8 Couples That Hurt Harry Potter (And 13 That Saved It)
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The story of Harry Potter had plenty of romance, but not all of its couples were relationship goals.
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The Harry Potter series was an incredibly complex story about many facets of coming of age, living within war, and dealing with discrimination and supremacism.
It’s no surprise that love and romance, for better or for worse, were wrapped up within the themes. The books (and movies) had a fair share of romance, from sweet teenage crushes to long-lasting marriages to tortured love stories destined to end in tragedy.
Harry Potter would not be the same without many of its famous couples whose love was so perfectly woven into the fabric of the story.
However, not every couple was a helpful addition to the series. Certain pairings proved shallow, poorly executed, or nonsensical – not to mention a pain to read or watch. Still others seemed the wrong choice for the characters involved or wrong for the themes at the forefront of the tale.
From the timeless love of James and Lily to the sweet story of Bill and Fleur, many of these couples are everything one would want from a romance.
However, just because it’s a happy couple, this does not mean that it was good for the story, and many of the most tragic loves elevated Harry Potter’s themes beautifully.
Other romances, both lovely and deeply unhealthy, also fleshed out characters and showed different sides of them that readers and audiences did not expect.
Love served many purposes within Harry Potter. Unfortunately, some couples just did not meet the promise set by the other great romances.
With that said, here are the 8 Couples That Hurt Harry Potter (And 13 That Saved It).
21 Saved: Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks
Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks are often considered among the fan favorite couples (and for good reason). It took a long time for these two to find each other.
Despite their feelings for each other, Lupin kept Tonks at arm’s length, afraid his circumstances and his lycanthropy would be dangerous for her.
They finally got together and had a child, but their happiness was short-lived, as their lives were ended prematurely during the Battle of Hogwarts.
The love story itself was beautiful, but their ill-fated love also demonstrated the never-ending cycle in the horrors of war, leaving yet another child orphaned just like Harry Potter.
Their brief spark of happiness together only made their loss harder and more poignant.
20 Hurt: Harry Potter and Cho Chang
Teenage romance is always sure to be awkward and confusing, but Harry and Cho’s relationship may take first prize in both categories.
Although it seemed like a natural culmination of Harry’s long-standing crush on Cho Chang, their romance was a terrible fit from the beginning.
Cho was still getting over her late boyfriend Cedric Diggory, and Harry was dealing with fate-of-the-world problems tied up with Voldemort’s return.
Neither of them could really understand what the other was going through, and neither of them was in the right place for this relationship or possibly any relationship at the time.
In the end, they were rather pointless as a couple, their relationship doomed before it got off the ground.
19 Saved: Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour
From the moment it became clear that Voldemort was not truly gone, the wizarding world was at war. In the midst of dangerous tournaments and battles with Voldemort’s forces, life went on.
Bill and Fleur met and flirted, worked together, started dating, got engaged, and got married like so many other couples. Voldemort did not stop them from living their lives.
Molly Weasley thought that they were rushing into marriage due to the return of Voldemort, but perhaps that was the point. With danger lurking around every corner, they held tighter to each other.
When the war touched their lives through Fenrir Greyback’s attack on Bill, Fleur showed she would support and stand by Bill no matter what happened.
They deserved every bit of the happy ending granted to them.
18 Saved: James and Lily Potter
Is there any Harry Potter couple more iconic than Harry’s own parents? Despite the complicated love triangle of their youth, James and Lily matured quickly during the rise of Voldemort.
They fought beside each other, refusing to compromise and join the Dark Lord, even when it cost them their lives.
Throughout their relationship, they demonstrated a common ground of unfailing courage and loyalty, two traits that Harry inherited in spades.
In the end, they were both willing to sacrifice their own lives for each other and for their child.
They were both taken before their time, leaving behind an orphaned child who would never know his parents, but that did not make their relationship any less important.
17 Hurt: Ron Weasley and Lavender Brown
Ron and Lavender may have been the most annoying romance in the entire series for a variety of reasons.
Even for teenage puppy love, the relationship seemed forced and sickly sweet.
Ron himself grew tired of their romance in short order, but could not bring himself to truly break up with her. He pushed her away, ignored her, and kept her at a distance, and she reacted like a lovestruck teenage girl would.
The plotline did Lavender Brown a disservice, reducing her to a hysterical, clingy unwanted girlfriend.
Worst of all, Ron’s behavior toward Lavender and Hermione was part of a noticeable dip in Ron’s maturity later in the series.
It was a tool to make it clear that Hermione and Ron had feelings for each other, but in the process, it made Ron, Hermione, and Lavender look bad.
16 Saved: Hermione Granger and Viktor Krum
Though most passing romances of the trio were rather grating, Hermione and Viktor’s brief relationship proved to be the sweetest of the bunch.
Viktor sought out Hermione and often failed to summon the courage to talk to her.
Hermione was not known to be particularly attractive at the time, so it was uplifting to see her receive a little romantic attention. She even got to have a Cinderella moment attending the Yule Ball with Viktor.
Their relationship came to an end as Viktor had to return home, but they remained friends even after becoming involved with different people.
Their romance was a growth experience for Hermione. Without Viktor, many readers also would have been mispronouncing Hermione’s name until the movies premiered.
15 Saved: Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy
Just because they were kind of evil doesn’t mean they didn’t have a good marriage. Lucius and Narcissa were often put in extremely difficult positions, caught between Voldemort and Harry Potter through their son Draco.
The family lost their prized place in society when Lucius was thrown in Azkaban, and their working relationship with Voldemort became more and more dangerous as the Malfoys failed to meet the Dark Lord’s expectations.
In all of this, Lucius and Narcissa never wavered in their support for each other and their son.
When the Battle of Hogwarts came, they both decided that their family was far more important than anything else and abandoned Voldemort’s cause.
At the end, even these long-standing villains of the series proved to be halfway decent people who cared deeply for each other and their family.
14 Hurt: Tom Riddle Sr. and Merope Gaunt
Could there be a more unhealthy relationship than that of Tom Riddle and Merope Gaunt? Voldemort’s mother Merope bewitched the Muggle Tom Riddle into marrying her and having a child with her.
When the literal enchantment ended, Riddle abandoned his wife and son.
Immediately, this relationship raises the uncomfortable topic of assault, as Riddle was certainly not a consenting party in his marriage, and this issue is not always given the weight it deserves in the story.
On top of this, Voldemort’s future evil is partly blamed on the actions of Merope Gaunt in her relationship.
Almost all of Voldemort’s hatreds, desires, prejudices, and shortcomings stem from his parents’ relationship and the rough childhood he had when they abandoned him, which can make Voldemort’s motivations seem overly simplistic.
13 Saved: Arthur and Molly Weasley
Arthur and Molly Weasley are truly the unsung heroes of the story. Whenever anyone in the wizarding world needed help, Arthur and Molly were usually there to lend the support they needed.
Together, they were the caretakers of the resistance, and they were oftentimes the surrogate parents to wizards and witches like Harry and Hermione, who did not always have someone to fill the role.
They share a deep commitment to their ideals and a willingness to fight for their beliefs and for their family. Despite their many differences, they continue to show their appreciation for and pride in each other.
Though their marriage had been a long one by the time they came into the story, it’s still clear how much they care for each other.
12 Saved: Jacob Kowalski and Queenie Goldstein
For a series that revolved so much around half-bloods, it’s relatively rare to see a relationship between a witch and a Muggle/No-Maj. Jacob and Queenie in Fantastic Beasts are the first major instance of this kind of romance.
The choice is even more interesting when set in this flashback period in America where the rules separating wizards from Muggles were more restrictive.
Muggles have also traditionally been more background characters than main characters or love interests.
Jacob and Queenie provide an excellent story in which to explore different aspects of the wizarding world and how it interacts with the rest of the world.
The romance also gives the filmmakers an excuse to bring Jacob back into the story and let audiences see more of a Muggle dealing with the wizarding world.
11 Hurt: Ginny Weasley and Dean Thomas
Despite her long-standing crush on Harry, Ginny Weasley didn’t wait around for Harry to return the feeling. Later in her time at Hogwarts, she dated Dean Thomas.
It soon became clear the pair was mismatched, as the fierce Ginny could not stand Dean’s overprotective behavior, so it probably would not have lasted long no matter what.
However, the worst part of the coupling is the immaturity it brought out in Ron. Ron got angry with Ginny for publically dating more than one boy over her time at Hogwarts.
The fight with Ginny seemed to contribute to Ron’s immature spiral, including dating Lavender Brown.
The fresh break-up of Ginny and Dean also tarnished some of the excitement of Harry and Ginny finally getting together, especially when Dean was devastated upon witnessing their first kiss.
10 Saved: Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom
Luna and Neville did not end up together and were not even an official couple, but it’s hard to deny the chemistry between them. As both of them were the underestimated outsiders of the story, they seem a natural fit.
Even J.K. Rowling admitted to feeling a pull between Neville and Luna, but thought it felt too neat to pair them up.
In the end, Luna and Neville went their separate ways, took separate career paths, and married different people.
In a slew of other couples that often felt too neat, Luna and Neville are a nice touch of realism.
Not all childhood crushes and sweethearts are destined to marry, but they both lived the happy lives they wanted with partners who understood them.
9 Saved: Newt Scamander and Tina Goldstein
Although an actual romance has yet to develop between Newt Scamander and Tina in Fantastic Beasts, it’s not hard to see why these two are destined to end up together.
The movie already subtly confirmed based on prior Harry Potter knowledge that Tina is, in fact, Newt Scamander’s future wife.
They clearly demonstrated their differences, especially as Newt is a troublemaker and Tina is usually a rule-follower, but they balanced each other out throughout the story.
However, they are both kind-hearted to a fault, which brought them together over their mutual concern for the Obscurial, Credence.
Since they’ll be back together for the next movie, audiences should get to see quite a lot more of Newt and Tina’s burgeoning relationship.
8 Hurt: Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson
Pansy Parkinson rarely got to be more than Draco’s female “evil Slytherin” counterpart, which made for a rather boring relationship between the two.
Pansy was more fangirl than girlfriend to Draco, with Draco rarely giving her attention or affection.
They seemed to bond mostly through their negative personality traits. At the time, they were both bullies who believed in their own superiority based on pureblood status.
The events of Second Wizarding War greatly changed Draco after he left Hogwarts, and he ended up with the more compassionate and tolerant Astoria Greengrass.
Draco’s teenage romance could have been much more interesting than a pat story with a one-dimensional girlfriend.
Overall, the relationship between Pansy and Draco added nothing.
7 Saved: Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang
Teenage love in Harry Potter usually fizzles out with a break-up or lasts forever, but Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang were the tragic exception.
Cedric and Cho’s romance was given little attention beyond a few dates, but they had strong enough feelings for each other that Cho was chosen for Cedric to rescue in the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament.
Cedric and Cho had not been together long when Voldemort returned in full force and made Cedric his first victim.
Cho’s grief over the sudden loss of Cedric made it harder for Cedric to fade into the background as the story progressed, as he was always present in Cho’s mind even when she tried to move on with Harry.
Their bittersweet romance served as a stark reminder that no one would be spared in the battles to come.
6 Saved: Luna Lovegood and Rolf Scamander
It’s only right that the irrepressibly unique Luna Lovegood end up with someone who could appreciate her, and Rolf Scamander seems like an excellent candidate.
After Hogwarts, Luna became a naturalist and married eminent magizoologist Rolf Scamander, grandson of Newt Scamander of Fantastic Beasts fame.
Fans never got to see much of Rolf, but if he’s anything like his grandfather, he’s a perfect match for Luna’s adventurous spirit, outside-the-box thinking, and kind humility.
It’s also good to see some of the Hogwarts crew end up with people who they did not go to school with, since that’s not how everyone meets their partner.
Luna and Rolf live a life of traveling, adventures, and interesting creatures, which is the perfect fate for Luna.
5 Hurt: Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald
After she had finished writing the series, J.K. Rowling revealed something new about Dumbledore.
She stated, “I always thought of Dumbledore as gay… Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald, and that that added to his horror when Grindelwald showed himself to be what he was.”
This news came as a surprise to fans since it was never touched upon in the series, leading to accusation that this was a token display of diversity.
When Fantastic Beasts came along and introduced young Dumbledore and Grindelwald, many fans expected this romantic relationship would be confirmed canonically.
However, director David Yates said Dumbledore’s romance will not be “explicitly” explored in the upcoming movie.
While it would be interesting to see this romance properly explored, the story has suffered from the author and filmmakers hedging around Dumbledore’s love for Grindelwald.
4 Saved: Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley
Harry and Ginny are one of the hallmark couples of the series for good reason. Even though Ginny was a background character through a large part of the series, it was obvious that Harry and Ginny were well-suited for each other.
Long before their relationship, Ginny boldly stood up for Harry at every turn, which only served to reinforce the loyalty, passion, and bravery that she showed in every other part of her life.
Their relationship slowly developed from an unrequited crush to an equal partnership between two people who fought beside each other and understood each other.
J.K. Rowling even said of them, “Harry and Ginny are real soul mates. They’re both very strong and very passionate. That’s their connection, and they’re remarkable together.”
3 Hurt: Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange
Voldemort and Bellatrix are the romantic coupling that no one really wanted to think about, but then Cursed Child came along and made us all think about it.
It was clear from her introduction that Bellatrix had strong feelings for Voldemort, but it’s difficult to imagine Voldemort being romantically involved with anyone.
Voldemort does not understand love because of the circumstances of his birth. Therefore their existence as a couple could not have been more than an arrangement on Voldemort’s part.
The eventual reveal of Voldemort and Bellatrix’s child brings up way more questions than it answers, but we probably don’t want those answers, anyway.
Overall, this was a confusing and cringey late addition to Harry Potter’s many couples.
2 Saved: Lily Potter and Severus Snape
Snape and Lily are far from the healthiest romantic relationship in the series, and there is no way they should have ended up together.
Despite the obvious flaws, Snape’s lifelong love for Lily gave Snape more depth and complexity in the story, separating him from other foot soldiers in Voldemort’s army of Death Eaters.
Their relationship created a multifaceted subtext that underlies every interaction between Snape and Harry.
Snape’s history with Lily certainly does not excuse everything he did, from his years of abuse toward Harry and other students to his early involvement with Voldemort.
However, it does make him more understandable. Snape was also an unexpected source for a deeply emotional backstory, which endeared many readers to this complicated character.
1 Hurt: Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger
Ron and Hermione are perhaps the most divisive couple in the entire series. While some fans saw their romance as a sweet story of friendship blossoming into love, other saw the pair as incredibly mismatched and unlikely to make each other happy.
The worst blow to the pairing came when J.K. Rowling publicly stated she had made a mistake putting them together.
She admitted, “I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfillment. That’s how it was conceived, really. For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione ended up with Ron.”
“If I’m absolutely honest, distance has given me perspective on that. It was a choice I made for very personal reasons, not for reasons of credibility,” she said.
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What do you think? Which Harry Potter couple is your favorite? Sound off in the comments!
Christy Box is a list writer for Screen Rant. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Central Florida with a BA in Anthropology, and she has a great love for media anthropology. Her experience working in film and television production as a director, producer, and camera operator has made her passionate about the work that goes into bringing a story to the screen. She is a major science fiction fan, as her family raised her on Star Trek from birth. She is fascinated by slow-burn suspense, strong female leads, and book adaptations that don’t leave out all the good parts. In her free time, she writes fiction, binge-watches many shows, volunteers to support the arts, and fawns over other people’s dogs. She also writes for Ranker and Factinate on pop culture and history topics.
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