The magical series of Harry Potter, created by the Queen J.K Rowling has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I still can recall my mother handing me the first book of this truly delightful series, a decision that would prove to have shaped my childhood. I quickly devoured the novel, and hungry for more, I hunted through my house for the rest of them. A seven-year-old does not have the best finding skills, so it took me a while to find them, but when I did, I was hooked. I quickly fell in love with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and traveled with them on all of their adventures. When I was younger, I didn't realize just how deep the books went, but as I got older, and with the help of Tumblr, I realized just how many lessons I had learned from my favorite characters. Today, I would like to share some of them with you.

P.S. I am basing all of these off of the books, and there may be some spoilers. If you still want to discover the magic yourself, I suggest you tread carefully.

Harry Potter taught me to never stop fighting.

Quite honestly, Harry is one of the greatest main characters I have ever read about. Like all of us, he has strengths and flaws, but he doesn't let those flaws get in his way. Also, so many bad things happen to Harry over his lifetime, including but not limited to: his parents dying, him being raised by a family who doesn't want him, constantly being put in danger and lied to, having his entire school hate him at least three times, his surrogate father dying, he has to listen to one of his best friends be tortured, he loses a beloved friend, and finally, he learns that he must make the ultimate sacrifice. Despite this, he never stops fighting and he always gets back up again.

 Hermione Granger taught me to be a warrior.

I confess, Hermione is my favorite character in the entire series. She is the one that I relate to the most. Like Hermione, I've always been smart, I've always fit in better with boys, I've always been perceived as detached and cold, and I am a teacher's pet. So naturally, I gravitated towards her from the beginning. But as I continued to grow, I realized just how badass Hermione really is. She put up with discrimination for years, she routinely fought for what she believed in, she was consistently at the top of her class, and she refused to abandon her best friends, even when everyone else did. In a world where girls are taught to be delicate and sweet, and any character that isn't is perceived as wrong, Hermione showed that a girl can be girly and a badass at the same time.

Ronald Weasley taught me that friendship truly is the greatest bond.

At first, I've wasn't too fond of Ron. Actually, I thought he was a bit of a jerk. Always fighting with Hermione, jealous of Harry, never a particularly outstanding wizard, and generally overshadowed by his two more talented friends. But, as I scrolled through Tumblr, I realized that there was more to Ron. Ron is the character that we can all relate to, because we've all felt jealous of someone who we think is more talented than us. In addition to that, Ron is a truly loyal friend. In Prisoner of Azkaban (3rd book), Ron stands on his broken leg in order to try to protect Harry from supposed mass murderer Sirius Black. Let me say that again. Ron stands on a broken leg in order to protect his friend. Now I've never broken my leg, but I imagine it hurts like hell, especially when standing on it. To go through that much pain for a friend is incredible.

Ginny Weasley taught me to create my own path.

Ginny Weasley is a great character whose strength rivals almost everyone else. Everyone always seems to forget that she was possessed by Lord Voldemort when she was eleven, and came out out of it relatively alright. It takes immense mental strength to go through an ordeal like that at such a young age, and to not break down. Also, like Hermione, Ginny is also a badass (remember the bat-bogey hex?), she is beautiful yet powerful, willing to be friends with the strange ones, and never give up in a guy who she thought was gone to her forever. Ginny doesn't conform to anyone's rules, being girly and strong at the same time.

Luna Lovegood taught me that weird is wonderful.

Otherwise known as Loony Lovegood, Luna is the "oddity" of Hogwarts school. She is teased by her peers, and even her friends have their suspicions about her sanity. But despite all this, Luna is kind to everyone she meets, and provides everyone with a refreshing perspective on their lives. Even when she was held captive in a dungeon for months, she never lost her positive spirit, and accepted her strangeness, becoming happy with herself.

Neville Longbottom taught me to be brave.

Most people would probably expect a character like Harry or Ron to teach me to be brave, but to me, the bravest character was Neville. Neville was the comedic relief for most of the books and the movies, and was bullied by many, not really having a true friend. But he showed incredible bravery throughout the series. In Philosopher's Stone (1st book), he attempted to stop the Golden Trio from leaving. I know from experience that it really is more difficult to stand up to your friends than it is your enemies, and it must have took a lot of effort for Neville to confront them. In Prisoner of Azkaban (3rd book), it is revealed that his greatest fear is Professor Snape, yet he is able to get up every day and spend an hour with him in class. In Goblet of Fire (4th book), Harry is told about the past of Neville's parents, and Neville still has the courage to face Bellatrix Lestrange in battle in Order of the Phoenix (5th book). Then, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione are busy hunting Horcruxes, he's helping to lead Dumbledore's Army in a secret battle against the Carrows (7th book), later killing a Horcrux himself. 

Draco Malfoy taught me that not all bad people are bad.

Draco was Harry's archnemesis at Hogwarts. Draco was a Slytherin, played on the opposite Quidditch team, and took every opportunity to taunt Harry and his friends. For most of the series, Draco was pretty one-sided. A arrogant, bullying jerk, who was hated by most. That being said, once he hit sixteen in Half-Blood Prince (6th book), we learn that he has been initiated into the Death Eaters, and has been assigned the task of killing Dumbledore. Throughout the book we see him slowly deteriorate into a shell of himself, the pressure nearly eating him alive. He cries in the girls bathroom, barely eats or sleeps, doesn't attend classes, and no longer hangs out with his best friends. When the big moment arrives, Draco can't do it. In the seventh book, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are captured and brought to Malfoy Manor, Draco pretends to not know who they are. He was trying to save them in the only way he knew how. Like Harry, he never had a choice.

Albus Dumbledore taught me that not all good people are good.

Albus Dumbledore is the champion of the less fortunate, treating all equally, even going so far as to hire a werewolf as a teacher. But, in the Deathly Hallows (7th book), after reading a biography written by notorious reporter Rita Skeeter, Harry learns that Dumbledore used to be friends with who is known as the second evilest wizard ever, Gellert Grindelwald. They used to plot about the enslavement of Muggles (non-magic folk), and their eventual reign as wizard kings. Although Albus decided to discontinue his questionable path, his childhood serves as a reminder that everyone has a little bad in them.

Lily Evans and Narcissa Malfoy taught me that a mother's love can conquer all.

Harry Potter was saved by a mother's love, not once, but twice. First when Lily Evans refused to step aside and tried to protect her son, and secondly when Narcissa Black lied to Voldemort in order to find out if her son was alive. Narcissa had no love for Harry, but she did love Draco, and it was her love for her son that saved Harry. Had she told the truth, the series would have had a much more different ending.

Percy Weasley taught me that in order to be forgiven, you must ask for forgiveness.

Percy Weasley was the third oldest child of the Weasley family, and the most career-driven one of them all. In Order of the Phoenix (5th book), it is revealed that he is no longer living with the Weasley's, and have instead become even more involved in the Ministry of Magic, believing that the Ministry is right, and that his father is wrong. Percy pretty much disappears until the end of the seventh book, where he admits that he was wrong, that he was sorry, and that he wants to be forgiven. He even duels his former boss in the final battle, and is accepted by the rest of his family, getting redeemed.

There are so many more lessons that these books have taught me, and the ten that I just listed are only a fraction of them. To anyone who says "they're just children's books", please know that they are so much more than that. These books portray very real issues that plague many of us today. I am fifteen now, and it has been eight years since I was first given the first book, and I have continued to read the series to this day. I can confidently say that these books will be a part of me for the rest of my life.

J.K Rowling, I'd like to thank you for everything that you have done for me and for everyone else who has love your books as much as I do.

I'd like to thank everyone for reading my first article and express my joy at being one of the newest members of the Wattmag family. Thank you for having me!