Love Languages: A “Harry Potter” Character Analysis – Part 2

Adolescence is difficult enough without having to fight Dark wizards; just ask Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. When it comes to dating, the two aren’t very skilled.

‘This isn’t your average book,’ said Ron. ‘It’s pure gold: Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches. Explains everything you need to know about girls. If only I’d had this last year I’d have known exactly how to get rid of Lavender and I would’ve known how to get going with . . . Well, Fred and George gave me a copy, and I’ve learned a lot. You’d be surprised, it’s not all about wandwork, either.’ (DH 113)

While Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches may have helped Ron get the girl of his dreams, he could have also read The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman. This book seeks to help improve relationships by explaining how there are five different ways to give and receive love: acts of service, receiving gifts, physical touch, quality time, and words of affirmation. By knowing and understanding your and your partner’s primary love languages, you can build a love that lasts. Indeed, Dr. Chapman would likely disagree with Ron’s book, saying that the way to one person’s heart isn’t the same as the way to another’s.

Last week, I likened Dr. Chapman’s love languages quiz to the Hogwarts Sorting Ceremony by placing Harry Potter characters into three love languages. In this article, I will complete this character analysis by Sorting characters into quality time and words of affirmation, again reflecting on how these characters express themselves as well as the form of affection they seek.

Quality Time

Some people simply enjoy the company of those they love, valuing the time spent together more than any gift, speech, or other expressions of affinity. One character who always seeks face-to-face interaction is Sirius. After spending 12 years alone in Azkaban, all he wanted was to spend time with Harry, one of the only people still alive whom he loved. Sirius treasured their brief time together. He was highly offended when Harry turned down his offer to meet up in Hogsmeade in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, revealing how lonely the Animagus was feeling.

Ron is another character who is characterized by his appreciation for quality time. No matter how much trauma his best friend went through, Ron was always there by his side. Like Sirius, the times when Ron was apart from Harry were extremely hard on him. He really struggled without quality time with his friends and family. Others who valued quality time include Sirius’s and Ron’s enemies. Severus Snape fell in love with Lily right when he met her, and Viktor Krum also just liked to be around Hermione, whom he admired.

Words of Affirmation

Harry and Cho Chang had more against them than the memory of Cedric; they were both naive and incompatible as many young couples are. Cho can easily express herself through words, telling Harry bluntly how much she liked him in Order of the Phoenix. The problem is that Harry was unaware of how important clearly stating how you feel was to her. Had Harry been aware that Cho’s primary love language was words of affirmation, he might have stood a better chance of making her happy.

Luna Lovegood is another Ravenclaw who is straightforward in expressing how she feels. Her friends come to admire how she lacks subtlety, and she gains confidence when welcomed into Dumbledore’s Army and invited to Slughorn’s Christmas party. Neville Longbottom also takes words to heart; whether they are full of malice or admiration, they seem to drive his actions and decisions, like when he verbally stands up to Voldemort. Additionally, Nymphadora Tonks bravely tells Remus Lupin how much she wants to be with him, and Arthur Weasley clearly likes to use pet names like “Mollywobbles.”

While people never really express themselves in one way, this is how I Sorted these characters into their primary love languages. What do you think? I would love to hear about different perspectives in the comments.