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Two Face
The Lesson: Anyone wearing a turban, who isn’t a practising Sikh, should be viewed with suspicion.
As Shown By: As a rule, wizards are pretty flamboyant dressers, what with their flowing robes and luxuriant beards, but Professor Quirrell is the only one who wears a turban, despite having no obvious affiliation to Sikhism. As it turned out, he was using it to disguise a second face growing out of the back of his head. Obvious, now you think about it…
You're Alright, You Are
The Lesson: It’s never too late to admit when you’re wrong
As Shown By: Despite spending his first seventeen years tormenting his hated cousin, Dudley Dursley eventually acknowledges Harry in his own clumsy way. “I don’t think you’re a waste of space,” he tells him sheepishly, as he and his parents leave Little Whinging. It’s a deleted scene in Deathly Hallows pt. 1 , and well worth seeking out on the DVD. Or YouTube , for the tightwads among you.
Anarchy Reigns
The Lesson: Sometimes, rules are there to be broken
As Shown By: Anyone attempting to keep count of how many times Harry and his chums break the school rules would have tossed their scorecard out of the window halfway through Chamber Of Secrets. However, in nine cases out of ten, Potter’s rule-breaking eventually works out for the best. “I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules," says Dumbledore at one point. "Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words.”
What's In A Name?
The Lesson: You can learn a lot about someone’s character from their name
As Shown By: When in doubt as to a Harry Potter character’s motivation, it usually pays to have a quick think about their name. If it’s anything a bit horrid-sounding, chances are you’ve identified a bad egg. Mundungus Fletcher, Salazar Slytherin, Draco Malfoy… bounders one and all. Severus Snape of course, is the exception that proves the rule!
Ooh, Arty!
The Lesson: Even event movie juggernauts can surprise us
As Shown By: The story of the hallows that appears in Deathly Hallows pt 1 is presented as a staggeringly beautiful animation, a sequence as innovative and bewitching as anything else in the entire series. Director David Yates displays more guile and flair here than you would ever expect to find in a mainstream blockbuster. Bravo!
Easy Way Out
The Lesson: The right choice is rarely the easy one
As Shown By: Throughout the films, characters are frequently confronted with choices, the more difficult of which are inevitably the ones that must be taken. Indeed, Voldemort’s rise to power is fuelled almost entirely by those who take the easy option. Cornelius Fudge’s refusal to admit that Voldemort has returned is a case in point. As Dumbledore so sagely explains, “we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.” Thankfully, Harry and his friends are always willing to answer the call.
Help The Aged
The Lesson: Never trust an elderly woman who not only looks and smells like a corpse, but also speaks the language of snakes.
As Shown By: Seriously, alarm bells should have been ringing for Harry long before Nagini came leaping out of Bathilda Bagshot’s cadaver. He must have had a cold or something…
Money Can't Buy Me Love
The Lesson: Money might not be the root of all evil, but it certainly can’t buy happiness
As Shown By: The Weasley family have hardly two galleons to rub together, and yet they are presented as the happiest and most loving of all Rowling’s characters. The Malfoys on the other hand are rolling in it, and yet they spend much of the saga wracked with guilt, worry and anxiety. And the less said about those grasping goblins the better. It doesn’t exactly turn out well for them, does it?
The Right Man For The Job
The Lesson: Competence is worth more than reputation
As Shown By: Despite his inexperience as a teacher, Hagrid’s knowledge of magical creatures eventually wins out, and his obvious enthusiasm for his subject soon engages his young charges. Contrast with Gilderoy Lockhart on the other hand, whose storied reputation bags him the Defence Against The Dark Arts post, only for him to be exposed as hopelessly out of his depth. He might talk the talk, but when it comes to backing it up? Not so much.
Mind Your Elders
The Lesson: Power Corrupts
As Shown By: Not exactly novel this one, but a key theme nonetheless, and one that is embodied by the troublesome Elder Wand. Created by Death himself, the wand is the strongest in wizarding history, but it brings about the undoing of first owner Antioch Peverell, and is nothing but trouble for most of those who go on wield it. Indeed, only those without intentions of using the wand for personal gain are fit to possess it all. It is a lesson that Voldemort will discover to his cost…
