I’m sorry, but if I had three wishes—three wishes to spend during my entire time here on earth—,I would be spending the first two on something big, like solving world hunger or stopping war. But the one thing that would really be tempting just before I made that final wish would be a sly voice saying, "Oh, Noah. How cool would it be if the Harry Potter Universe was real? You have that power with your one wish." And, being the insane Harry Potter geek I am, I would most likely waste my final wish on making the books come to life. I’m sorry. It’s my life's dream! And who can blame me? There are some pretty magical things that happen in those books, and, I don’t just mean magical spells and potions; I mean that these books have given me knowledge about the world. Don’t believe me? Well, as Tom Riddle once told Harry, “I can show you.”

1. It Goes a Long Way to Have Great Friends

Harry was a major screw up. It’s true. Yes, of course, he saved the Wizarding World from the likes of the big meanie Voldemort, but there’s no denying that that teenage boy had some serious help. He wasn’t handed the aid though. He earned it through his lasting friendships made throughout his time at school. None of the help that Harry took was from someone who he didn’t deem his friend. He would have thought of that as disloyal, or underserved. He tried to surround himself with people he loved, and even when Voldemort was trying everything in his power to make Harry feel lonely and afraid, he always pushed through until he found himself at balance with his friends. I try to live my life by the same principle. But, don’t go around calling everyone your friend, because then, we might as well call life Facebook.

2. Your Elders Aren’t Always Right

I love this part of the book. Harry has just been cursed to kill by Voldemort in the "Forbidden Forest" in the last book. Harry wakes up and is surprisingly in a whiter version of King’s Cross Station, and Dumbledore is there waiting for him. During this vignette, Dumbledore opens up his reasoning and heart to Harry, admitting to him that he was horribly wrong to have raised Harry up like a pig for slaughter in order to save the Wizarding World. We learn that Dumbledore neglected to act in Harry’s best interest in order to play him off of Voldemort. This is an almost evil act that Harry ultimately ends up forgiving Dumbledore for, but it got me thinking. I feel like I’m being used by those older than me from time to time, and it’s comforting to sit back and reminisce on this scene. It reminds me that sometimes you need to treat and think of those older than you as if they’re on the same plane as you. This goes for your parents as well, kids.

3. Open a Book before You Judge It by Its Cover

I dare someone to say, “Snape was a bad guy,” to my face and see if they don’t lose a few teeth in the process. I dare the same person to tell me, “Hagrid was a half-giant oaf and a waste,” because they’d have a black eye to go with their missing teeth. Even if someone was to say, “Neville Longbottom was a nervous train wreck,” I would probably kick at their shins or do something just as heinous as their accusations. These characters play a huge role within the story, people! They do the exact opposite of what their character traits would lead you to believe! Snape ends up caring more for Harry than most others in the series. Hagrid is always true to his word and always ready to put his body on the line to help Dumbledore and the Order (i.e. going to recruit giants)! And Neville! The only reason the series isn’t called Neville Longbottom is because Voldemort chose Harry. Neville could have been the same caliber of hero that Harry was, but he settled for second best as he heroically CHOPPED OFF THE HEAD OF A SNAKE/HORCRUX/KILLING MACHINE! Sorry,I just love Neville. But, that’s where I make my main point. Just because someone is quiet or is interested in something outside the "norm" doesn’t mean that they are any less of a human than you, and they deserve your respect.

4. Be Yourself

I love Luna Lovegood. There it is. She and Neville are my favorites. They make the perfect couple. We just learned how Neville is amazing because he acts with nobility when the time calls for it. Well, compound that with Luna’s innate sense of owning herself no matter what the world says, and you’ve got a power couple. I actually think that J.K. Rowling said that the two had a little bit of a love stint after the Battle of Hogwarts, but Luna ended up marrying someone else after Neville took the job as Herbology Professor at Hogwarts. Yep, I know way too much about this stuff. Anyways, Luna is my favorite because she embodies a trait that I hold very near and dear to myself. She is always doing what she wants to do. She’s not worried about the whole “group think” schema while she’s dancing around Hogwarts reading the Quibbler upside down and searching for Nargles the whole time. Be yourself before you don’t know who you are anymore.

5. Love Wins

What saved Harry from being destroyed by the second greatest wizard of the age while he was just an infant? What saved him again 11 years later when he faced the same evil while trying to save the Philosopher’s Stone? What kept him safe at his aunt and uncle’s until his seventeenth birthday? It wasn’t his skill. It wasn’t his prowess. It sure as heck wasn’t his brains. It was his mother’s love for him. That’s what I always enjoyed about the whole “Love theory;” the fact that Harry wasn’t defeating Voldemort with his own love. No, the love of someone else was what was protecting Harry. And I guess that’s what J.K. Rowling wanted to express to the reader. She wanted people to understand that love is more of a shield than a sword. It is meant to save, not to harm. That’s why Harry and Voldemort were always at odds. Harry was the embodiment of love and Voldemort was the embodiment of evil. And when an unstoppable force like evil meets an immovable object such as love, I think J.K. Rowling wanted to show the world that love would always protect us against that which is horrible and relentless.

Hopefully, some of these comparisons stick with you as you forge through life. I always try to act based upon how the series would treat the situation. Because, as Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of our age, once said, "It is our choices that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities."