I'm not sure if I was the only one that caught the obscure Harry/Lune references in a couple parts of Death Hallows. While I have always been a fan of the ship, never before the book has JKR ever made even the slight emphasis that Harry had anymore feelings for Luna then platonic friendship.

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Scene from Death Hallows, pg. 149...

"That's her," he said pointing at Luna, who was still dancing alone, waving her arms around her head like someone attempting to beat off midges.

"Vy is she doing that?" asked Krum.

"Probably trying to get rid of a Wrackspurt," said Harry, who recognized the symptoms.


Now... color me crazy, but Harry has never taken a huge amount of interest in Luna, or her bestiary of crazy-imaginative creatures, let alone the symptoms that comes from calling them off or on.

For Harry to be Johny-on-the-spot with his answer, with out a hint of sarcasim, or even a smile on his face, is sometime I found shiftingly odd. It shows in a sense, that while Harry hasn't been obviously paying attention to Luna or her rantings... he retained it all. He kept it all close to him, and was capable of talking about it on a whim. Without judging her, and without trying to overly explain.

He took it at face value, and accepted her for it.

For Harry, someone who has always either over analyzed, or under analyzed things... or even to remarkably retain a bit of information not pertaining to Quidditch or Magic, is rather indepth.


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Scene from Deathly Hallows, pg. 417...

But Harry had already reached the next level.

Luna had decorated her bedroom ceiling with five beautifully painted faces: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville. They were not moving as the portraits at Hogwarts moved, but there was a certain magic about them all the same: Harry thought they breathed. What appeared to be a fine golden chain wove around the pictures, linking them together but after examining them for a minute or so, Harry realized that the chains were actually one word, repeated a thousand times in golden ink: friends... friends... friends...

Harry felt a great rush of affection for Luna.



True, in this scene... it speaks more of a friendly affection, I know. Even more so, because it wasn't just a painting of Harry above her bed, but of all the DoM'ers.

However, the pure fact that this scene was written with only Harry seeing the imagery, speaks volumes about his connection with Luna. His affection for her, his care.


I am rather curious for others opinions on the particular correlations from references in the book like this, to the actual connections played out between Harry and Luna.

 

I think you're just reading more into the situation than required. I can see where you're coming from, but I took those situations as JK probably meant them to be taken. And they were just expressing that Harry believes Luna is a great friend. Your interpretation of the second passage is in tune with mine, but I disagree about the first one. Harry has always been a bit bad about retaining information like you said, but not about his friends. And what else would he remember about Luna besides her quirky personality? That's just how I saw it.

 

I loved and had great hopes for this 'ship, which were of course crushed while I was reading the last book. Anything is better than our favourite whore, but I always thought that Luna made Harry calm down and stop being a self-obsessed prick for two seconds.

I do think you are reading too much into the first situation, and the second one really was meant in a friendly way, I think.

It was very clear in the whole book that he wanted nothing more than to snog Ginny and have kids named Albus Severus with her, but if this weren't so certain, there is one part that I think would have indicated more romantic feelings for Luna. When Luna isn't around and her room is empty, Harry is more firm than his friends on Luna's whereabouts when speaking with her father. I don't remember the page number, and my mom is reading the book right now, but it's shortly after the passage you cited about the portraits on the wall.

Anyway, it's all wishful thinking.

 

I suppose... just reading for things I wanted.

*sigh*

Anything to get rid of the Redheaded-slut... guh.

 

It's okay. We're all with you.

 

I was hoping for H/L since book five. Seeing the OotP Movie with the BIG H/L scene I was anticipating book seven. After all, he ditched Ginevra at the end of HBP. Sadly the unmotivated Gin-Slut moments in DH soon brought me back down to earth and it was clear all the Luna-bits in book seven didn't mean much.

 

I've always liked Harry/Luna. We need more (good) stories with that pairing.

It was nice but also irritating that we got some (delicious) Harry/Luna and Harry/Hermione moments in DH but that it ultimately meant nothing. Just a poke in the eye.

There were some very sweet moments between both of those pairs (who didn't end up together) while we see virtually nothing like that between the actual canon pairings, who we see with their wretched children 19 years later.

So we have Harry with Ginny because, let's face it, he's never really known affection and she basically got there first. Ginny is with Harry because he's TBWL and her prime directive is to facilitate the formation of OBHWF. What's the glue that keeps them together? Saliva... The only interaction we ever see between them involves snogging.

Pretty much the same can be said for Ron/Hermione. Ron's interested in Hermione because, that fact is, he's lazy and she's already there (in a friendship capacity), so he doesn't have to actually find someone new. And really, who else could stand him? Hermione's interested in Ron because... Well, because God is dead. My parents treat each other like Ron and Hermione do and they hate each other's guts.

Neither couple displays the emotional interaction of H/Hr in the graveyard or even the, somewhat one-sided (in the sense that their bond is shown being observed by Harry but there isn't much actual interaction) sweetness of Harry and Luna's friendship.

Bah... my Deathly Shallow button got pushed again. I need to watch out for that. Anyway, yeah, Harry/Luna is neat and the hints at it in the last three books were nice but ultimately just frustrating. Thank goodness for fanfiction, right?

 

@ Kept Close

You really need to get over that obsession. I too like that good pairing, but dreaming up conclusions from innocent situations is a bit much. Go read some good fanfics with Harry/Luna. JKR wouldn't have Harry love Luna and make brats with Ginslut now, would she?

 

All hope I had for the pairing died in HBP, to be honest. It was most probable following OotP since there was such a heavy focus on her (a whole chapter named after her) and also that chapter near the end where Harry connects with Luna (perhaps over-emphasized in the movie - the director should've talked Jo before being so rash). While I like the pairing, and think that Harry has a lot in common with Luna, I think JK was trying to show that he could have deep affection for a girl but not snog the life out of her, another example being H/Hr. I think that Harry not finding Hermione attractive even for a fleeting moment over 7 years is a little unrealistic. I mean, she's been much more of a pillar of support than anyone he knows, except perhaps Sirius.

 

I staunchly defend H/L and hold that he only got with the slut because of a love potion. I love the parts from DH that support my ship! Besides, the epilogue doesn't exist in my mind.

 

...Right...Now that I think about it, I still haven't gotten around to tearing out the Epilogue and burning it, yet. I should really do that soon.

I have to say, as much as I love Harry/Luna, I realized that the story of HP was basically going to be Harry/Ginny right from the start, much to my - more recent - chagrin. The moments that could be seen as Harry/Luna basically became a slap to the face after HBP, really.

...Although, it would be fun if the Epilogue instead having Harry realize that he was taking a love potion throughout most of sixth year and his time at The Burrow during the summer, become enraged, and give Ginny a right good cunt punt.

 

After reading "The Order of the Phoenix" I actually thought that Harry would end with Luna. Heck, even the movie hints at it ( those moments holding hands, and "want me to help you"?). Then the Half baked Plot came and destroyed any chance at it, even though it could have developed it more at Slughorn's X-mas party.

Anyway, now things are done. The only course of action Harry/Luna fans have now is go to Rowling's house with a gas bottle and burn her while screaming "Take that you cunt!"

 

I'm not trying to be rude, but did you really see it going that way? I guess I can see because at times Harry confided in Luna, but overall I just didn't see it happening. I wanted to, because I'm a fan of the pairing, but I wrote it off as me being delusional. Anyway, the movies hint at all sorts of things that aren't canon. Most people who've only seen the movies think the story is H/Hr.

 

Well as people say, the author herself doesn't quite seem to know how to write romance. You try to make a film where the romantic interest of the hero makes one real appearance in book 2 followed by pretty much nothing until the sudden hormone injection of book 6. Now compare this to all the moments she wrote to portray Hermione as this great loyal friend, well you go with what you have. I assume more people are attracted to Emma than Bonnie as well.

 

I did honestly believe there was a chance of H/Hr happening in DH, after those scenes that ultimately seemed to be written just to inflame the wounds in H/Hr fans that were first opened up in HBP.

Towards the end, despite some nice H/L interaction too, I was resigned to the fact that Harry's brain had been permanently addled by the Amortentia that Ginny stole from Slughorn and slipped into his pumpkin juice in HBP that he won't be able to get together with any other girl.

 

Eh, I just replaced Ginslut's name with Luna's when I was reading it. Doesn't really change that much if you think about it.

Also, instead of Remus and Tonks dying, I had Ron and Hermaphrodite dying. I can read DH without being masochistic now!

 

To be honest, I think J.K.Rowling went with Harry/Ginny, just out of convenience. As it world have meant setting up scenes for Harry and Luna to meet regularly.

 

I'm more inclined to think that JKR was personifying herself as Ginny.

But honestly, after HBP, I could see the wires attached to Harry's character. Harry broke up with Ginny because if he had stayed with her and developed a deeper relationship, a major conflict would have been resolved MUCH too early. If Harry and Ginny had stayed together at the end of HBP, I would have said, "Oh, Ginny will (A) Die or (B) Dump Harry," simply because she was not going to be the person for Harry, only a stepping stone for Harry's actual wife.

Universal law of opposites -- when you want something to go straight, bend it.

 

You do have a point. If JKR wants to go for a H/L pairing, she would have to set up more scenes and interactions between the two. The same would go for other Harry/female character pairings.

If she went for H/Hr, it would mean having to deal with all the angst and conflicts with Ron and Ginny. It would be much more convenient to go for the canon pairings.

 

Hey, I like H/L. I would have been okay with H/L. It's better than H/G, God knows. Harry certainly talked to Luna more than to Ginny Easy. When Luna got kidnapped,and Harry wound up at Shell cottage with her, and she gave that kickass eulogy for Dobby, I was still hoping against hope that it wouldn't be H/G.

After all, Ginny wouldn't have been able to recognize Harry under polyjuice. She wouldn't have been able the help him a cast a patronus. She wouldn't be willing to cause a distraction so he can go get a sandwich and some peace and quiet. All she can do is kiss like firewhiskey, which is not entirely a bad thing in and of itself, but let's face it, she's just there for the T&A factor...Harry's little prize for winning.

Besides, I like the crazy blond chick who plays Luna in the movies. So, sue me.