For this week’s Femme Fatale Friday, I have decided to discuss one of my all-time favorite Harry Potter characters. Luna Lovegood is first introduced to readers in the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She is initially described as a very eccentric Ravenclaw girl who is in Ginny’s year, often being made fun of by others calling her “Looney Lovegood.”
One of the greatest things about Luna as a character is her unrelenting optimism. Even as she is being mocked and tormented, she never gives up her sunny outlook on the world. When other students steal and hide her belongings, she just calmly asked for them back at the end of term, feeling that all would be set right in time. When she is made fun of for her out-there (even by Wizarding World standards) beliefs, like those her father prints in the Quibbler, she sticks to her own moral code without trying to appease others.
Even as a young girl in her early teenage years, Luna is very much someone who knows exactly who she is, and she likes herself even when others do not. Her optimism and sense of self prove that she will not let those with hearts full of hatred, or young people who have no idea who they are, let her question her own sanity or belittle her self-worth! In this way, I see Luna as one of the most grounded characters, even though she is dreamy and creative with her head often in the clouds, she is never one to let anyone else determine who she is. She is gently powerful in her stubborn insistence that she not bend to the status quo or act as others think is “normal.” I personally have always adored her for this, she is herself and finds true friendship by being exactly who she is. Her creative mind and intelligence landed her in Ravenclaw, but her loving care of others gave her many friends in Gryffindor!
In some ways, one can view Luna as one of the most well-adjusted teenagers in the whole series. Even though she lost her mother at a young age, she never let that darkness overwhelm her. She is a strange combination of mature in her depth of thought and acceptance of life’s dark times and childish whimsy in her beliefs in wild theories! All of this serves to make her one of the most unique and truly special characters in the series. I think we all can learn from her sweet yet stubborn nature. She does not fear being her truest self, never seems to wallow in her torment, and always is able to re-frame the negatives by seeing the light in the darkness! Not to mention, time and again, she has brilliant insights that seem to catch others off-guard. I mean, she was not put into Ravenclaw for nothing!
As a Ravenclaw myself, yes I have taken the official quiz, I am so happy to have the most iconic Ravenclaw character be one that is not just about logical intellect. The house does mean so much more, as wit comes in many forms, and creativity certainly counts for much when it comes to intelligence. Luna proves this better than almost any character in the Harry Potter Universe! I hope you have enjoyed this rambling love letter to one of my favorite Harry Potter characters. What do you think of Luna? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is a lovely piece of artwork that depicts Luna at a Dumbledore’s Army meeting. I found the image on https://www.deviantart.com/mooglesorbet/art/Harry-Potter-Luna-Lovegood-648282186.
Further Reading/Watching
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
- https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Luna_Lovegood
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
White Rose of Avalon 