Seven Lessons to Learn from Harry Potter Books
I know today is Super Bowl Sunday, but because the Green Bay Packers are not playing, I will not be writing about that. I will still watch the game, but primarily for the commercials and to watch The Weeknd perform at halftime. It’s been a cold and blustery weather cycle recently, with an outdoor temperature of -11 as I write this, and this pattern is expected to continue for several more days. Therefore, let’s think about something to warm and cheer the heart; perhaps something with a little magic.
When I think about magic, I most often think of the Harry Potter books and movies. They are fun, but also are riddled with many important life lessons we all can gain takeaways from. Because there are seven books, I’ll be sharing seven lessons to learn from the book series, in its entirety. Heads up: if you haven’t yet read the books or seen the movies, there are spoilers ahead, so please be aware of that as you continue reading.
Magical Life Matters We Encounter
1. With true friends, we can get through nearly anything.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron managed to quite often get into more than their fair share of scrapes, but no matter what, they did it together. The fact is, no matter what the adventure, when times got tough, they stuck together. While at the beginning of the book series it is about lighter subjects such as Quidditch and the hijinks of school bullies, as the books move forward, we feel a much darker tone begin to set in. The closer we get to the ending, the more family and friends the trio has lost in the battle against evil. Although at times they do fight amongst each other and have their differences (as all loved ones do at times), they nonetheless always show up when it is needed most. In addition, they continually are able to find comfort together as they support each other through whatever they encounter. Albus Dumbledore reminded Harry this with, “You are protected, in short, by your ability to love.” Those of us that have true, ride-or-die family and friends in our corners are truly the lucky ones. I know I certainly got lucky with this.
2. We must be careful in choosing our friends.
Conversely, not everyone we meet will be a friend. Some people we simply don’t mesh with, due to no fault of either party. And that’s ok, not everyone is meant to be a part of our lives.
Other people have self-agendas or a false persona, meaning they end up not being who we thought they were. Be very careful, as it is easy to get hurt or taken advantage by these people. For example, in public appearances, Harry’s aunt (Petunia Dursley), uncle (Vernon Dursley), and cousin (Dudley Dursley) appeared the epitome of kindness and support to Harry. But if you are aware of the storyline, you know the opposite is true and behind closed doors they did anything they could to sabotage Harry’s life and make him miserable. They even tried to stop him from going to Hogwarts, which ended up changing the course of his entire life and allowing him to reach his highest potential personally (and magically).
We might assume that was because Harry’s aunt and uncle didn’t want anyone to find out about the abuse they had been inflicting on Harry throughout the years. Although one can’t pick their family, Harry had the self-awareness and strength (along with the help of true friends) to know he deserved better, so he took the chance to get “out” of his situation the first opportunity he got. This can be extended to friendship. If a situation or a relationship becomes toxic, it’s time to get out. No matter how alone we as humans sometimes feel, it is crucial we remember that there is always an abundance of wonderful, healthy people in this world for us to spend our time and energies on. As Sirius Black said, “We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.”
3. Don’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it.
Sometimes in life we can all use a little help. Some of us (myself included) at times find it difficult to ask for help because we pride ourselves on being strong and independent so we want to “figure it out ourselves”. But there are times we simply can’t, and there is nothing wrong with asking for help when we need it. For example, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, there is no way Harry would have gotten the Sorcerer’s Stone without help from his friends Ron and Hermione. All three of them utilized their unique talents and abilities to succeed (i.e. Harry’s ability to see the bigger picture of what was at stake and his Quidditch broom-flying skills, Hermione’s knowledge of spells and potions, Ron’s chess skills and willingness to self-sacrifice for the greater good).
Harry recognized that in the fight between good and evil, he had no choice but to get the Sorcerer’s stone so that Voldemort could not, but if any one of those three people had not participated in this endeavor, they would have faced certain failure. In those times of life in which we are called to fight, it is important to pull in some backup. After all, as Albus Dumbledore said, “We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.”
4. Having a close-knit family is always better than wealth and riches.
Ron Weasley’s family was #goals. They were there for each other no matter what and the comradery, loyalty, and respect could be felt by each one of them, as well as all those around them. They even took Harry and Hermione in as their own. However, Ron’s family was also very poor. Compare this to Harry, who was extremely wealthy by inheritance, but whose adoptive aunt, uncle, and cousin were extremely cruel to him. Not everyone will agree with me, but I’ll take a close family over money any day. Regardless of what some people say, I firmly believe one cannot buy (real) love.
5. Not naming (or talking) about something will not make it go away.
There is a common theme surrounding the taboo of saying “Voldemort” aka “He Who Shall Not Be Named.” Even though people wouldn’t talk about it because they were so scared of him, Voldemort still made his way back to torture everyone. I like to think of this as a larger commentary on why we should never run away from our problems. We can refuse to talk about them and hope they magically go away, but we will end up disappointed. Eventually, those problems always return, and most often they end up being more severe than if we had dealt with them right away.
What serves as “Voldemort” in your own life? It’s different for each one of us. Find it and discuss it, and perhaps you’ll even defeat it.
6. Not everyone is as they appear.
In the same grain of not judging a book by its cover, we shouldn’t judge a person by appearances. People have a lot more going on than meets the eye, both good and bad. Sometimes the hero ends up actually being the villain (or vice versa), the annoying know-it-all develops into your best friend, or that person you’re always bickering with becomes the love of your life. Life is full of surprises, and people are no exception.
Who would have guessed Snape would have ended up being the good guy who no matter what, was silently and secretly watching Harry’s back and protecting him, all the while pretending quite the opposite was true? For those of you familiar with these books, here was what I found the most touching moment of the entire book series: “Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded, he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears." After all this time?" "Always," said Snape.”
7. Never, ever, ever give up.
By destroying the Horcrux within himself and dying in order to save everyone else, Harry sacrificed himself for others. When all seemed dark and hopeless, Harry faced his own destruction head-on. Eventually he ended up getting through the other side of it all and back to life. While there are a variety of different fan-theories to explain what really happened and how Harry survived, the takeaway here is that he never stopped fighting for what he believed in and all the people he cared about. As Albus Dumbledore said, “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Always remember, no matter what life throws at us, we must never give up.
Sometimes We All Could Use A Little Magic
Life is undeniably hard, but it’s a lot harder if we attempt to go at it alone. And while we can’t all conjure up the same literal magic that Harry and his friends did, the world is still a place filled with figurative magic and wonder. Never give up hope and never give up on yourself. There are many more people who care and depend on you than you even realize.
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Cheers until next time,
Crystal
