Lessons from Harry Potter

Having said this on pharyngula's comments I should also say it here.

I very much like some of the themes and values expressed throughout the Harry Potter books:

• that people's personalities and values are not set in stone
  
• that one cannot look at a teen and predict how the adult will turn out
  
• that one cannot assume someone is evil just because they are unpleasant
  
• that wealth has, at best, no relationship to virtue
  
• that there is bravery and value in everyone
  
• that people are evil (or virtuous) by their choices and actions, not because of their birth or innate nature (something rarely expressed in fantasy)
  
• that woo-woo fortunetelling is pretty much crap (again, something rarely expressed in fantasy)
  
• that the best way of dealing with terror is to laugh at it