Luna Lovegood

From Hpwiki

Luna Lovegood, also called 'Loony' (but only if she doesn't hear it), is a student in the Ravenclaw house of Hogwarts, in the same year as Ginny Weasley. She lives in or around Ottery St. Catchpole, a few miles away from the Burrow, where the Weasley family lives.

Luna has straggly, waist-length, dirty blonde hair, pale eyebrows and protuberant eyes (which imply deep insight). Her strange clothing consists of a long silvery dress for special occasions, radishes (actually "dirigible plums") in her ears, a string of butterbeer corks around her neck, and her wand tucked behind her ear. She has unconventional beliefs and is thought to be a bit of a weirdo in her peers' eyes. Luna, almost always distant, is quite fearless, showing little emotion in the face of danger. Luna is a member of Dumbledore's Army.

Luna's father publishes the tabloid magazine 'The Quibbler'. She believes and treasures the magazine, apparently keeping tabs on its highs and lows ("Oh yes, circulation's well up!"), and she is pleased when Harry gives the Quibbler an exclusive interview, detailing the events surrounding Voldemort's return to power.

In her sixth year, Luna helps Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom reform Dumbledore's Army. With them, she attempts to steal the Sword of Gryffindor from Snape's office; however, they are caught. On the way back home, for the Christmas break, Luna is kidnapped, and trapped in the Malfoy's cellar, along with the wandmaker Ollivander, for four months. Eventually they are joined by Harry, Ron, Dean Thomas and a goblin named Griphook. That's when Dobby came to save them and took them to Bill and Fleur's house. There she kindly spoke some powerful, yet mournful words about the passing of the brave and loyal house elf.

Some of the creatures that Luna believes in, but no one else does, are the Heliopath, Blibbering Humdinger, Crumple-Horned Snorkack, Nargle, and Aquavirius Maggot. Luna also believes that Sirius Black was in fact Stubby Boardman.

Speaking pattern

• Luna’s often stating the obvious ("You’re Harry Potter", "pointing unnecessarily")
• Luna’s voice is described as dreamy, vague, dignified, politely interested (when asking Harry about the 'rescue mission', thus completely unfitting), once she’s speaking in a sing-song voice; other than that she’s talking dreamily, vaguely, calmly, interestedly, happily, serenely,

eagerly, conversationally (this last one about her mother’s death)

• Luna can be blunt (to Ron about Padma: "She didn’t enjoy [the Yule Ball] very much.")
• Luna tends to eschew contractions—though not always.

Here is an early released picture of Evanna Lynch, the girl cast as Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie.

Movement

Her movement has been described as drifting; other than that she’s marching once; her movements are smooth (even after a long thestral ride.)

Opinions and reactions to Luna

Luna knows that the others "think {she's} a bit odd" but naturally she doesn’t agree, and either ignores or calmly retaliates. People tend to pick on Luna behind her back (for example, hiding her belongings). Luna rarely gets teased among other people. She can stand her ground well in an argument and she is quick to retaliate to others arguing with her beliefs.

Harry Potter at first thinks Luna is dotty, but comes to be thankful for her on many occasions, particularly for standing guard while he spoke to Sirius, and assisting him at the Ministry. When Sirius dies and Harry is in full grief, it is broken only by sympathy for Luna, and he finds Luna is the only person he feels truly comfortable talking to after Sirius's death. Luna and Harry share an important thing in common: they are outcasts, and get the butt of every joke.

Ginny Weasley's first comment about Luna is, "she's alright". She giggles when she does something strange or embarrassing, but like Harry learns to respect her and she becomes an occasional companion.

Ron Weasley says Luna has "grown on (him)". When he first met her he was completely nonplussed at her hysterical laughter. Luna initially thinks Ron is quite funny sometimes, but is mean to Hermione. However, in The Half Blood Prince, Ron's respect for Luna soars when she commentates a Quidditch match, unintentionally making the audience laugh. Ron (in the hospital wing at the time) hears her and thought she did a fantastic job, and later compliments her. She says, "You're making fun of me, aren't you?", but he insists, and quite contentedly accepts a Gurdyroot from her.

Neville Longbottom is often picked as Luna's potential love interest by fans, but JK Rowling had insisted that this will never be so. However, in a recent interview on the TODAY show, Rowling recinded that comment, saying that she began to "feel a pull" between the two characters as they matured. One possible reasons the fans like to link these two is that both characters are lonely, unpopular, and eagerly interested in the DA. Both are especially forlorn after its demise. "It was like having friends," Luna once observed.

Neville encounters Luna when she is first introduced on the Hogwarts Express. When displaying the Mimblus Mimbletonia, he accidentally splatters her Quibbler with Stinksap.

Hermione Granger initially has some tense conversations with Luna. Hermione's scientific nature often comes into conflict with Luna's more ethereal ideas and they inevitbly clash on occasion. Exaples include Hermione's blunt statement that there was "nothing good in the Quibbler", and her firm contention that there was no such thing as a Crumple-Horned Snorcack, each which prompts Luna's more cold side. However, it is against Luna's nature to hold grudges and she eventually is the one who comforts Hermione after a confrontation with Ron. Like the others, Hermione eventually comes to accept Luna, no longer simply disregarding her beliefs, or at the very least, accepting them. When Luna announces she is going on holiday to seach for Crumple-Horned Snorckacks, Hermione merely says politely, "That sounds nice".

Luna's future

J.K. Rowling reveals that as an adult, Luna becomes a wizarding naturalist or zoologist and travels the world looking for magical creatures. She is eventually forced to admit that some creatures, like the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, don't exist. She gets married to a man called Rolf, grandson of the great Newt Scamander, and they have twin boys, Lorcan and Lysander.

References

• Madam Scoop's: J.K. Rowling on other Hogwarts Students
• Harry Potter Lexicon: Luna Lovegood

Editorials and Essays

• Mugglenet - The Phoenix Files: Luna Lovegood
• Harry Potter Lexicon - Essays: Luna's Place in the Expanding Circle of Friends
• Flaming Nargles - On Writing Luna