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At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in: Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells & Harry Potter: Wizards Unite & Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. |
- "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 Lestrange declaring her family's loyalty[src]
Lestrange was the surname of an ancient pure-blood wizarding family,[1] originally from France but also with branches in Great Britain, and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. They were related to the Black, Malfoy, Tonks, Lupin, and Rosier families.[4] Bellatrix Black married into the family only because it was expected of her to make a respectable pure-blood marriage.
The Lestranges were a very old and wealthy family with a vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank full of treasure.[5] Like the House of Black, many Lestranges practised the Dark Arts and believed in the notion of pure-blood supremacy, they disdained Muggles, Muggle-borns, blood traitors, and in some cases half-bloods. Similar to the Gaunts, they were willing to intermarry with cousins to maintain their purity.
The Lestranges' family emblem was a raven, and their massive family vault was located in Paris, in the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise.[6]
The family motto is "Corvus oculum corvi non eruit",[2] which in English means "a crow will not pull out the eye of another crow".
History
The Lestrange family, being named in the Pure-Blood Directory as one of the "Sacred Twenty-Eight" Pure-blood families, dated back centuries in the British wizarding community.[1]
The family produced a Minister for Magic during the 1800s: Radolphus Lestrange took a reactionary position, and attempted to shut down the Department of Mysteries, but was ignored by the Unspeakables and the rest of the Ministry. He resigned after six years in office due to ill health, which was rumoured to be an inability to cope with the stress of the office.[7]
During her time at Hogwarts around the 1910s, Leta Lestrange developed a close relationship with fellow student and magical beast enthusiast Newton Scamander. After one of Leta's experiments went wrong and endangered the life of a student, Newt Scamander took the blame and was expelled in her place.[8] She would later cross paths with Newt again.[9]
During the First and Second Wizarding Wars, the Lestranges supported Lord Voldemort and at least a few members of the family were Death Eaters. Voldemort named Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange among his most loyal followers, as they were the only Death Eaters who tried to find him after his defeat in 1981 and spent fourteen years in Azkaban because of their loyalty.[10] Bellatrix, in particular, described herself as "the Dark Lord's most loyal servant".[11] Bellatrix also had a "secret" relationship with Lord Voldemort and gave birth to a child with him before the Battle of Hogwarts. Bellatrix and Voldemort’s daughter was later named Delphini. As Bellatrix and Voldemort both died in the Battle of Hogwarts, Delphini grew up as an orphan.[12]
Family members
- "The family has, however, eschewed the somewhat dangerous practise of inter-marrying within such a small pool of pure-bloods that they become enfeebled or unstable, unlike a small minority of fanatic families such as the Gaunts and Lestranges, and many a half-blood appears on the Malfoy family tree."
- — Description of the Malfoy family[src]
Blood relatives
Relatives by marriage
Distant relatives
Wizard(s) | Notes |
---|---|
Louis Gage | Son of Josette Gage and Reynard Gage and brother of Mathis Gage. |
Mathis Gage | Son of Josette Gage and Reynard Gage and brother of Louis Gage. |
Odile Perrot | Daughter of Manon Perrot and Sebastien Perrot and the sister of Huguette Perrot and Laurelle Perrot. |
Huguette Perrot | Daughter of Manon Perrot and Sebastien Perrot and the sister of Odile Perrot and Laurelle Perrot. |
Laurelle Perrot | Daughter of Manon Perrot and Sebastien Perrot and the sister of Odile Perrot and Huguette Perrot. |
Falco Tremblay | Son of Leonie Lestrange and Bernard Tremblay. Brother of Clarisse Tremblay. |
Family tree
Radolphus' Bloodline
Corvus' Bloodline
Cyrille's Bloodline
Etymology
The name 'Lestrange' echoes the French phrase l'étrange, literally "the strange one", referring to Bellatrix's mental disturbance. In Old French, estrange means "foreigner"[14]. The surname may allude to English journalist Roger L'Estrange, who was known for opposing religious toleration and for being involved in plots against the government of William and Mary, similar to the Lestranges' intolerance about blood purity and involvement in the Death Eaters organisation. In addition, a few Lestranges have the forename Corvus, which is Latin for 'crow'. A raven, which is related to the crow, appears on the Lestrange family emblem.
Behind the scenes
- Although it is pronounced le-STRANGE in the films, the Scholastic Official Website states that it is pronounced la-STRAWNGE.[15]
- In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Albus Dumbledore refered to Corvus Lestrange V as the last male member of the Lestrange family, though it is possible that he meant the French branch.
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance) (Appears in flashback(s))
- 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 Half-Blood Prince (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play) (Mentioned only)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay (Mentioned only) (Appears in photographs)
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film) (Mentioned only) (Appears in photographs)
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
- The Archive of Magic: The Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
- Pottermore
- Wizarding World
- LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
- LEGO Harry Potter
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- LEGO Dimensions
- LEGO Harry Potter
- Harry Potter for Kinect
- Harry Potter: The Character Vault
- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Appears on Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts)
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
- Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Pure-Blood" at Wizarding World
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Lestrange Family Tree" from MinaLima Design (prop featured in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald)
- ↑ Rodolphus and Rabastan were the only known surviving members by blood of the family in 1998. Rodolphus never had any children from his wife Bellatrix, and is either dead or imprisoned in Azkaban, and Rabastan does not seem to have been married or ever had children as well. However, a second branch of the family through Corvus Lestrange is now known, meaning it's likely the family name continued to be carried by his descendants instead.
- ↑ Black family tree
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 26 (Gringotts)
- ↑ Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay, Scene 91
- ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Ministers for Magic" at Wizarding World
- ↑ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
- ↑ Bustle - "Who is Leda Lestrange? 'Fantastic Beasts' Is Only The Start For The New Character, Says Director David Yates" According to director David Yates, we will learn more about Leta Lestrange, and Newt's relationship with her, in future movies in the franchise. 18 November 2016.
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 30 (The Pensieve)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 36 (The Only One He Ever Feared)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
- ↑ The Archive of Magic: The Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
- ↑ Behind the Name: French Surnames
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Pronunciation Guide