THE DAILY PROPHET
Luna Lovegood: Mother, Wife, Dreamer
Published May 2nd, 2008
As you readers know, every year following the death of Lord Voldemort, a piece is written on one of the many heroes who took place in the war. This year, we will be profiling Luna Lovegood, a person I'm proud to say I've shared my time with.
I met her in my first year, we shared a dorm. At that time I found her quirky, adorable, and full of imagination. I only wished I could be the same way, stuck in a beautiful world where no one could do wrong. While I saw all the flaws in people, she only saw the good in people, and barely even acknowledged people when they stared, or whispered when she passed, or said things about her loud enough so she could hear. She could just let insult after insult fall off her shoulder, while I took everything to heart. I was jealous. When the Chamber of Secrets opened, she wasn't even scared. She just went on with her day, as if no one could touch her. I wasn't even muggleborn, and I was terrified. I wished I could live in a dream world, where everything was perfect. I wished I could go to the ends of my imagination and have big dreams. I wished I could be Luna.
In second year I saw her a little different. She was eccentric, extraordinary, and just plain weird. Maybe it just scared me. How she could live the way she did, and be the way she was. Everything I did had to have a reason, and my opinions were realistic. I never had big dreams because I felt they were too far out of reach. People called me a pessimist, I called myself a realist. When people said Sirius Black was in the castle, she wasn't scared, again. This time around though, I was a little disturbed by that. A mass murderer was in our school, where we were all the time, and we could be killed. She didn't even bat an eyelash. She just went on with her day, again. I was scared for her this time.
By our third year she was officially Loony Lovegood, and I'm ashamed to say I called her that too. At the time, all she was, was a girl stuck in world of imaginary things going nowhere, a crazy dreamer who will never get anywhere in reality. I thought I was better than her, that I was going to places because I knew what reality was, and what imaginary was. I'm ashamed of that too. When the Triwizard Tournament was held, she watched quietly, silently. There was really nothing to fear that year, at least until Cedric Diggory, seventh year Hufflepuff, was murdered by You-Know-Who. She went to the Yule Ball wearing this crazy dress, and people laughed at her. I did too. Our roommates started to steal her things, and hide them around the castle. I may have not partaken in that "fun," but I surely didn't stop her. I didn't even feel bad at the time. I just didn't want to get in trouble.
Then, in our fourth year, she could see Thestrals. Then I saw her as a girl who lives in her imagination because she's scared of reality, having seen death and all. I had never seen anyone die in my entire life, ever. I shouldn't have judged her based on that. She believed Harry Potter and Dumbledore when they said You-Know-Who was back, I didn't. I thought the idea was preposterous. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named back? He was killed, there was no possible way. Then she went and joined the DA, I knew all about it, our roommate joined too. I never told them, but Merlin knows I was never joining. But when she helped in the department of mysteries – everyone knew about that – I began to see her a little differently. She was right in believing Voldemort was back, she was right to trust Potter and Dumbledore. She maybe wasn't stuck, in her dream world, but she was there a lot. But when she has to make a decision that doesn't involve her imagination, make a snap decision, she can. Maybe I was too stuck in reality to see the great things about imagination and dreams and goals.
In our fifth year this opinion only grew more in more. She didn't know any of this, but she was the reason I began using my imagination. I even started to have big dreams, like traveling the world and moving to America. The whole world was officially acknowledging You-Know-Who was back, including the Ministry, and she still didn't seem scared. She, again, just went on with her year, like nothing was wrong. I started becoming jealous of this, like I did when I was a little first year. People were taking her things more and more, and while I at least started feeling sorry for her, I still did nothing about it. I was stuck being a pessimist, a much as she was in her imagination. I occasionally took a small glimpse of my imagination, exploring it, dreaming, while Luna took small glimpses of her reality. I also stopped calling her Loony, as you can see. I kept to myself a lot that year, while I studied Luna. She began to fascinate me, entertained me even. But then Professor Snape killed our headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. That night in our room she was quiet, lost. The death toll was three, her mum, Sirius Black, and Dumbledore. She watched her mum die; we all knew that from Care of Magical Creatures in fourth year. Even if she hadn't watched her mum die, her mum's still her mum, and a mum must be horrid to lose. While I'm sure she didn't know Sirius Black well, she watched him die. Everyone knew he died that night, and everyone knew who was there. Poor Luna was one of them. Albus Dumbledore was our Headmaster, one she fighted for. Everyone in this school lost somebody.
Then the war came, and the DA was started up again, and I was apart of it. It was the first crazy thing I had ever done, the first risk I ever took. The Golden Trio wasn't here to help us, so Ginny, Neville, and Luna led the group. But then, on the train ride home for Christmas, Luna was captured. Death Eaters took her. I wasn't on the train, but I felt sad. Luna and I had become friends leading up to that train ride. I was lost when Christmas break was over. I drifted off from my old friends while studying and becoming friends with Luna. I kept to my studies and went to all the DA meetings. But I was stuck; I felt no reason to explore my dream world anymore. My inspiration was gone. My friend had been taken.
But she was back by the Battle of Hogwarts, where we fought side-by-side. She saved my life that day, blocking a killing curse sent at me from behind. I don't know if I ever fully truly thanked her. I never saw her again after that fateful day, which saddens me, but now I think I understand.
Luna and I were never meant to be friends forever, like I'd hoped. I was the type of person who got to know her, but could never truly understand every quirk or turn of her mind. I don't think I ever really could. At the tender age of twenty-six, ten years after the war between the light and the dark, I still think about the girl who was meant to change my mind and my life, and I am so happy to be writing this piece for The Daily Prophet.
Luna Lovegood could make a good situation out of the worst, but don't take it from me. You have to get to know her yourself because it's a wonderful journey.
Owner of the Quibbler, the perfect magazine for those with wide imaginations and vastly open minds, Luna Lovegood is now Luna Scamander, married to Rolf Scamander, nephew of the infamous Newt Scamander, and has two twin boys, Lorcan and Lysander, and a girl, Lynette.
AN:
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, that is all in the mind of J.K. Rowling
*This is in the same world as Broken Butterflies, but you really don't have to read that to understand this.