Top Harry Potter moments -- #10: Enter Luna

The first of a series of blog posts counting down my ten favorite Harry Potter moments leading up to the release of Deathly Hallows, pt. 2. Look for a post every couple of days as we near mid-July.


Order of the Phoenix marks a turn toward the macabre in the Harry Potter series, as Harry becomes an angry, frustrated teenager, and the reality of Lord Voldemort's return brings ever-darkening storm clouds to the narrative. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Delores Umbridge, is the most infuriating, conniving, downright awful character yet introduced. And the Ministry of Magic is showing itself to be more and more corruptible, as Cornelius Fudge grips power tighter and tighter. In short, all seems to be heading down a long dark path. But something strange happens when a bizarre young girl pops into the story.

Enter Luna.

One of Rowling's gifts is to give us just enough to never be overwhelmed when the mood of her main characters turns dour, and let's face it Harry is a mess through much of the fifth book. Ron is not much better, and Hermione takes a backseat in the midst of their adolescent bickering. But precisely here we are given the unexpected gift of a character whose quirks have everybody asking, "Is she for real?"

Luna is no mere feminine recasting of Neville Longbottom, though they may both be outsiders of a similar ilk. Luna is a misfit with radical ideas, fascinated by possibilities, and that is precisely what Order of the Phoenix needed. Whenever she appears the mood lightens, and yet she is capable of understanding life with such depth that she is the one who helps Harry work through death and loss.

She is the perfect ally, a strangely wonderful conversation partner, and in the final three books she proves herself to be courageous, good-hearted and overwhelmingly fun for us to enjoy. Rowling's cast of characters is incredibly diverse, but she never creates a character more fascinating than Luna. That is why her entry onto the HP scene comes in at number ten on my favorite HP moments.