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Luna Lovegood

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Luna Lovegood
Harry Potter character
Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood [a]
First appearanceHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)
Last appearanceHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)
Created byJ. K. Rowling
Portrayed byEvanna Lynch
In-universe information
NicknamesLoony Lovegood
Family
SpouseRolf Scamander
ChildrenLorcan Scamander
Lysander Scamander
HouseRavenclaw
Born13 February 1981

Luna Lovegood is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling. She first appeared in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003). She is portrayed by Evanna Lynch in the Harry Potter films Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2.[1]

Characterisation

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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.[2] Hermione repeatedly tries to convince Luna that her beliefs are nonsense, but to no avail. Though they have different views, Luna and Hermione eventually become friends.

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 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" repeated over and over.

Both Luna's parents are magical. Her father, Xenophilius Lovegood, first appears in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, though Luna earlier identifies him as the editor-in-chief of The Quibbler, a magazine that, according to Luna, publishes "important stories he thinks the public needs to know". Luna says her mother was an extraordinary witch who died when a spell experiment went wrong. Luna saw the death of her mother when she was only nine and so she can see Thestrals.[3] Luna appears to be an only child as no mention is made of siblings. The Lovegoods live near Ottery St. Catchpole, a small village on the south coast of England that is also home to the Weasley family.

Appearances

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Luna first appears in the novel Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003) as a Ravenclaw student one year below Harry. Other students call her "Loony Lovegood". She and her father, Xenophilius, believe the claims made by Harry and Albus Dumbledore that Lord Voldemort has returned. Luna and Hermione Granger persuade the journalist Rita Skeeter to interview Harry so his claims can be published in The Quibbler, a magazine edited by Xenophilius. During the course of the novel, Luna practices her defensive spellcasting as a member of Dumbledore's Army. Near the end of the story, she participates in the battle with Death Eaters at the Ministry of Magic. In Half-Blood Prince (2005), Luna attends Horace Slughorn's Christmas party with Harry. When Death Eaters attack Hogwarts, Luna, Ginny and Neville attempt to protect the school.

Luna begins her sixth year at Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows (2007). She and Ginny help Neville revive Dumbledore's Army, which infuriates the Death Eaters who are now in control of the school. Hoping to aid Harry on his quest to destroy Horcruxes, Luna and her friends try to steal the Sword of Gryffindor from the office of Severus Snape. They are caught and given a lenient punishment: a trip to the Forbidden Forest with Rubeus Hagrid. While travelling home for Christmas on the Hogwarts Express, Luna is kidnapped by Death Eaters. They hold her hostage to stop her father from publishing content supportive of Harry in The Quibbler. Harry, Ron and Hermione are also captured by Voldemort's followers, who imprison them in the cellar of Malfoy Manor with Luna and Mr Ollivander. All the prisoners are eventually rescued by the house-elf Dobby.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Luna summons a Patronus to fend off hundreds of Dementors that are about to attack her friends. Luna, Hermione and Ginny duel Bellatrix Lestrange until Molly Weasley intervenes and kills Bellatrix. After the battle, Luna helps Harry slip away from the celebratory crowd to find some peace and quiet.

Portrayal in film

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Evanna Lynch was cast in the role of Luna over Saoirse Ronan.[4][5][6] Rowling called Lynch "perfect" for the role.[7] Lynch bleached her hair for the role.[8][9][10][11]

Reception

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The entertainment website IGN ranked Luna as the 12th best Harry Potter character. The website called Luna heroic and said she plays a critical role in the student group Dumbledore's Army.[12] Empire magazine listed Luna as the 10th best character in the Harry Potter franchise.[13]

Life after the book series

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In Rowling's first televised interview after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, she revealed a number of aspects of Luna's life after Hogwarts. Luna pursues a career as a "magizoologist", the equivalent of a zoologist but for magical creatures. While remaining eccentric, she is able to come to terms with the fact that some of her father's beliefs are false, although 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.[14]

In a later webchat-based interview, Rowling explained that Luna discovers many new species of animals and becomes quite famous for it. She marries a fellow naturalist, the grandson of Newt Scamander, named Rolf Scamander.[14]

In the JKR Documentary on ITV, she drew a family tree which showed that Luna and Rolf had twin boys, Lorcan and Lysander. The twins were born several years after Luna's friends had their own children.

Harry and Ginny named their daughter Lily Luna after their "dear friend".[15]

Notes

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  1. ^ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)

References

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  1. ^ Sharf, Zack (2 March 2023). "'Harry Potter' Star Evanna Lynch: 'I Wish People Would Give' J.K. Rowling 'More Grace and Listen to Her'". Variety. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  2. ^ "J.K. Rowling at the Royal Albert Hall". MSN. 26 June 2003. Archived from the original on 12 November 2006. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  3. ^ Goldstein, Ian (11 February 2021). "The Sad Truth About Luna Lovegood That Harry Potter Fans Forget". Looper.com. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  4. ^ Rodriguez, Karla (3 August 2011). "Saoirse Ronan admits disappointment over 'Harry Potter' Luna Lovegood role". Irish Central. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  5. ^ "5 Things You Didn't Know About Saoirse Ronan". Vogue. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  6. ^ Claire, Marie (7 September 2017). "Evanna Lynch has one regret about playing Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter". Marie Claire. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  7. ^ Haber, David (5 April 2006). "J.K. Rowling Says Book Is Going Well, Evanna Is Perfect". Beyond Hogwarts. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  8. ^ Lizo's interview with Luna Lovegood from CBBC. Retrieved on 30 July 2007.
  9. ^ Busch, Jenna (10 April 2019). "The Resiliency Of Luna Lovegood". Syfy. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  10. ^ Granshaw, Lisa (13 February 2018). "7 Reasons Why Luna Lovegood Is Our Favorite Ravenclaw In Harry Potter". Syfy. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  11. ^ "10 Facts About Luna Lovegood They Leave Out Of The Movies". ScreenRant. 20 June 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  12. ^ "Top 25 Harry Potter characters". IGN. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  13. ^ "The 25 Greatest Harry Potter Characters". Empire. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  14. ^ a b J.K. Rowling Web Chat Transcript from The Leaky Cauldron. Retrieved on 30 July 2007.
  15. ^ J.K.Rowling - A Year In The Life; James Runcie; Independent Television (ITV); 2007
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