Is Luna Lovegood the anti-Hermione?

[Pat]

No: HPFGUIDX 113484

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Rob" <rob.kristjansson at g...> 
wrote:
> I'm playing around with the idea that Luna has been introduced as 
an 
> all-purpose opposition to Hermione.  I figure this character is 
> required because Hermione's other nemeses (is that even a word?), 
> namely Trelawney and Skeeter, don't seem to be taking anything 
more 
> than a bit part in the action, and Hermione definitely deserves 
> better than that.
> 
> Luna, on the other hand, provides this opposition in spades.  Luna 
is 
> an... 'intuitive' thinker, shall we say, vs. Hermione's straight 
up 
> rationalist approach to the world.  I suspect she will provide 
> romantic competition for Hermione vis a vis Ron.  And as flakey as 
> she presents, Luna is no pushover.
> 
> I'd like to hear what others here think.

Pat here:

I love Luna's character.  She does seem to fill in the missing 
pieces of personality that Hermione lacks.  It was fun to watch 
Hermione's attitude toward her change--at first she was entirely 
annoyed with anything Luna did or said, but by the end, even though 
she thought she was still a bit wacky, she refrained from making a 
snide comment when Luna said where she and her dad were going on 
holiday.

I don't know about anything romantic with Luna/Harry or Luna/Ron.  
But I do think she will be the person who gives Harry permission, so 
to speak, to open up about his grief as well as his anger.  Hermione 
is very perceptive--as we saw with her explanation to the boys about 
what girls are thinking and feeling.  But when Harry has a problem, 
she's ready to jump in and fix it.  Luna seems more likely to just 
let him talk, with a few comments to let him know that she 
understands--such as their conversation at the end about ghosts and 
about the voices behind the veil.  Right now, Harry needs a good 
listener, and I think that is going to be Luna.

Pat
> 
> Rob