Luna Lovegood

If there was any Harry Potter character that reminds us that the world isn’t that bad, with silver linings always to be found, it’s Luna Lovegood. The kind and eccentric Ravenclaw may have been made fun of at Hogwarts (her nickname “Loony” leaps to mind) but Luna’s only crime was having an open mind.

Her matter-of-fact attitude to some of the darker moments in her life were encouraging to read (and watch!) so that we always felt calm in Luna’s company.

From talking about the death of her mother (“She was a quite extraordinary witch, you know, but she did like to experiment...”) to having her possessions stolen by horrible Hogwarts students (“They’ll come back, they always do in the end...”) Luna could always see the bright side no matter what.

The lesson Luna teaches us: remember that things can and will get better.

Hermione Granger

Hermione was always a logical thinker, which meant she often had wise, practical solutions to problems. Good thing she was friends with Harry Potter, then, who tended to have quite a few problems for her to help solve.

Due to her incredible mind, Hermione reminds us that there’s always an answer to the many conundrums life throws at us, even if we can’t immediately think of the answer.

Sure, Hermione got upset like all of us do, but she was always a tower of strength to her friends. For example, she was a dabhand at ignoring the catty comments of Draco Malfoy, while idle Hogwarts gossip about her was like water off a duck’s back. She was also very good at telling Harry and Ron to ignore the more minor irritations of life – always focusing on the things that were more important.

The pivotal moment from the Harry Potter stories, which really showed us how much inner personal strength Hermione had, was during the camping trip of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where Hermione was constantly on-hand to think of clever spells or words of encouragement during their search for Horcruxes. When Ron left the camp for a while, Hermione still managed to find the will to carry on, even when all hope seemed lost. This didn’t stop her from giving Ron a piece of her mind when he returned, though. And rightly so.

The lesson Hermione teaches us: no hurdle is too big to overcome.

Arthur Weasley

Good old Arthur Weasley never failed to put a smile on our faces when he turned up, always exuding a cheery disposition and easy-going attitude. If he wanted to, Arthur could’ve complained about a lot, such as his job not paying enough at the Ministry, or the unruliness of his sons Fred and George. But Arthur simply got on with it, and as a father of seven children, we were always impressed at his never-ending patience.

When Arthur was attacked during the events of Order of the Phoenix, we readers were deeply upset and worried about Ron’s dad – but thankfully – he was okay. In fact, in such good spirits was Arthur, that he even tried out Muggle stitches in the hospital for his injuries.

That’s another thing we love about Arthur – he was always so welcoming of the Muggle community – although Mrs Wealsey was none-too-pleased about the Muggle stitches.

The lesson Arthur teaches us: challenges in life come to all of us! It’s your choice how you react to them.

Scorpius Malfoy

When we first met Scorpius on the Hogwarts Express in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, we were surprised to learn that Draco Malfoy’s son was actually quite nice. Thank Merlin that Albus Potter, Harry’s middle-son, met him. Scorpius’s always upbeat and proud-to-be-geeky attitude was exactly the tonic that Albus needed to get through the challenges of Hogwarts life – always ready with a sarcastic comment or even a little song about sweets.

Scorpius would always have a clever quip about whatever perilous situation the pair found themselves in, and despite his nervous disposition, he always knew he would be OK with his best mate by his side.

The lesson Scorpius taught us: approaching life’s darker moments with a sense of humour can really help.

Dobby

This list would not be complete without darling Dobby, so here he is! It took a while for Dobby to fully embrace the joys of life (being the Malfoy family’s house-elf for many years certainly didn’t help) but once he found his freedom, via the medium of a smelly sock, he was always around to give help to those who needed it. Particularly for Harry, Dobby always made sure he had what he needed, whether that was simply advice, or, you guessed it, more socks.

We won’t bring up Dobby’s emotional final moment too much, because we may well up while writing this. But always remember that Dobby’s selfless good deeds brought out the kindness of others in more ways than one.

The lesson Dobby taught us: Spread a little joy to someone else’s life to find your own inner-joy.

Colin Creevey

Our snap-happy Colin was a Hogwarts student bursting with enthusiasm, always around to document every magical moment. Born to Muggle parents, along with his brother Dennis, Colin just couldn’t believe his eyes when he joined Hogwarts, (who can blame him?) and Harry Potter quickly became his favourite subject.

Colin’s positivity can be summed up, quite simply, by his reaction to his brother falling into the Great Lake.

‘Colin, I fell in!’ he said shrilly, throwing himself into an empty seat. ‘It was brilliant! And something in the water grabbed me and pushed me back in the boat!’ ‘Cool!’ said Colin, just as excitedly. ‘It was probably the giant squid, Dennis!’
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The lesson Colin taught us: Life is a celebration!

Newt Scamander

We finish off with our hero from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Magizoologist supreme Newt Scamander. Newt’s shyness made him an unlikely hero, but his respect for magical creatures and gentle nature simply revealed how patient and just he was in other walks of life.

We also saw this attitude when he met Jacob Kowalski, being sure to treat a No-Maj like his equal – something that some wizards (especially in the 1920s) struggled to do.

This open-minded nature and compassionate manner shouldn’t come as a surprise: Newt is, after all, a Hufflepuff.

Our favourite quote from Newt that perfectly sums up his way of thinking about things? “My philosophy is that worrying means you suffer twice.”

The lesson Newt taught us: apply kindness and care to everything you do.