In recent months and years, the Harry Potter franchise has sat in a weird place with fans. They love the world and characters but are having a hard time enjoying it considering the author, J.K. Rowling, has made some pretty egregious and ignorant comments publicly regarding the trans community.
The franchise will likely begin to exist divided from her, but in the meantime, it’s quite difficult for fans to enjoy the wizarding world. Let’s look at what 10 Pokemon, through Pokemon Sword & Shield, would make the perfect partners for Harry Potter characters.
10 Draco Malfoy/Arbok
Draco Malfoy, the child antagonist to Harry Potter, isn’t a tough read when considering which Pokemon he’d likely partner up with. It’s safe to say that a creature that looks vile and is likely dangerous would be the type of Pokemon Draco would want by his side to intimidate people. Not only does Arbok, the Poison-type snake from Kanto, fit all of that, it also happens to be a snake. This helps Draco stay in line with his house of Slytherin, and would likely go a long way in not upsetting his father.
9 Salazar Slytherin/Serperior
Salazar Slytherin was a vile but powerful wizard who helped found Hogwarts and was one of four wizards who served as the heads of their respective houses. The sigil for House Slytherin features a snake, which coincides with Salazar being nicknamed Serpent-tongue. Serperior is the most majestic of all the snake-related Pokemon, and the Grass-type also happens to be a vibrant green as well. This makes Serperior the ideal partner of Salazar, and in this fictitious mashup it would likely end up as the house’s animal.
8 Hagrid/Snubbull
Hagrid, or Professor Hagrid, is the large gentle that serves as both a teacher and the caretaker to many of the school’s wildlife. He looks very rough and ragged, but despite this, he’s quite nice and empathetic to those around him.
He’s a very powerful wizard who would rather hug someone than fight them. Snubbull happens to be a mean looking Fairy-type Pokemon that’s sweet to its trainer and those it likes despite its menacing appearance. Hagrid would welcome a beast who struggles with the same assumptions he does.
7 Godric Gryffindor/Arcanine
The second house founder on this list, but the first in many fans’ hearts, is Godric Gryffindor. Godric was defined by his bravery, and so too was his Hogwarts house which is represented by the image of the fantastical griffin. Arcanine may not be a griffin as it lacks the wings, but the large furry mammal has the intimidating size and unrelenting loyalty associated with the house of crimson and gold. The image of Godric riding an Arcanine into battle is quite astounding to think about and would likely be a painting house members would ogle at.
6 Neville Longbottom/Bulbasaur
Neville Longbottom is an unassuming student who’s a bit clumsy but grows into his own as the years go on. Since his first day at Hogwarts, it was clear he had an aptitude for herbology and worked well with magic tied to plants and greenery. This means that a Grass-type would be his ideal partner and because of this, the starter from the Kanto region known as Bulbasaur seems like Neville’s ideal partner. It’s unclear if he’d ever want to evolve it, but knowing how kind and sweet Neville is, they’d probably develop a strong relationship.
5 Helga Hufflepuff/Galarian Linoone
Despite being the founder of the least popular and most overlooked house, Helga Hufflepuff played a big role in the history of Hogwarts. Her counterparts demanded students of certain personalities and preferences, whereas she accepted anyone and everyone. Hufflepuffs are known for being loyal and hard-working friends. They are represented by a badger, an animal that has a stellar Pokemon counterpart. Linoone would have likely been Helga’s Pokemon of choice and would have replaced the badger on the Hufflepuff logo.
4 Ron Weasley/Rattata
Everyone by this point knows the significance of Ron Weasley’s pet rat named Scabbers. Rats aren’t the types of pets many people are interested in having and often take a particular type of personality.
Rattata is the same way in the world of Pokemon as many trainers simply battle them to level up their Pokemon but never both to catch the common Normal-type. Thankfully for Ron, his Rattata won’t eventually be revealed to be a person who betrayed everyone around them simply due to fear and anxiety.
3 Rowena Ravenclaw/Corviknight
Rowena Ravenclaw is the last Hogwarts house founder that will be covered in this list. She was a brilliant mind and scholar and was crucial in making studies an important part of Hogwarts. In a nod to Edgar Allen Poe, it seems, the Ravenclaw house was gifted with the raven as their animal representative. Corviknight, the Flying and Steel-type from the Galar region, isn’t exactly a raven or known for its smarts but its all-black design gives it the feel of the classic raven silhouette. It would also make the house much more powerful looking.
2 Hermione Granger/Umbreon
Hermione Granger is one of Hogwarts most brilliant minds and her thirst for knowledge allowed her to accomplish what most would consider to be impossible. A Flying-type of some sort seems like the easy choice for her, but she does have a sense of mystery about her. Umbreon, the Dark-type evolution of Eevee, may seem like a bold choice, but it does fit the more you think about it. Hermione likely spent countless nights studying and likely developed an appreciation for the moon and its connection to Earth.
1 Harry Potter/Pikachu
On the surface, the pairing of Harry Potter and Pikachu may seem a bit boring and uninspired. Merging the two most popular characters from their given franchises isn’t clever, it’s the simplest solution and sounds more like a business move, rather than an interest-inspired one. Harry does have a lightning bolt scar so it seems his connection to Electric-types makes sense, and Pikachu is always fighting to avoid what it “should” become. They’re both fighters and survivors who will inspire generations of wizards and Pokemon.
