A religious person could interpret the event as a sign that divine retribution will fall upon those who commit a sacrilege or a violation of holy covenants. The herder sitting beneath the tree should have known better and was killed because of his ignorance of natural phenomenon. While it may no longer be a dominant perspective, the magical universe still prowls in our minds, our thought processes, our way of thinking. We all have some belief in magical connections and intuitions that defy religion and science. The Harry Potter books acknowledge the thirst children have for magic and fantasy.
Children already fantasize about their lives.
These books give them the security that other children fantasize, too. And that makes their own fantasies less fearful. Fantasy and imagination are crucial to our growth as human beings. We gradually outgrow our childhood fantasies, but the pathways they constructed to enrich our imaginations and to tap our deepest fears are invaluable in helping us reach our fullest potential as adults. And in the Harry Potter books, magic is the spell that subdues childhood's fears, summons new life for the imagination and conjures up a world of excitement.