Bellatrix Lestrange

"...his last, best lieutenant..."

- Description of Bellatrix Lestrange

Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black) (1951 - 2 May 1998) also known as Bella, was a pure-blood witch and Death Eater who was fanatically loyal to Lord Voldemort. She was one of the few females in the group, as well as among the most dangerous. At the end of the First Wizarding War, Bellatrix and her husband, Rodolphus Lestrange, tortured Aurors Alice and Frank Longbottom to the point of insanity, along with fellow Death Eaters Rabastan Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr. Bellatrix was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban for the crime, but escaped in the 1996 mass break-out. She participated in several battles of the Second Wizarding War, making it a particular goal to kill any relatives who were members of the Order of the Phoenix, including her cousin Sirius Black and niece Nymphadora Tonks. Bellatrix's life of violence and malice was eventually ended when she was killed by Molly Weasley during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Early Life
"...dear Bellatrix, who likes to play with her food before she eats it."

- Albus Dumbledore on Bellatrix.

Bellatrix was born in 1951 to Cygnus and Druella Black, who raised her to prize her pure-blood heritage. She was the oldest sister to Andromeda and Narcissa, though Bellatrix cut off contact with the former when Andromeda married Muggle-born wizard Ted Tonks and was disowned, as she told Lord Voldemort in 1997 that neither she nor Narcissa had "set eyes on our sister since she married the Mudblood". Bellatrix also held her cousin Sirius Black in contempt for being a Gryffindor and a "blood traitor".

Bellatrix attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into the Slytherin House. She eventually married Rodolphus Lestrange — a fellow pure-blood, as was expected of her — and when Lord Voldemort first rose to power, she and her husband joined the Death Eaters. Unlike her sisters, Bellatrix displayed no outward affection for her husband whatsoever, never even mentioning him in conversation. Her true love was Voldemort, who gave her some training in the Dark Arts, which contributed to her incredible talent as a duelist.

First Wizarding War and Imprisonment
"The Dark Lord will rise again, Crouch! Throw us into Azkaban; we will wait! He will rise again and will come for us, he will reward us beyond any of his other supporters! We alone were faithful! We alone tried to find him!"

- Bellatrix at her trial

Bellatrix and Rodolphus fought in the First Wizarding War on the side of Voldemort. After the Dark Lord's fall in 1981, Bellatrix and a group of Death Eaters, including her husband, brother-in-law and Barty Crouch Jr., captured Aurors and Order of the Phoenix members Alice and Frank Longbottom. Bellatrix and her associates used the Cruciatus Curse to torture them into insanity, a crime for which they were tried before the Wizengamot and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. Bellatrix was considered to be so high security that she was chained to the walls of her cell once entering it for the first time. Unlike many other Death Eaters, Bellatrix not only did not attempt to lie about her loyalty — she proudly proclaimed that she was loyal to the Dark Lord and that she would wait for his return. During her trial, Bellatrix was chained to a chair upon which she sat as if it were a throne, so proud was she to be a servant of Voldemort. She would later describe herself as his "most loyal servant".

Escape from Azkaban
When Voldemort returned in 1995, he stated that the Lestranges were among the most faithful members of his inner circle. In January of 1996, Bellatrix was one of the many Death Eaters who escaped from Azkaban and rejoined Voldemort when the Dementors defected to the Dark Lord.

Battle of the Department of Mysteries
"Shut your mouth! You dare speak his name with your unworthy lips, you dare besmirch it with your half-blood's tongue, you dare -"

- Bellatrix to Harry Potter in the Department of Mysteries when he uses Voldemort's name.

Later that year, Bellatrix participated in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in a bid to steal a prophecy regarding Harry Potter and Voldemort, as second-in-command to Lucius Malfoy. She became enraged when Harry spoke Voldemort's name and told her that he was a half-blood. Later, she briefly tortured Neville Longbottom with the Cruciatus Curse to try to coerce Harry into handing over the prophecy. It was clear that, given the chance, she would have enjoyed further torturing Neville to further punish his parents.

When the Order of the Phoenix arrived, Bellatrix dueled and defeated her niece, Nymphadora Tonks, and then began fighting her cousin, Sirius Black, who taunted her as they dueled. She knocked him through a veiled stone arch in the Death Chamber, killing him. She then defeated Kingsley Shacklebolt in a duel and deflected a spell from Albus Dumbledore, fleeing. She was pursued by Harry, whom she taunted over his godfather's death. Harry was enraged to the point that he attempted the Cruciatus Curse on her. He only succeeded in knocking her down, however. She then shouted at him that one had to mean it to use the Unforgivable Curses.

"Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, boy? You need to mean them, Potter. You need to really want to cause pain - to enjoy it - righteous anger won't hurt me for long - I'll show you how it is done, shall I? I'll give you a lesson - Crucio!"

- Bellatrix to Harry Potter

Voldemort then arrived, and he and Dumbledore began to duel in the Ministry Atrium. Bellatrix was pinned to the floor by the statue through a spell of Dumbledore's while her master fought. After trying to possess Harry and being spotted by Ministry officials, Voldemort fled, taking Bellatrix with him as he Disapparated.

Plot Against Dumbledore
"...I don't trust you, Snape, as you very well know!... Where were you when the Dark Lord fell? Why did you never make any attempt to find him when he vanished? What have you been doing all these years that you've lived in Dumbledore's pocket? Why did you not return at once when the Dark Lord was reborn? Where were you a few weeks ago when we battled to retrieve the prophecy for the Dark Lord? And why, Snape, is Harry Potter still alive, when you have had him at your mercy for the last five years?"

- Bellatrix questions Severus Snape

In July of 1996, Bellatrix accompanied her sister Narcissa Malfoy to the house of Severus Snape at Spinner's End, though reluctantly. Once there, Bellatrix interrogated Snape and voiced her distrust of him. Narcissa, however, proceeded to beg Snape to look after her son Draco's welfare while he attended Hogwarts and tried to fulfill Voldemort's command that he kill Albus Dumbledore. Snape shocked Bellatrix by asking her to bind him and Narcissa with an Unbreakable Vow to assist Draco. Bellatrix also assisted her nephew in his task by teaching him Occlumency, and told her sister that she should be proud, instead of worried, that her son was not "shrinking away from his duty".

Malfoy Manor
A year later, Bellatrix was living with Narcissa at Malfoy Manor. She was the only resident of the manor that was actually pleased that he was staying there. When Voldemort humiliated the Malfoys by bringing up their relative Nymphadora Tonks' marriage to werewolf Remus Lupin, Bellatrix eagerly told her master that she would "prune her family tree". When the Death Eaters subsequently attacked the Order of the Phoenix while they were removing Harry Potter from his relatives' home, Bellatrix and her husband targeted Tonks. Rodolphus was injured in the pursuit, and Tonks escaped.

Soon afterwards, a copy of the Sword of Gryffindor was secured in Bellatrix's family vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank on Voldemort's orders, but nobody knew at the time it was merely a copy. Thus, when in 1998 Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were captured by Snatchers and brought to the Manor with the real sword, Bellatrix panicked. She accidentally revealed that her vault also contained another of Voldemort's Horcruxes: Helga Hufflepuff's Cup. Bellatrix interrogated Hermione and tortured her with the Cruciatus Curse, but Hermione managed to lie, claiming it was only a copy.

"You’re lying, filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, tell the truth! What else did you take? What else have you got? Tell me the truth or, I swear, I shall run you through with this knife! What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!"

- overheard parts of Bellatrix’s interrogation of Hermione Granger

Bellatrix also threatened Hermione with a short knife, after Harry and Ron escaped from the cellar with the assistance of Dobby and Ron disarmed her. While holding the knife to an unconscious Hermione's throat, Bellatrix demanded that the boys drop their wands, and then pressed her Dark Mark, calling Voldemort. However, Dobby reappeared and caused the chandelier to fall from above Bellatrix's head, prompting her to release Hermione and jump out of the way. As the house-elf Disapparated with Harry, Bellatrix threw the knife at him, striking Dobby through the chest and killing him. She and her relatives were severely punished by Voldemort for allowing Harry to escape. Bellatrix also lost her wand in the skirmish.

Not long afterwards, Hermione used some of Bellatrix's hair, which had fallen onto her clothes while Bellatrix held her hostage, to create Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Bellatrix. This made it possible for her, Harry and Ron to steal the Horcrux from the Lestranges' vault.

Battle of Hogwarts
Bellatrix was a fanatically devoted Death Eater, whose lifetime of wickedness and debauchery culminated in the murder of Nymphadora Tonks, her estranged sister's daughter, during the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998. When Voldemort called a temporary retreat, waiting for Harry Potter to turn himself in, Bellatrix waited by his side; she offered her help when he was dazed after using the Killing Curse on Harry, but was coldly rebuffed. When the Death Eaters marched back to Hogwarts with a "dead" Harry, she laughed at Minerva McGonagall's cry of pain.

When the battle resumed, Bellatrix fought Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood all at once, just as her master fought three by himself. Her reckless and wanton use of threats ultimately caused her death. After nearly hitting Ginny with a Killing Curse, she herself was killed by Ginny's mother Molly, who Bellatrix did not take seriously; instead, she taunted Molly over the death of her son Fred earlier in battle and laughed at her. This allowed Molly to hit Bellatrix over the heart, killing her. After she toppled to the ground, Voldemort was enraged and turned on Molly, which led to Harry Potter revealing himself to be alive, for the final showdown.

Physical appearance
Bellatrix Lestrange was described as tall, beautiful woman with long, thick, shining black hair. She had thin lips, dark, heavy-lidded eyes, dark skin and a strong jaw. She had the classic 'great good looks' and arrogant bearing common for members of the House of Black, but like her cousin Sirius, her time in Azkaban cost her her beauty. After her lengthy imprisonment, she was described as having a gaunt and skull-like face. Bellatrix was noted to physically resemble her cousin Sirius and her sister Andromeda.

Personality and Traits
"My deranged cousin..."

- Sirius Black discussing Bellatrix

Bellatrix was an intensely sadistic witch who at certain points seems mentally unbalanced; for instance, she once killed a fox because she was paranoid it might be an Auror in disguise. Bellatrix could be easily distracted and had a fierce and dangerous temper, a trait that she shared with her cousin Sirius and her aunt Walburga.

She was fanatically devoted to Voldemort, believing that she proved her loyalty by her time in Azkaban, which seems to have furthered her mental decline. She was one of Voldemort's cruelest Death Eaters, always eager to inflict the Cruciatus Curse on enemies, and believed she was his most trusted and loyal follower; indeed, Harry believed that Bellatrix was as "mad as her master". Bellatrix was a steadfast believer in the supremacy of blood purity, as was taught to her by her family, and seemed particularly eager to kill her own family members if they violated this ideology.

Bellatrix was a natural leader and took charge in tricky situations, such as during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and the Battle of Malfoy Manor. Another mark of her decisiveness and ruthlessness, Bellatrix took no unnecessary prisoners, preferring to kill them instead, as she planned to do with a group of Snatchers who attempted to defy her in Malfoy Manor in 1998.

Magical Abilities and Skills
"She was a witch, as Harry knew, with prodigious skill and no conscience."

- Harry Potter on Bellatrix

Bellatrix was a very talented and powerful witch, an expert in the Dark Arts, an extremely skilled duelist, and an Occlumens. Her incredible skill was proven by her many victories over other talented wizards and witches.

Dark Arts Mastery: Bellatrix claimed to have been trained in the Dark Arts by Voldemort himself, and displayed a particular proficiency with, and affinity for, the Cruciatus Curse. She boasted to have knowledge of Dark spells that few could comprehend the power of ; a claim supported by her status as Voldemort's "best lieutenant". Like her master, Bellatrix was known to cast the Killing Curse with particular skill and with no regard for the life she wished to exstinguish.

Expert Duelist: Bellatrix defeated Aurors Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt in duels during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, as well as her cousin Sirius, and was the only Death Eater to deflect a bolt from Albus Dumbledore himself, allowing her to escape the renowned wizard. She also quickly and single-handedly defeated four Snatchers and Fenrir Greyback, and later killed her niece in battle. Just before her death, Bellatrix dueled Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley all at once and was described as being equal in power to all three of the talented if inexperienced witches. It is likely that her death at the hands of Molly Weasley was due to her underestimating the witch, who was fueled by grief over the murder of her son, and the fact that Harry Potter's sacrifice of himself gave some protection to the soldiers on his side. In addition, despite her years of captivity within Azkaban, Bellatrix displayed incredible reflexes that outmatched the much younger and physically fit Harry Potter; she was able to conjure a Shield Charm and deflect his own spell back at him the moment he cast it.

Occlumency/Legilimency Expert: Bellatrix trained her nephew Draco Malfoy in Occlumency as part of his mission to kill Dumbledore, and thus was likely a Legilimens as well.

Lord Voldemort
"Potter, you cannot win against me! I was and am the Dark Lord's most loyal servant, I learned the Dark Arts from him, and I know spells of such power that you, pathetic little boy, can never hope to compete..."

- Bellatrix boasts to Harry Potter about her relationship with Voldemort

Lord Voldemort was unquestionably the most important person in Bellatrix's life. She was both in love with him and sexually attracted to him ; she is described as regarding him with "worshipful fascination" and speaking to him as if to a lover. He did not reciprocate, as Voldemort did not know love at all, but he considered Bellatrix among his most valuable and loyal Death Eaters. He trained her in the Dark Arts and when she was killed by Molly Weasley in the final battle, Voldemort was furious. Unlike many other Death Eaters, Bellatrix never attempted to deny her loyalties when Voldemort fell in 1981, instead proudly claiming that she was his most loyal and trusted servant and that he would rise again.

Bellatrix was devoted to Voldemort and flew into a mad rage if she ever felt he was being insulted, such as when she screamed at Harry Potter for using his name. When he praised her in Malfoy Manor in 1997, Bellatrix's face "flooded with colour" and "her eyes welled with tears of delight". Voldemort then turned this into humiliating her and the Malfoys for being related to werewolf Remus Lupin by marriage, which seemed to make Bellatrix even more determined to kill her niece, Nymphadora Tonks. She was also intensely afraid of Voldemort's displeasure, begging him for forgiveness when the prophecy he sought was smashed in 1996 and screaming at her brother-in-law not to call him when she saw that Godric Gryffindor's Sword was not where Voldemort had instructed her to ensure it was.

Rodolphus Lestrange
In marrying Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix made a "respectable pure-blood marriage", as was expected of her. There is no indication that her relationship with her husband went beyond this, as Bellatrix loved Voldemort and never expressed any affection or concern for her husband. They were both Death Eaters and seemed to work together in this role, as Rodolphus tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom with his wife, as well as his brother and Barty Crouch Jr in 1981, and was paired with Bellatrix during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. He was also by her side during the Battle over Little Whinging, as Nymphadora Tonks mentioned cursing him and being pursued by Bellatrix. Rodolphus's feelings for his wife are unknown.

The Lestranges apparently never had any children, as Bellatrix once told her sister that if she had sons, she would "be glad to give them up to the service of the Dark Lord!" Also, no children appear beneath Bellatrix and Rodolphus's names on the Black family tapestry.

Family
Bellatrix took the pure-blood values of her family very seriously, as indicated by her proper marriage and belief in Death Eater ideology. She seems to have had a fairly close and affectionate relationship with her younger sister, Narcissa, whom she called "Cissy". Despite distrusting Severus Snape and trying to persuade her sister otherwise, Bellatrix accompanied her to go see him to request that he help Draco in 1996. Narcissa and Bellatrix occasionally clashed over the former's protectiveness towards her son; Bellatrix argued that Narcissa should be proud that her son was a Death Eater. She seemed quite indifferent to the dangers her nephew would face, though she did train him in Occlumency to aid him in his mission.

"Come out, come out, little Harry! What did you come after me for, then? I thought you were here to avenge my dear cousin!.... Did you love him, little baby Potter?"

- Bellatrix taunts Harry about killing Sirius

On the other hand, Bellatrix hated her "blood traitor" relatives. After her sister Andromeda married a Muggle-born and was disowned, Bellatrix never saw her again. She loathed her "dear cousin" Sirius Black; a mutual feeling. The two taunted each other as they dueled during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, and after killing him, Bellatrix mocked Harry Potter about it. Bellatrix also eagerly attacked her niece, Nymphadora Tonks, on at least three occasions — this was likely for a combination of reasons, including Tonks' being a half-blood, an Auror and member of the Order of the Phoenix, and Voldemort's comments to her about "pruning her family tree". Bellatrix eventually killed Tonks.

Etymology
Like many members of the House of Black, Bellatrix's name is derived from that of a star. Bellatrix is the third brightest star in the constellation Orion; it is also known as the Amazon Star, and means "female warrior" in Latin. This is presumably an allusion to Bellatrix Lestrange being among the most dangerously skilled Death Eaters.

Behind the scenes

 * Originally, Helen McCrory was going to play the role of Bellatrix in the Order of the Phoenix film, but due to her pregnancy, she opted out of the film and was replaced by Helena Bonham Carter. McCrory was eventually cast as Bellatrix's sister Narcissa in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film).
 * In the Order of the Phoenix film, Carter's costume reflected the mental state of the character, thus the torn gloves and dress.
 * In the book version of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Bellatrix casts an unnamed spell that knocks Sirius Black through the veil in the Death Chamber, whilst in the film version, she casts the Killing Curse at him and he dies before falling through the veil.
 * In the book version of Order of the Phoenix, Bellatrix was grabbed by Voldemort as he Disapparated from the Department of Mysteries. In the film version, as soon as Voldemort and Dumbledore started dueling, she escaped via the Floo Network.
 * The house-elf Kreacher has a great fondness for Bellatrix. Harry Potter eventually came to understand that Kreacher responds to respect and kindness, and Hermione Granger realised that Bellatrix and Narcissa were indulgent with him, in contrast with Sirius' abuse. Basically, when they were kind to him, he gave them the information that they wanted.
 * Sirius Black told Harry Potter that Bellatrix ran in the same crowd as Severus Snape while at Hogwarts, but her date of birth makes this impossible. Bellatrix would have attended Hogwarts from 1962 to 1969, or possibly 1963 to 1970, depending on which month in 1951 she was born in, whereas Snape began his schooling in 1971. This may simply be an error, as J.K. Rowling has admitted that math is not her strong suit. Another possible explanation could be that both Bellatrix and Snape went around with the same type of people, some of whom may have overlapped depending on age.
 * It appears as if Bellatrix participates in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower in the Half-Blood Prince film. There is no mention of this in the book.
 * Bellatrix's wand is 10" walnut wood, with a dragon heartstring core. It was described by Ollivander as "unyielding".

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Notes and references
Bellatrix Lestrange