Sorry, Neville and Luna shippers of the world, but that cute end scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 implying Neville and Luna totally ended up together is not at all probable, according to Luna's portrayer Evanna Lynch. In an interview with Seventeen, Lynch revealed why she doesn't think Neville and Luna would have lived happily ever after, and her answer is awesomely feminist. "I think he's very much a homebody, a stay-at-home dad," Lynch told Seventeen. "And Luna wants to go out and explore the world and different creatures, and I think she wants to have several different relationships and not be committed forever. Neville would want a good sturdy wife who cooks, and that's not her."
As adorable as Neville and Luna were, and as much as they had in common during their school days, Lynch is spot on in her description of the very different lives the two characters would want to lead. Luna always had the spirit of an adventurer, and, unlike many of her childhood companions, an instant life of domesticity would most likely have left her bored silly. While there is nothing wrong with choosing a life of domesticity, it is awesome that Lynch is so in tune with Luna that she feels certain her character would have taken the road less traveled by her Hogwarts cohorts.
J.K. Rowling has offered a little bit of insight into Luna and Neville's post-series lives, and Rowling and Lynch's vision of Luna line up quite nicely. Rowling has said Neville settled down as a Herbology teacher at Hogwarts and married Hannah Abbott, while Luna married the grandson of Newt Scamander, you know, the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. In short, Luna is almost definitely the dreamy, Indiana Jones of the magic world at this point.
While Neville and Luna never officially dated in the books or the films, their popularity as a couple in the fan community is totally understandable. Those two adorable misfits made a great team in school, but it is actually wonderful to think of Luna out in the world searching for mysterious creatures and celebrating the wonders of life. She was a special young woman who saw the world from her own unique perspective. Neville is a wonderful, heroic man who deserves all the best, but it is fitting that they went their separate ways after Hogwarts.
Not everyone marries their childhood sweetheart, and a woman as delightfully unconventional as Luna should live a life as full of magic as possible. Kudos to both Lynch and Rowling for knowing Luna Lovegood so well.
Images: Warner Bros. Pictures; Giphy (2)
