Read the transcript below:
The Harry Potter series has given us countless characters to love, hate, laugh at, and root for. However, out of this colourful cast, Luna manages to stand out. On the surface, it’s easy to love her for her quirks and the odd clothing choices she makes, but her personality is deeper than that.
She’s more observant than her dreamy manner would suggest, and she’s not afraid to share her thoughts. Then there’s the fact she’s a Ravenclaw, so she’s actually pretty smart too. More than that, though, she’s loyal to her friends, caring about others without judgment, and she offers Harry empathy when he needs it.
Before we continue, I’m Riley and this is Otherworldly Fiction. On this channel I rant about fantasy books, discuss characters, and offer the occasional bit of writing advice. If any of that sounds like your cup of tea, or you just have a vampire fetish, consider subscribing. Only non-subscribers get transformed into ferrets!
While we get plenty of time with each of the Harry Potter characters throughout the books, it’s important to note that each continued to have lives, and even families, throughout the after years. Luna is no exception, and the name of her husband will have a familiar ring for those invested in the universe.
Luna Lovegood was born on February 13th, in the year 1981. Her parents were Xenophilius and Pandora Lovegood. When Luna was only 9 years old, she witnessed a tragedy – the death of her mother, Pandora. Luna’s mother loved to experiment, but when one of her spells backfired her young daughter witnessed her death. As a result of seeing death, Luna gained the ability to see Thestrals.
Only those who have seen death can see these skeletal horse-like creatures; they pull the Hogwarts carriages each year, but most students assume the carriages pull themselves. Even Harry, for all the trauma he’d faced, didn’t see them until his fifth year, making Luna one of the few who could see the creatures from the very start of her school career. It’s not hard to imagine how that went down; given her track record, most students, on hearing the eleven year old Luna talk about invisible skeleton horses, probably assumed they belonged to the ranks of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. It was just one more thing to set the girl apart.
Luna was sorted into Ravenclaw, beginning her tenure at Hogwarts in 1992. This put her only one year behind Harry, and in the same year as Ginny Weasley. Though not unfriendly, Luna became ostracized for her strange beliefs, most of which she learned from her father, and her other unusual behaviours, which included reading books upside down and wearing everything from a roaring lion hat to a necklace made of butterbeer caps.
Luna is that conspiracy theorist friend we all have, and choose not to argue with, but like most people with odd beliefs she learned them from family. Her father Xenophilius, as the owner of a magazine called the Quibbler, printed numerous outlandish stories in each of its publications. These included none existent creatures and weird theories – Xenophilius even posited that Sirius was not a murderer, but rather a retired singer known as Stubby Boardman, who led the band, the Hobgoblins .
Luna was subjected to bullying, with the most popular name for her being “Loony” Lovegood. However, she didn’t allow this treatment to dampen her outlook. Though she was more observant than she appeared, she never betrayed bitterness towards anyone – except to defend herself, and her father. On those occasions when she had to stand up for herself, her dreamy demeanor would vanish, to be replaced by obvious anger. Her social life also took a turn for the better when she met Ginny, and then befriended both Neville and the Golden Trio.
Luna was one of the most eager members of Dumbledore’s Army, an underground organization created by Harry Potter to train students in the wake of Voldemort’s return. Although the DA, as it was called, only ran in an official capacity for one year, it’s most dedicated members would retain connections as times grew dark. Of course, being a proud member of the DA wasn’t the only way Luna helped Harry out.
At the conclusion of what would have been Luna’s third year, Hermione managed to discover Rita Skeeter’s greatest secret. Rita Skeeter, the Daily Prophet’s most venomous gossip writer, was an Animagus. She could turn into a beetle, and eavesdrop on private conversations which she would then turn around and publish. Of course, her actions were not only unethical, but illegal – all Animagi are supposed to be registered, but Rita avoided doing so in order to continue abusing her power.
Luna became useful because she was the daughter of a magazine publisher, and Hermione, on learning Rita’s secret, had Rita in her pocket – at least for one year. It was Luna’s fourth year, and she persuaded her father to publish the interview held between Harry and Rita, in which he explained his side of the story. Harry was being repressed by the Daily Prophet, accused of everything from lying to being mad, but the Quibbler was all too happy to give him an outlet.
After all, for all their odd beliefs, the Lovegoods were among the few who supported Harry, and his claims that Voldemort had returned. The Quibbler, among many other things, was banned from Hogwarts by Umbridge. However, because it was banned, everyone found a way to read it. Whatever their feelings towards Harry, the students resented Umbridge and in disobeying her they were exposed to Harry’s side of the story.
While Ron and Hermione remained Harry’s best friends, Luna, along with Ginny and Neville, expanded his circle, and joined Harry when he rushed to the Ministry of Magic in hopes of rescuing Sirius from Voldemort. Luna also assisted Harry against Umbridge, earning the ire of Umbridge’s Inquisitorial Squad.
At the Ministry, the group encountered a strange archway. Though most of the kids thought it was empty, Harry, along with Luna, could hear voices coming from it. It was yet another moment when Luna could empathize with Harry, understanding him where even his closest friends couldn’t. On losing Sirius, Harry was old enough to feel his loss; it was the equivalent to losing a parent, and Luna was the one who spoke to him when he was drowning in his grief.
Luna confided in Harry, telling him of her mother’s death and of her belief she would see her mother again someday. Harry was comforted; he finally had someone who could empathize with him, and it gave him hope that he could be reunited with his loved ones.
Luna managed to comfort Hermione, too. It was Luna’s fifth year, and Ron had just made fun of Hermione during a Transfiguration class. Luna discovered Hermione in the girls bathroom, crying, and Luna consoled her. Though Luna was gentle, and appeared dreamy, it hadn’t escaped her notice that Ron could have a mean side, something she wasn’t afraid to note in front of Harry.
She accompanied Harry, as a friend, to Slughorn’s Christmas party, eagerly discussing another of her wildest ideas, the Rotfang Conspiracy. It posited that there was a dark force within the Ministry which was using not only dark magic, but gum disease, to take the Ministry down. Though Harry could only laugh, Luna found one eager listener in Trelawney, who was present at the party.
If her loyalty wasn’t enough, Luna also brought some much needed comic relief to Harry; she became the school’s Quidditch commentator, though she never actually reported the score, and her commentary was…unique, to say the least. She described clouds, forgot the names of players, and finally won Ron’s affection when she suggested that one of the Hufflepuff players, Zachariah Smith, was suffering from something known as “Loser’s Lurgy.”
Even as the days grew darker, Luna remained a friend to Harry and she, along with her father, attended the wedding of Ron’s brother, Bill. Though Harry was disguised by Polyjuice Potion, Luna was able to recognize Harry by the expression he wore. She had just been bitten by one of the Weasley’s gnomes, but was happy about the occurrence because she believed their saliva was beneficial. If this wasn’t strange enough, she also wore bright yellow – a colour her father believed brought good luck to weddings.
With the Golden Trio out of the picture, Luna, along with Ginny and Neville, came into her own. The Silver Trio brought Dumbledore’s Army back, becoming its leaders and rebelling against the Death Eater run Hogwarts in their own way, and their connections with other DA members allowed an underground resistance to flourish.
Luna, Ginny, and Neville even went so far as to break into Snape’s office. He was Headmaster by that time, and they were trying to steal the Sword of Gryffindor in hopes of helping Harry. Unfortunately, they were caught, though their punishment wasn’t severe. They received detention with Hagrid, doing work in the Forbidden Forest, much as the Golden Trio had done in their first year.
Luna was in greater danger when she made to return home for the Christmas holidays. The Quibbler, even in a regime led by Voldemort, continued to air its support for Harry, who had been declared an outlaw. As a result, the Death Eaters punished Xenophilius by capturing Luna, and holding her hostage at Malfoy Manor.
Although facing months of imprisonment, Luna still thought of others; retaining her positive outlook, she offered much needed comfort to her fellow prisoner, the wandmaker Ollivander. Dean and the goblin, Griphook, also became prisoners in the Malfoy cellar; finally, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were captured too, but through the aid of Dobby the House Elf everyone managed to escape. They went to Shell Cottage, the home of Bill and his wife, Fleur.
Dobby was killed in the attempt, breaking Harry’s heart, but Luna was again there to offer Harry comfort as he buried his friend. She closed Dobby’s eyes, and thanked him for rescuing her.
Afterwards, Luna remained at Shell Cottage – until returning to Hogwarts, in May, to face the final battle. Even during the battle, she offered Harry moral support. When trying to cast a Patronus Charm, it was Luna who helped Harry to remember why he could still be happy – as she pointed out, they were still alive and able to fight.
Luna was also integral in helping Harry to find the Horcrux hidden at Hogwarts, when she suggested it could be the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw. Though it had been missing for years, Luna’s guess turned out to be right – she took Harry to the Ravenclaw common room, and on seeing a replica of the diadem there Harry remembered where he’d seen something similar. He had noticed a similar accessory on an ugly bust in the Room of Requirement.
Though the series concluded shortly after the Battle of Hogwarts, Luna continued to have a colourful life. Fascinated by strange creatures, Luna became a renowned magizoologist – the same career followed by none other than Newt Scamander of Fantastic Beasts fame. Of course, her interest in magical animals wasn’t the only thing to connect her to Newt, because she married his grandson, Rolf Scamander, becoming herself a Scamander.
Luna was successful in her career, discovering new creatures and sharing them with the world. Unfortunately, though she spent the whole of her career searching, Luna never managed to find the infamous Crumple-Horned Snorkack. Thus, she was forced to acknowledge that Xenophilius may have fabricated the creature.
Luna’s love of bizarre fashion continued even on her wedding day, and Rolf was said to look shocked when Luna sported a dress covered in rainbows and spangles along with a tiara made of unicorn hair. It was Rita Skeeter who reported on this; she would continue to write a number of articles designed to make people look ridiculous, and the votes of her readers won out in stating that Luna’s dress qualified for “Most Hideous Outfit of the Year.”
With Rolf, Luna had twin sons, Lorcan and Lysander. Luna attended the Quidditch World Cup with Rolf, who may have had to prevent her from wearing one of her “Special Event Hats” (at least according to Rita Skeeter). In the past, during her school years, Luna had worn a roaring lion head for Gryffindor, and an eagle with flapping wings for Ravenclaw, in support of the Hogwarts Quidditch teams.
But Luna, being Luna, still managed to make an impression without a hat when she wore robes made up of flags from all of the countries competing in the Cup. She sat with her husband, and the other members of Dumbledore’s Army, while her twins were babysat by their grandpa back home. Harry and Luna remained close, and Harry honoured Luna by giving his daughter, Lily, the middle name of Luna.
Despite her funny ways and what the books called her “air of dottiness,” Luna remains a fan favourite not only because of her quirks, but because of the other qualities she shows. She is dreamy and positive, but observant. She’s not afraid to speak her mind, even when her views are unpopular, and her honesty can make people uncomfortable – if only because they know she’s right. She’s unafraid of standing up for herself, though she’s largely unfazed by even the most chaotic situations, and her intelligence has earned her a deserved spot in Ravenclaw, the house known for containing the wisest students.
Finally, she’s loyal to her friends, and able to offer comfort to those in need. She comforts Harry when no one else, including his closest friends, can understand his grief. For such a seemingly detached person, she is actually the most empathetic, and during hard moments she helps others to pull through.
Personally, I want to hear more about her character, whether it be in a spin off series or a book of her own cataloging the new creatures she’s discovered. I’d also like to know more about her family, given she’s now a Scamander, and hear what other adventures she’s had.
If there is a Luna Lovegood fanfiction you’ve enjoyed, share it in the comments. And if you’ve enjoyed this video, like and subscribe. Thank you for listening, and happy reading.
Other Posts:
Find me online & on social media at my linktree: