I hope you all enjoyed the smooth transition into the New Year, 2024, and are full of beautiful anticipations, new hopes, new desires, valuable goals and aspirations, and lovely dreams that are worth-fulfilling. Between all of this, don't forget to keep loving yourself for the important and amazing person that you are. Every life on Earth has value and purpose and must be celebrated. Therefore, you would want to treat yourself and others with respect and care. Continue to stock up on self-love every single day, and stop chasing those silly techniques of sneaking phials of Amortentia into Hogwarts Castle. Your self-love and concern for others will come in much more handy and priceless than the best bottle of love potion you can find.

On that note, this month's New Year and Pre-Valentine's special topic is truly very special. Whether you dream of meeting or already know a special someone, share a very close and special bond with yourself, or appreciate all the amazing and special people that you have in your life, this emotion is definitely worth celebrating. Here I am, Hiya Debnath, the editor-in-chief of this magazine, and together we will get to know the mystique of the intriguing emotion that none of us can truly explain—love.

Love is a very complex emotion that cannot be easily described. Many have attempted to elucidate it but have failed. It still remains largely abstract and also holds its enigmatic allure for most of us. Yet it is considered a very precious and beautiful feeling. After all, the less we understand something, the more enticing it seems, right?

However, this inscrutable emotion is way more powerful and magical than it appears to be. Not only is it beyond any form of control, it can neither be created, defeated, nor destroyed. 

If you visit the fifth-year Potions classroom in the dungeons to take a whiff of Amortentia, you will definitely come across the following facts: -

True love is more powerful than even the most dire Unforgivable Curse, the Killing Curse. The most famous example is obviously the survival of Harry Potter against Voldemort's curse, because Harry's mother shielded him and sacrificed herself out of motherly love. There is truly nothing more magical and powerful than a mother's love, anywhere in the universe.

If you also remember your first-year Transfiguration lessons well, love is one of the exceptions to Gamp's Law, and you cannot conjure love with the help of magic. Professor Draekon clearly states that potioneering will not help you toe the line, either.

We can thus safely argue that this sweeping emotion is beyond the scope of both magic and science.

What about destroying love? True love is always indestructible, no matter the circumstances. Infatuation and lust can both be destroyed, but not true love.

However, that hasn't stopped anyone, whether magical or mundane, from trying to create or destroy love. Muggles and magical people alike spent a lot of time researching love and trying to create or destroy this powerful emotion. That is evident from the fact that we have love potions in the wizarding world and different aphrodisiacs that Muggles have used since ancient times in history. (That leads me to mention that perfume can make you fall in love. If you smell a similar scent every time you sniff something or someone pleasant, the imprint of that scent is stored in your memory. Whenever you encounter that fragrance again, you are likely to fall in love with the bearer of the scent. Speaking of that, what does Amortentia smell like to you? I took this quiz to find out and discovered that it smells like fresh parchment, fresh coffee, new books, and the Hogwarts Library to me. That certainly helped me identify it outside Professor Draekon's fifth-year classroom in the dungeons.) However, as we have been warned for the millionth time by now, love potions do not help create love. Not even Amortentia, the strongest love potion. These potions can only cause a temporary infatuation, something that we may often refer to as "lust". Triggering this temporary feeling can be more harmful than helpful. Not only is it unappealing and manipulative in nature, it is also not real. Also, under the scope of magic, there are disastrous magical side-effects. A child born of a love potion never acquires the ability to love or truly appreciate love. It's the same way in dysfunctional Muggle families, in which children born to parents with trust issues, divorced parents, or parents who fight every day often end up having a neglected childhood, developing narcissism or other borderline traits, becoming hyper-independent, or living with other forms of childhood trauma. Some Muggles even tried to get witches or wizards to trade them love potions in the past. When the International Statute of Secrecy hadn't been passed and witches and wizards socialized freely with the Muggles and showed off their magic out in the open, the Muggles used to buy love potions from them. However, Muggles were gullible and often fell prey to potions sold by a "snake oil salesman" (refer to Lesson 1, first-year Potions, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry). Funnily enough, there have also been instances in historical writings that claim that women would feed something special to their husbands for breakfast to ensure that they would come back home at the end of the day like a faithful lover. That sounds suspiciously like a love potion.

The Psychology of Love

Having successfully ditched all bottles of love potions, I am still here to discuss the three types of love. As Professor Buchanan says in the sixth-year Arithmancy classroom, "three represents stability and the junction of physical, emotional and psychological aspects of humanity". This is very closely related to the three types of love, which are: -

• Eros - Also known as physical love or erotic love, it is based on strong feelings of attraction towards someone who looks physically beautiful or appealing. This type of love usually occurs at the beginning of a romantic relationship and may or may not progress to a long-term, lasting bond.


• Philos - Also known as emotional love or platonic love, it is based on a mutually beneficial "give-and-take" bond that usually starts with friendship. This type of love lasts longer and often stands the test of time.


• Agape - Also known as spiritual love or unconditional love, it is based on a totally selfless admiration for another person. This type of love typically manifests in the form of a mother's love for her child. Most religious and spiritual institutions speak of this type of love.

Narrowing the discussion down to only romantic relationships, an individual goes through three types of relationships in their lifetime: -

The first one usually occurs during adolescence or childhood. Often known as puppy love, it's self-destructive, all-consuming, and unconditional in nature. It is highly shaped by individual moral beliefs and one's first idea of love.

The second one usually occurs when one is a young adult. This is often called "tough love". It helps us explore the deeper parts of ourselves, our triggers, and our responses to clashing beliefs and ideas. This love teaches us valuable lessons about ourselves and others and helps us understand our motivations, fears, and ideals. It opens our eyes to the world and helps us form a clear idea of what love means to us as individuals and how we would like to love and be loved.

The third one usually occurs later than that, at varying ages, but may also never occur in an individual's lifetime. This is the one that changes all our beliefs about love and happens naturally and unexpectedly. It just fits like a puzzle piece, and suddenly we like everything that we never thought we would like, and everything that we considered gross or bad suddenly seems beautiful.

Finally, let's talk about the Triangular Theory of Love. The Triangular Theory of Love was given by psychologist Robert. J. Sternberg, Ph.D., in 1986. This theory states that love is based on three things: intimacy (involuntary feelings of closeness, bonding, and warmth), passion (involuntary feelings of attraction and arousal) , and commitment (the only voluntary one among the three; it is the active choice to love and maintain that love over time). Permutations and combinations of these three things form the seven (the quintessential magical number", which "represents intuition, luck and light, as represented by the seven colors of the rainbow) different types of love, which are: -

Liking - Intimacy alone, most commonly seen in close friendships.

Infatuated love - Pure passion, often explained as that strong "love at first sight" feeling that may be fleeting.

Empty love - Only commitment, often seen in deteriorating relationships in which the passion and intimacy no longer exist but the relationship is dragged forth through sheer, voluntary will.

Romantic love - Passion and intimacy intertwine to form this type of love, and a close bond without voluntary commitment is perceived.

Companionate love - Intimacy and commitment are seen in this type of love, while the passion has dissipated, which may be the result of a long relationship.

Fatuous love - Made up of passion and commitment (and driven by passion), it lacks intimacy.

Consummate love - This is the love that Sternberg says has it all: intimacy, passion, and commitment. He also indicates that finding and maintaining this type of love requires effort and strife on the part of both partners involved to make it last.

The Bio-chemistry of Love

After going through all those psychological aspects of love, here are a few tangible facts we could go through to give it a rest. These facts are taught elaborately in the Potions classroom in the dungeons by the very talented and meticulous Professor Draekon. Love is actually a feeling associated with the production of "oxytocin", the love hormone. It is also the same neurotransmitter that facilitates childbirth, aids lactation, and rewards your brain with the "happy" feeling, which is what we may most commonly associate with "falling in love". On the other hand, infatuation is a feeling that is, for the most part, associated with the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen. This feeling is "much more fleeting than love is" because it is meant to induce the human species to continue reproducing rather than to help build a stable family life. For those who are interested in learning more, don't wait for anyone to propel you to the dungeons.

The Magic of Love

Of course, love is magical and mysterious, and Amortentia is not all there is to the magic of love. Professor Draekon explains exactly how magical energy can superimpose over the electronic structure of the molecules of testosterone and estrogen in a process called "mu-resonance". He also speaks about exactly why the same principle wouldn't have much success with oxytocin molecules. Moreover, Amortentia can alter the fetal brain structure of the baby if consumed by someone attempting to conceive, regardless of gender. This modification of the fetal brain can lead to chemical tolerance, something that explains many aspects of Tom Riddle's (Voldemort) behavior. Therefore, if you still have any doubts about whether or not you should slip your crush some love potion in a chocolate frog, here's your cue to rush to the Potions dungeons and attempt to understand the exact process first. Yes, of course, while you are at it, you will also learn how to brew Amortentia. As far as I remember, you will need rose water (mmmmm, smells romantic), Ashwinder eggs (ooooo, fiery hot passion), pearl dust (beautiful), Emberwood sap (smells like an oriental fragrance), moonstone (ahh, romantic), rose petals (now this is truly setting the mood), and drifts off. Never mind; just go to the dungeons and see for yourself. One last tip: if your sweetheart has a shellfish allergy, steer clear of any Amortentia.

The Etymology of Love

So, where did the word for this multifaceted emotion come from? The Merriam-Webster dictionary, more commonly followed in the US, states that the word "love" derives from the Old English word lufu, which originates from the Old High Germanic word luba, meaning "love". An Old English word, lēof, meaning "dear", and the Latin words lubēre and libēre, meaning "to please", are also quite similar. The Oxford English Dictionary, more popular in the UK, also speaks of an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit lubhyati meaning "desires", Latin libet meaning "it is pleasing", libido meaning "desire", and also by leave and lief. 

Check out the Merriam-Webster dictionary here and the Oxford English dictionary here.

The term "philia" denotes fondness, especially an abnormal love for a specified thing. Here are a few philias that resonate with me and that you may love: - 

Ailurophilia - love of cats

Anthophilia - love of flowers

Astrophilia - love of astronomy

Autophilia - love of solitude

Bibliophilia - love of books

Cynophilia - love of dogs

Dendrophilia - love of trees and forests

Ergophilia - love of work

Fictophilia - love of fictional characters

Heliophilia - love of the Sun and sunny weather

Javaphilia - love of coffee

Logophilia - love of words

Lygophilia - love of shade and darkness

Zoophilia - love of animals and protection of animal rights.

Love and Valentine's Day Plans

If you could smell the love in the air, you are probably right. Emotions are heightened, and everyone is looking forward to St. Valentine's Day. The air is definitely thick with whispers of Valentine's Day plans and gossip.

Many of us often forget why St. Valentine's Day is celebrated. Let's take a quick look at its history, which is as vague as love itself. It has been suggested that the first known festival similar enough to Valentine's Day would be the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February to denote the coming of spring. This festival was celebrated by pairing women with men by lottery and also included fertility rites. At the end of the 5th century CE, the celebration of this festival was forbidden by Pope Gelasius I and is thought to have been replaced by Valentine's Day. However, Valentine's Day only became a symbol of romance later, around the 14th century CE. The origin of the name for Valentine's Day has been attributed to several legends about Christian martyrs, including: -

1. A priest who was put to death in about 270 CE by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus for signing a letter "from your Valentine" to his jailer's daughter, whom he had befriended and apparently healed from blindness,


2. St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop who is often considered to be the same person as the one above, and


3. St. Valentine, who defied the emperor's orders and secretly married couples in love.

Formal messages, called "Valentines", only appeared in the 1500s, and commercially printed cards were being used only by the late 1700s. Traditional Valentine's Day gifts include candy and flowers, particularly red roses, which symbolize beauty and love. However, don't be afraid to try and find out what else your crush or sweetheart may like, and be bold, creative, original, unique, and thoughtful with your gifts.

Happy Pre-Valentine's Month to everybody, and don't forget to stock up on your self-love instead of Amortentia, because: -

1. The best way to attract a lover is to be yourself.


2. The most attractive quality is confidence.


3. True love happens in the most unexpected of places and at the most unexpected of times.


4. The best make-up a girl can wear is a smile.


5. True love transcends all boundaries and does not care about your unique quirks, which you may not consider to be your best qualities.

Sources: - 3 types of love

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www.shape.com

www.brittanica.com

Merriam-Webster dictionary

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Image Credits: - slideserve

www.shape.com

- Hiya Debnath, Journalist, Editor-in-Chief, Compiler, Publisher, Hogwarts Monthly Magazine.