Summary

  • Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom were fan-favorite characters in Harry Potter, but they ended up with different partners in the books.
  • Luna marries Rolf Scamander, who is the grandson of Newt Scamander, while Neville marries Hannah Abbott, who is a fellow Hogwarts student.
  • The Harry Potter films didn't explore the real romantic pairings of Luna and Neville, leaving out Rolf and Hannah from the adaptation.

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Luna Lovegood is one of those characters in the Harry Potter franchise who is almost impossible to dislike. She's eccentric, helpful, and above all, kind. From how she supports Harry as a friend and an ally to how she treats her other friends, Luna is a genuinely good person in a world where corruption seems to permeate even the walls of Hogwarts. It came as no surprise when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 suggested Luna Lovegood marries Neville Longbottom, another heartwarming character.

But this only happens in the film adaptation of the series. While Neville and Luna do seem perfect for each other in multiple ways, this isn't the ending Harry Potter's problematic author J.K. Rowling intended. In fact, in the books, Luna marries a character from a famous family that many fans haven't even heard of -- Rolf Scamander. Neville Longbottom, meanwhile, marries another character fans aren't all that familiar with, Hannah Abbott.

Updated March 12, 2024, by Joshua M. Patton: The Harry Potter films and books share many common elements but also plenty of inconsistencies. Some elements of Rowling's prose story were cut because there simply wasn't time in the films to include them all, including these minor characters who went on to become important to characters fans love. Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood were both underdogs at Hogwarts, yet proved to be as brave as Harry, Hermione, Ron and the rest, so naturally fans wanted them together in the end. This was not to be. This article has been updated to add more context about the characters, their relationships and to comport to CBR's current formatting standards.

Who Are Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter?

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Neville Longbottom is a Hogwarts student in the same year as Harry Potter, and that's not all he shares with the Boy Who Lived. The two share the same birthday, July 30, 1980, though Neville is a few hours older. There's a more tragic connection, too. Like Harry, Neville's parents Frank and Alice Longbottom were taken from Neville by Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Frank and Alice were Aurors fighting in the first war against the Dark Lord's forces. They were tortured by Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange using the Cruciatus Curse. Unlike the Potters they physically survived, but they suffered irreparable mental trauma.

Luna Lovegood was the eccentric daughter of Xenophilius and Pandora Lovegood. She lost her mother at age nine when a spell Pandora was experimenting with backfired. She met Harry and his friends in their fifth year, joining Dumbledore's Army in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. Later, she was taken prisoner by the Malfoys, who used her as leverage to convince Xenophilius to turn Harry over to the Death Eaters. She and Neville were both present at the Battle of Hogwarts fighting Voldermort and his forces. In the films, Neville and Luna seem to have a flirtation, if not an open affection for one another.

Because both characters were picked on and overlooked by the Hogwarts student body, readers and movie fans alike "shipped" the two characters. Luna's quirky and overly positive attitude seemed to pair nicely with Neville's capable but not-so-confident demeanor. However, this was not the future the storytellers imagined for the two characters, specifically Rowling. She revealed who these two ended up with, and to the heartbreak of "Nuna" shippers it wasn't with each other.

Who Is Luna Lovegood's Future Husband, Rolf Scamander

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Rolf is the grandson of Newt Scamander, made famous by the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them films. Like his grandfather before him, Rolf became a magizoologist, eventually even becoming the Chief Consulting Magizoologist to the Daily Prophet. Rolf Scamander ends up marrying Luna Lovegood, and they have twin boys together -- Lorcan and Lysander.

So if Luna ends up marrying the grandson of a famous magizoologist, why isn't this mentioned in the final film? Perhaps it's because Rolf isn't even introduced in the Harry Potter books, let alone the movies. He's only briefly mentioned in connection with Luna, and not too much is said about him besides his famous lineage. After spending so much time with Neville in the films, it's easy to see him and Luna, both slightly outcasted and a little odd, ending up together. It wraps both of their storylines up in a very satisfying way.

But Luna is also highly compatible with Rolf. They both have a fascination with odd, misunderstood creatures and seem to come from families that have a flair for the outlandish. Not only do they likely feel a kindred spirit in the creatures they surround themselves with, but with one another as well, which makes perfect sense.

Who Did Neville Longbottom Marry, If Not Luna Lovegood?

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The Harry Potter films also don't introduce who Neville ends up with from the books -- Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff in the same year as Harry and everyone else. In the books, she's a member of Dumbledore's Army and even fights in the Battle of Hogwarts. She and Neville eventually get married and live above the Leaky Cauldron, of which Hannah becomes the landlady. Yet Hannah is also left out of the movies. Though she has a larger presence in the books, she's still not a major character.

Perhaps it's because Neville and Luna's real future spouses don't get much attention in the Harry Potter movies, or maybe it's because Neville and Luna together somehow just makes sense, but the films stray from the source material in this respect. While Neville and Luna ending up together is fan service at its best, there's a definite version of the story that doesn't work out quite that way.

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Beyond the desire to see Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood together romantically, there are many popular non-canon Harry Potter ships. Some were suggested in the story and just didn't happen for one reason or another. Hagrid and Madime Olympe Maxim, for example, were shown to be affectionate but never actually paired up. Similarly, Albus Dumbledore and the evil Gellert Grindelwald were a lovelorn pair who could never be. The greatest of these ships, however, is Severus Snape and Lily Evans, eventually Lily Potter, Harry's mother.

Fans often wanted characters to end up with different partners, just like Luna and Neville. Even though he died, Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang had chemistry. Some fans also felt that Neville should have ended up with Ginny Weasley over Harry, in part when they went to the Yule Ball together. The most popular non-canon pairing was explicitly teased in the movies, Harry and Hermione. Though this was done just make Ron Weasley jealous. Lastly, some fans wanted Draco Malfoy to partner with Hermione, despite his racist remarks to her and that she was tortured in his home during the final installments of the saga.

Thankfully, when the canon fails its shippers, from Harry Potter to other storytelling universes, there is a recourse: fan fiction. From the days when 1960s Star Trek fans imagined Kirk and Spock becoming more than friends, fans can write their own love stories complete with happy endings that suit their preferred ship. Nuna fans can find or write their own stories about Neville and Luna's happy ending.

All eight Harry Potter films are currently streaming on Peacock.

Harry Potter 8 Movie Collector's Edition featuring all movie art
Harry Potter

The Harry Potter franchise follows the adventure of a young boy introduced a whole new world of magic, mayhem and darkness. Traversing the obstacles in his path, young Harry's rise to heroics pits him against Lord Voldemort, one of the most dangerous wizards in the world and all his minions.

Created by
J.K. Rowling
First Film
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Latest Film
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2
Upcoming TV Shows
Harry Potter
Cast
Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint , Emma Watson , Maggie Smith , Alan Rickman , Helena Bonham Carter , Ralph Fiennes , Michael Gambon
Where to watch
HBO Max
Spin-offs (Movies)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald , Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Character(s)
Harry Potter , Voldemort
Video Game(s)
Hogwarts Legacy , LEGO Harry Potter Collection , Harry Potter: Wizards Unite , Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells , Harry Potter: Magic Awakened , Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets , Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2