Canonical vs Fanonical Symbolism of Matching Patronuses
There’s a persistent belief in HP fandom that both twin (identical) and paired (same species but different sexes) patronuses are symbolic of love, especially romantic love. But while researching for a different meta, it struck me that these beliefs aren’t canon, but rather an oversimplification of what they truly represent, as well as a projection of a fixation on soulmates and “one true love.”
Note: I am considering canon in this case as the seven HP books only. I am not considering extracanonical sources.
Matching patronuses as symbols of grief
Notably, when Remus explains what patronuses are in PoA and why they change in HBP, he doesn’t mention love at all. A patronus is “a kind of anti-Dementor — a guardian which acts as a shield between you and the Dementor. The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon — hope, happiness, the desire to survive.” It changes only due to “a great shock ... an emotional upheaval.”
The three most notable patronuses we see in canon are Harry’s, Severus’s, and Tonks’s, and all three match people they have lost in moments of emotional turmoil. These patronuses do represent love (but not necessarily romantic love) in a way, but it is lost love. They are a projection of grief and how that grief impacts the character’s desires, hopes, and reasons for living.
Harry’s patronus is James, representing a connection to the loss of his parents (who were quite literally acting as protective guardians when they died), and also his desire to keep Sirius, a surrogate father and a direct connection to James, alive. His patronus is steeped in grief and his desire for the loving family he never had.
Next we have Severus’s patronus, which represents the loss of Lily. It is an expression of his grief and guilt, and how his reasons for living and surviving become atonement for his role in Lily's death and the fulfillment of her final wish. (I have a lot more to say on this that I'll put in a separate meta.)
Tonks is where things get really interesting, because I believe Tonks's patronus represents both Remus and Sirius. First, her patronus is never explicitly stated to be a wolf, but a “an immense silvery four-legged creature”. Large canines are connected to both Remus, a werewolf, and Sirius, whose animagus form is a grim (We have someone else whose patronus represent a person's animagus form, don't we?). I don't think Tonks had a romantic relationship with Sirius, but it's clear in the text she is grieving over his death at the time her patronus changed, and according to Hermione, "She thinks it was her fault he died" (Again, sounding like anyone else we know?). What I think is that her grief over Sirius compounded the loss of Remus rejecting her, creating the necessary emotional upheaval for her patronus to change (not to forget Remus's own grief impacting his decision to reject her in the first place), and Remus comes to represent Tonks's hope for a future—because he’s still alive and a romantic relationship remains possible. It's okay if you believe her patronus is only representative of Remus, but I feel like there's too many connections to Sirius to ignore (and I love how it gives her patronus a connection to both Harry's and Snape's as well). It represents lost love either way.
It’s clear these sorts of patronuses are based in love, but it is lost love and the subsequent desires and motivations as a result of that grief that create their forms, not the expression of love on its own.
Twin and paired patronuses as symbols of intended or true love
Canon contains zero explicit examples of identical twin or paired patronuses, and the patronuses we do see do not represent true love nor destiny, so this one is fanon.
In regards to two people sharing the same patronus forms, canon only implies these exist based on Snape's and Tonks's forms, and some assumptions on Harry's part. We never see nor hear about Lily's nor Remus's corporeal patronus forms in the books. As I argued above, what I think is canonical is patronuses that represent specific people, but those do not even represent romantic love, let alone "true love" or some sort of intention or fate.
As for romantic couples having male and female versions of the same species, these just straight up do not exist in canon, even by implication. “What about James and Lily?” you ask. Well, we never learn what James’ patronus is from the text of the books. As I mentioned earlier, Harry’s patronus is very clearly James’s animagus form; Harry, Remus, and Dumbledore all state it is Prongs.
The whole “James and Lily have paired patronuses” thing is from JKR (boo, hiss) online and in interviews. Given the nature of HP fandom, I’m not surprised people glommed onto it and expanded from there. But paired patronuses aren't present in the books at all.
Also, yes, if we’re being pedantic about it, stags and does don’t even come from the same species, but I think it’s safe to assume that JKR didn’t know that and as with a lot of things in HP, should have looked it up but didn’t. Accepting for a moment that James’s patronus is a stag, if we look again at what patronuses actually represent, according to the definition in the books, James having a patronus that matches his animagus form would seem to imply that his “hope, happiness, and desire to survive” is a lot more connected to himself and the Marauders than Lily. So basically, if that’s what JKR intended, she fucked up in multiple ways.
For the record, I think patronuses as symbols of destiny/true love are fun fanon to play with (I’ve used the concept in fics myself). I’m only arguing that it is not canon, but one of those fanon beliefs that is so prevalent that people assume it is. As always, do with this information as you will.
