“I think prayer is needed.”
Harry Potter is a story of good versus evil, like many other kid’s stories. It teaches about moral values and doing what is right. Too many people think it is about witchcraft and therefore a bad story. Well, most children’s stories are not about the Jesus and also preach about good versus evil. Even Star Wars, a movie, is about good versus evil. Westerns are the same, and so are Saturday morning cartoons.
Anyone that thinks any and all children’s stories must include Jesus as the character or else the story should be banned is a raving lunatic.
Quality 'fantasy' literature for children, abounds. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis immediately comes to mind. It too is filled with great adventure. C.S. Lewis was a Christian and the similarities between Narnia and items in the Bible was intentional. You claim that Harry Potter teaches values. Harry consistently lies - to his teachers, to his friends, to Dumbledore, the headmaster. He and his friends steal potions ingredients from Professor Snape (But who cares? We don't like Snape, so it's ok, right?). In fact, he's rewarded for the first rule he breaks. Then there is Professor Lupin, who neglects to mention to the headmaster that a convicted murderer is quite possibly sneaking into the school disguised as a dog? Why doesn't Lupin say anything? Because it would be EMBARRASSING to him, and lose him some of the headmaster's trust (which he doesn't actually deserve because he's been lying to the man for years anyway). But hey, it's only Harry's life and the lives of other students that's at stake, and the convict has only gotten into the school twice already...so no big deal.
The children in the Narnia books also get into mischief but there are consequences for their actions and for which they are held accountable to Aslan (the figure who represents God). The same is not true in the HP series.
Why defend the defenseless? What is to be gained by that.