Not sure if you can compare those friendships with that of Dumbledore and Grindlewald. It's been a hell of a long time since I've read the books but I recall Dumbledore and Grindlewald having a friendship that was closer than even brothers.

Although yes, she did it for brownie points. But the majority of women generally seem to be unable to understand how close a 'bromance' can actually be. And all of the (gay) character shipping is mostly done by women. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that gay men are a small minority amongst the character shippers. At least that's the impression I got.