The Harry Potter saga treats the theme of magical education with a remarkable depth andcomplexity, to the point that it might become a shared narrative about learning and teaching, to the benefitof a large readership of educators and students. Goal of this paper is to highlight the main ingredientsof the educational process which turns Harry and his close friends not just into world-saving heroes, butrather into young people who have acquired the set of knowledge, skills and dispositions that make themready to engage in adult life and give their contribution. The narrative power of the series can be harnessedby teachers as a basis for reflecting on their own views and practices of schooling, and in the literacyclassroom as a point of departure for guiding the students to reflect, from a distance, on their ownschooling and learning experience.