Bellatrix Lestrange

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

- Description

Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black) (1951- May 1998) also known as Bella, was extremely loyal to Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters, and was one of the few females in the group. She was married to Rodolphus Lestrange, who was also a Death Eater. Bellatrix was related to other Death Eaters, such as her sister Narcissa Malfoy and her nephew Draco Malfoy. Bellatrix was also related to members of the Order of the Phoenix she eventually killed, such as Sirius Black, her cousin, and Nymphadora Tonks, her niece. Bellatrix' life of violence and malice was eventually ceased when she was killed by Molly Weasley.

Early Life
Bellatrix was born in 1951 to Cygnus and Druella Black. She was the oldest sister to Andromeda and Narcissa. She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Slytherin House. She eventually married Rodolphus Lestrange (a pureblood, as was expected of her), and when Lord Voldemort first rose to power, she and her husband joined the Death Eaters.

Time in Azkaban
Bellatrix and Rodolphus fought in the First War on the side of Voldemort. After the Dark Lord's fall, Bellatrix and a group of Death Eaters, including Barty Crouch Jr., captured Alice and Frank Longbottom. Bellatrix used the Cruciatus Curse to torture them into insanity. Bellatrix and her associates were tried for this before the Wizengamot and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban.

Second War
"You dare speak his name? You filthy Half-Blood!"

- Bellatrix and Harry Potter in the Dept. of Mysteries.

When Voldemort returned in 1995, he stated 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. Bellatrix was among the Death Eaters who participated in the Battle at the Department of Mysteries in a bid to steal a prophecy regarding Harry.

During that battle, she fought with and defeated two Aurors: Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt. She was also behind the death of Sirius Black, which she caused by knocking him through a veiled stone arch in the Death Chamber. It was clear that, given the chance, she would have enjoyed torturing Neville Longbottom to further punish his parents. She eventually fled from the battle, taunting and laughing at Harry, who chased her. 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: "You need to mean it, Potter!"

Voldemort appeared at the battle, followed quickly by Dumbledore. Bellatrix was pinned to the floor by the statue of a witch while her master fought with Dumbledore. Voldemort, after trying to possess Harry, fled, taking Bellatrix with him as he Disapparated.

In July 1996, Bellatrix accompanied her sister Narcissa to the house of Severus Snape at Spinner's End. 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. Snape shocked Bellatrix by asking her to bind him and Narcissa with an Unbreakable Vow to assist Draco.

A year later, Bellatrix was living with Narcissa at the Malfoy's mansion. Voldemort was also there. A copy of the Godric Gryffindor's Sword had been secured in her vault at Gringotts, but nobody knew at the time it was merely a copy. In that year, Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were captured and brought to the Malfoy mansion with the real sword. Seeing it, Bellatrix panicked and revealed her vault also contained another of Voldemort's Horcruxes: Helga Hufflepuff's cup. Bellatrix interrogated Hermione and tortured her with the Cruciatus Curse. She threatened Hermione with a short knife, getting close enough to get some of her hair on Hermione's clothes. This would come in handy later when Hermione used this hair to create a Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Bellatrix, making it possible to steal the Horcrux from the Lestrange's Gringotts vault. She also killed Dobby with a silver knife.

Bellatrix Lestrange was a career criminal whose lifetime of wickedness and debauchery culminated in the murder of Nymphadora Tonks at the Battle of Hogwarts. Her reckless and wanton use of threats ultimately caused her death, as after threatening Ginny Weasley, she was killed by Ginny's mother Molly. Bellatrix was killed in similar circumstance to her own murder of Sirius Black (she was tauntingly laughing at Molly before she died).

Physical appearance
Bellatrix Lestrange was once a tall, beautiful woman with long, thick black hair. She bore a thin mouth and dark, heavy-lidded eyes. She had pale skin and a strong jaw. She had the classic good looks and bearing common for members of the House of Black. Her time in Azkaban however cost her some of her beauty.



Personality and Traits
Bellatrix Lestrange was an intensely sadistic witch who suffered from insanity and delusions of grandeur. She seemed easily distracted and had a fierce and dangerous temper. She was fanatically loyal to Voldemort, believing entirely that her loyalty was demonstrated by her time in Azkaban and should have been admired and rewarded for her imprisonment. Her time in Azkaban only furthered her mental decline. She was one of Voldemort's cruelest Death Eaters and believed she was his most trusted follower.

She believed strongly in the supremacy of blood purity, as was taught to her by her family.

Bellatrix also had some skill in Occlumency, and instructed Draco in the ability in order to further the ruin of Dumbledore.

Behind the scenes

 * Originally, Helen McCrory was going to play the role of Bellatrix in the film version of Order of the Phoenix, but due to her pregnancy she opted out of the film and was replaced by Helena Bonham Carter. McCrory was eventually cast as Bella's sister Narcissa in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
 * In the book version of Order of the Phoenix, Bellatrix was grabbed by Voldemort as he disappeared from the Department of Mysteries. In the Film, 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 comes to understand that Kreacher responds to respect, and Hermione realises that the Death Eaters with which Kreacher was in contact were over-indulging him in contrast with Sirius' abuse. Basically, when they were nice to him, he gave them the information that they wanted

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 Deathly Hallows