For Potterheads like myself, Harry Potter wasn't just a book series; it was everything. As Harry began his journey as a wizard, we all eagerly awaited our own Hogwarts acceptance letters (many of us still are). Hedwig's Theme was our musical anthem, and our loyalties lay in support of our desired Hogwart's House.

Together we defended the Stone, found the Chamber, rescued the Prisoner, were chosen by the Goblet, learned from the Prince and mastered the Hallows. And we solemnly swear that we are up to no good, so it's a good thing The Potter Generation learned quite a few lessons from the series along the way.

1. Happy thoughts are a powerful force

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light." –Albus Dumbledore

Harry Potter wouldn't have been, well, Harry Potter without a dementor attempting to suck all the life and happiness out of The Boy Who Lived and his friends every chapter or so. These foul prison guards of Azkaban are the epitome of darkness, creating an ambiance of coldness, misery and despair, but even these evil forces can be thwarted with just one powerful emotion: happiness. By filling their mind with one simple, happy memory, absolutely anyone is capable of conjuring a patronous and protecting themselves in the darkest of times.

2. There is more to people than meets the eye

"Besides, the world isn't split up into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us." –Sirius Black

The old saying "never judge a book by its cover" has been used hundreds of times over, yet the circumstances in this book series truly allow us to appreciate its meaning. A towering half-giant may turn out to be a kindhearted, loyal and gentle friend, while the awkward, nervous new teacher may be harboring the Dark Lord in his turban. The bitter, cold-hearted potions master may sacrifice everything to protect love, and the clumsy, forgetful young teenage boy may rise up to be the bravest of them all. People are not always what they seem.

3. Animals are great companions

"I tell you, that dragon is the most horrible animal I've ever met, but the way Hagrid goes on about it, you'd think it was a fluffy little bunny rabbit. When I left, he was singing it a lullaby." –Ron Weasley

This is a lesson most of us may have learned with or without the Harry Potter series, but there was something incredibly magical about watching Harry soar over The Great Lake on Buckbeak's back or stroke Hedwig's feathers after a long day. Hedwig was one of Harry's first friends; she was by his side from the very beginning until the very end. And Crookshanks may not have been the prettiest or the perkiest cat around, but having him curl up on your lap while you do your Charms homework in the common room sure sounds lovely. Let's be real, by the time the series came to an end, we all had at least one Snowy Owl stuffed animal.

4. Money can't buy you happiness

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. " –Albus Dumbledore

We've all been told time and time again that money isn't everything. And it's not, but seeing Harry unlocking a vault full of galleons and spending it on massive amounts of candy (life goal: try every single one of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans) may have sparked the inner gold-digger in all of us. No matter how much money he has, though, Harry will never be able to buy the thing he yearns for most: his family. Ron Weasley, on the flip side, has grown up in hand-me-down clothes and just barely enough money to get by, but he comes from a household filled with love and livelihood. Harry may not have parents, but at least he has Chocolate Frogs...right?

5. Courage comes in different shapes and sizes

"Anything is possible if you've got enough nerve." –Ginny Weasley

It takes a special kind of bravery to seek out Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest, but the Harry Potterbooks show us that courage is complex. Neville stood up to his friends when they were breaking the rules, and Hermione continued to fight for what she believed in (#ElfLivesMatter). Hagrid the half-giant stayed by Harry's side from the beginning until the end, and Dobby the house-elf defied his masters to protect Harry and his friends. You don't have to be a Gryffindor to display courage, after all.

6. Love is a powerful weapon

"Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love." –Albus Dumbledore

Love may be one of the closest things we have to magic in the Muggle world, so it is only fitting that it has special powers in the wizarding world too! We can't possibly win over everyone, but Harry's journey showed us that love triumphs over hate. Even in the face of Voldemort's constant death threats and the dangers of a magical universe at war, Harry Potter's family and friends were always there for him, helping him make it through each day. And of course, our hearts were incredibly touched (yet broken) when Harry's story revealed that the only known counter-curse to the murderous "Avada Kedavra" is a mother's love.

7. Patience is a virtue

"I did my waiting! 12 years of it! In Azkaban!" –Sirius Black

When it comes to patience, the Harry Potter Generation is one group of people that certainly needed a lot of it. For most of us, the series was still being written and transformed into movies while we were reading it, so between book and movie releases, there sure was a lot of waiting around. We flew through 652 pages of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in less than a week, only to find out that the next book would not be released for another two and a half years. The audacity! We may not have waited 12 years in Azkaban like Sirius Black, but it sure felt like it sometimes. But as we sat down with our shiny new Harry Potter books and delved into the magic inside, we all learned that some things are worth the wait.

8. Hell hath no fury like an angry mother

"Not my daughter, you b****" –Molly Weasley

This is a lesson that appears time and time again in Rowling's magical masterpiece, and it resonates with us every time. A mother is a forced to be recokned with. Lily Potter, Narcissa Malfoy and Molly Weasley all showed their maternal strength as they protected their children in the face of death. When Molly Weasley, the sweet middle-aged mother of seven who loves making Christmas sweaters, screamed at and battled the villanous Bellatrix Lestrange, our minds were blown. Petition for the famed "mama bear instinct" to just be called "The Molly Weasley" from now on?

9. Trust your elders

"You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts...but you cannot deny he's got style." –Phineas Nigellus Black

Of all the quotes I've accumulated in diaries over the years, 99 percent of them come from none other than Albus Dumbledore himself. Whenever Harry found himself in a difficult situation, we could always rely on Dumbledore to give profound advice or a wise anecdote. Dumbledore wasn't always upfront with what exactly was going on, but he always seemed to be a man with a plan. He was also a man who had lived for over a century, so it was fair to say he had learned a thing or two during his lifetime. Ten points to Dumbledore!

10. Correct pronunciation is crucial

"It's Levi-O-sa, not Levio-sar!" –Hermione Granger

In the Wizarding World, one wrong syllable and the next thing you know you're flying into Knockturn Alley diagonally instead of going to "Diagon Alley." Talk about an uncomfortable situation! We may not have the exact same problem in the Muggle World, but people will most certainly appreciate it if you say their names right. So the next time a substitute teacher pronounces your name wrong during attendance, channel your inner Hermione Granger and shamelessly correct them.

11.Pretty in pink isn't always what it seems

"You know, I really hate children." –Dolores Umbridge

Two words: Dolores Umbridge. At the surface, Umbridge was a sweet, middle-aged woman with an inclination for all things pretty and pink, but on the inside, she was the embodiment of pure evil. Umbridge saw Harry as a pest and treated him with so much condescension that all of us cringed every time she opened her mouth. Throughout the entirety of the series, there were only two villains who left a lasting physical scar on Harry: Voldemort and Umbridge. It might be mean to say that we wanted her dead more than Voldemort, but, well...we must not tell lies.

12. Respect makes a difference

"“If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” – Sirius Black

The Wizarding World is filled with creatures big and small, with all different shapes and colors, and that is one thing that our Muggle society has in common. But despite the differences, our favorite wizards always treated the creatures around them with kindness and as equals, from the tiniest house elf to the burliest giant. The most powerful leaders in the Potter universe were not the loudest or the proudest, but rather the kindest who garnered support from creatures of all backgrounds.

13. Laughter is the best medicine

"We did it, we bashed them, wee Potter’s the one, and Voldy’s gone moldy, so now let’s have fun!" –Peeves

Living in a world terrorized by a soul-less cult leader can have its dark, terrifying times, but fortunately, Fred and George were always there to provide some necessary comic relief. Even in the most unfortunate situations, Fred and George's laughter and pranks were always an effective pick-me-up for Harry and the other students and Hogwarts. You know, so they could be more efficient at saving the world. Scientists have proven that laughing makes you live longer, so with Fred and George around, there was never a need for Horcruxes to make us immortal.

14. True friendship has an unbreakable bond

"But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a 12 foot mountain troll is one of them." –J.K Rowling

An unlikely trio to begin with, Harry, Ron and Hermione proved time and time again that real friendship forges and unbreakable bond. Together they faced mountain trolls and dragons, Death Eaters and Dark Lords. Whenever Harry found himself in a troubling situation, Ron and Hermione were right by his side, taking on the world. When your best friend would sacrifice himself to a lethal chess set for you, you know it's real. With true friends, it doesn’t matter if you argue over a new broomstick or accidentally swallow a love potion because, at the end of the day, they’ll always have your back.

15.Celebrate your individuality

“I am what I am, an’ I’m not ashamed. ‘Never be ashamed,’ my ol’ dad used ter say, ‘there’s some who’ll hold it against you, but they’re not worth botherin’ with.’ An’ he was right.” –Rubeus Hagrid

Harry Potter, at its root, is a story about being true to yourself. At the start, Harry is a boy who is constantly shut down and told he's worthless. But then a friendly half-giant knocks down his door and introduces him to the world where he belongs. Even when he is surrounded by people who share his abilities, it is Harry's trueness to his beliefs that makes him such an impenetrable force against Voldemort, time and time again. Fred and George go against what society tells them to do, quit school and open their own successful joke shop; Hagrid openly embraces his half-giant heritage in a world that persecutes him for it. And Luna Lovegood, the quirkiest Ravenclaw of them all, showed us that even if your head is full of Wrackspurts, being yourself is far more exciting than being someone else.

16. Knowledge is power

"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could have been killed, or worse, expelled!" –Hermione Granger

The Golden Trio ended up using charms and potions lessons from Hogwarts so save the day more than once, and Hermione's book-smarts and wit transformed her into one of the most influential witches of her time. School and education are vital; where else would you learn that powdered bicorn horn is the secret ingredient in Polyjuice Potion?

17. ...But intelligence isn't everything

"“Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery" –Hermione Granger

Hermione was always the one doing heavy research to figure out the circumstances and solve problems. Ron and Harry, on the other hand, may not have been the brains of the group, but their courage often overcame troubles in ways Hermione's textbooks never could. Not everyone in Dumbledore's Army was a Ravenclaw, and not every single one of them got straight O's on their O.W.L.s, but that never made them any less as people. Even in the Potter universe, grades do not define you.

18. Magic exists, even for us muggles

"We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better." –J.K Rowling

It's cheesy, I know, but we all have the opportunity to experience magic in our lives. While we may not be conjuring patronouses with our phoenix feather and holly wands, we all have the power to shine a light in the dark and change the world with our powerful minds and our imaginations. There is magic in little things: traveling, reading, writing and friendship and in any activity that allows our hearts to soar. Magic in the "Muggle World" is like a Golden Snitch – if we seek hard enough, we will catch it.

So for those of us who began and ended our childhood with The Boy Who Lived, fear not, because the magic lives on inside all of us. It has been almost a decade since the final Harry Potter book was released, but the magic of Harry Potter is timeless.

After all this time?