If you've ever read the "Harry Potter" books or seen the movies, you know there are a lot of lessons to be learned from the story. I grew up with the "Harry Potter" series, and I will always be a big fan of both the movies and the books. Now I want to share a few lessons that I have learned from my time reading the books and watching the movies.

1. Family isn't always by blood.

The Weasleys quickly became the closest thing Harry had to an actual family, showing that blood doesn't make a family, love does.

2. Being book smart is good, but some things can be better.

While there are many, many times when Hermione’s book smarts undoubtedly saved Harry and Ron, sometimes Harry and Ron’s bravery and courage got them further than Hermione’s book smarts got her.

3. Pink isn't always pretty.

One can bathe in pink paint, yet still just be an ugly pink toad. Need I say more?

4. Sometimes we have to make the toughest choices for the ones we love.

Hermione removed all memories of herself from her parents to save them, Harry stranded Ginny to save her, and Ron left his family to protect them. Sometimes we have to make a difficult choice to protect the ones we love.

5. Money can't always buy happiness.

Did the Malfoys seem like a peachy happy family to you? Sure, money isn’t a bad thing to have, but it can’t buy a person's happiness. Harry inherited a vault full of gold coins because his parents left it to him when they died. But which do you think he’d rather have? A vault full of coins or his parents alive and happy again?

6. Confidence and bravery are two very different things.

Gilderoy Lockhart is a prime example. While he had an extreme level of confidence, anyone who has read or seen "Chamber of Secrets" can tell you that he was about as brave as an opossum. Where did his overly large head land him? A room in St. Mungo’s, a worthless series of books, and he was fired from Hogwarts.

7. There is always more to something, or someone, than meets the eye.

Take Siruis Black, for instance. The entire wizarding and muggle worlds thought he was a murderer for well over a decade, yet at the end, we find out he was really a caring, great person trying to avenge the death of his best friends. To top it off, he was framed for murder by someone he thought was his friend who everyone thought was dead. Talk about not judging a book by its cover.

8. Sometimes your worst enemy can become your greatest ally.

While Snape was awful to Harry and every other student who wasn't in Slytherin, in the end, Harry's story wouldn't have been the same without him. Yes, he was awful, but he had to keep up appearances until the very end. Without him, Harry wouldn't have received crucial information to help destroy Voldemort.

9. Love is the strongest power of them all.

Love is the one power Voldemort didn't take into account when he tried to kill the Potters, and ultimately, it was his downfall. Love always wins out in the end, and it always will. Always.

10. It doesn't matter what you were born into; the only thing that matters is what you choose to be.

Narcissa Malfoy is a prime example of this in my opinion. She was born into an extremely elitist pureblood family, yet she made the choice to save Harry's life. Yes, she made some bad choices, but who hasn't in their lives? She made the choice and left the Death Eaters with her family.

11. A friend will help you get out when you're in trouble, but a best friend will be right by your side getting into trouble with you.

Harry, Ron and Hermione are best friends from the start, and nobody can deny that they got into a lot of trouble while at school. The one thing that is obvious is just how close the three became over their years at Hogwarts. From the troll that brought them together to camping in the forests trying to find Horcruxes, they stuck together until the end.

12. Never ever underestimate the love a mother has for her children.

Lily Potter, Molly Weasley, Narcissa Malfoy and many, many more. A mother's love for her child is one of the strongest forces of all. It is the reason Harry is alive. He was first saved from Voldemort by his own mother, then he was saved from the Dursleys and given love by Molly, then saved again from Voldemort by Narcissa. Never get between a mother and her child, or you will pay the price.

13. There will always be light in dark times.

No matter what happens or how dark your life may get, there will always be a light if you remember to turn it on.

14. If you lose something, it will always find its way back to you in the end.

Much like Luna's shoes and other belongings in the fifth movie and book, everything that is lost will return in the end. It may not always be the way you expect, but they will come back.

15. McGonagall was the best teacher, hands down.

McGonagall was one of the best teachers at Hogwarts in my opinion. She was strict but fair, and she would not tolerate anyone doing harm to her students. Maggie Smith will always be the perfect Professor McGonagall.

16. The easy choice is hardly ever the right choice.

"Soon we must face the choice between what is right and what is easy." Just because something is easy doesn't mean it's right. Most of the time, the right choice is actually the most difficult. But if you make the choice to do the right thing, it will be worth it.

17. Even in the midst of a dark time, people can always use a good laugh.

This can clearly be seen with Fred and George's joke shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. There is a war happening around them, and half the alley is shut down, yet they are booming with business. Clearly they are doing something right.

18. The ones we love never truly leave us.

As Siruis reminded us at the end of "Prisoner of Azkaban," the ones we love are always with us in our hearts. As long as you keep the memory of someone alive, they will never truly be gone.

19. Every person has the potential to be amazing.

"Every great wizard in history started out as nothing more than what we are now, students. If they can do it, why not us?" Oh how very true this is and I think we all need to remember this. Every single great person in history was a student at some point in their life. If they can make something of themselves, why can't you?

20. Hogwarts will always be there to welcome us home.

"Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home."