A huge part of my growing up was based around the Harry Potter franchise. I read each book, went to see each movie, enjoyed Pottermore, you name it, I tasted at least a sample of it. As cliche as it may sound, there are life lessons that everyone who loves Harry Potter can take with them after the last page and after the end credits role.
1. You don't have to be blood to be family.
Harry Potter taught us that just because you don't share the same DNA doesn't mean you can't be family. Now all of us don't have the family situation as Harry did growing up. However, it is his friendship with Ron and Hermione that we should all learn from. I'm sure you consider your best friend(s) like family. Harry Potter helped us understand that someone can be there for you and love you just like family.
2. Girls are just as badass as men.
There is an abundance of feminist qualities to this franchise in my opinion, but I'll make it short and sweet... HERMIONE FEAKING GRANGER. If there is any life lesson you take from Harry Potter it is that it's not just the men saving people and if you're Miss Granger, the entire magical realm. She is continuously tagged with the identifier of the brightest witch of her age. As a woman growing up with Harry Potter, I lived through Hermione thus believing in myself regardless of my gender. (Also note this is the most underrated scene in the entire franchise, considering she made the biggest sacrifice out of the golden trio.)
3. Never judge a book by its cover.
Snape taught us that you should never judge someone based on how they appear or even rumors about that person. When we first meet Snape, it is almost thrown at us that he is evil and not to be trusted, but that's the point Rowling is trying to make. While trusting your first instinct is always good for being cautious, before completely defining someone in your mind, it is always a good idea to at least get to know them or understand what they've been through.
4. A passed love one is always with you.
Whatever your beliefs are of a higher power, Harry Potter had a great deal of death throughout his story. If you've ever lost a loved one, you know as well as I do that it is an extremely personal and intensely upsetting situation. Through Lily, James, Sirius, etc. Harry always found some inner strength knowing that those who passed on were always with him in his heart. Regardless of the spiritual view of this life lesson, it is very comforting knowing that you're never truly alone.
5. Never underestimate the underdog.
From the beginning, Neville is portrayed as the forgetful character that no one took all that seriously. As one of the best character developments in Harry Potter, Neville taught us that just because someone seems off and clumsy doesn't mean they're not capable of great things. He slowly shows us his potential in the first movie when he is awarded for being brave and standing up to his friends. As the story progresses, he shows us that you never should truly underestimate someone.
6. Being different is okay.
Luna Lovegood taught us that being weird, quirky, unique it's all perfectly fine. She is shown throughout the series being no one other than herself and not giving one care about what anyone thinks. She is perfectly aware that people call her names behind her back, she knows who really takes and hides her items, but the lesson is she does not care. She is true to herself and that's what is beautiful about her.
7. Home can be more than one place.
The last lesson you can take from Harry Potter is home doesn't always have to mean that one location where your immediate family lives. It can be your house and you can call it home, but it doesn't mean it has to be the one and only. Harry states several times that Hogwarts is his home because that is where he feels safe and secure. If you can think of anywhere where you feel truly happy like nothing truly bad can happen to you, whether it is your school, a friend's house, etc odds are that's another home for you.
This franchise lives in my heart as alive as it did when I read the first page of the first book. I truly believe these lessons can be taken into effect into everyone's lives and that's what makes this a truly magical series.
