Evanna Lynch Felt Much More At Home Filming Her Second Harry Potter Movie

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) goes from an abused orphan to a leader of a merry band of rebels, but it isn't an easy journey. When he first arrives at Hogwarts at 11 years old, he's a fish out of water. His closest confidantes are Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), who readily and consistently get into trouble with the Boy Who Lived.

But as Harry grows, so does his number of friends. During the formation of Dumbledore's Army in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," Harry accepts the tough and fierce Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright), the brave and well-meaning Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis), and the incomparable and brilliant Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) into his inner circle.

Though Luna tends to gravitate to the outskirts of the Hogwarts social hierarchy, she shouldn't be discounted. She and Harry form a significant bond over their shared losses, and she has an impressive encyclopedia of knowledge. And as Harry's group accepts Luna as one of their own, so too did Lynch feel accepted by the cast of "Harry Potter."

Like Luna herself, there was a time when Evanna Lynch felt like an outsider. Luna first appears after all the friend groups have already been established. In a world of Gryffindors, the Ravenclaw stands alone. But after Harry learns the sad truth of Luna's past and she joins him, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville on their harrowing trek through the Department of Mysteries, she finds her place. And so did the actor who portrays her.

"I just feel more part of [the cast] now that I've done one," Lynch confessed to the Leaky Cauldron on the set of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth film in the "Harry Potter" franchise and Lynch's second. "Even though everyone was so nice and they want you to be part of it, it's hard to feel equal with them. So yeah, I think I'm enjoying this one more, I'm just more at home."

From fighting off Dark wizards to being kidnapped, Luna has proven that she is indispensable to the team. Without her, the final events of the franchise would not have been possible. Harry may be old hat at battling dragons and basilisks, but thinking logically is not exactly his strong suit. Luna is a welcome addition to the team, using her riddle-solving skills to help Harry find one of the final Horcruxes.

Before Evanna Lynch was cast as Luna Lovegood, the source material made a heavy impression on her. "I was sick," she acknowledged on the British talk show "Lorraine" in 2017. "I had an eating disorder at the time, and I wrote to [Rowling] because I felt like 'Harry Potter' was the only thing that really took my mind off it."

As a teenager, she found solace in her character. Her ability to see Thestrals is just one of the things that set her apart from her cohorts. But for young people who feel like outcasts, she is an icon. "Luna especially inspired me because I think a lot of my problems were because I felt odd and felt weird, and she made me see that that was okay and that was actually empowering," Lynch explained. In fact, she has so much in common with Luna that she even influenced how J.K. Rowling wrote the character, with Rowling hearing Lynch's voice in her head as she was writing Luna's lines.

Now over a decade after the final film, Lynch is flourishing, even publishing a memoir called "The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting" in which she describes her journey in healing from her eating disorder. Lynch told RTÉ's "Today" that it isn't just about the recovery but also all the difficult parts in between.

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).