Given it’s the home of those with a ‘ready mind’, Ravenclaw house could seem a little intimidating – but don’t let that love of learning fool you. Ravenclaws are naturally curious, welcoming of eccentrics, and they have one of the most interesting house ghosts at Hogwarts. But just in case you need more convincing of the benefits of a Ravenclaw romance, here’s our run-down…

It would be a ‘wise’ choice

‘Wise old Ravenclaw’ is how the Sorting Hat described this house’s founder, and that wisdom certainly filtered down to most of Ravenclaw’s students. If you’re wise, you’re known for good judgement, which is definitely a quality you want in a partner (reflects well on you, that). And okay, while there are some Ravenclaws who buck this tendency towards wisdom – Gilderoy Lockhart’s cleverness didn’t stop him from making bad choices, and Rowena Ravenclaw’s own daughter showed pretty poor judgement when she told Tom Riddle about her mother’s lost diadem – most of them are pretty shrewd.

For example, Luna Lovegood’s advice to Harry after Sirius’s death came at just the right moment:

‘Oh, come on. You heard them, just behind the veil, didn’t you?’
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

When you’re in need of advice and comfort, you could do a lot worse than seek out a Ravenclaw. They know what to say, when to say it, and they’re never afraid to speak their minds.

They’re not pretentious

On top of that, most Ravenclaws aren’t worried about keeping their knowledge to themselves (well, apart from Lockhart, who preferred to take other peoples’ knowledge, but we’ll let that example slide for now).

From Luna to Garrick Ollivander to Head of House Professor Flitwick, Ravenclaws are generally happy to share their experiences, which is always good for a relationship. Plus they know so much stuff: even Lockhart was good at Memory Charms. You’d never have to read a textbook again, and just think how much easier it would be to complete a crossword or score 100 per cent in a quiz with a Ravenclaw at your side.

They prize individuality

In his ‘Welcome to Ravenclaw’ speech (which you can only see if you have been sorted into Ravenclaw on this site…), prefect Robert Hilliard talks about Ravenclaw’s people being ‘the most individual’ of any Hogwarts house. In Ravenclaw Tower, individuality – even eccentricity – is a trait to be prized. As free thinkers and free spirits, Ravenclaws push the boundaries of magic in a multitude of ways: they’re happy to experiment, welcoming of new ideas, and the absolute last people to dismiss anyone for being a little bit different. There’d be no need to hide your bad habits or strange tendencies from a Ravenclaw – they’d accept you for who you are, quirks and all.

Most Ravenclaws are honest – to a fault

Luna was the epitome of this very Ravenclaw trait. Her tendency to share her observations without any element of sugar-coating might have made her appear blunt, but she never did it out of cruelness. When she said things like this, about Ron...

‘He says very funny things sometimes, doesn’t he?’ said Luna, as they set off down the corridor together. ‘But he can be a bit unkind. I noticed that last year.’
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

…She doesn’t mean to do anything other than be honest. Ravenclaws don’t tend to gossip or say things out of malice, but they will always tell the truth. And honesty makes for healthy relationships – even if it is a bit close to the bone sometimes.

They’ll impress you with their great wit

With wisdom comes wit, and Ravenclaws would surely be great company at a dinner table. Not only would they have lots of fascinating stuff to talk about, but as Hogwarts’ quickest thinkers they’d be great conversationalists. We doubt you’d ever run out of things to say to a Ravenclaw, and given their willingness to debate every question they’d probably treat every one of your sentences with the utmost respect – although we suspect they’d prefer deep and meaningful discussions to celebrity gossip. After all, you can’t even get into Ravenclaw Tower without answering a challenging question (which, incidentally, means hanging around outside Ravenclaw Tower is a great place to pick up some witty repartee.)

They’re proud of themselves

Ravenclaws are obviously clever, the Sorting Hat sings about it all the time. But it’s more than that. Enthusiasm for learning is, sadly, not always so highly prized – but that’s the point of Ravenclaw. They’re unashamed of their cleverness, proud to be part of a house that values it, and eager to share their knowledge with as many other people as will listen. Such intellectual curiosity makes Ravenclaws extremely interesting partners, and – who knows – they might spur you on to greater feats of discovery, too.