ability but by choices
As Shown By: Harry and Voldemort’s respective paths are determined not by their capabilities as wizards (although both are extraordinarily proficient in that respect) but by the choices they make along the way. From his first day at Hogwarts, it's made clear by the Sorting Hat that Harry could be a successful Slytherin, should he so choose. “You could be great, you know,” says the hat, “and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that.” However, Potter’s heart is set on Gryffindor, just one of many occasions in which the Boy Who Lived takes a different path from the one chosen by Tom Riddle.
The Power Of Love
The Lesson: A capacity for love is the greatest attribute of all.
As Shown By: It is Voldemort’s inability either to love or to comprehend its power that prevents him from killing Harry the first time around. As Dumbledore puts it, “If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn’t realize that love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves its own mark.”
Beware The Troll
The Lesson: There’s no better way of bonding than taking on a massive troll
As Shown By: Harry and Ron have been squabbling with Hermione, only to patch things up when they band together to outwit the troll in Philosopher’s Stone . As Rowling puts it, “there are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.” Amen to that.
Common Sense
The Lesson: Never tickle a sleeping dragon
As Shown By: I t’s the Hogwarts school motto! It doesn’t really need much further explanation, suffice to say that it’s bloody good advice.
Confidence Is Key
The Lesson: You can achieve anything with self-belief
As Shown By: Throughout the books and films, confidence is presented as a key component of magical proficiency. Hermione is an excellent witch because not only does she study hard, but she believes in herself as well. Neville Longbottom is initially very down on himself, and as a consequence is a hopeless wizard. However, as he grows older and begins to believe in himself, he matures into one of the most important figures in Dumbledore’s Army.
Skin Deep
The Lesson: Never go for a woman purely on the basis of her looks.
As Shown By: This one only happens in the books, but it’s a goody, and so worth including. During their visit to the Quidditch World Cup Ron and Harry are left slack-jawed by the beautiful Veelas, who serve as mascots to the Bulgarian national team. However, when angered, the Veelas suddenly transform into gruesome, Harpy-like creatures sporting scaly wings and ghastly, bird-like faces. “And that, boys,” explains Arthur Weasley, “is why you should never go for looks alone.” True story.
Diversity Rocks
The Lesson: It takes all sorts…
As Shown By: Time and again, Harry finds himself befriending society’s outsiders, from Hagrid to Dobby to “Loony” Luna Lovegood. And guess what? It’s these very characters who often dig him out of the tightest of spots. Just how many of Hogwarts’ supposed “cool kids” would take a knife in the gut for him as Dobby does?
Star-Maker
The Lesson: One mega-franchise can lead to another
As Shown By: Robert Pattinson won his first legions of screaming admirers by appearing as Cedric Diggory in Goblet Of Fire . Three years later, he was starring as pasty bloodsucker Edward Cullen in the first Twilight film, and the R-Patz phenomenon was fully underway.
Comeuppance
The Lesson: Always treat those below you with kindness
As Shown By: This one is evident in Sirius’ shabby treatment of the house-elf Kreacher, whose banishment from 12 Grimmauld Place ultimately leads to his master’s demise. As Dumbledore later remarks, “I warned Sirius when we adopted twelve Grimmauld Place as our headquarters that Kreacher must be treated with kindness and respect. I also told him that Kreacher could be dangerous to us. I do not think that Sirius took me very seriously, or that he ever saw Kreacher as a being with feelings as acute as a human's.”
Down With The Kids
The Lesson: One must never forget what it was like to be young
As Shown By: Dumbledore’s mishandling of events in The Order Of The Phoenix , in which Harry feels abandoned and Sirius spends his days locked up with his thoughts. “I see now that what I have done, and not done, with regard to you, bears all the hallmarks of the failings of age,” he explains to Harry. “Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young... and I seem to have forgotten lately.”
