There aren’t many Harry Potter characters as colorful, chaotic, and unpredictable as Ravenclaw student Luna Lovegood. She might not be in the first half of the franchise, but that doesn’t stop Luna from making an enormous and immediate impact.
In the Harry Potter world, you’d be forgiven for thinking that nobody can really stand out. But that’s exactly why Luna is one of the most memorable Harry Potter characters; she’s special. Evanna Lynch was a great addition to the Harry Potter cast, continuing to shine throughout the rest of the Harry Potter movies in order. There are plenty of bizarre details about Luna, so let’s delve into the magical world and find out more.
14. She’s a vegetarian, but only sometimes
Evanna Lynch saw Luna as being a vegetarian due to her bond with animals, telling the Daily Mail: “When I pictured her in my mind there was no question she was vegetarian, I think the only thing that would keep her from being vegan would be the food options at Hogwarts.”
This is very much Lynch’s interpretation, as Luna was described as eating meat on occasion in the books. But given the fact she became a magizoologist and loved animals, we can imagine her avoiding eating them.
13. Her Patronus is linked to her name
In Order of the Phoenix, we see Luna and the rest of Dumbledore‘s Army mastering one of the coolest Harry Potter spells: the Patronus Charm. Her corporeal Patronus takes the form of a hare.
It might be a nod to her quirkiness and the phrase “mad as a March hare”, but the hare also has a strong link with the moon in Pagan beliefs. That makes it the perfect Patronus for someone with as moon-based a name as Luna.
12. Her choreography had an interesting source
At Bill and Fleur Weasley’s wedding in the movies, you can see Luna dancing with her father, Xenophilius Lovegood. Their choreography is a little unconventional, to say the least. It turns out that these dance moves, which are very Lovegood, came from Lynch herself. It’s one of the many reasons she was the perfect actor to play the role.
11. She helped to rehabilitate Harry in the public eye
Harry’s claims about Voldemort returning to power were, as we know, not popular in the wizarding world. In fact, the Daily Prophet and Rita Skeeter spent a lot of time discrediting his account. This all changed when Luna interviewed Harry for The Quibbler.
The issue became the most successful in the history of The Quibbler and helped some sections of the magical community change their minds and dismiss the Daily Prophet’s propaganda.
10. She moonlighted as a Quidditch commentator
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the school tries out some new Quidditch commentators in the wake of Lee Jordan’s graduation from Hogwarts. One of those is Luna, though it’s fair to say that she doesn’t exactly take to it like a duck to water and can’t even keep track of the score, much to McGonagall’s displeasure. She only managed one match.
9. She was a conspiracy theorist
As the daughter of the editor of the Quibbler, Luna was a fully paid-up believer in some very weird things. She thought Sirius Black was in disguise as singer Stubby Boardman, for one.
One of the beliefs she expresses to Harry is that Ministry of Magic Aurors is part of the “Rotfang conspiracy”, which is a plan to “bring down the Ministry of Magic from within using a combination of Dark Magic and gum disease”.
A steadfast belief in absurd government conspiracies going all the way to the top? Luna would have a great time on certain subreddits, that’s for sure.
8. Ollivander made her a special, personal wand
At the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Harry and his friends are taken to Malfoy Manor, where they are held captive along with long-term prisoners. Those prisoners include Luna and the wandmaker Ollivander.
It turns out the duo became firm friends. So much so that, while the pair were recuperating together at Shell Cottage, he made her a bespoke wand. As far as we know, she’s the only character to receive that honor from Ollivander.
7. Her wedding dress was typically extra
In a report about the 2014 Quidditch World Cup published to Pottermore, we got to hear what one of the most loathsome Harry Potter villains – tabloid scumbag Rita Skeeter – thought of Luna’s wedding dress (more on her husband later). Unsurprisingly, Skeeter didn’t mince her words.
She wrote: “Nobody who witnessed it will ever forget the shock on [the groom’s] face when he saw Lovegood’s wedding dress – rainbows, spangles and a tiara of silver unicorn horns, voted ‘Most Hideous Outfit of the Year’ by readers of my regular Daily Prophet column.”
6. One of Harry’s kids is named after her
Most of the names given to Harry and Ginny’s kids were taken from deceased witches and wizards admired by the couple. But Lily Luna Potter got her middle name from one of the duo’s best friends. Lovely stuff.
5. She was almost called Lily Moon
In a list on the Pottermore website, the Harry Potter author revealed 40 names she allocated to students in Harry’s year during her earliest days of writing the series. One of them was Lily Moon, which the author explained was the “first intimation of Luna Lovegood” and changed when she decided to call Harry’s mother Lily.
The author said this name inspired a “fey, dreamy girl”. In the end, Luna ends up being the year below Harry, so not one of his 40 classmates at all.
4. She’s the opposite of Hermione
The Potter author conceived of Luna as being an anti-Hermione. They’re both fiercely intelligent but, while the latter is logical and evidence-based, Luna simply believes in things. This is reflected in the fact Hermione loathed the subject of Divination, but Luna was intrigued by it.
3. She could’ve been played by an Oscar nominee
A Potter obsessive who had written letters to the author, Evanna Lynch got the role of Luna at an open casting, against 15,000 other young actors. She had to fight hard to join the best movies in the franchise.
One of the other young performers in the frame was a certain Saoirse Ronan, who has since gone on to earn four Oscar nominations before the age of 30. Harry Potter is just about the only thing she never achieved.
2. She has a Fantastic Beasts connection
After the events of the Potter series, Luna became a magizoologist and married Rolf Scamander, grandson of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them protagonist Newt.
Those who have played the Potter mobile games will know that she taught Field Studies at Hogwarts, based on observing magical creatures in nature.
1. But she almost ended up with Neville
In the Potter movies, we see Neville Longbottom tell our central trio that he fancies Luna. This is a reference to the fact that the author originally considered putting the two of them together as a couple.
However, she would later say that it “felt too neat” and, to be honest, we have to agree. While Luna of course married Rolf Scamander, Neville became Herbology professor at Hogwarts and wed former Hufflepuff student Hannah Abbott, who became landlady of the Leaky Cauldron.
For more detailed Harry Potter character info, you can learn why we think Hermione overshadows Harry Potter in the movies and find out about the Harry Potter scene you never realized is about Snape.
We’ve also got you covered when it comes to new movies in the Wizarding World, including the Fantastic Beasts 4 release date. You can also learn about the Harry Potter TV series release date and the possible Harry Potter and the Cursed Child release date, if it ever comes around.
The creator of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling, has made a number of transphobic remarks on social media in recent years. If you’d like to learn more about transgender equality or lend your support, here are two charities we encourage you to visit: the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US and Mermaids in the UK.