If there is one thing that most millenials can agree on, it’s that Harry Potter was a big part of our lives and upbringing. We grew up going to midnight book release parties and midnight movie premieres, we discussed them with our friends and family, and it most importantly it taught us some essential life lessons.

1. It taught us about friendship.

The friendship formed between these characters was a bond that lasted a lifetime and was passed on to the next generation. These were the friendships that inspired us throughout our lives and made us want to have friendships much the same as theirs.

2. There is always hope.

No matter how dark things get, their is always the hope that things would get better.

3. You never know what someone else is going through.

It was so easy to hate a character like Draco Malfoy, but as the series continued you learned exactly how much weight was put on him by the expectations of his family and the survival of his family.

4. Never underestimate a mother’s love.

Lily gave her life to protect her son, casting a spell with her last breath to save the life of her child. But she was not the only mother to make a sacrifice for her child. Narcissa Malfoy, Draco’s mother, sacrificed her beliefs for her son. When the time came and she learned her son was still alive, she lied to the man who she saw as God equivalent for the chance to see her son and escape the war with her family. And who can forget Molly Weasley, who put her family above everything else.

5. Never underestimate a child’s love for their family.

Hermione took her parents’ memories of her in an attempt to protect them from being hunted down by Voldemort. She even sent them away to Australia so there was less of a chance for them to be found by a dark wizard.

6. You don’t need to share blood to be family.

Sirius Black broke out of prison for the sake of Harry knowing the truth of what happened to his parents and for him to know there was someone out there who loved him and wanted to take care of him. Molly Weasley basically took over as his mother. Dumbledore made sure to take every precaution in protecting him, even Severus Snape protected him in his own way.

7. Your enemy may not actually be your enemy.

After the sixth book we all believed Snape to have been an enemy all along, however, we soon learned that was not the case. That Snape was a true ally all along.

8. Sometimes, your friend is not really your friend.

Anyone who has watched and/or read this series knows the story of Peter Pettigrew. So I won’t go into it in order to avoid spoilers.

9. Life is harder than death.

Dumbledore explained it to Harry pretty well. You shouldn’t pity the dead because they aren’t the ones who struggle, their battles are over and they are at peace. It’s the living that needs pity, their the ones who struggle because their battles are still going on.

10. Love can defeat anything.

Snape’s love for Lily, Lily’s love for her son, and Harry’s love for his friends; it was love that protected all of those who survived in this series. And what allowed for good to triumph over evil.