Greatness is often spawned of humble beginnings, and it came as a major shock to fantasy fans the world over when a young, struggling, single mother from the United Kingdom managed to pen one of the most transformative, imaginative series of young adult novels in recent memory.

J. K. Rowling is, of course, a world-renown best selling author these days for creating the Harry Potter series. However, not unlike the young orphan boy who’s story made her so famous, she spent many of her formative years in relative turmoil.

Of course, as all Potter fans know, the tales both lived and written by Rowling are ones of triumph, joy, and perseverance.

The Harry Potter series has gone on to be adapted into a set of eight beloved movies, as well as a slew of video games, amusement park rides, lego sets, and much more.

Though a mere twenty years ago it was little more than a burgeoning concept struggling to take hold, the story of Rowling’s magical trio of friends will live on for plenty of years to come.

Yet, though so much good has come from these books, this is not to say that they are completely devoid of flaws. The series stumbles in some places and suffers from a few strange quirks.

However, one of the most hotly contested issues among Potter fans concerns the plot’s romantic ultimatum - a not-insignificant minority of fans remain dissatisfied with Harry’s marriage to Ginny Weasley, and there are tons of reasons to question Cupid's decision concerning this wizarding wedlock.

Here are the 20 Things About Harry And Ginny's Relationship That Make No Sense.

Ginny is Harry’s Best Friend’s Sister

Harry, Ron, and Ginny sharing a plate of pumpkin pasties at Christmas

They say that all is fair in love and war, and that might ring especially true to a couple that has seen their fair share of both.

Yet, an equally true proverb posits something along the lines of “don’t marry your best friend’s sister.” That may be a bit of an adlib, but many Potter fans questioned the strain that may have been placed on Harry and Ron’s relationship after the Boy Who Lived wifed-up his mate’s sibling.

While this does happen from time to time, it might be hard for Ron to look Harry in the eye knowing just how much of his sister his lifelong pal has seen.

Many fans have wondered whether Ron was really okay with Harry getting together with his younger sister.

Ginny Was Only A Background Character Until The End Of The Series

The Harry Potter series is host to some of the most memorable characters in all of fiction.

From Hagrid, the lovable half-giant Hogwarts groundskeeper, to the awe-inspiring school headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Rowling has managed to place some of her creations among the likes of Gandalf the Gray and Darth Vader in terms of pop-culture prominence.

However, Ginny Weasley is hardly among the most memorable characters from the series, and she was essentially a background character until the very end of the published franchise.

Her reputation as a non-entity was worsened by her portrayal in the movies, though the criticism holds water regardless.

Why would Harry fall for someone who was possessed by his arch nemesis?

While it’s true that Ginny was little more than a hapless marionette controlled by the devious puppet master Tom Riddle, it’s still a bit strange that Harry Potter, of all people, went on to marry a girl who essentially spent a year of her life possessed by Lord Voldemort.

Again, the atrocious acts committed by poor Ginevra Weasley weren’t of her own fruition, and she more than made up for them with her subsequent heroic actions, but it still has to be just a little weird being married to a woman who was once under the total control of your mortal enemy.

Is she still a sleeper agent for the Dark Lord? We're pretty certain that she isn't. However, can we ever really be sure?

Ginny and Neville made a better couple

Hermione Harry Neville

Fans dissatisfied with some of the aspects of the ending that J.K. Rowling employed have come up with a few fan-accepted alternate universe storylines that some fans may find a bit more tolerable.

One popular idea centers around the concept that Ginny and Neville Longbottom should have been written as a more appropriate couple.

The impetus for this idea stems from the fact that both of these character serve relatively similar roles: they both begin as hapless ancillary characters who are defined by a quiet bravery lurking beneath their seemingly-benign exteriors.

Though they ultimately led very separate lives, they could have made a great couple were the conditions appropriate.

Their Relationship Was Too Rushed

Writing Harry and Ginny’s relationship off as little more than a “high school fling” seems to undermine a major aspect upon which their romance was built: the two took on one of the wizarding world’s most hateful figures and preserved peace in the magical realm for generations to come.

That said, their relationship does seem a little rushed, and, though it's significantly more fleshed out in the novels, the two only really feel like a compatible couple in the last movie, if ever.

Sure, destroying a dark entity through the power of friendship does tend to have a lasting effect on people, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should marry someone you only really got to know in the heat of the moment.

Ginny is nothing more than a copy of Harry's Mother

Young Lily Potter smiling in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

We all know that Harry was — or at least would have been — very close to his parents had the whole Voldemort thing not gone down.

There’s nothing wrong with being close to family, but Harry might have unintentionally taken things a degree too far.

The descriptions of both Ginny Weasley and Lily Potter are eerily similar, and some fans have pointed out that Harry’s wife has essentially been written as a copy of his own mother.

Given these circumstances, it makes sense that Harry would strongly admire Ginny. However, it's disturbing that Harry ended up in a romantic relationship with a character who seemed to be based on his own mother.

Freud may have had a theory or two that could have helped Harry before he tied the knot with his mother’s stand-in.

Harry and Cho Had More Chemistry

Cho Chang was very much a background character with whom only dedicated series fans will be familiar, but that doesn’t mean that she couldn’t have been made to fill a more important role in the story.

Cho was first introduced in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Cedric Diggory’s love interest.

However, after the events of the Triwizard Tournament finale, Harry struck up something of a relationship with her.

It was a little weird that he got the hots for his deceased friend’s girlfriend, but as we see in the series, Harry seems to do as he pleases.

Cho and Harry may have made a better couple because, at the very least, it wouldn’t have made him a Weasley in-law, which still doesn’t sit well with many fans.

Harry Chose All Of Their Children's Names

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - Final scene

One relative nitpick that many fans have regarding Harry and Ginny’s relationship is that the Weasley daughter seems to have allowed her husband to come up with their children’s names entirely on his own and without her consent.

While there’s nothing wrong with naming your children after someone you admire, Harry took this way too far.

Two of his kids were admittedly named after his parents, but one of his sons seemingly drew the short straw and received the title of Albus Severus Potter. This is an awful name no matter how you slice it, and some fans still wonder why Ginny went along with this nonsense.

It also seems relatively selfish of Harry to pick the names of all of his children.

Ginny Was A Mary Sue

Ginny Weasley

For those who may be unaware, referring to a fictional character as a "Mary Sue" implies that they weren’t written with any real faults, flaws, or meaningful character arcs.

While audience members were sort of exposed to some of her misgivings during Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, we are hardly ever exposed to Ginny’s bad side.

She’s apparently extraordinarily smart, overwhelmingly brave, and incredibly popular in her class.

For the apparently cash-strapped, semi-backward, overly-quirky Weasley family, she sure seems to have defied expectations.

While there may be a few subtle qualms about her hinted at in the books, they never really come across as prominent or character-altering in any way.

They Should Drive Each Other Crazy

Ginny Weasley cleans up Harry Potter's blood

In the world of romance, two wrongs seldom make a right, and it seems that Harry and Ginny would drive each other crazy long before the Boy Who Lived could have popped the question.

Readers know Harry to be a strong, enduring, and obdurate character who is determined to conquer anything.

Yet, if Ginny is as headstrong as Harry, then even the slightest disagreements in the Potter household would likely flair up into outrageous arguments.

There has to be a bit of give and take in a relationship, and if these two are truly as strong and independent as Rowling makes them out to be, then they would have hit rocky waters sooner rather than later.

Ginny unrealistically accomplished a lot in a short period of time

Ginny holding a broom

J.K. Rowling sort of went off the deep end when it came to writing suitable biographies for her characters after the series came to a close, and, as a result, just about everyone mentioned in the Harry Potter universe went on to live fabulously rewarding, flawless lives.

Ginny, for instance, became a professional Quidditch player later in life, eventually retiring and reporting on the sport.

If Harry was the quarterback for the Hogwarts football team, then Ginny would have been the all-star wide receiver.

However, the fact that she had become a Hogwarts graduate, wizarding military veteran, and professional athlete by the age of around twenty or so is just totally ridiculous.

Their Relationship Feels More Like A Short-Term Fling In The Heat Of The Moment

This may have already been touched on, but Harry and Ginny’s relationship feels like it has been based on little more than spur-of-the-moment passion.

There is a scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in which the two share a passionate kiss in the midst of a terrific battle, and, while it does convey a sense of desire finally-realized in the face of major adversity, it still doesn’t totally ring true.

Ginny feels much too one-dimensional, almost like she only exists so that Harry didn’t have to end up alone when Hermione and Ron realized their true feelings for one another.

There relationship doesn’t come across as real or lasting, it seems more like a short-lived fling built on the fledgling embers of teen romance.

Their On-screen Make out Sessions Were Awkward

Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter

This is hardly an objective complaint, but much of the lip-service that we were treated to in the Harry Potter movies between Harry and his future wife felt super out-of-the-blue and disingenuous.

Again, there are tons of different positions concerning this topic, but some viewers felt more than a little gross after watching Daniel Radcliffe and Bonnie Wright make out on-screen.

Some of their moments together did carry weight, but most fans likely hoped that these were the kind of intimate experiences that Harry would be sharing with someone like Hermione Granger.

This isn’t totally Ginny’s fault, but most of their face-to-face moments felt a little more curious than cute.

Harry's Only Real Remark About Ginny Is That She’s Got Nice Skin

 

Besides their Hogwarts house and the apparent bravery required to be chosen for it, what did Harry and Ginny really have in common?

For a series of novels that puts such an emphasis on the characters, we know surprisingly little of Harry’s true feelings toward Ginny.

Ron, in typical older brother fashion, seems to have perpetually found her to be a little bit annoying.

Worse still, one of the most insightful moments regarding Harry’s thoughts comes from The Half Blood Prince movie in which he states that “she’s got nice skin.”

That may be a nice compliment in some circumstances, but, in this instance, Harry came off as less a romantic and more of a Buffalo Bill-type character.

Harry And Ginny's Relationship Might've Only Been Created As A Plot Twist

Some readers have speculated that J.K. Rowling may have landed Harry with Ginny in the end to subvert previously-held expectations.

Prior to the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, most of the author’s reader base assumed that Harry and Hermione would end up together.

While it was nice to see that not everything that fans assumed would come to fruition in the seventh instalment of the series, we didn’t necessarily need a plot twist of this sort.

Allowing Harry to end up unmarried may have made for a more unique turn of events, and it would have spared readers the travesty that was Harry’s ability to name his own children.

It Seemed Like A Fairytale Ending

Daniel Radcliffe in the Epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Writing a complete novel takes the sort of dedication, skill, and determination that most people simply don’t possess, let alone writing a fully-fledged seven part series of novels.

However, while J. K. Rowling did a great job of tying up loose ends and carefully closing any potential plot holes in the series, her earnest attempt at giving her best-selling franchise a perfect fairytale ending may have been a bit short sighted.

It’s sometimes acceptable to leave a few stones unturned, and Harry’s true love may have best been left to the reader’s interpretation.

Instead, fans have been forced into accepting this seemingly half-baked love affair. 

Since Ginny was never a fully fleshed out character, the entire relationship always seemed a bit too perfect to be true.

Harry Could've Had More Adventures If He Never Settled Down

Though a subset of fans would have been perfectly accepting of Harry’s potentially unwed future, J.K. Rowling likely paired him with Ginny out of a need to tie everything together with a nice, lovely bow right at the end of her epic saga.

It would initially have been totally unsatisfying to hear that Harry didn’t get hitched.

However, in some ways, it would have been a more interesting ending than the one provided.

Had Harry remained a bachelor, perhaps he could have been open to a new set of adventures post-Hogwarts.

Rowling likely wanted the infamous Potter bloodline to continue, though, so she decided to have Harry and Ginny marry.

Ginny is Basically a Female Ron

Harry Potter may have had an unstated thing for his best friend Ron Weasley, and that fringe idea may actually hold some water outside of the droves of Harry/Ron fan fiction that can doubtlessly be found somewhere on the internet.

Though they aren’t totally similar, Ginny Weasley is basically as close as Harry could come to marrying Ron without inciting a gay- marriage-in-children’s-literature controversy.

Not only is Harry now his best friend’s brother-in-law, but, put the Weasley son in a skirt and give him a red wig, and he could more or less pass for his sister, which is really strange to think about.

However, perhaps this wouldn't have been the case had Ginny's character been fleshed out a bit more in the series.

Harry and Hermione Would've Made A Better Couple

Harry and Hermione in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1

In the months leading up to the release of J.K. Rowling’s final mainline Potter book, fans had plenty of questions on their mind, such as: how would this all end? Who would live to see the novel’s final pages? What would become of everyone’s favorite characters?

One question most assumed to be easily answered, however, was that of Harry’s romantic life.

Harry and Hermione sort of seemed destined for each other in the series, and it came as a huge surprise to fans when it was revealed that Ms. Granger would actually become Mrs. Weasley instead.

Though a romance between Harry and Hermione was never implicitly stated, it just felt like a natural conclusion.

Or rather, it felt a lot more natural than the book’s canonical finale, at any rate.

J.K. Rowling felt that putting Ron and Hermione together was a mistake

Ron and Hermione studying in Harry Potter

A lot of fans felt in some way cheated by the fact that the long-hoped-for romance between Harry and Hermione would never come to pass.

However, the backlash started by this small betrayal reached such a fervor that J.K. Rowling herself even admitted that keeping Harry and Hermione apart was a misstep.

In a 2014 interview with Wonderland Magazine, Rowling confessed that she only included the relationship between Hermione and Ron because this was how she originally intended for the series to conclude.

As a self-described form of wish fulfillment, few besides the author herself felt that Harry’s happily-forever-after was particularly satisfying.

Harry and Hermione would have made for a better couple, and even Rowling has admitted it.

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Can you think of any other aspects of Harry and Ginny's relationship that didn't make sense in the Harry Potter series? Let us know in the comments!