In 2018, both April Fool's Day and Easter Sunday fell on April 1. But there's a third, less well-known occasion on this date as well: the Weasley twins' birthday.
Fred and George Weasley are undoubtedly two of the most beloved characters from the "Harry Potter" series, providing comic relief even during the books' darkest moments. And while their characters aren't noted for their wisdom, the two of them actually had a lot of it.
Here are ten lessons you can learn from the twins throughout the "Harry Potter" books.
1. You don't need good grades to be successful.
Despite Mrs. Weasley's insistence that the boys didn't score enough O.W.L.S., Fred and George eventually end up the wealthiest members of the Weasley family. They open their own business and see wild success, no thanks to letters on an exam sheet.Through their characters, J.K. Rowling makes it clear that book smarts aren't everything. There are other means to being successful. And speaking of...
2. Higher education isn't for everyone.
3. Pursue your own dreams — not your parents'.
Throughout the first half of the series, Mrs. Weasley does everything within her power to prevent the twins from creating their joke products. She scoffs at the idea of them opening a prank shop, lecturing them on the benefits of landing jobs at the ministry.
If you have an entrepreneurial mind, and your family has pushed you toward office work, you'll be able to relate. Fred and George chose their own goals. And so should you.
4. Learn to laugh at yourself.
5. Never forget where you came from.
After opening Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Fred and George never let the profits or triumph go to their heads. They remain essentially the same, and they treat their family the same (unlike Percy, who writes his family off for his ambitions).
The boys also jump at any opportunity to repay Harry for the gold he gave them during "Goblet of Fire." They remember how they got where they are, and they appreciate the people that helped them get there.
6. Rules were made to be broken.
I suppose every "Harry Potter" character serves as a vessel for this particular lesson, but no one crosses lines quite like Fred and George. And their bouts of rule breaking have a tendency to pay off. Without them, our favorite series would be missing a number of things — most notably, a certain map Harry uses for just about everything.
7. Confidence is key.
The twins pull off most of their shenanigans through sheer confidence, and you've got to hand it to them. After all, confidence gets people where they need to be in real life too.
8. Go big or go home.
Fred and George couldn't simply just drop out of school. No, they had to go out with a bang - literally. They set fireworks off through the entire school, pissing off Umbridge in the process. They even leave a swamp in the middle of the school.
These two make a show of everything, and why shouldn't they?
9. Comedy's important, even during the darkest times.
Even while Voldemort's at large, the twins hang a sign outside their shop advertising "U-No-Poo." When George loses an ear, his first instinct is to make a joke about feeling "holey." The boys know the value of humor, and they don't lose sight of it - not even when they're facing the worst.
We should never lose sight of it either.
10. Anything's possible.
"Anything's possible if you have enough nerve." While this "Order of the Phoenix" quote comes from Ginny, she attributes this mentality to having Fred and George as older brothers. And the two of them certainly seem to handle the majority of situations with this thinking.
So next time you're down and feel like you can't accomplish something, ask yourself what the Weasley twins would do.
