While the Harry Potter series might not have been focused on romance, there were many different couples during the course of the series. Since the books followed Harry’s life over the course of seven years, seeing him date and seeing the other people around him in relationships only makes sense.
While every fan has their individual favorite couples from the series, there are generally some couples that fans really loved and others that fans weren’t that excited about. We’ve put together a list of four relationships from the Harry Potter series that fans supported and six that they rejected.
REJECTED: SNAPE AND LILY
This is a relationship that was fraught with issues, as many have pointed out. Snape couldn’t let go of his feelings for Lily, even after she married another man. The fact that he was still so focused on her makes us feel just a little uncomfortable on some levels.
Plus, he was literally a Death Eater, and she was really the only person he cared about. He was never really a good character, but he had misplaced and misguided love for Lily. Overall, it could be argued that the dynamic was pretty problematic and not romantic at all.
SUPPORTED: LILY AND JAMES
In contrast to Lily and Snape, fans have mostly been fully behind Lily and James. While James might have made mistakes in his youth and wasn’t a perfect person, they were a good match. The two of them were both extremely passionate about fighting against Voldemort and doing the right thing.
They were both members of the Order of the Phoenix. Plus, there is every indication that they were really in love and happy together.
REJECTED: RON AND HERMIONE
This one is a relationship that fans are somewhat divided on. However, as time has gone on, fans have become less convinced that this relationship would have lasted. Given the relationship dynamic presented between the two of them in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, many fans are even more sure they shouldn’t have been together.
While they might have cared about each other, their personalities are just so different. Even as friends their dynamic was never super healthy.
SUPPORTED: ARTHUR AND MOLLY
Arthur and Molly are one of the longest-lasting relationships in the seris. These two have been married for years and built a family together ( a huge one at that). They are one of the few examples Harry has of an adult couple that is supportive and healthy.
It’s clear these two are in love with each other, and their personalities seem to complement each other. While they might have some small spats here and there, as every couple does, they have a happy family that they are both super committed to.
REJECTED: TONKS AND LUPIN
This is another relationship that people have some mixed opinions on. While most fans love both of these characters, their relationship seemed to come a little bit out of left field. In fact, most of the time their relationship didn’t seem to make either of them happy and brought out the worst in them.
Lupin’s insecurity about Tonks dating him --because he was a werewolf-- caused a lot of strife. This relationship also seemed to suck a lot of life out of Tonks, too.
SUPPORTED: HARRY AND GINNY
Harry and Ginny definitely could have used some more development in the books. However, seeing as the series wasn’t ever really about romance, this makes sense. Ginny might be underrated and deserve to get her due, but she and Harry were a sweet couple.
She had a strong enough personality to put up with Harry’s more over-the-top tendencies. She was also a more grounded and stable presence, which is definitely something Harry would need as he developed a more stable life and a family of his own.
REJECTED: HARRY AND CHO
Cho Chang is another Harry Potter character who definitely deserved better. Harry really didn’t treat her very well during their short attempt at dating. He wasn’t mature enough to handle the way she was grieving over Cedric Diggory.
Given that they were both young teenagers at the time, it makes sense these emotions were too much to handle. However, it’s unfortunate that Cho was presented in a bit of a negative light after their relationship ended. This is heightened in the movies, in which Cho betrays Dumbledore's Army (under the effects of Veritaserum) instead of Marietta.
SUPPORTED: BILL AND FLEUR
Bill and Fleur might have been a couple that other characters weren’t supportive of at first, but they proved they really loved each other. While Fleur was seen as shallow by other members of Bill’s family, she showed that her loyalty and love for Bill was much deeper than looks after he was attacked by Fenrir Greyback.
These two had a sweet relationship and made a good couple, and their relationship was more than just shallow. It would've been nice to have seen more of them.
REJECTED: DUMBLEDORE AND GRINDELWALD
This is an unfortunate couple to have to put on the list as it’s the only LGBT+ relationship in the series, even if it was only talked about outside of the books. However, many fans were upset by the fact that this relationship was so tragic and not a positive one.
They also felt that having the only canon LGBT+ characters be mentioned outside of the books was unfair. Overall, it’s not exactly the best way to include representation. Some fans wish this topic would have been handled much better and were hoping for more.
REJECTED: RON AND LAVENDER
Ron and Lavender are another short-lived relationship during Harry’s time at Hogwarts, and this is definitely a good thing. These two were awful as a couple. Ron didn’t treat Lavender very well, and he wouldn’t be honest with her when he wanted to break up with her.
He also really only started dating her to get back at Hermione, which was unfair to both Hermione and Lavender. Lavender was also often rude to Hermione and overly jealous. So, overall, the dynamic in this relationship was not healthy, nor was it written to be that way.