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On the 13th of February, 1981 in a rook-like house near the village of Ottery St Catchpole in Devon, a daughter was born to Xenophilius and Pandora Lovegood.
Pandora had always loved the moon, its waxing and waning a sign of constant and inevitable change. A symbol of nature and its blind and driven forces, the passing and return of the seasons. And so, when she first laid her eyes on her child, a beautiful daughter with hair the colour of the Waxing Gibbous moon she was born beneath, there was no question as to what her name would be.
Luna – the divine personification of the moon.
It was a few short months after her birth that Pandora knew for certain that Luna had inherited her gift – the gift of sight.
All those born with this ability start to show the signs very early on. Some babble far too animatedly, others simply stare, but all who possess this rare skill have one thing in common: their eyes.
The pale silvery eyes of sight are an easy mark to those who know of this quality. The irises of sight contain multitudes, wisps and whispers of lives both past and future.
An unfortunate consequence of this gift, however, was that Pandora knew her days with her daughter were numbered. A vision shortly after Luna’s birth showed her her own demise: an experiment gone wrong.
Pandora found peace in this knowledge, for she knew better than anyone that our time in this existence is predetermined. Our paths are drawn far before we walk this earth, each step we have yet to take already a footprint in the sand.
So, on the day of Luna’s ninth birthday, Pandora hugged her daughter tight and tells her an important fact, one that Luna will never forget.
My moon, you will see things you can’t explain, and hear whispers foreign to all others. You will see people as colours, and hear their laughs as songs. You will know each step that you take, three moments before you do, and smile at the prospect of a future that feels like a memory. But most importantly, you will guide those around you.
You are a catalyst, my moon, a force of goodness that’s able to bring two paths to meet. You are a crossroads and the keeper of the keys.
So, my Luna, be the moon and inspire people, even when you're far from full.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, September 1998
Luna has always found the Hogwarts Express to be a comfortable journey, to say the least, despite the persistent Nargle infestation aboard. This year, however, she is delighted to find that the conductor seems to have finally taken her suggestion to heart and cleansed the locomotive with a combination of sage and rosemary, for there are no Nargles to speak of.
The blonde witch weaves her way through the train, intent on locating her friends. She’d missed her friends dearly over the summer while embarking on a trip across the continent with her father as they tracked the Crumple-Horned Snorkack.
She’d written to Ginny, Hermione, Neville, Harry, and Ron each week, detailing moments of her journey that she thought each individual may find interesting.
In her letters to Ginny, she told tales of their travels, especially the exciting bits. The magical beasts she encountered, her ride on a magic carpet, and the moon mead she’d sipped on under the light of her namesake. She congratulated Ginny on being named Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and was happy to listen to Ginny’s worries about her relationship with Harry.
When corresponding with Hermione, she informed her of all the interesting species and history she discovered, always enclosing relevant articles when possible. Hermione replied with many questions, expressing her jealousy of the trip that Luna was embarking on. Luna always made sure to ask how the restoration of her parents’ memories was coming along, making suggestions every now and again about different herbs that may help with the process.
Neville received parchments with beautiful drawings of the flora native to whichever land they were visiting, with small notes about the species. One letter came attached with a package. It was a very rare plant, native to Romania, and one that Neville was certain to break several laws for him to have in his possession.
In her letters to Harry, Luna asked endless questions about his life – for she has always believed that Harry needs to be given far more opportunities to speak about his day-to-day existence, hobbies, dreams, and ambitions. He would respond excitedly, telling her of the progress he was making fixing up Grimmauld place, and the new broom he’d purchased.
Finally, in her letters to Ronald, Luna told tales of the lands she was visiting, while being sure to ask plenty of questions about his life since the war. Ron always happily told her of his days, detailing the quidditch matches he played with his siblings, his newfound love for cooking, and his feelings regarding their return to Hogwarts for his eighth year.
So, while Luna had certainly kept in touch with all of her friends over the summer, she was still very much looking forward to seeing them all in person once more.
But, this excitement went far beyond just missing her friends. Toward the end of their journey, Luna and Xenophilious ventured into the cavern of Apollo. Within this cavern, was a small body of crystalline waters. It had long been believed that those with the gift of sight may bathe within these waters, thereby granting themselves to pantognósti órama: “the omniscient vision” of Apollo. When completely submerged within the waters, Apollo will decide whether the seer is worthy of this gift. If the deity concluded that the seer would use their abilities for good, the person would begin to glow, their aura iridescent and all-knowing.
Luna, of course, had received this blessing. Interestingly, the whole ordeal had reminded her of the feeling of drinking moon-mead, or when she’d mistakenly eaten some peculiar mushrooms she found in the forest behind her home.
When she’d emerged from the water and opened her eyes, she had begun to cry. But these tears were not ones of sadness.
The world around her now appeared even more beautiful than it once had. Each particle of being enhanced to such an extent that Luna felt as if she could hear a sort of pulse emitted from everything around her.
She could feel the earth beneath her feet, the air that tickled her cheeks, and the sun against her skin.
Everything around her felt alive, and as she smiled to herself, she could feel the earth smile back.
For the past few weeks leading up to her return to school, Luna had been experimenting with her newfound abilities.
She’s begun to play her mother’s words over and over again in her mind: My moon, you will see things you can’t explain, and hear whispers foreign to all others. You will see people as colours, and hear their laughs as songs. You will know each step that you take, three moments before you do, and smile at the prospect of a future that feels like a memory.
She’d experienced these feelings for as long as she can remember. Her gift of sight had been both a blessing and a curse throughout her life. While it was certainly beautiful to see the world through the eyes of Luna Lovegood, others certainly didn’t see her outlook as anything other than barmy.
She was all too familiar with the nickname she’d been given just a week after she arrived at the school: Loony.
But, over time, she’d learned to embrace it. Besides, those who referred to her by such a name typically had an aura to match the awful words they spoke.
However, it was the second half of her mother’s words that had haunted her for some time now.
You will guide those around you. You are a catalyst, my moon, a force of goodness that’s able to bring two paths to meet. You are a crossroads and the keeper of the keys.
So, my Luna, be the moon and inspire people, even when you're far from full.
Luna had never been certain how to become a catalyst. She’d always felt rather inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. She’s heard whispers in her mind, and flickers of somethings all her life, but never enough for her to consider herself the keeper of the keys.
That was until recently. Not only had she been having far more visions than ever before, but she had a sneaking suspicion that she was able to see links between people. Specifically what are known as anima chordarum - soul strings.
It is for this reason that she is ever so eager to see her friends once more: she has various hypotheses that she wishes to test.
Throughout the train ride to Hogwarts, Luna is perfectly content to sit and listen to her friends discuss their respective summers. The moment that Harry Potter entered their compartment, however, her first hypothesis had been all but confirmed.
There was no anima chordarum between Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter. There was a glimmer of something, perhaps an anima chordarum that had once existed, but had fizzled out at some point between the end of the war and now.
One that Luna was hardly surprised by was the lack of anima chordarum between Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. Luna had known for some time now that the pair were destined for other souls. Luna often thought that Ron was something like the sun on a warm summer’s day: always able to help those around him grow – shine brighter, evoking a comforting and happy sort of feeling in those he holds dear.
Hermione, however, is like the rain. Beautiful and calming, yet unapologetic. She too helps those around her grow, albeit in a different way than the sun’s rays.
But Luna knows another rainy soul, and she has a sneaking suspicion that Hermione is destined for a storm that will surely brew between them, rather than a rainbow.
When Headmistress McGonagall announces that the two upper-year classes will be living in shared living quarters, Luna experiences her first vision since her return to Hogwarts.
She sees her peers dancing, and hands intertwined. She sees a smile and a kiss.
She sees souls of all shapes and colours floating around the Great Hall, soul strings spread between pairs.
From that moment forward, Luna knows exactly what she must do this year.
She will be a crossroads and the keeper of the keys.
Every Wednesday, Luna secures one of the many tables in the upper-year common room and unfolds her small paper sign: Luna Lovegood’s Fortune Telling.
At first, many of her peers laughed and whispered in her direction, finding the whole ordeal to be quite comical.
For the first week, she had very few visitors to speak of.
The second week, two people nervously made their way towards her table, awkwardly sitting across from her.
After reading his palm, and cleansing his lime-green aura, Luna was able to inform Terry Boot of his future. “You will work in the Ministry, but in a position that you don’t really enjoy. You’ll spend at least ten years waiting for a promotion that will never come before quitting to pursue your real dream of writing a best-selling novel.”
The Ravenclaw had been horrified upon learning of his miserable future, but Luna continues.
“I would suggest submitting your manuscript sooner rather than later to avoid that whole ministry mess.”
And so, Terry leaves with a smile on his face, eager to finalize the manuscript of his Whodunnit Murder Mystery he’d written over the summer.
Susan Bones had asked if she would finally fall in love that year. Luna offered her a kind smile before explaining. “Yes, though I don’t think you’ve been looking for love in the right places. You’ve been choosing a wizard to lust after now and then, adamant that that is love. But real love isn’t necessarily a choice, it’s a feeling. Perhaps you should inspect the relationships you’ve formed with witches, and see what feelings may lie there.”
The Hufflepuff’s eyes had gone wide at this, surprised that Luna had easily spoken a truth that even she hadn’t admitted to herself. Truthfully, Susan had felt the feeling that she’d long sought but had ignored it. As a matter of fact, Susan has been in love for some time now.
And so, she quickly leaves Luna’s table with the image of one witch in particular at the forefront of her mind.
By the third week, news had spread of Susan and Hannah’s newfound romance. Anyone who congratulated them was told of Luna’s sage advice that led to their relationship, and suddenly, Luna Lovegood’s Fortune Telling was thriving.
It was so busy in fact, that Luna started setting up her table twice a week, and had Hermione create a charmed sign-up sheet for people to register for appointments.
Her testimonials were raving, especially after Ginny Weasley and Pansy Parkinson began snogging in the common room one evening.
When Pansy had discreetly booked the last appointment of the day, Luna had smiled. She already knew exactly who Pansy was destined to be with.
“Pansy, do you know the symbolism of your namesake?” she asked.
The Slytherin had frowned at this – she wanted answers, not riddles. “No Lovegood, I don’t,” she replied simply.
“Pansy flowers are traditionally seen as symbols of love. In Victorian floriography, pansies often represented forbidden love between secret lovers. Pansies also symbolize qualities like compassion, remembrance, and nostalgia.”
“Okay?” Pansy replied, turning her nose up and crossing her arms
“Have you perhaps had a forbidden or secret romance?” Luna asks, though she already knows the answer to her question.
Pansy’s eyes had gone wide, her mind transporting her back to a certain broom closet on the third floor. It had happened every now and then, her encounters with the youngest Weasley. The pair had come together by mysterious circumstances, both of them finding a peculiar sort of comfort in the other.
The first time had been a surprise to them both, a verbal sparring match turned snog in the prefect's bath during Pansy’s fifth year. After that, they formed a sort of silent agreement to continue the charade, communicating by insults out in the open.
“Nice freckles Weasel,” Pansy would sneer.
“Nice snout Parkinson,” Ginny would reply.
These two phrases signified something that made both of their stomachs flutter, a rendezvous in their broom closet later that evening.
“I think that perhaps that romance wouldn’t be as forbidden now, don’t you think?” Luna asked, remembering the way the pair used to interact. To the untrained eye, it looked like the pair loathed one another. But Luna had always known better, that their insults weren’t laced with the venom they should be. The insults hadn’t caused their auras to glow green, but rather pink.
Without uttering a single word of thanks, Pansy stood and made a beeline for the Gryffindor witch, pulling her lips towards hers.
The common room had erupted into cheers, everyone overjoyed at the sight of two witches from opposing houses clinging to one another – a sign that the war and past rivals had certainly come to a close.
It wasn’t until the fourth week that Hermione asked Luna if she could meet her in the Library after dinner.
“I’m flattered Hermione, but I don’t think we’re well suited to one another,” Luna replies.
“Oh!” Hermione exclaims awkwardly. “No, I just wanted to speak with you, Luna.”
“Alright,” Luna smiles.
Later that evening, Luna skips through the doors of the Hogwarts Library, making her way toward the table that Hermione Granger infamously occupies. It was common knowledge among students that she had placed a charm on the oak table, one that causes anyone other than her to be unable to sit at its surface.
“Hello Hermione,” the Ravenclaw witch grins.
“Hello,” Hermione replies, her voice a whisper.
Luna takes a seat at the table hesitantly, not wanting to face whatever curse Hermione had put in place.
“Don’t worry Luna, I’ve invited you to join me,” Hermione adds.
“Are you going to ask me about you and Ronald?” Luna asks.
“Er, yes.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Are we destined to be together?” Hermione asks, her words bleeding together.
“No,” Luna replies simply, staring out of the window next to the table. She watches a single raindrop make its way down the glass.
“Er, do you know who I am meant to be with?” Hermione asks. She’d suspected that she and Ron weren’t meant to be together, at least not long-term. After the war, something had shifted between them. She still loves him dearly of course, but more like a brother than a lover. Whatever spark that had existed between them had quickly been extinguished the moment they were no longer relying on one another for survival.
“Yes, I do,” Luna smiles.
Hermione bites her tongue, not wanting to snap at the witch. She takes a deep breath before asking: “and who might that be?”
“I think you know”
Later that evening, Luna emerges from her room to make some tea in the common room kitchen. She thinks that perhaps a combination of lavender and valerian root will do the trick to help with the sleeplessness she’d been facing as of late.
She comes to a halt when her eyes land on Draco Malfoy, sitting in a small sliver of moonlight, a book open on his lap.
“Hello Draco,” she smiles.
His head snaps up, his eyes momentarily filled to the brim with fear. She watches his shoulders loosen and his breath steadies the moment he realizes that the words had come from her, and not some unknown threat.
“Lovegood,” he nods. Ever since his return to Hogwarts, Draco has felt exceptionally awkward in the Ravenclaw’s presence. He feels partially responsible for her short imprisonment in his childhood home, though they are both aware of the fact that realistically, he couldn’t have done anything to aid her without endangering both himself and his family.
“Tea?” Luna asks.
“Please,” Draco nods, turning his attention back to his book: Magical Maladies of the 20th Century. Secretly, he’d been thinking of becoming a Healer after Hogwarts. His marks in all the mandatory courses were certainly high enough.
After the war, Draco decided that he’d done more than enough when it came to inflicting pain. Now, he wants to try his hand at healing instead.
“You will be an excellent healer,” Luna smiles, handing him a cup of tea.
Draco keeps his eyes locked on the billowing purple steam, avoiding the Ravenclaw’s knowing stare. His first reaction is to say something snide in response, but he takes a deep breath and opts for a different approach.
“Thanks, Lovegood, I hope I will be.”
“You know that no one here holds your past against you, right?” Luna asks, situating herself on the couch next to the Slytherin.
“They should,” he mumbles under his breath. Truth be told, Draco had nearly refused to attend his eighth year. He’d been far too frightened of facing those on the other side of the war, because he knew that he wouldn’t have the energy, nor the prattishness he’d once possessed to try and fight back against their taunts.
It had been a chance encounter with perhaps the only person who could convince him to do something he was hell-bent on not doing, that had led to him enrolling for his eighth and final year.
“You should talk to her,” Luna smiles.
“How do you do that?” Draco asks suddenly, his head snapping up, bewildered.
“Would you like to know?” Luna asks. “Not many people care to ask.”
Draco nods.
“I have omniscient vision” she explains as if these few words answer all of Draco’s questions.
“I see.”
“I have visions, I have for a while. But, I can also see what I call soul strings.”
Draco’s eyes light up at this. “Soul strings?” he asks.
Luna smiles, happy that Draco seems genuinely interested in the concept. It feels nice, to have someone to speak to about all of this. She doesn’t hold their lack of interest in her talent against her friends, she really doesn’t. Luna understands quite well that many prefer to take her peculiar behaviours at face value.
“I can see lines between those who are destined to be together.”
“Oh,” he nods, staring down at the mug in his hands. He wants to ask – to say the words. He wants to know more than anything if he’s destined for a future he’d never thought possible.
But he remains quiet, unable to parse the syllables together.
“I think you already know the answer to your question Draco,” Luna adds, staring longingly out of the window once more.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 1992-1993
Luna’s first year at Hogwarts goes as well as one might hope. September 1st is filled with whispers of the famous Harry Potter and Ron Weasley stealing a car and flying from London all the way to Hogwarts, eventually crashing into the Whomping Willow.
She observed from afar as Harry spoke parseltongue during a duelling club meeting, and took note of Ginny Weasley’s decaying aura as the days passed.
“Ginny, are you alright?” she asked in Charms class one day.
“Piss off Loony,” the Gryffindor had replied.
Luna heard whispers in the walls for the entirety of the term, something she assumed was a normal occurrence. It did concern her, however, that the castle walls seemed to wish harm upon the students who ran freely through the corridors.
She watched as Filch screamed and sobbed, finding his petrified cat beneath a sign that read: “The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware.”
After that, all students were given a curfew and strict instructions to not wander about during the night. But, Luna has always been quite gifted when it comes to remaining unnoticed, and so late one night, as Luna walked through the corridors, she stumbled upon a peculiar sight.
She didn’t know much about the Malfoy boy, but her father had informed her that he was bad news. There were also whispers around the school that it was he who opened the Chamber of Secrets, the heir of Slytherin himself. However, Luna had always preferred to form opinions about people herself, rather than blindly believing the opinions of others.
And so she kept to the shadows and trailed behind the boy, some unknown force compelling her to follow him.
They arrived at the hospital wing, and for a moment Luna worried that perhaps he was the Heir of Slytherin, coming to finish off the Muggleborn students once and for all. Her eyes went wide when she noticed the infestation of Wrackspurts currently surrounding his head.
The boy quietly entered the hospital wing and came to sit next to the witch who Luna knew to be Hermione Granger. She held her breath, trying to decide which spell would be best suited to protect the Muggleborn witch, should the boy attack.
But something told Luna that such protection would not be necessary.
The boy reached into his pocket and removed a folded piece of parchment. He looked down at the witch and slipped the parchment into her petrified hand before whispering the words, “I’m sorry Granger.”
Luna watched as the boy hastened from the Hospital Wing, his face crestfallen.
After a moment of pondering what she’d just witnessed, Luna took a seat in the chair next to Hermione. She placed her hand atop hers and had her first vision since her arrival at the school.
The setting was unfamiliar at first, but the witch quickly realized that it was the Great Hall. It had evidently been transformed into a winter wonderland of sorts, and Luna smiled to herself at the sight. Her peers spun about the room in formal gowns and robes, joined by more unfamiliar students.
Luna looked to her left and notices the Malfoy boy staring, his eyes unmoving. She followed his line of vision, quickly discovering that he was looking at none other than Hermione Granger. The witch looked beautiful in her periwinkle gown, Luna thought to herself.
She wondered if perhaps Draco would ask the witch to dance.
The scene changed, the setting now one of Hogwarts’ many corridors.
“What do you want Malfoy?” Hermione spat, wiping tears from her eyes.
“Are you ok?” he asked.
“What do you care?” she retorted, her voice ripe with fury.
“Because you deserve better.”
Luna found herself back in the Hospital Wing once more, happy with the knowledge that the Slytherin held no malicious intent towards the witch.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 1993-1994
When Luna returned to her second year of studies, it was with the knowledge that a killer was on the loose. She’d heard stories of the notorious, mass-murderer Sirius Black, many of which she assumed were over-exaggerations of the actual occurrences. Or untrue altogether, as it was a well-known fact that Sirius Black was actually Stubby Bordman, lead singer of the Hobgoblins.
She attended her classes as usual and watched as Hermione Granger grew more and more frazzled as the weeks passed. She worried for a moment that perhaps the witch was possessed by a certain evil wizard much like her fellow Gryffindor had been the year prior. These worries, however, had quickly been laid to rest when she saw Hermione slip a time turner into her blouse one day in the Girl’s lavatory.
Later that year, Luna was taking her daily walk about the grounds when she stumbled upon an altercation of sorts. She remained hidden behind a large rock as she observed the sight.
Malfoy, along with Crabbe and Goyle, lurked with binoculars in hand, spying on Hagrid’s Pumpkin patch.
“Did you see the big, fat blubbering oaf?! Oh, this is going to be rich. Did I tell you, Father said I can keep the head,” Draco began, his head snapping up with a gleeful smile as he noticed the arrival of Harry, Ron and Hermione.
“ Ah. Come to see the show?” he taunted.
Suddenly, Hermione began marching toward the boy, his wand outstretched. “You... foul... loathsome...evil... little cockroach…,” she spat as Malfoy stumbled back against a tree, cross-eyed with fear.
She jabbed the tip of her wand under his nose as Ron yelled, “Hermione! No! He's not worth it.”
Hermione nodded briefly, ready to turn away. But just as she was about to disengage, Draco started to snicker.
Quick as lightning, Hermione turned back, a punch landing right against Malfoy's jaw, putting him flat on his back. Stunned, he leapt to his feet and ran.
With a sheepish sort of smile, Hermione smiled to herself. “That felt good.”
Luna chuckled to herself regarding the whole ordeal, wondering how on earth the pair would ever come together.
She took a seat in the grass, quite content to enjoy the afternoon’s fresh air when something in her brain compelled her to look behind her.
There, her eyes landed on Harry and Hermione yet again, though they were substantially dirtier and tousled than when she’d seen them only moments prior. She blinked when she noticed Harry, Ron and Hermione making their way down the hill toward Hagrid’s hut, and then looked back to the original pair.
A flash of Hermione’s time turner was all it took to remedy the witch’s confusion.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 1994-1995
Luna had a vision the moment the Goblet of Fire was unveiled. She saw Harry in what looked to be a graveyard, and she couldn’t help but wonder why the school would organize an event in such a place.
She sat calmly through the first two tasks of the tournament, for she had already seen Harry as an adult in a vision earlier that summer and knew he would survive.
When the Yule Ball was announced, she smiled to herself, knowing quite well that the ball would be when her vision from years prior would finally occur.
She watched from her favourite spot in the library, hidden amongst the shelves as two different wizards tried to summon the courage to ask Hermione to the dance. The first was the Durmstrang champion who Luna thought had quite a lovely aura. She could tell that the Bulgarian was genuinely fascinated by the witch, and this made her happy.
Over the years, she felt as if she and Hermione had grown to be friends. Of course, they had only conversed a handful of times, but Luna felt drawn to the witch nonetheless.
She couldn’t help but wonder if this feeling was due to a larger role she was yet to play in the witch’s life.
Though Luna knew that the Bulgarian would be the first to ask, she still felt sorry for the Slytherin boy when it occurred. His expression was crestfallen, almost heartbroken.
At the ball, Luna happily sat at a table -though no one approached her- sipping on the delectable punch. Her visions had become much more frequent as of late, so she wasn’t surprised when one occurred that very evening.
She found herself on the seventh floor, across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. There stood Draco, muttering words under his breath.
Suddenly, steps could be heard down the corridor, and Luna watched as Hermione came into view. “Malfoy,” she whispered, his head whipping to hers.
“Let me help you,” she continued.
“You can’t help me, Granger, just stay out of this.”
When Luna returned to the ball she frowned to herself, wondering what on earth Hermione could be wanting to help the Slytherin with.
Perhaps a school project, she’d reasoned.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 1995-1996
When Luna found herself in a carriage with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, she felt her heart flutter. It was exciting to be amongst those she considered her friends, though she knew they were likely unaware of her existence.
But Luna was okay with this, she’d always been quite content to remain a wallflower and nothing more. She knows that her role is that of a catalyst, a force of goodness able to bring two paths together.
“You’re just as sane as I am,” she’d assured Harry, not wanting him to feel upset regarding his newfound ability to see the thestrals pulling the carriages. She’d been able to see them since her arrival at Hogwarts, but she couldn’t help but notice when a student was able to see them for the first time.
“Everyone, this is Loony- Luna Lovegood,” Hermione said.
Luna pretended to not notice the use of her nickname. She knew the witch hadn’t had any malicious intent.
Luna eagerly joined Dumbledore’s army when the time came – she was ready to fight alongside her friends.
There she learned how to cast a Patronus, its form nearly bringing her to tears. She’d spent many childhood days in the field around her home, accompanied by a small white hare. When it was time for dinner, the hare would transform back into her mother before her very eyes.
She missed her mother dearly, but the appearance of the Patronus reminded her that perhaps her mother wasn’t so far away after all.
She enjoyed the weekly meetings with the DA, the occasion granting her more social interaction than she’d had since her arrival at Hogwarts three years prior.
She grew closer with Ginny over those few months, the witch apologizing profusely for how she’d treated her the previous few years. Luna happily accepted the witch’s apology, informing her that she was treated far worse by others.
Ginny had sworn to hex anyone who used Luna’s nickname from there on out.
When Hermione arranged an interview for Harry with Rita Skeeter at the Three Broomsticks — Luna accompanied them so as to persuade her father to publish the interview in The Quibbler. She was overjoyed to discover that the copy sold out, every Hogwarts student and possibly every professor as well. As it turns out, its popularity was likely due to the Education Decree that stated that it was banned on school grounds.
That May, when Harry and Hermione snuck into Professor Umbridge’s office to contact Sirius Black (Stubby Bordman, she’d attempted to remind them) Luna was especially disappointed in herself for getting captured by the Inquisitorial Squad while she and Ginny were acting as a lookout.
Why was it that she had visions about everything except what really mattered? Though she supposes that visions are of the future – an event that has already come to pass. She could practically hear her mother’s voice: “You will know each step that you take, three moments before you do, and smile at the prospect of a future that feels like a memory.”
Luna frowns as she watches Draco restrain Hermione, his wand pointed aggressively at her cheek. She’d noticed them over the past few months, allowing their hands to graze one another when they passed each other in the corridors, stealing glances across the Great Hall. Luna seemed to be the only person in the whole school who wasn’t completely oblivious to the rather obvious romance brewing between the pair.
But no matter, Luna was hardly bothered by the whole ordeal as she already knew that the group would make it to the Ministry that evening. And so she stared out the window as if bored, wondering if perhaps this was the evening she’d long been sensing.
While Harry and Hermione drew Umbridge away into the Forbidden Forest, Luna, Ginny, Ron, and Neville managed to escape from the Inquisitorial Squad using a variety of hexes and jinxes. Luna was quite proud of herself when they congregated with their friends in the corridor. She’d never been much of a fighter, always preferring to sit back and observe.
But, when Harry alerted them to his godfather’s abduction in the Department of Mysteries, Luna never second-guessed whether or not she would be joining him for his rescue attempt.
She had a fire in her heart and was determined to fight alongside her friends.
“We’ll fly, of course,” she stated with a smile. She’d had a dream of her and her friends flying to London the night prior, and it was on the back of a Thestral above the city of London that Luna had yet another vision.
Dumbledore in the Ministry Atrium, wielding both fire and water.
The knowledge that their Headmaster would be fighting alongside them, however, didn’t leave the feeling of relief in Luna’s heart that she had hoped for.
Luna found herself drawn to the strange arch in the room of death, voices beckoning her forward. Harry was the only other member of their entourage who seemed affected, and Luna couldn’t help but wonder why.
Unfortunately, an ambush interrupted her thoughts. The witch proudly fought in the battle that ensued, mainly protecting Ron, who had been hit with a spell that made him highly confused.
She wielded an impressive jinx to save Ginny from the grasp of the Death Eater’s Reductor Curse, which destroyed a model of the planet Pluto.
Much to her surprise, the model blew up in the Death Eater's face, the impact breaking Ginny's ankle. Luna shook her head once more, frustrated that she hadn’t foreseen these events.
But, determined to help her friends, Luna guided both the injured Ginny and the Confunded Ron until they met up with Harry and Neville.
Luna was one of the last D.A. members to fall, eventually being stunned by a Death Eater and thrown across the room. However, at the moment when her body was suspended as if in thin air, only one thought passed through her mind.
Her mother would be awfully proud of her.
When Harry found her in the forest one day, she assured him that she and her father had believed Harry’s warning since he first uttered the words. Luna told him about her mother's death and her belief that she would see her again someday, and how Harry might be able to see his godfather again, which she hoped was a comforting thought for Harry.
Luna knew all too well how it feels to lose a parent, but couldn’t begin to imagine the pain Harry must have felt after losing three.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 1996-1997
On her way to Hogwarts for her O.W.L year, Luna happily shared a compartment with her friends Harry and Neville. She always found it peculiar when the two stand next to one another, their auras seeming to switch places at random before her very eyes. She’s always thought of the pair as two sides of the same coin, though she wasn't entirely certain why.
She made sure to thank Harry for his interview prior, citing that it was doing exceptionally well as a result. She offered her two friends a brightly coloured pair of free “Spectrespecs” from inside the Quibbler, which they both politely declined.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the entire train ride, however, was when she found out that Dumbledore’s Army would not continue that year. She felt her heart skip a beat when Harry casually mentioned this fact, for she had grown to love these meetings more than anything else at Hogwarts.
Not many people sought to spend time with the witch, and Luna had never really minded. After the meetings, however, she had become rather accustomed to this time spent with friends.
When Romilda Vane asked Harry if he wanted to join her and her friends in another compartment, shooting a disdainful glare in Neville and Luna’s direction, Harry coldly rebuffed her, stating that they were his friends.
Luna found this to be quite a lovely proclamation on his part but observed nonetheless that people expected Harry to associate with far “cooler” people. Harry was quick to assure her that both she and Neville were very cool and among his closest and most trustworthy friends.
Just as the witch was about to step off of the train, however, she had a distressing vision of Harry laying unconscious in a compartment unfamiliar to her. She dutifully searches the train for her friend, some unknown force helping her navigate the locomotive.
The Wrackspurts are what lead her to Harry in the end, for his head was positively filled with them.
The moment Luna stepped foot in the ancient corridors of Hogwarts, she could feel that the energy had shifted. Everything had a slight chill to it, an air of uneasiness omnipresent as the days wore on.
She finds herself wandering the corridors with nothing better to fill her time, eventually stumbling upon Draco Malfoy in an expertly tailored black suit. “Hello Draco,” she’d smiled.
The Slytherin had only glared in her direction, confused as to why the girl had addressed him by his first name.
Luna watches with a smile as he walks away, headed in the direction where Luna had just seen Hermione a few minutes prior. She can’t help but wonder if they’d found their way to one another as of yet, or whether her vision from a few years prior had come to pass. He’d been wearing a similar suit in her vision, so she was certain that the events were on the horizon.
When Luna found Hermione in the girl’s lavatory with tears streaming down her face, she’d done her best to comfort the witch. “You’re doing your best, Hermione,” the witch smiled. She wanted to say more, to tell Hermione all that she knew about their futures. But, Luna knew better than to do this, so she happily sat with Hermione on the cold floor, knowing that her presence is likely all the witch needed for the time being.
Later that evening, Luna was overjoyed when Harry asked her if she would like to go to Professor Slughorn's Christmas party with him, just as friends. She excitedly accepted his invitation, eager to spend time with her friend.
She wore her favourite set of spangled silver robes that were attracting a certain amount of giggling from the onlookers, but she otherwise looked quite nice. They had been her mother’s, and that mattered to her far more than the looks the ensemble attracted.
While there, Luna conversed with multiple people and took an interest in Sanguini, a vampire guest. She also made Harry laugh so hard that mead came out of his nose, which brought her great joy. Luna had always been of the opinion that the Boy Who Lived should be given far more opportunities to laugh.
Her eyes went wide when Draco Malfoy was caught out of bed after hours by Filch and dragged into the party to be punished. However, the witch didn’t miss the longing look that was sent in his direction by a certain Gryffindor witch. Luna couldn’t help but wonder why the witch had attended with Cormac McClaggen of all people who had one of the ugliest auras she’s ever witnessed.
Luna’s favourite part of her fifth year was undoubtedly when she was asked to temporarily replace Zacharias Smith as Quidditch commentator for the school. Many found Luna's commentary amusing, as Luna frequently forgot players’ names and went off on tangents such as speculating that Smith, who was unable to maintain procession of the Quaffle for longer than a minute, was suffering from “Loser's Lurgy” – which was a very common condition, mind you.
She enjoyed commenting on the various shapes of the clouds and never actually attempted to report the score, much to the dismay of Professor McGonagall. It was all worth it, however, when Luna overheard Ron saying “you know, Luna's grown on me,” to Harry after a game one evening. She was happy when Zacharias returned to his position because it meant that she would be able to wear her Lion headdress once more.
Luna awoke one night quite suddenly, something in her gut urging her to slip her feet into her slippers and make her way through the corridors. She found herself once again by the Hospital Wing and was hardly surprised when she saw Hermione sneaking towards the door.
The entire school had heard of the duel between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, and the lethal curse that had nearly killed the Slytherin.
Luna didn’t need to enter the Hospital Wing to know that Hermione was sitting at Draco’s bedside, much like he had all those years ago.
At the end of the school year, when the castle was attacked by Death Eaters, Luna was one of the few D.A. members to participate in the ensuing Battle of the Astronomy Tower, along with Neville, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.
She dutifully watched Snape’s office with Hermione by her side and was hardly surprised when Snape informed them of the Death Eaters’ presence in the school. She had already seen the events of the evening transpire, an experience that had left a chill in her very soul.
She fought with everything in her. She knew, though, that their attempts would be futile: Albus Dumbledore would die that evening.
Luna chose to find solace in the fact that it would not be Draco who would cast the final curse. But, this didn’t stop her from grabbing Hermione’s hand and giving it a small squeeze when she noticed the look of absolute betrayal on the witch’s face as Draco ran by, fellow Death Eaters in tow.
However, it’s as she held Hermione’s hand that she has a vision so powerful it left her breathless. The scene was unfamiliar, though it appeared to be a meadow of some sort.
Draco stands in traditional wizarding robes with a smile plastered on his face. Across from him is Hermione, her hands threaded through his, wearing a beautiful white gown and a sheer veil.
Luna releases a sigh of relief, happy to know that someday, somehow, her favourite star-crossed lovers will find their way to one another once and for all.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 1997-1998
On 1 August 1997, Luna and her father attended the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour at the Burrow. It was quite a lovely occasion in Luna’s opinion, who found a wedding to be an excellent excuse for people to gather in a time of such darkness.
Luna instantly recognized Harry Potter, who was disguised as a Weasley cousin by use of Polyjuice Potion, by only his expression. She’d learned his many expressions over time, and the look of confused bewilderment was one he wore far too often.
Luna wore yellow robes, at her father's insistence, and had a sunflower in her hair. Her father believed that wearing sun colours to weddings brought luck. She wasn’t one to argue with her father, for he had taught her much of which she knows.
She was overjoyed when bit by a gnome, the saliva causing her to dance by herself, twirling on the dance floor with her arms raised. She knew that it was likely quite a bizarre sight, but she didn’t mind.
Luna returned to Hogwarts for her sixth year, despite the fact that Death Eaters had seized control of the school. Her father had wanted her to stay home, but she was adamant that she return to help protect the younger students.
The Welcome Feast was a sombre affair, the new Headmaster always has been somewhat of an anomaly to Luna. Severus Snape is a confusing sort of person, she decided, his aura never quite aligning with the energy he opted to exude. She had her suspicions that Snape wasn’t quite as evil as he wanted people to believe.
It was fairly early in the year when Luna, Ginny, and Neville attempted to steal the Sword of Gryffindor from the Headmaster's office, in an effort to help Harry. They had, of course, been caught, but their punishment – detention in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid, was actually quite enjoyable.
The three students then revived and led Dumbledore's Army, which tried to sabotage the Death Eaters’ control of the school and to help Harry, Ron and Hermione — who were off hunting down Voldemort's Horcruxes — in any way they could. Luna knew that she would never play a large part in the war, but was adamant that she would help in any way that she could.
It was on her way home for the Christmas holidays that Luna was captured by Death Eaters. It was believed by many that Luna was held captive at Azkaban, though she was actually imprisoned in the basement of Malfoy Manor, along with the famed wandmaker Garrick Ollivander, to whom she proved a great comfort.
Luna’s days within the Manor were actually quite boring. As it turns out, she and Ollivander were viewed as high-value prisoners, and, as such, were not tortured in any way. They spent their time discussing anything and everything, Ollivander sharing his many adventures that Luna found highly interesting.
It was on the fourth day of her imprisonment that Draco made his way into the cellar of the manor.
“Lovegood?” he whispered.
“Hello Draco,” she smiled.
“I brought you some food,” he added, pushing a small plate of bangers and mash toward the witch.
“Oh, this looks delightful. Thank you, Draco,” the witch smiled, eagerly sharing her meal with the wandmaker.
“I’m sorry they have you here,” the Slytherin whispered.
“It’s not your fault Draco.”
“It’s my home.”
The days bled into one another, each passing of twenty-four hours only decipherable by Draco’s daily appearances. He started bringing a pack of cards with him for his short visits. Luna found herself looking forward to his visits every night, though the circumstances were certainly less than favourable.
Some days later, Dean Thomas and Griphook joined the prisoners of Malfoy Manor, Draco apologized to them both profusely and offered them extra meals of their own.
It was one night while the four prisoners played a rather animated game of go fish with Draco that they heard the kerfuffle above. Draco quickly left the cellar, not wanting to be found missing should the Dark Lord come calling.
The prisoners listened with bated breaths as shouts were heard from the room above, and were shocked when Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were shoved into the cellar to join them.
The moment Luna heard Hermione’s first scream, the most peculiar thing occurred.
She’d become rather accustomed to her visions by that point, but this experience was something different altogether.
Suddenly, she was viewing the scene in the drawing room above them, though it was through the eyes of someone else rather than her own. She’d never had a vision of an event that was transpiring in the present time, but rather that in the future.
Looking around, Luna quickly realized that she was in the mind of Draco Malfoy.
She could feel his heartbeat as if it was her own, his short breaths in her own lungs.
She feels the words slip from his mouth, a quiet “Dobby,” under his breath. A beat later, he adds, “save the prisoners.”
She watched in horror as a lady with dark black hair hovered over Hermione’s body, dragging the tip of her blade across her skin. She could feel Draco’s body shaking, his chest beginning to heave at the sight.
“Draco, you must remain calm,” the witch next to him whispered.
Suddenly, Luna felt herself falling back into her own body as if she’d collided with a brick wall in Draco’s mind.
She sat against the wall of the cellar, attempting to steady her breath. Dean looked at her with a worried sort of expression and was just about to approach her when a house elf appeared out of thin air.
A moment later, Luna, Dean and Ollivander are whisked away to Shell Cottage. Luna found herself crying the moment they landed at the beach, an indescribable feeling plaguing her gut.
The whole experience of being in Draco’s mind had left her quite shaken. After a few moments, she manages to steady her breaths once more by reminding herself that she’d previously had visions of all of her friends as adults.
They would survive that evening.
She took it upon herself to support Harry through yet another loss, her heart aching as she closed the house-elf’s eyes who had saved her, providing a eulogy before his burial. Luna had never wished for the ability to take away people’s pain before that very moment, wanting nothing more than to reach out and rid Harry of all of his internal suffering.
Luna remained at the beautiful cottage until the Battle of Hogwarts, quite content to help Fleur care for anyone who arrived at the safe house. She practised using a new wand that Ollivander had made for her and grew closer to Dean. The days passed quite quickly, Luna feeling more and more useless with every hour that passed.
She wanted to do more, she wanted to help, and she wanted to fight.
But she knew that this was not the role she was meant to play.
Finally, in May, Luna felt her golden coin grow warm for the first time in weeks, a message from Neville asking them to return to Hogwarts via the Hog’s Head. Without uttering a word to one another, Dean and Luna apparated directly into the small pub.
They remained silent as they walked through the passage, though both knew what was to come.
Luna was quick to aid Harry in his search for the Diadem, losing her temper with him for the first time ever. Sometimes, she found the Boy Who Lived to be exceptionally frustrating.
She took Harry to the Ravenclaw common room in order to show him a replica of the diadem. There, Luna stunned Alecto Carrow, who was waiting for them per Lord Voldemort's orders and felt not a single morsel of remorse.
When given the choice, Luna joined the battle rather than evacuating with the younger students. She stood side-by-side with fellow D.A. members, students, as well as her professors and helped hold back Voldemort's army of Death Eaters and Dark creatures.
Luna paused for a moment to watch Draco running through the halls, a look of worry on his face. It takes her less than a moment to realize that he was following Hermione. She had just seen the witch run in the same direction he was headed.
The battle passed in a blur of curses, dementors, screams, and tears. Luna was certain that her consciousness wasn’t in her body at all, as she felt as if she was observing the events from above, rather than her own eyes. It isn’t until she notices Harry’s limp body in Hagrid’s arm that Luna felt herself come back into her body.
She felt many emotions at once, but most notably confusion.
How was Harry dead if she had seen his future? Her visions had yet to lead her astray, so how could this be?
She felt her breath quicken, the future suddenly not so certain. She watched as Neville bravely stepped forward in defiance of the dark lord, with the sorting hat in hand, her heart fluttering ever so slightly. She always harboured a slight infatuation for the Gryffindor.
Suddenly, many things happened all at once.
Neville pulled the Sword of Gryffindor from the sorting hat, bringing it down onto Nagini in one swift motion.
Harry rolled from the arms of the Groundskeeper before quickly jumping to his feet and running toward his friends.
Draco’s head snapped up, realizing that Potter had survived.
Without wasting another moment, Draco took a defiant step forward, yelling out the name of the soon-to-be-saviour of the wizarding world.
Harry turned his head, confused, before realizing that Draco’s wand was soaring through the air toward him.
Harry caught the wand just as Draco arrived at Hermione’s side, pulling her body flush against his.
And so began the last leg of the final battle.
It is near the end of the battle when Luna finds herself in a duel against Bellatrix Lestrange, back-to-back with Hermione and Ginny. She watched in horror as Bellatrix cast a Killing Curse at Ginny that missed by a mere milometer, her heart stuttering. Luna felt a tear slip from her cheek the moment Molly Weasley stepped in screaming words she would never forget.
“NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!”
Luna couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps her mother would be here fighting alongside her if her accident had never occurred.
It was then that Luna felt her fingertips start to tingle, her head snapping toward where Harry and Voldemort stood. Harry’s red spell met the Dark Lord’s green until finally, she watched Voldemort begin to crumble before her very eyes.
In the aftermath of the defeat of Voldemort, everybody flocked to Harry in celebration of such a momentous occasion. However, having fought a long hard battle – that really started the moment Voldemort returned a few years before – it was not surprising that Harry was completely drained and overwhelmed.
Luna was one of the only people to realize this and was quick to help her friend one last time.
“I’d want some peace and quiet if it were me,” she said.
“I’d love some,” he replied.
“I’ll distract them all,” she said. “Use your Cloak.”
And before he could say a word, she had cried, “Oooh, look, a Blibbering Humdinger!” and pointed out of the window. Everyone who heard looked around, and Harry slid the Cloak up over himself and got to his feet.
When Luna looked to her left, she noticed an unlikely pair sitting together. Draco held Hermione’s hand in his, whispering something under his breath.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, September 1998
When Luna enters the Great Hall that evening, she feels as if she is glowing.
The past few weeks had been quite busy for the witch, every single seventh and eighth-year student opting to visit her table.
On her birthday, her classmates presented her with a beautifully made sign.
LUNA LOVEGOOD’S MAGICAL MATCHMAKING.
The Ravenclaw witch is indeed responsible for the majority of the pairings at the ball that evening. She smiles to herself as she looks about the room, more anima chordarum than she could possibly count glowing between pairs.
Harry and Theo dance awkwardly with one another, though two sheepish smiles remain omnipresent on their faces. Ron bows deeply before Daphne Greengrass who happily accepts his request, allowing him to lead her onto the dance floor. Ginny and Pansy dance rather aggressively by the punch bowl, neither in time with the music. Dean and Seamus waltz around the exterior of the room, both their cheeks flushed. Blaise seems to have Padma pinned up against a wall just outside of the hall, the pair engaging in what Luna could only describe as a rather gruesome snog.
Finally, Luna’s eyes land on a pair she’s been looking forward to seeing the most. Hermione wears a gown of gold, her head tilted back in laughter as Draco spins her around the room.
The anima chordarum that Luna sees between the pair is enough to take her breath away, a beautiful, shimmering string of gold.
As the song continues to build in intensity, Draco spins her wildly, allowing her to evade his grasp almost entirely before reeling her back in again. She spins in a complete circle, crashing into him as he wraps his arm around her, pulling her closer.
They continue to sway, her back to him as he rests his chin on top of her curls.
Luna smiles to herself, quite content that after all this time, the two rainy souls had found their way into each other’s storms.
She knows she is partially to thank, for she had brought their paths to meet.
She’d been a catalyst in the lives of many souls in this room, happily acting as both a crossroads and a keeper of the keys.
She knows that she’s achieved her purpose, and it fills her heart with a sensation of warmth to know that she’d managed to bring joy into the lives of so many.
She allows her thoughts to wander as she usually does, her eyes glazing over ever so slightly as she sways her body in time with the music.
“Luna, would you like to dance with me?” she hears suddenly, the voice bringing her back down to earth.
“Oh, yes, that would be lovely Neville,” she smiles. She feels a familiar flutter in her core as the wizard takes her hand in his, a small shimmer of something forming between them.