Evanna Lynch » Luna Lovegood » Biography

Luna Lovegood, a pivotal and classic character from J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, is one of Harry's closest friends and a singularly unique character. She is described as having waist length dirty blonde hair and silvery grey eyes; sorted into Ravenclaw, she is a prominent member of the Dumbledore's Army, fighting against the forces of evil in the 'Battle of the Department of Mysteries' in 1996 and the 'Battle of the Astronomy Tower' in 1997. Harry and Ginny Potter gave their middle child (and only girl) offspring the middle name "Luna" as a sign of respect. It is unknown whether Luna is a Pure Blood or a Half Blood, as her mother's identity remains quite a mystery.

Born in 1981, to The Quibbler editor Xenophilius Lovegood and an unnamed spell inventor witch, Luna lived near Ottery St. Catchpole with her parents. Her mother died during a "spell [gone] badly wrong" when she was nine; her mother died infront of her, and thus, from her beginning days at Hogwarts she was able to the thestrals. While she is "very sad about it sometimes", Luna is ever hopeful that her mother's death was not the last time she would be seeing her, having a firm belief in seeing her mother again.

Years 1 – 3: Before Meeting Potter

Luna began Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at age 11, alongside the youngest Weasley child, Ginny; she began in 1992 and was sorted into Ravenclaw, a house characterised and known for their intelligence and cleverness. Eccentric and slightly odd, Luna was not particularly popular during her years at Hogwarts, with many students nicknaming her "Loony Lovegood". It was this eccentricity and oddness which also began a rather cruel game, in which students would take her belongings throughout the year.

In the Potter series, the Lovegoods are not mentioned until book four, where Luna and her father attended the 1994 Quidditch World Cup. While they were intended to meet with the Weasleys, Diggorys and Harry to travel by portkey to the grounds, it was revealed that they had been camping at the grounds for a week. It isn't until the fifth book, Order of the Phoenix that Harry and his friends meet Luna.

Year 3: Harry Potter, the DA and the Battle of the Department of Mysteries

During her fourth year, Luna met Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville while travelling on the Hogwarts Express; she is found in a compartment by Neville, reading the latest edition of The Quibbler upside down. Throughout the journey, the compartment goes through a variety of atmospheres; Hermione initially insults The Quibbler, while Luna laughs extremely long and loud at a joke that Ron makes about Slytherins, Crabbe and Goyle; Luna also confides in Harry that she and her father belief his story about the return of He Who Must Not Be Named, and stands up for him in front of a group of fourth and fifth year students.

Harry and Luna develop a friendship and bond; Luna tells Harry about the fiercesome creatures he has never seen before, the thestrals, and the reason why he can see them. She reveals to Harry that she was present when her mother died, at age nine, and that was why she could see the thestrals. Although saddened by her mother's death, she is highly optimistic that she will see her mother, later in life, once more.

During the later part of her fourth year, Luna is invited to join Dumbledore's Army. She accepts, and becomes a part of the Army group, finally gaining some friends. She also offers to publish Harry's side of the story of what occured during the final tournament trial in The Quibbler, after Rita Skeeter falsifies his claims. In a bid to help Harry contact Sirius, whom he suspects has been kidnapped and tortured by Lord Voldemort, Luna and Ginny stand guard outside Professor Umbridge's office; however, they are caught and are restrained by members of Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad. It is specifially mentioned that Luna failed to notice that they were being held hostage and continued to stare off, as if in a daydream.

Luna is also one of the six Army members to accompany Harry on his rescue mission to the Department of Mysteries. It is her idea to fly to London using the thestrals; however, as the others could not see the thestrals, she and Harry help Ron, Hermione and Ginny to get on the invisible animals. Luna and Harry are the only two of the sextuplet to hear the voices from behind the Veil, prior to being ambushed by the Death Eaters.

Throughout the battle, Luna protects Ron after he is attacked by brains and confused, and attacks a Death Eater who injures Ginny. It is Luna who help the two Weasleys meet up with the others, and is one of the last Army members to fall, after she is hit by a stunning spell. She survived the battle, along with the others, relatively unscathed. Following the death of Sirius Black, Luna is the only one who can completely relate to Harry, who is in anguish and mourning. Luna once more reiterated her belief in after-death connections, and builds in Harry a belief that he would see Sirius again.

Year 4: Sweden, being ‘cool’, the Death Eater attack

Following a summer in Sweden, a holiday funded using money from The Daily Prophet to reprint Harry's tell-tale interview, Luna returns to Hogwarts for her fifth year. It is revealed that Luna and her father spent their summer trying to catch a Crumple-Horned Snorkack, a creature who Luna is fascinated by. As Hermione and Ron become Gryffindor Prefects, Luna is joined in her cabin by Harry and Neville. Luna is openly vocal in her disappointment that the Army would not continue, adding that the Army was "like having friends". Although Harry was accosted by Romilda Vane and other seemingly "cooler" people to join them in their compartment, Harry choses to stay with Neville and Luna, claiming they were cool and among his closest friends.

In her fifth year, Half Blood Prince finds Luna and other fifth years in their O.W.L (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) year. Luna appears throughout as a comforter to Hermione, and as Harry's friend date to Professor Slughorn's "Slug Club" Christmas party. Luna's dress, described as being similar to a Christmas tree, is a high point of the party; Luna even speculated dying an eyebrow for the party, following Harry's appearance with one dyed eyebrow. Luna's pivotal event, however, was when she replaced Zacharias Smith as a Quidditch commentator for the school. Luna's commentary was seen as highly amusing; she forgot players' names, went off on odd tangents, speculating on Zacharias' "Loser's Lurgy" and commenting on cloud shapes.

The end of the year brought about a Death Eater attack at Hogwarts; Luna remained at the school as one of the few Army members who fought during the 'Battle of the Astronomy Tower', with Neville, Ginny, Ron and Hermione. The remaining members of Dumbledore's Army each take a sip of Harry's Felix Felicis and are relatively unharmed, except Neville. Luna's final appearnace in Half Blood Prince is assisting an injured Neville to a seat at Dumbledore's funeral.

Year 6: The fateful final year

Luna's sixth year is the most turbulent of all. She attends the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, dressed in astonishingly bright yellow dressrobes and a sunflower in her hair. Although disguised with Polyjuice Potion, Luna is able to recognise Harry and sits at the same table as Hermione, Ron and Hermione. Luna also dances by herself on the dance floor, attracting the attention of all, including Bulgarian Bon-Bon Viktor Krum.

Luna returns to a Death Eater controlled Hogwarts, following Voldemort's take-over of the Ministry of Magic. With Severus Snape as Headmaster, Luna is amongst a small group of students (consisting of

Neville, Ginny and herself) to steal Gryffindor's sword from the Headmaster's office; caught by the Headmaster, they are sent to the Forbidden Forest as a punishment. Neville, Ginny and Luna revive, reorganise and lead the new Dumbledore's Army; through sabotage and other methods, they aim to help the Golden Trio in their quest to hunt down and destroy the Horcruxes. However, on her way home for Christmas break, Luna is captured by Death Eaters and imprisoned in Malfoy Manor because her father continually printing stories in The Quibbler in support of Harry and his anti-Voldemort acts. The Death Eaters hold her hostage and use her safety and wellbeing to control the actions of her father.

Harry, Hermione and Ron go to the Lovegood residence to find out more details on the Horcruxes and about The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Xenophilius, desperate to get Luna back, tries to turn the Trio into the Ministry, in an ambush; they escape, just as the Lovegood home explodes, and is largely destroyed. As the trio reach Malfoy Manor, prisoners Luna Lovegood and wandmaker Ollivander, meet their new cell-mates. Dobby, the house elf, helps Luna cut the ropes of the prisoners, taking them to Shell Cottage. Luna stays at the cottage throughout the break, and provides the eulogy for Dobby's funeral, personally thanking him for saving their lives. It is during this break that Luna gets a brand new wand from Ollivander, and spends the majority of her time practicing it; she also starts a friendship with Dean Thomas, a Gryffindor in Harry, Ron and Hermione's year. Luna returned to Hogwarts in May, ready to lead Dumbledore's Army in the fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, one of the final battles between good and evil, Luna leads Harry to a Horcrux, the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. Luna also stuns Death Eater Carrow protecting Harry and chooses to stay and fight Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. She also plays a prominent role in helping maintain Harry's mental health, helping him to conjure his powerful Patronus, stating, "Think of something happy ... we're all still here. We're still fighting." She fights alongside Hermione and Ginny fighting the only female Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange.

She is one of the wizards to witness Harry's defeat of Lord Voldemort and creates a diversion so Harry can go celebrate with Ron and Hermione, in private.