I’d first like to start this little essay by saying that when I first picked up OotP, I was an adamant Harry/Hermione shipper. From the first book, I was certain that if by the end of the series Harry would end up with anyone, it would be her. There was no doubt in my mind… Until I finished OotP, and then I came to the odd realization that maybe, just maybe, Hermione would not be the end all or be all of my Harry-shipping.

Now I know quite a few people out there are going, “Harry and Luna? What the hell are you talking about, Tonya?” But I assure you I’ve reread OotP a couple of times to make sure I wasn’t imagining things, and in the process of these re-readings, I found more hints at a possible Harry/Luna romance than I did upon my initial reading of the book.

This essay will not only be my attempt to point out every single moment--no matter how seemingly insignificant--of subtext or hints at a future coupling, but also an attempt to disprove the few anti-Harry/Luna theories circulating about. So sit back and prepare to enter the mind of a rabid Harry/Luna shipper.

Before I analyze OotP chapter by chapter and moment by moment, I’d like to point out some overall general evidence of the possibilities of Harry/Luna.

Of course, OotP is the first time we really meet Luna Lovegood. There is a faint mention of her family living near the Weasleys in GoF, but that, for the most part, was all we ever knew about the family and its members. Luna, of course, is a Ravenclaw in Ginny’s year, and a bit eccentric to say the least. Which makes her sudden appearance and constant mentions in OotP even more interesting.

The series is, of course, told through Harry’s eyes. We see everything and everyone around him that he deems important. What’s odd, however, is that he--or anyone for that matter--could NOT notice a presence like Luna’s even if she’s not within his inner circle. Luna IS, however, apparently a friend of Ginny’s, and how exactly Harry missed seeing his best friend’s little sister’s friend who wears radish earrings and a butterbeer cap necklace, puzzles me. Even Neville has apparently heard of Luna, given the way he would have preferred not to have taken the last compartment with her in it on the Hogwarts Express.

So for four years, this oddly eccentric girl goes unnoticed by Harry, and suddenly (and inexplicably), he starts to notice her and notice her a lot. He notes things about Luna and what she does about as often as he notes things about Cho throughout the book. These mentions aren’t as blatant as his inner thoughts about things Cho says or does, but they are there.

--All quotes come from the US version of the books mentioned.

--The analyses go in the order in which they occur in the chapters.

--The analyses start at Chapter 10 of OotP.

First, let me approach this at the angle of countering one of the arguments against a Harry/Luna pairing. Quite often, this quote is transcribed and then used as proof that Harry finds Luna “ugly” or “unattractive”. I don’t see this as him finding her either attractive or unattractive. He’s simply taking in what she looks like, considering he’s never before laid eyes on this odd girl with a wand behind her ear.

Quite honestly, Harry never describes any of the girls upon his first meeting of them as blatantly pretty with the exception of Cho in GoF.

For example, when Harry meets Hermione for the first time, he describes her as follows:

One could also say that this is not a very attractive description of Hermione, but as we learn later in GoF, Harry doesn’t think of Hermione as ugly. Harry simply described her as he saw her.

And I believe the same could apply here. This is simply Harry seeing Luna the way she is, without any real concept of attractive or unattractive behind it.

Two important things about this very small exchange between the two.

Firstly, Luna has basically overheard the conversation between Ron and Harry about the “horse things pulling the carriages”, and here, she does her best to reassure Harry of his sanity by informing him that she’s always been able to see them. In response, he turns to her “desperately”, glad to have someone see the creatures other than himself.

Secondly, when he turns to her for reassurance, he notes that he can see the animals reflected in her eyes. I don’t know if any of you have ever tried to see something reflected in someone else’s eyes, but it’s quite difficult. It’s possible but hard because you have to be focused in on one thing and one thing only. Their eyes. The fact that Harry is focusing so intently on Luna’s eyes that he can see the thestrals actually reflected there means more than what the simple description deceives us into believing.

During Umbridge’s speech during the first feast in the Great Hall, Harry becomes so bored that he begins to notice that he’s not the only one who has stopped paying attention.

From Harry’s point of view, we see him focus on only three specific people in this scenario. He focuses on Ernie because he’s “one of the few still staring” and notes that Ernie is probably only doing so to live up to his new prefect image. He focuses on Cho because, well, it’s Cho. He’s infatuated with her so it only seems logical that he would look over to see how she was reacting to what he believed was a pointless speech. And then oddly enough, he turns his focus from Cho to Luna to see what she’s doing.

The only question remains why. It seems odd to just randomly have his focus shift to Luna (someone he has apparently never even noticed existed since a few hours prior), but unlike with Cho and Ernie, his reasons for doing so are never actually explained.

You can tell me I’m reading too much into a simple description, and then I will place my hands over my ears and proceed to go “Lalalala I can’t hear you!” But in all seriousness, if Luna was covered in dirt from head to toe, I wouldn’t find it odd that Harry notices this. I do however find it interesting when he notes a small smudge of dirt on her nose. Especially considering he notices THIS before the radish earrings dangling from her ears. I don’t know about you, but if someone was wearing tiny vegetables as jewelry, I’d notice that before anything else about the person.

Luna then proceeds to very vocally show her support for Harry--the first person outside of Harry’s inner group to do so. Even as she thinks people are laughing at her for what she said (and not what she was wearing), she adamantly shows her support of him. Only when Hermione insults her, does she “give her a withering look and flounce[d] away”.

At this, Harry seems annoyed:

Note that Harry does awkwardly thank Luna for her support when she makes her “beeline” to him, but he’s not overwhelmingly embarrassed that she was the one showing him support, even with everyone around him laughing. He welcomes it to a point, and wishes that Hermione hadn’t offended the girl.

In chapter 16, Hermione has invited people who would be interested in learning DADA from Harry to the Hog’s Head. As the random assortment of students file in one by one, Harry takes note of who enters.

It goes on this way for a bit longer, but again much like during Umbridge’s speech in the Great Hall, we see Harry pay special attention to only specific people in this scenario. Only two of the students merit more than a simple name mention (or a vague description as he’s never met them). Again, his acknowledgement of Cho (and the way his stomach reacts to seeing her) is only natural for a boy with a crush. But again, Luna also gets special mention. Much like with the others, he could have sufficed with simply saying Luna Lovegood entered but unlike every other person who walks in the door, he pays special attention to her mannerisms.

During the Gryffindor match against Slytherin, things aren’t looking well for Harry’s team, and the fact that they may actually lose to the Slytherins has him both frantic and crestfallen. Even after hearing that Gryffindor has scored a goal and thus tied the Slytherins, we don’t see Harry react to this new status in the game. It wasn’t until “[he] could hear Luna’s ludicrous lion hat roaring amidst the Gryffindor cheers [that he] felt heartened”. (OotP, p.410)

For the last DA meeting before the holidays, Luna is the first of the students to arrive to greet Harry.

So where exactly to begin with this encounter.

Let’s start first with Harry’s reaction to the mistletoe.

Once Luna points it out, he “jump[s] out from under it”. Does this reaction seem a little nervous to anyone else? It’s obvious that Harry knows the significance of being under the mistletoe with a girl, and as soon as he notices that he’s under it with Luna, he panics and “jumps” out from under it. He doesn’t calmly step out from under it or back away, he leaps out of the way.

This brings up two queries. One, did he think that Luna was about to kiss him thus leading to his nervous reaction? And two, would he have reacted in such a nervous fashion if it had been anyone else to point out the mistletoe over his head? I don’t imagine Harry reacting in such a jumpy way if it had been someone like Hermione or Ginny pointing out the mistletoe. I suspect he’d just respond in a similar “yeah, this was all Dobby’s idea” sort of fashion as he did to Luna’s first question about the decorations. So it seems by Harry’s reaction that the thought of kissing her must of crossed his mind and that thought apparently made him nervous.

Now, let’s move to Luna’s reaction to this encounter.

From the moment she steps into the room, Harry notes her dreamy demeanor. She asks her first question about the decorations “vaguely” and she points out the mistletoe “dreamily”. However, once Harry reacts in his nervous jumpy fashion, she speaks “very seriously” in response.

There are only a few times we see Luna change her dreamy, airy demeanor at this point in the book. On the Hogwarts Express when Hermione insults her father by calling the Quibbler rubbish. And when she believes Lavendar and Parvati are laughing at her for showing support for Harry. Both times, her demeanor changed because she was offended or hurt. Could the same apply here? It’s obvious that Harry’s reaction had some form of effect on her or else she would have continued on in her normal dreamy manner.

Later on after the DA meeting has ended, all the students have vacated with the exception of Cho who stays behind to talk to Harry. You’re probably wondering how in the hell I’m going to take a blatant Harry/Cho scene and break it down into Harry/Luna subtext, but I promise you I can.

Okay so let’s break this supposed Harry/Cho moment down into its true Harry/Luna essence, shall we?

We know Harry fancies Cho. This is common knowledge to everyone who knows Harry at this point. And now he finds himself, once again, under the mistletoe, and this time with the girl he fancies. And what does he do when Cho mentions the mistletoe? He stands there and randomly tells her something that Luna had said to him previously in the night. In a normal situation? If you’re standing with your crush in what could prove to be a slightly romantic situation? You don’t automatically think back to the other girl you were in the same situation with and randomly quote her.

Also something else to note here. Everyone knows Luna as “Loony”. It’s the unfortunate nickname she’s picked up for her oddities. Harry knows this and probably assumes that Cho would know exactly who he was referring to by simply saying “Loony”, but he feels it necessary to take that back and call Luna by her proper name. A sign of some respect for Luna as a person perhaps? Everyone else takes no issues with referring to Luna by her nickname, and the one time that Harry has to speak about the girl directly, he amends his choice of name.

You thought I was done with these two simple scenes? Oh no, my friend, there’s two general themes running through these encounters.

First, Harry finds himself under the mistletoe not once but twice with a girl. And only two specific girls. Both are Ravenclaws. One’s a year younger; one’s a year older. One’s popular; one’s an outcast. One’s a brunette; one’s a blonde. Okay that last part was a joke (kinda), but I think you can sense a theme there. Harry finds himself under the mistletoe with two girls who are complete and utter opposites except for the fact that they both come from the same house and they both know him.

Secondly, there’s the fact that when he encounters both girls, he’s alone with them (which gives the much needed privacy needed for a first kiss). Luna comes into the room early before any of the other DA members arrive (and note that for once, Hermione and Ron are occupied and aren’t there with Harry already like they are during all the other DA meetings), and in the end, Cho stays behind while everyone leaves.

There’s symbolism in there that I will leave up to interpretation, but I’m a firm believer that JKR does not do blatant descriptions of situations like that unintentionally. You can say I’m reading too much into it, and hell, I’ll admit that I may be, but bear with me here.

By the end of OotP, Cho and Harry are basically over. She’s basically exiting his life (symbolized by the fact that Cho stays behind and then leaves). However, Luna is the new girl within Harry’s inner circle (one he’s been paying an odd amount of attention to even if he doesn’t realize it). Thus she enters into his life much like she did in the Room of Requirement. Enter one love interest, exit another.

Not to mention that this is the third time so far that both girls have been singled out by Harry. First during Umbridge’s speech in the Great Hall. Then during the DA gathering at the Hog’s Head. And now under the mistletoe. There’s an entire running theme at this point. When he sees or mentions one girl, the other girl is not far behind. Which is important to keep in mind as I move to the next topic…..

So as stated previously, there always seems to be a running theme involving Cho and Luna and how/when Harry notices them. Even though I didn’t think it was possible, this theme of Harry’s attention shifting from a Cho-centric area to a Luna-centric area (or vice versa for that matter) continues into the first Hogsmeade after the holidays.

On Valentine’s Day, Harry leaves what has been a catastrophic first date with Cho to see Hermione at the Three Broomsticks:

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I’ve finally gone mental because there is not even a hint of subtext or symbolism here. And again, your thoughts about my mental stability may be right, but believe me when I say there is symbolism here.

First of all, there was no real need for Luna during this scene. From the way Hermione speaks, she and Luna have had this conversation prior to the meeting in the Three Broomsticks.

Hermione to Rita:

So, we’re to assume that the girls have, in fact, discussed this prior to Hogsmeade. This would be the only way that Luna would be able to get approval from her father and get back to Hermione with his answer so that Hermione could contact Rita Skeeter to have her meet them at Hogsmeade. So was there really any point for Luna to be present? For the most part, Luna simply agrees or elaborates on things Hermione says or is in her own world humming “Weasley is Our King.” She could have easily been removed from the scene without affecting it in the least.

To the untrained eye, that is.

Let’s backtrack, shall we?

Harry just finished his horrid date with Cho, which was the beginning of what would turn out to be the end of this ill-fated relationship. The end of their date is basically the beginning of a hint that Cho will not be a significant female player in Harry’s inner circle.

Now flash forward to his meeting with Hermione. It’s Luna’s willing participation that finally lets Harry tell his story the way it really occurred. She’s basically the reason people start to learn the truth and accept what Harry says at face-value. This effectively makes her the new significant female within Harry’s inner circle. Thus taking over the recently vacated position by a certain Cho Chang.

It’s also important to note that ever since Harry’s first meeting with Luna, she has always been “Luna Lovegood” in Harry’s inner dialogue. Proper and very impersonal. After the meeting in the Three Broomsticks, she officially becomes simply Luna to him throughout the rest of the book. Because he’s beginning to view her as more of an acquaintance and not just some random girl he barely knows.

This next portion isn’t Harry/Luna subtext-o-riffic per se, but I still think it merits mentioning.

In the Forbidden Forest, the gang is arguing about who exactly will go to save Sirius and how they plan to get there. Early in the disagreement, Luna suggested that they should fly which was argued about some more (and then changed into a completely different argument in the process), but everyone ignored her until she finally mentioned it a second, more determined time.

I can only imagine how much longer the six of them would have continued this argument about how all of them were going to get to the Ministry if Luna hadn’t called their attention to the obvious. Thanks to her ability to think outside the realm of simple black and white, Harry and the others were able to get to the Ministry without hassle. Luna has definitely made herself an asset to Harry and his friends.

And now for the final Harry/Luna scene in OotP. The scene every single one of us Harry/Luna ‘shippers can quote as if it were the H/L ‘shipping Bible. And there’s a reason we use this scene as undeniable proof that the possibility of Harry/Luna isn’t as far-fetched as a Crumple-Horned Snorkack strolling into the Gryffindor common room. This portion of the essay is going to be quote-heavy, but it’s necessary to point out all the intricate changes in the dynamic of Harry and Luna in this scene.

Let’s begin, shall we?

Again, this segment of their exchange has also been used as a basis for another anti-Harry/Luna argument. People claim that Harry feeling pity for Luna is not a good sign or indicator of a budding relationship. In fact, they claim, it shows that he could never actually be interested in her because who hooks up with someone they pity.

I say, au contraire.

First of all, who among us wouldn’t feel sorry for someone as seemingly nice as Luna who gets her things stolen by fellow classmates? Someone who handles it all with a smile, even though she knows what the other students think about her? If you wouldn’t feel sorry for the girl, then you’d be a pretty cold-hearted person. It’s only natural that Harry would feel sorry for her and her situation, especially considering that he’s gotten to know her over the past few months and she’s become somewhat of a friend.

Secondly, it’s important to note that this is the first time since Sirius’s death that Harry has taken the time to think about someone else and feel sorry for them. All he’s felt has been “anger and grief”, and it takes an interaction with Luna for him to realize that, yes, he is having a rough time of it, but others are having their own struggles as well.

The obvious of this segment? Harry doesn’t mind Luna mentioning Sirius. We’ve seen him try to avoid the conversation all together with Hagrid, and he hasn’t even spoke with Hermione or Ron on the topic. Luna has been the only one so far he’s allowed to let a conversation turn to the discussion of his fallen godfather.

The maybe not-so-obvious? Harry tends to pay a lot of attention to Luna’s eyes. He describes them quite frequently throughout the book. That sort of direct eye contact tends to show a person’s level of comfort with another, a level of attention to that person (either consciously or subconsciously). It just interests me that very often this is the first thing Harry notices about Luna, and not, say, radish earrings or a butterbeer cap necklace which in their oddness would merit more stares.

And thus we stumble upon another argument against our little ship that could. The “bonding over dead parents does not mean a future relationship” argument.

But can I just say that I don’t expect Harry to suddenly go, “Hey, your mom died?! So did both my parents! Let’s go snog!”

The purpose of that exchange isn’t to show that both of their parents died so they’re obviously soul mates and thus will run off and get married. No, the purpose is to show that now Harry will have someone who understands exactly what he is going through right now. Ron and Hermione can try their best, but neither knows what it’s like to lose a parent or a parent-figure. They can’t offer the type of support or advice that someone like Luna, who has personally experienced (and quite possibly seen with her own eyes) the death of a parent. Having someone with insight into what he will be experiencing during the grieving process is necessary for Harry to keep him sane at this point. I believe that Luna will be key in this process which is why the fact that her mother died is important.

And here, Luna is able to instill in Harry something he needs desperately at the moment-- the thought that Sirius isn’t going to be completely out of his life now. That there is a chance he could see his godfather again. And the idea doesn’t seem too far-fetched to Harry as he remembers hearing the voices himself. Who knows what secrets that veil actually holds?

Note that this is the second time that Harry asks her if she’d like help looking for her things. The first time he asked, he probably did so because, at that moment, he was feeling overwhelmingly sorry for her and thought it was the right thing to do. This time, there’s really no sense that he still “pities” her like he had previously. They’ve just finished discussing being able to see their loved ones again and bonding over that. This time when he asks, it’s less of an obligation due to his feeling sorry for her and more because he actually wants to help her find her things. (An offer that Luna turns down in a very vague way that still piques my interest every time I read it.)

And here’s the big thing about this moment. After their little discussion, Harry actually begins to feel better. No, he’s not bouncing around and whistling a jolly tune, but some of the anger and grief he’d been constantly feeling the past few days has gone away. In one little conversation with Luna. Not in a conversation with Dumbledore or Hagrid or either of his two best friends, but with Luna.

And another interesting point? Harry “watched her go”. Their conversation has ended with wishing of well holidays, and Luna leaves. And instead of going about his business and returning to his trek to whatever his destination had planned to be, he stands there and watches her leave.

So, I’ve analyzed OotP within an inch of its life, but there are still a couple of arguments that I have yet to address. There’s three in particular that I plan to tackle in what remains of this little (or not-so-little) essay of mine.

What exactly is meant by “since the beginning”? Those three words can be translated in two very different ways.

First translation: Harry will end up with someone he met during his first two years at Hogwarts.

If we are speaking of the “beginning” in terms of the very first moment Harry steps foot inside the wizarding world, then yes, it makes sense that he would end up with either Hermione or Ginny. Both girls have been there with him through most everything that has happened to him in the past five years (or four years in the case of Ginny).

Second translation: Harry will end up with someone who has been there during the major turning point of his life.

In OotP, Harry’s life unfortunately does take a turn towards a new beginning. It doesn’t seem like a very pleasant beginning at the moment, but it’s a beginning nonetheless. This is the book in which he loses someone very important to him. This is the book in which he learns the truth about the connection between he and Voldemort. This is the book in which he learns his future is etched in stone. This is Harry’s beginning of officially becoming the hero he’s never asked to be in the first place.

In that case, the “beginning” is everything that takes place in OotP. And here is where Luna comes into play. She’s basically part of Harry’s inner circle (unwittingly at first) from the very moment they sit with her in the compartment on the Hogwarts Express. She’s there when he needs an outlet for his version of events from the previous term. She’s there to show support and learn from him during the DA meetings. She’s there when he breaks into Umbridge’s office to make sure Sirius is safe. She’s there during the entirety of the Department of Ministry rescue mission. She’s with him and his friends when they’re all loitering in the hospital wing. She’s there when he needs to speak with someone about Sirius.

She’s always there.

She willingly made herself a participant in Harry’s life. Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and to some extent, Neville all have reasons for helping Harry. They’re his friends, and as a loyal friend, they will help him no matter what. Luna doesn’t know him. She knows of Harry, yes, but she doesn’t know him personally. She has no reason to get involved in any of the things she got herself involved in in the fifth book. But she does. Without a bit of hesitation, she dedicates herself to Harry like all his friends he’s known since he was eleven.

I would bet money that, contrary to what some people believe, Luna’s role in the series is nowhere close to being finished. If you think about it, we learned more about Luna in one book than we’ve learned about any other “secondary” character, including Draco Malfoy. I don’t believe JKR would take so much time and effort to make Luna such a fully-fleshed character if she was simply going to show up for one book and be done.

I think there’s more to Luna than meets the eye myself. We know that her mother must have been a very powerful witch to be able to work on experiments that could prove as deadly as hers did. Who knows what kind of things Luna learned from the woman? Add to that the level of intelligence that all Ravenclaws are supposed to possess, and you’d have the makings of a very powerful witch in the future.

I believe there are even hints of this in the book:

Harry notes that all of his friends “look a little the worse for wear” and yet he only notes visible injuries to Ron, Ginny, and Neville. Which is odd, yes, but becomes more intriguing when later on….

Luna escapes two physical incidents unscathed-- one with a bunch of bratty Slytherins but the second with more talented, more lethal Death Eaters. And yet both times there is not a mark on her. She’s managed to escape injury when even someone like Hermione has found herself injured during the rescue mission. The question remains of how she managed to not only get away from the Death Eaters unharmed but how she did so while helping Ginny and Ron to safety in the process.

There just appears to be more to Luna than it seems.

Which makes me firmly believe that her and her talents will come in handy for Harry in the next two books. He needs Ron’s loyalty and courage. He needs Hermione’s logical thinking. And at the same time, he needs Luna’s ability to see a different aspect to the world, to see the grays mixed in with the blacks and whites.

Here’s the thing. I’m gonna be honest. I don’t even think Harry realizes he likes Luna. He notices fifty million things about her-- her eyes (a lot), the way she flounces away, changes in her tone of voice, but he notices all these things in a very subconscious manner. He’s not looking for these things when he sees her. They just catch his eye every time she crosses his path. Which, yes, is quite different to how he observed Cho-- who he tended to study like a hawk. He noticed things about Cho because they were blatantly out there in his mind, because he was knowingly focusing all of his attention on her.

And since I’m on the subject of the differences between Cho and Luna and Harry’s reaction to both, let me delve a bit further.

Cho is Harry’s first crush. In all honestly, he knows very little about her. He knows she’s pretty, she’s popular, that she plays Quidditch, and that she once dated Cedric. And we know how badly the Harry/Cho-ness turned out. In comparison, he knows more about Luna as a person rather than superficial things about her. This is a better basis for any sort of relationship (romantic or not)-- getting to know a person, becoming their friend, and then going from there. Once again, the odds are in Luna’s favor.

So in conclusion, Harry and Luna? Most definitely a possibility of something other than friendship. If I haven’t convinced you of that by now? Well, I have failed at my job, but I also accept that we each have our preference of ‘ships and we each want our ‘ship to end up on top. I’m just pleased that I was able to keep your attention long enough to get to this part of my small essay turned thesis.

Thank you for your patience, and just maybe, I’ll see some of you lurking at Harry/Luna forums, boards, and communities from now on!

This is also the place to send any mail questioning my mental stability for enjoying the Harry/Luna ship. I’m always up for a little friendly debate. Key word? Friendly. All nasty emails will be posted to my livejournal (http://livejournal.com/users/_fullofgrace) and mocked mercilessly. And, yes, I’m serious.

Also, I’d like to give props to my best pal Shirley for listening to all my weird Harry/Luna theories and helping me catch subtext when my subtext radar went on the fritz. Without her help, some of what you read today might have slipped through the cracks. Thanks for everything, Shirley!!! HARRY/LUNA4EVA!!!1114746524SQUEE!!!!! (She understands…lol)

And please do not sue me, Scholastic. This essay was made for entertainment purposes only and I am in no way profiting from it (unfortunately). The characters, dialogue, et cetera belong to the much more talented JK Rowling.