Gentlemen

     "Ced's talked about you, of course," said Amos Diggory. "Told us all about playing against you last year... I said to him, I said - Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will.... You beat Harry Potter!"

Harry couldn't think of any reply to this, so he remained silent. Fred and George were both scowling again. Cedric looked slightly embarrassed.

"Harry fell off his broom, Dad," he muttered. I told you ... it was an accident...."

"Yes, but you didn't fall off, did you?" roared Amos genially, slapping his son on his back. "Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman ... but the best man won, I'm sure Harry'd say the same, wouldn't you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don't need to be a genius to tell which one's the better flier!"

     The scene above happened at the portkey before the Quidditch World Cup. Amos' pride prevents him from being humble and modest like his son. This is ironic because, by his own definition, humble/modest are two characteristics by which you can identify a gentlemen. There's not a ton to say on this example but I thought I'd go ahead and point out how stupid and arrogant pride can make you seem even if you're not stupid or arrogant in reality. It also brings about unnecessary conflict between those who would otherwise be friends. In short, being prideful is a great way to destroy relationships and reputation.

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.    Proverbs 11:2

Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.    Proverbs 13:10

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.   Proverbs 16:18

Laziness

     During one of the frequent house elf arguments between Ron and Hermione: "It's people like you, Ron," Hermione said hotly, "who prop up rotten and unjust systems, just because they're too lazy to -"
[they were interrupted but I'm assuming she would finish with "do anything about them."]
     Although S.P.E.W. might have been a little over the top for a group of people who were doing would they were created to do and loved to do (serve others), Hermione definitely had the right idea and intentions.* Laziness is far more dangerous than we often credit it to being. I know that I'm guilty of thinking that being lazy will result in not completing small responsibilities at worst (which is still bad but it seems better than some other stuff). Unfortunately, laziness can actually effect our ideals and moral values as well. If I'm too lazy to put in the effort to help someone, I'm also undoubtably trying to justify my questionable action in my mind using excuses and lies. Over time, this can erode my conscious/moral compass and prevent me from being all that God created me to be.
     In the Bible it says, "Lazy people want much and get little, but those who work hard will prosper. " (Proverbs 13:4) And Romans 12:11 instructs us to, "Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically." There are many other admonishments against laziness but I think one of the best examples is the story of the talents in Matthew. As much as the third servant could try and justify his actions, when reported to the master His excuses suddenly sounded as feeble as the lies they truly were. His laziness cost him his eternal life of celebration and, if we're not careful, it can do the same to us.

*If she had taken the time to understand what the house elves wanted, which generally speaking was not freedom but affection and praise/gratitude, perhaps she could have focused her efforts more effectively.

Cringe Worthy Moments (lies)

       I have a lot of moments in my life that literally cause me to cringe when I look back on them. These moments always involve something that may or may not be sin but whatever it was, I made a really stupid decision that ended up making me feel guilty/embarrassed and could have been avoided extremely easily and the flash backs cause a physical reaction in me. At the end of chapter 5 in the Goblet of Fire, Percy has such a moment and I thought I'd use it to display the stupidity of lies:

     "Look at the time," Mrs. Weasley said suddenly, checking her wristwatch. "You really should be in bed, the whole lot of you -- you'll be up at the crack of dawn to get the the Cup ... the match went on for five days last time."
     "Wow - hope it does this time!" said Harry enthusiastically.
     "Well, I certainly don't," said Percy sanctimoniously. "I shudder to think what the state of my in-tray would be if I was away from work for five days."
     "Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh Perce?" said Fred.
     "That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!" said Percy, going very red in the face. "It was nothing personal!"
     "It was," Fred whispered to Harry as they got up from the table. "We sent it."

       While I personally find this little anecdote highly amusing, as I'm sure you do too and as all the characters who knew the truth did, Percy most certainly didn't. Anyone would be embarrassed to think that someone didn't like them or thought of them as the "new kid" at work and sabotaged you mail with dragon dung so you can see why Percy felt the need to cover it up. Unfortunately for him,  his lie just made him look extremely stupid because everyone else knew the truth. Had he told the truth originally, the twins may have told him the truth in return. If he'd even taken a second to think about how Fred knew, he may not have busted out the lie, but he didn't, and by quickly lying in order to cover up his embarrassment, he created a cringe worthy moment for himself that was much more embarrassing than the dragon dung.
       So, moral of the story, while we constantly are told not to tell big lies because they'll get you in trouble, people often refrain from mentioning that white lies will get you embarrassment.