Love Quotes in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

There's something infinitely interesting about the fact that Merope Gaunt, Voldemort's mother, succumbed to love and died of a broken heart. We see how abused she is in the Gaunt household, despite the fact that she is a pureblood witch. There seems to be a history of heartbreak in Voldemort's family. No real love to be found here.

Considering her heritage and her background, Merope Gaunt would have been a pretty powerful witch, no? And yet, she couldn't help but fall madly in love with a man she hardly knew but who she saw often. One would think that a witch of her caliber would have been able to control her feelings, to make Tom Riddle, Sr. fall in love with her permanently. But it would seem that the years of abuse and lovelessness that Merope had endured weakened her. Perhaps, then, the need for love and the lack of it is more powerful than magic.

In these scary, dangerous times, it is kind of nice to know that teenagers still get to do fun things like go on dates and that there are real date spots in Hogsmeade. Even wizards and witches crush bigtime. Why do you think Harry is so attracted to Ginny? She seems to us to be quite an independent lady with a mind of her own, quite different from the little girl who used to blush every time Harry was around.

OK, evil as he is, we can't help but feel sorry for the young pipsqueak Riddle here. He is homeless, he's an orphan, and, here, we can deduce that he thinks about his parents often, that he has perhaps wondered why they left him. We see him convince himself that his mother was only human and, therefore, incapable of saving her own life, and yet we know the truth. We sympathize here with a little boy who can't imagine why his mom would leave him. Has Voldemort ever known love?

Mad crushes are not the only obstacles getting in the way of friendships, Quidditch practice, and life at Hogwarts. There's something a little troubling about the fact that these girls manipulate love via potions bought at Fred and George Weasley's joke shop. When compared with the story of Merope's bewitching of Tom Riddle, Sr., we know that love potions are not to be laughed at – they can cause serious trouble when they interfere with real emotions and feelings.

Where has Voldemort been looking for love? Has he been looking for love? This is an interesting moment, because, instead of laughing in Dumbledore's face, Voldemort seems to earnestly argue that love doesn't exist. He is being quite serious here. There is no such thing as love in Voldemort's world. In examining the exact words he uses here, it seems he is not choosing to believe love doesn't exist; he knows it does not exist. These two wizards could not be more different, and could not have a more different understanding of how the world works.

OK, so maybe Ron is simply responding in gratitude for Hermione's help with his malfunctioning spellchecker, but, to us, this is a breakthrough moment. Ron says the words that have been hovering over him for years. Teenagers though they may be, there's something very significant and important about the burgeoning romance between Ron and Hermione.

Harry may be the coolest wizard around, but here we realize just how young he is. He is still figuring things out, and his perspective on things is a bit skewed. He doesn't know yet what the power of being able to love means. Perhaps he is so well acquainted with the idea of love that he can't imagine a world without it, and, therefore, doesn't yet know its significance. But Dumbledore can and does. What is Harry's definition of love at this point in the novel?

OK, last time we checked Voldemort is a pretty powerful dude, with things like Death Eaters and werewolves at his beck and call. Is Dumbledore going a bit batty here? What kind of love is Dumbledore talking about, and how can it possibly be more powerful than Voldemort's powers? What does the ability to love entail?

This is a moment in which we are reminded of why Harry Potter is the coolest and most famous little wizard known to man – he is true to himself, he doesn't pretend to be anybody he's not, and he goes through life trying to be the best wizard he can. Perhaps this is what Dumbledore means by "pure of heart" – Harry is unusually mature and soulful. Despite being an orphan like Voldemort, he hasn't grown cold as a result of circumstances or as a result of the way the Dursleys have treated him. He makes lemonade and battles on.

Not only is Harry brave in war, but he's brave in love. Check this scene out. It's funny to compare Harry's journey to secure the first Horcrux with this journey to kiss Ginny, but both are admirable and both take great courage. Love is scary sometimes! But not for Harry the Brave. There's something private about this moment too – how is that possible?

Remus Lupin doesn't think he's a good fit for Tonks, considering his werewolf side. And, what's more, talking about their love for one another seems irreverent so soon after Dumbledore's death. McGonagall, who's typically very straight edged, gives her good advice in this moment following Dumbledore's death, encouraging the two lovers to express their feelings for one another, reminding everyone of how important love was to Dumbledore. There's a comfort in knowing that, even in spite of this huge sadness, people will carry on with their lives and will make the world better with their kindness and affection.