The Harry Potter movies have many important and beloved characters, but one underrated hero remains the most important part of the story.

The last Harry Potter movie was a nail-biting end to the saga, but one very underrated character contributed majorly to it. Often underestimated or mocked for her kooky ways, Luna Lovegood was one of the most interesting characters in the Harry Potter series. She believed in the existence of Wrackspurts and Nargles, but beneath her quirkiness lay true courage and intelligence. In fact, Luna was so instrumental in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Parts I and II that Harry would not have been able to achieve the victory he did without her.

Luna mirrored Harry’s own tragic life with her own bittersweet past. She had lost her mother when she was only nine years old, when the elder witch was experimenting with spells.

Pandora died right in front of Luna when her spell exploded, which was why she could see Thestrals, just like Harry could. Since then, Luna had grown wise beyond her years emotionally but insisted on staying childlike and innocent when it came to magic. Despite her eccentricities, Luna was kind, empathetic, helpful, and understanding from a young age, which made her much more mature than other Hogwarts students. In fact, they dismissed her resourcefulness and cleverness just because she had some ideas that they disagreed with. Luna faced much mockery at the hands of her Hogwarts peers, who went as far as stealing her belongings and hiding them in places. Many other characters turned bitter in the face of bullies, but Luna remained optimistic, confident and helpful, which was what set her apart from others around Harry.

Xenophilius Lovegood Told the Golden Trio About the Deathly Hallows

Harry, Ron, and Hermione met Luna’s father, Xenophilius, at the height of the Second Wizarding War. While their first brush was a casual one, at Bill and Fleur’s wedding, it was this meeting that helped Harry figure out a crucial piece of the puzzle, which was the conquest of Lord Voldemort. The Golden Trio approached Xenophilius at his house, as he had worn the strange sign that they kept encountering in Dumbledore’s history and The Tales of Beedle the Bard. It was during this ill-fated meeting that Harry, Hermione, and Ron first learned about the Deathly Hallows, which came as a surprise to them as Xenophilius was a Potter loyalist from the beginning, but he ended up betraying them instead.

The triangular symbol stood for the three Hallows — the Elder Wand, the Invisibility cloak, and the Resurrection Stone. While Ron and Hermione were familiar with the story of the Peverell brothers, it was Xenophilius who told them that these objects actually existed (and familiarized Harry with the tale.) It was during and after this meeting that Harry put two and two together, realizing that the Invisibility Cloak was the very same one that he had inherited from James Potter. While gathering the Deathly Hallows was not the primary mission in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, it did contribute to his victory over Voldemort. It was Harry’s mastery over the Elder Wand that allowed him to return from the dead when Voldemort hit him with the Killing Curse in the Forbidden Forest. Right before he went into the Forest, Harry also got to meet his loved ones through the Resurrection Stone. At this point, he had possession of all Hallows, which made him the Master of Death and possibly made him immune to death as he walked towards it willingly.

She Led Dumbledore’s Army Under the Rule of the Carrows and Snape

From Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix, Luna Lovegood was an avid supporter of Harry and his endeavors. The famous Ravenclaw advocated for and became an important member of Dumbledore’s Army, which taught students practical Defence Against the Dark Arts techniques to empower them. Around this time, Luna convinced her father, who was also the editor of The Quibbler, to publish an interview of Harry’s which gained him immense support from the student body at Hogwarts. Later, Luna fought valiantly at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries alongside the rest of Dumbledore’s Army and even managed to stay undefeated until the very end.

However, it was in the last movie that Luna went above and beyond to keep Hogwarts students safe and Harry’s legacy alive. She was taken away to Malfoy Manor because her father supported Harry Potter publicly. At Malfoy Manor, Luna faced torture and trauma, but she stayed loyal to Harry, also keeping Ollivander in good spirits. After her brief stay at Shell Cottage, Luna returned to Hogwarts. When the Ministry fell into Voldemort’s hands, Snape and the Carrows took over the school. Corporal punishment was meted out to students, and they weren’t allowed to do any magic. It was at this vulnerable time that Luna, along with Neville, reinstated Dumbledore’s Army. She helped put up a resistance against Dark forces and took care of children who had been mistreated by the Carrows. Luna also readied a force to fight for Harry and Hogwarts when he finally returned to the school.

Luna Told Harry About Ravenclaw’s Lost Diadem

Harry’s chase for Horcruxes was the most crucial part of the last installment. Without Luna, there was no way Harry could have known about Ravenclaw’s artifact that Voldemort used to make his Horcrux. Every other Ravenclaw, like Cho Chang, thought that it was too farfetched to even think of the lost diadem, and they wouldn’t even have mentioned it to Harry. Luna, with her open mind and limitless attitude, got the answer correct in the first guess, going so far as to even help Harry find it in her own way. Following his hunch, Harry went to Helena Ravenclaw’s ghost, who was able to give him useful information about how Voldemort managed to get a hold of the priceless artifact.

It was imperative that all Horcruxes be destroyed before Harry had his final confrontation with Voldemort at The Battle of Hogwarts. This was the only chance that Harry would get to destroy He Who Must Not Be Named, and they were seriously behind on their hunt for Horcruxes when Harry first arrived at Hogwarts. Nagini and the Locket had to be destroyed, but the Golden Trio did not even know what the last one was. If it had not been for Luna’s thinking, Harry would never have found the diadem and, therefore, been decidedly unsuccessful in his final duel against the Dark Lord.