The Lovegoods and Rita: Are the Oddities Real?

Who doesn’t love Luna Lovegood? She’s a very special character that many of us probably feel very close to at some point or another; misunderstood and made fun of. While on the opposite end of the spectrum is Rita Skeeter, the ever persistent and (sometimes annoying) journalist with a hidden secret on how she gets her scoop. In a way, I am sure that Ms Skeeter is just as misunderstood as Luna; how else can you explain why she got to where she is and how she does things?

Today we’re going to look at an outlandish fan theory that became very popular quite quickly. We’re also going to be digging a bit deeper into Luna and a bit of her father as well, looking at anything from why she can see creatures that others can’’t to who she is possibly related to. Let’s get digging!

JK Rowling is Rita Skeeter

Alright, this one sounds a little outrageous but is also quite funny! Also, how awesome would it be if it was true? Even if this one was true, we would probably never know (hello, Statute of Secrecy?!) but it's a fun thing to think about. So, let's talk about the details of this theory.

The theory behind Ms Rowling actually being Rita Skeeter starts with Rita having messed up in the Wizarding World and having her core bound and thrown out. Let's face it, Rita is definitely one of the more annoying characters; and the way she oversteps to get her scoop it wouldn't surprise me if she got in that much trouble. I mean, she was an unregistered animagus and used it for her own personal gain. So, Rita has been banned from the Wizarding World and in retaliation she went into the Muggle World and "created" the world of Harry Potter.

Let's admit that this is definitely a crazy theory, but also how cool would it be if it were true? How many of us would love to be a part of this secret world where you can do things that growing up was considered imaginary? While Ms Rowling is definitely not the curtail Ms Skeeter, she did bring us this amazing world with a Skeeter-type flourish that we were not expecting!

Luna’s Father Never Grieved Her Mother Properly

While this may seem a bit outlandish (and more related to Xeno than Luna) it affects her and her personality. Some will theorize that because Xeon lost Pandora when Luna was young, he is stuck in an emotional time-loop. This time-loop has then caused a type of stunted growth in Luna. Many of the creatures that Luna talks about seem like imaginary creatures that only a young child could “see” and therefore, because Xeno struggled to process his wife’s death he continued to treat Luna as though she was a young child which continued to cultivate her beliefs that these “imaginary creatures” were real. This is why you hear of them hunting these animals together during Summer Hols. While his brain processes that she IS older because she goes away to school, emotionally they both see her as the sweet little girl who still has a mother.

Some proof you can see in this is because when she is around Harry, who also had a traumatic childhood and was basically never a real child, she speaks her age. Hershey is able to articulate normally that she lost her mother, and you can tell that she has processed and grieved for her the best that a young child would be able to; this is something that Harry can relate to as he was only a year old when his parents died. This shows that while sometimes she is emotionally a young child, there is still a part of her brain that was unaffected by the trauma of seeing her mother die, and was able to grow up and mature properly according to human development.

Luna Shows Signs of Being Autistic Spectrum

This is absolutely a reasonable theory. If you have ever been around someone who is spectrum or is considered “Special Needs” then you have seen that they process things differently than a “normal” brain. Since becoming an adult I, myself, have discovered some things about my own brain process that shows I am spectrum as well. I never understood how I connected to Luna so well outside of being made fun of for the most random reasons as a child, but as an adult looking back I begin to understand it a bit better.

Luna is a very eccentric person, but also one of the most innocent characters. Not even going into the Department of Mysteries shook her. While some can contribute that to her childhood trauma as well as a bit of the theory we talked about above, it can also be contributed to how her brain processes things. Many high functioning spectrum people are considered eccentric and different, but really they just process things differently.

In my research, resistor user RobbieNewton goes in depth with this theory, explaining that they caught onto this possibility in Order of the Phoenix. They mention how there are things that she is very obsessive about; they specifically mention about the creatures that she can see that others cannot, but we have to take into consideration that some of those creatures revolve around certain things such as having to see death in order to see the Thestrals. RobbieNewton also points out here difficulty in social interactions, and isn’t very tactful when it comes to those as she ca’t read them properly. Personally, I find it refreshing that Luna speaks her mind with no care for other’s feelings because if you pay attention to what she is saying, it’s always the truth. They also point out her “hyper loyalty” to her friends.

While this is a very interesting theory and reasonable, I don’t quite know that I fully agree with it to the degree it sounds they believe. There are many things that could explain these things listed, and if she is actually spectrum I feel she is a lower ended spectrum like myself.

Luna is a Distant Cousin to One of Two People

As this is basically the same theory with two different people, I lump it under the same area. There are some sound reasons relating her to these two people.

Let’s start with Draco Malfoy. In my research, I have seen no confirmed direct connection so I firmly believe this is another fan theory that has been “fandomized” (This is my word for when a fan theory has become so popular that a the fans make it canon even when it’s not.). Many fans have stated there is a connection between Pandora Lovegood, and the Malfoy family. While I cannot find anywhere that this has been confirmed by Ms Rowling, it is quite understandable why this theory is highly believed to be true. The Malfoy family is well-known for their almost white-blonde hair and very light (practically grey), something that when you look at Luna, it is quite obvious her hair colour is quite close in colour. While we know nothing about how her mother really looked, I honestly assume that either Xeno OR Pandora could have been linked to the Malfoy. It does explain a lot why the Malfoys look so heavily down their noses at the Lovegoods: they could be from a branch that they have issues with, as we all know it’s not uncommon in the Pureblood families to have issues with how some of the other family embers act. (Perfect example is that while Walburga may have disowned Sirius, his grandfather did NOT which left him as the Black Heir; simply because he did not agree with Siruis’ mother.) All -in-all, a very believable and sound theory. Only seeing a Malfoy Family Tapestry like the Black one at Grimmauld could really confirm it; unless Ms Rowling herself did too.

The other person is Professor Sybil Trelawney. This theory has its own sound theories. Luna has a tendency to say things that seem predicting in their own ways. The theory behind this is that Pandora and Sybil are related in some way, as it’s more than obvious that any potential Seer blood she has did not come through Xeno. Despite what many say, Sybil DOES make multiple prophesies that come true in the series, and there’s a potential that she has made several others that we don’t know about. Luna and Sybil speak quite similarly, but also vastly different; and there are theories that the creatures she sees are actually how she communicates what she Sees. There are many fanfics out there where this is a thing, as well. I suppport it because it just makes so much sense, especially if you take into consideration if she has Seer blood.

No matter which theory you look at, it is completely believable that Luna has relations to one (or both) of these people. I mention both because it’s entirely plausible that she could be related to one from her mother’s side and one from her father’s. When you take into consideration how interlinked Pureblood Society is, it makes this very plausible.