In the Harry Potter series, romance isn’t the main focus at all. However, seeing as Harry and his friends are teenagers in the books, crushes, dating, and teen romance do play a role somewhat especially as Harry and his friends get older. While Harry briefly dated Cho Chang, Ginny Weasley is the only person he had a serious relationship with while at Hogwarts, and she’s also the person that he ends up marrying and being with his entire life. While there are definitely some good reasons why these two make a great match, Ginny isn’t the only character who could have been a love interest for Harry.
Here are the ten side characters other than Ginny who could have been a good romantic match for Harry.
HERMIONE GRANGER
While Hermione isn’t exactly a side character seeing as she’s one of the trio, she’s not the main character of the series. In many ways, these two would have made a better match than Ron for Hermione. Hermione was always super close to Harry and very loyal to him. She was one of his closest friends, and they often understood each other in ways that Ron didn’t. While they might not have had a lot of romantic chemistry, they definitely had a lot of emotional connection.
CHO CHANG
Cho Chang is the only other person that Harry ever expressed an interest in during the series. He had a crush on her starting from his third year, and they briefly dated in the fifth year. Things didn’t work out very well between them, but this is largely because they were both dealing with the trauma of Cedric Diggory’s death. This left them both in a vulnerable place emotionally, and it definitely didn’t help a romantic connection. However, with better timing, they likely would have gotten along well.
RON WEASLEY
Ron Weasley is Harry’s best friend, and friendship is often one of the most important foundational elements of a good romantic relationship. While they never showed any romantic interest in one another in canon, they likely would have been good together. For the most part, they got along well. They had similar hobbies, and they were extremely loyal to one another. Harry wasn’t too bothered by Ron’s more immature sides, and they both were there for each other during a lot of hard times.
OLIVER WOOD
Oliver Wood is definitely a side character in the series, but he’s the one that features somewhat in earlier books as the Captain of the Gryffindor team. His love of Quidditch, even if he could be a bit jealous at times, would have made him a good match for Harry. He was also a rather charming and attractive person, while also being quite serious, which would have made him a good partner. While Oliver Wood wasn’t a character fans got to know super well, these two wouldn’t have been bad together.
DRACO MALFOY
Draco Malfoy is a bit of a controversial person on this list because of the fact that he and Harry had such a strong rivalry. While many people in the Harry Potter fandom, and also Tom Felton, have pointed out that Draco could likely have been in love with Harry, this doesn’t mean their dynamic would have been a good one. However, in another life where these two hadn’t been set up by their families and the wizarding world to hate one another, they would have made a cute couple.
NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM
Now, when Neville is young, he’s definitely a bit more of an awkward person and probably not someone who Harry would have seen in a romantic way. However, after Neville found his self-confidence, he grew into someone who could have been an equal to Harry in many ways. They are both fierce protectors of doing the right thing. Also, Neville has more of a soft, gentle side that likely would have been good for Harry seeing as Harry lived through so much trauma in his life.
DEAN THOMAS
Dean Thomas is one of the five boys who was sorted into Gryffindor during Harry’s first year at Hogwarts. As such, he was around often, and he also became a member of Dumbledore’s Army. While Harry and Dean were never more than surface-level friends, they could have been better friends. They both were rather intelligent students, but they weren’t top of their class. Dean was also rather level-headed which would have been a good balance to Harry who could be a bit dramatic.
SUSAN BONES
Susan Bones is a student who entered Hogwarts the same year that Harry Did. While she isn’t featured very much in the books, there is some possibility that these two could have been a good match. While Susan was a Hufflepuff, this could have made her a more relaxed, calm headed, and kind match for Harry who had been through a lot of tough things in his life. Also, she comes from a family that was known for fighting against the Dark Arts.
CEDRIC DIGGORY
These two were set up to be something more like rivals in the series, but they were also really good to each other despite being competing contestants in the Triwizard Tournament. Cedric was a kind, fair, intelligent person who would have gotten along well with Harry. While they never really had the chance to be friends because of what happened to Cedric, they were both people who valued loyalty and fairness.
LUNA LOVEGOOD
Other than Draco Malfoy, Luna might be one of the most suggested matches for Harry in fandom. Luna Lovegood was someone who understood Harry in ways that most other people couldn’t. She might have been eccentric, but she had also lost a parent at a young age and had a sensitivity to loss and connection in a similar way to Harry. Plus, she was also extremely loyal, and, as she got older, she became less invested in ridiculous ideas.
