Luna Lovegood

Template:Current fiction Template:HP character Luna Lovegood is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. The character first appears in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth book, in which she is described as looking like an embodiment of dottiness, with her wand tucked behind her left ear for safekeeping, orange radish-like earrings (which are actually Dirigible Plums, which, in the words of Xenophilius Lovegood, "enhance the ability to accept the extraordinary."), and a necklace made of butterbeer corks.

Rowling has often said that Luna is the "anti-Hermione", as Luna believes things on faith alone while Hermione grounds her views on facts and logic. Hermione repeatedly tries to convince Luna that her beliefs are nonsense, but to no avail. This is not to suggest that Luna is unintelligent; indeed, as a Ravenclaw, it is her belief that "wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure." Hermione sees Luna as gullible, whereas Luna views Hermione as narrow-minded. Despite their different views, Luna comforts Hermione after Ron mocks her in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Despite her quirkiness, Luna is often perceptive about human nature, and Harry notes her knack for blunt honesty. She also holds her friends in extremely high regard, as Harry notices (with affection) that she has painted portraits of her friends (Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville) on the ceiling of her room, connected by chains made of the word "friends" painted over and over.

In the books

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Luna first appears in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when Harry, Ginny Weasley, and Neville Longbottom join her in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Ginny mentions that they are in the same year and that Luna is in Ravenclaw.

Luna is unconventionally pretty, with straggly, waist-length dirty-blond hair and a dazed look on her face. Her eyes are "silvery", "misty", and "protuberant" (the last quality serving to give her a permanently surprised look). Like Harry, she can see the thestrals (the bony winged horses that pull the Hogwarts wagons when the Hogwarts Express arrives at school at the beginning of each year), which are visible only to those who have witnessed death.

Luna is isolated at school, but she appears to care little for what others think. She is aware of — but seems unperturbed by — the nickname "Loony", by which she is widely known among the students, and is largely unfazed when her classmates tease her by regularly stealing and hiding her possessions. Nevertheless, she values her few friendships.

A member of Dumbledore's Army, Luna joins Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Neville in the battle with Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic Department of Mysteries.

Harry, during this particularly turbulent year of his life, forms a friendship with Luna. They are both outcasts in their own ways: Luna is ostracised for her outlandish beliefs and quirky ways and, to a point, for being the daughter of the editor of The Quibbler (a wizarding newspaper that tends to print outrageous and often laughable stories); Harry is polarising amongst his peers for his insistence that Voldemort has returned. Since they have both witnessed death, they are able to see Thestrals and hear the voices of the dead behind the Veil in the Department of Mysteries. Towards the end, Luna consoles Harry by sharing her views on death after the loss of his godfather, Sirius Black. She manages to raise his spirits when not even his closest friends could.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Luna first is seen on the Hogwarts Express. Ron and Hermione are attending to prefect duties, and Ginny is similarly otherwise occupied, but Harry is cheered by finding Neville and Luna, with whom he shares the train ride. The news of Harry's heroics at the Ministry is by now in the open, and he is seemingly more popular (especially with the girls) by this time. But when some other female students invite him to join them in their compartment by saying that he doesn't have to sit with Luna and Neville, Harry witheringly informs them, "They're my friends." Luna observes in her bluntly honest way that people expect someone like Harry to "have cooler friends than us." Harry's response, indicative of the increased fondness he has developed for the pair, is that she and Neville are cool.

At Christmas, Harry invites Luna on a platonic date to the party hosted by Horace Slughorn. Wearing a flowing silvery dress, she looks quite nice, Harry notices, and her conversation about the Rotfang conspiracy (wherein the Aurors are allegedly attempting to bring down the Ministry via a combination of Dark Magic and gum disease) with various guests has Harry coughing into his drink in laughter.

Luna is also appointed to do the Quidditch commentary for the school, during which she says little about the play - talking instead about "interestingly-shaped clouds" above the stadium and how nice Ginny Weasley is - and refers to one of the Hufflepuff players as suffering from "Loser's Lurgy." Quidditch fans jeer at her, McGonagall doesn't quite know what to do with her, and people who are fond of Luna fall about laughing. This wins over Ron Weasley, who soon explains that Luna may be mad, but in a good way. The author noted in an interview that she "really enjoyed" writing Luna's commentary and considered it "blinding insight."

Later, when Death Eaters attack Hogwarts, Luna and Neville are the sole D.A. members who answer the call to protect the school. During Dumbledore's funeral, Harry feels a "great rush of affection" for both Luna and Neville as the former helps the latter into his seat.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Luna and her father attend Bill and Fleur's wedding at the Burrow, during which she immediately recognises Harry, despite the fact that he is disguised with Polyjuice Potion, simply by the expression he had on his face. She later takes to dancing by herself, closing her eyes and spinning her arms in large circles.

Luna later returns to school for her sixth year, where she and Ginny help Neville secretly revive Dumbledore's Army, to the fury of Alecto Carrow and Amycus Carrow, Death Eater siblings sent to teach at Hogwarts. The trio unsuccessfully attempts to steal the sword of Godric Gryffindor from the headmaster's office.

During Harry's time at the Lovegood residence, he notices a painting of himself on Luna's bedroom ceiling. Investigating further, he climbs up to discover very lifelike paintings of himself, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville, all interlinked by small gold chains, which, upon closer inspection, he discovers to be the word "friends" written over and over again in tiny gold lettering. This sight evokes a feeling of great affection within Harry, as it becomes suddenly clear just how much Luna values her friends. However, he also notices several pieces of evidence that suggest that Luna hasn't been home for weeks: dust over a photograph of her and her mother, dust over the carpet, no clothes in her wardrobe, and her bed, which looks like it hasn't been slept in for weeks.

It is revealed that while travelling home from Christmas on the Hogwarts Express that year, Luna was kidnapped in an effort to stop her father from publishing information in support of Harry Potter in The Quibbler. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione are at the Lovegoods' home, Xenophilius betrays them to the Death Eaters in the hope that doing so will secure his daughter's release. The trio narrowly escapes - only to eventually land in the cellar of Malfoy Manor as captives themselves, where they find Luna being held hostage along with Mr. Ollivander and Dean Thomas. They are all rescued by the house-elf Dobby, who brings them to Shell Cottage, the residence of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, where protective enchantments keep them safe. Dobby is killed during the rescue, however. After Harry finishes digging Dobby's grave, when the gathered group doesn't seem to know what to do next, Luna is the one who offers to say a few words and begin the "memorial service" for the elf. She offers words of kindness, thanking Dobby for being so courageous and saving them from Malfoy Manor. Harry is touched by her speech and feels that there is nothing he can add to it.

When Harry returns to Hogwarts in search of the Ravenclaw item that Voldemort turned into a Horcrux, Luna helps him in accessing Ravenclaw's common room in order to view a replica of Ravenclaw's diadem. She Stuns Death Eater Alecto Carrow when they are discovered. Later, she fights bravely in the Battle of Hogwarts, provides direction to other students, and summons her Patronus charm along with others to help fight off hundreds of oncoming Dementors. She also battles Bellatrix Lestrange along with Hermione and Ginny until Molly Weasley takes over and defeats Bellatrix herself.

Finally, Luna is among the first to congratulate Harry when Voldemort is defeated. After the battle, she recognises that Harry wants some peace and quiet away from the other students, and she provides a distraction in order to allow him to escape with the Invisibility Cloak.

Life after the book series

In Rowling's first televised interview since the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, she revealed a number of aspects of Luna's life after Hogwarts. Luna continues to be an eccentric individual and pursues a career that is "the wizarding equivalent" of a naturalist. She comes to terms with her father's sometimes false beliefs, but Rowling explains that her background has fostered in her a singular open-mindedness that allows her to make discoveries that more "reality"-oriented individuals might be unable to recognise.

In a later webchat-based interview, Rowling explained that Luna discovered many new species of animals and became quite famous for it, though she concluded that Crumple-Horned Snorkacks don't actually exist. She ended up marrying Rolf, a fellow naturalist and grandson of the great Newt Scamander.

Family

Both Luna's parents are magical. Her father, Xenophilius Lovegood, is the editor-in-chief of The Quibbler, a magazine that, according to Luna, publishes "important stories he thinks the public needs to know." Her mother was, according to Luna, an extraordinary witch who died when a spell experiment went wrong. The Lovegoods live near Ottery St. Catchpole, a small village on the south coast of England that is also home to the Weasley family. Luna is never mentioned as having siblings.

Film portrayal

The character is portrayed by Evanna Lynch in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. On her website, Rowling described the actress as "perfect" for the role. Lynch had to bleach her hair a light blonde in order to play the role, and she has been confirmed as reprising the role in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

In the film, Luna produces a hare Patronus during a D.A. meeting. This was confirmed as canon when she produced the same Patronus in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

See also

• Luna Lovegood's creatures
• The Quibbler

External links

• Luna Lovegood on Harry Potter Wiki, an external wiki
• Luna's entry at the Harry Potter Lexicon