As the "Harry Potter" era comes to a close, many of the young stars who helped bring J.K. Rowling's books to the screen are facing questions about their future direction - to act or not to act?

For Ireland's Evanna Lynch, who plays the otherworldly young witch Luna Lovegood in the series, the question will be whether to pursue acting or a new direction now that the cash-cow franchise is ending.

We hope she chooses acting. She has a quirkiness that seems tailor made to turn her into a major independent star.

Though Potter's leading stars like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have major roles coming up in (Radcliffe just signed on for the supernatural thriller “The Woman In Black” and Watson will probably work on another adaptation, the coming of age drama “Perks of Being A Wallflower”) many wonder whether Evanna Lynch will even stay on in the business.

If she does decide to remain an actress Lynch can take heart from the experience of her co-star Tom Felton. Felton just won a plum role in Fox's “Rise of the Apes,” the prequel to the studio's treasured “Planet of the Apes” franchise.

There is life after Hogwarts, it turns out. And for such a distinctive and interesting actress as Lynch it can only be a matter of time before she's wowing us as a leading lady.