Draco Malfoy: or rather, what Harry Potter could have been. Living with the Dursleys, no one could really have blamed him. I mean, who is Draco Malfoy but the Dudley Dursley of Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Think about it. You take a child and put them in the worst-case scenario for development and what else would you expect?

But there’s something different about Harry Potter, isn’t there? A courage, definitely; and talent, yes, plenty of that. But there’s something else that contributed to Harry’s success that matters more than these two things, important though they may be to his success. What is that’s you ask? His Friends.

Some may be seen as merely allies: Minerva McGonagall; Severus Snape, but what is an ally if not a friend? Others are easy, brave Ron; the ever-capable Hermione Granger; and the stalwart winter soldier himself, the sword of Godric Gryffindor-wielding Neville Longbottom. Still others come from an unexpected place, the half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, sweet and strong. And let us not forget the formidable Albus Dumbledore. Still, there are others, many others. Sirius Black; Remus Lupin; the entire Weasley clan for that matter, and more.

It seems it takes more than talent and hard work to succeed and overcome the challenges of life. It would appear that the relationships you choose will likely have more of an impact on your future than you could ever know, so please, choose wisely. At Lighthouse Tattoo we feel that way about choosing your tattoo artist as well.

Draco and Dudley seemed to learn the error of their ways as they matured, after having incurred a significant amount of regret and then foolishly doubling down before coming to terms with their mistakes. While the lessons learned will never be forgotten and it’s good they were learned at all, the pain of that wisdom gained will live with them forever. Don’t be a Draco or Dudley. Give Lighthouse Tattoo a chance to show you what the best in tattooing in Middle Tennessee has to offer, you don’t want to have to learn it the hard way!