Rabastan Lestrange

> "*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 the loyalty of her, Rodolphus and her brother-in-law Rabastan to the Dark Lord[source]
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**Rabastan Lestrange** was a pure-blood wizard, brother of Rodolphus, brother-in-law of Bellatrix and possibly son of Lestrange.

He was a Death Eater who fought in the First Wizarding War. The Lestranges were among Lord Voldemort's most loyal and trusted servants, the only ones who searched for him after his first downfall. After Voldemort's first downfall, Rabastan, Rodolphus, his wife Bellatrix and Barty Crouch Jnr participated in the torture and permanent incapacitation of Alice and Frank Longbottom and were sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. Rabastan later escaped with a group of Death Eaters and fought in several battles of the Second Wizarding War, including the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, and possibly the Battle of Hogwarts.

After Lord Voldemort's final defeat, Rabastan was presumably killed, imprisoned in Azkaban once more or defected.

## Biography

### Early life

Rabastan possibly attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Slytherin house, like his brother Rodolphus. It is possible that he didn't attend Hogwarts at the same time as Rodolphus, as he was not mentioned among a small group of Slytherins and future Death Eaters, as Rodolphus and Bellatrix were.

### First Wizarding War

Rabastan served as one of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters during the First Wizarding War. He, along with Rodolphus and Bellatrix, were among Voldemort's most loyal servants.

Soon after the conflict ended in late 1981, Rabastan was put on trial with his brother Rodolphus, sister-in-law Bellatrix, and Barty Crouch Jnr for being a Death Eater and for participating in the torture of Alice and Frank Longbottom. They were all sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban.

### Second Wizarding War

#### Escape from Azkaban

Rabastan escaped Azkaban in 1996, along with his brother, sister-in-law and several other Death Eaters with the Dementors' defection to Voldemort, who had returned.

#### Battle of the Department of Mysteries

> "*We'll split into pairs and search, and don't forget, be gentle with Potter until we've got the prophecy, you can kill the others if necessary...*"
> ― Lucius Malfoy gives orders to the group of Death Eaters[source]
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He later participated in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. He went with fellow Death Eater Crabbe Snr to find six D.A. members, and went to the Time Room, where Harry, Hermione, and Neville, were hiding. He may have been the Death Eater whose head fell into the bell jar and turned into a baby's head. He was presumably returned to Azkaban afterwards, though he was at large once again by late 1997 after another Azkaban break-out.

Presumably, Rabastan participated in other battles in the Second Wizarding War, including the Battle of Hogwarts. It is unknown what happened to Rabastan after Voldemort's death.

## Physical appearance

Rabastan was described as a quite thin man. It is unknown if Azkaban took a toll on his appearance. As a Death Eater, he bore the Dark Mark on his left inner forearm, which had faded to a mere scar upon Voldemort's death.

## Personality and traits

Rabastan was a very loyal Death Eater, willing to use the Dark Arts to commit atrocities for the sake of his master. He was not as brave or as calm as his brother as he is described as "nervous-looking" during his trial in 1981 with his eyes "darting around the crowd".

## Magical abilities and skills

* **Dark Arts**: Being a Death Eater, Rabastan was highly proficient with dark magic and dark charms, being a powerful Dark Wizard. Rabastan could cast the Cruciatus Curse, an exceptionally dark curse which requires power, ability and malice to perform, to devastating effect on Alice and Frank Longbottom, rendering them both insane from the torture.
* **Duelling**: Rabastan participated in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, showing he was a competent duellist with considerable talent in martial magic. He likely participated in the Battle of the Seven Potters and helped his brother duel Nymphadora Tonks. If Rabastan fought in the Battle of Hogwarts he most likely fled when the reinforcements arrived or was overwhelmed by them.

## Etymology

The name Rabastan may be a play on Rastaban, the traditional name of one of the stars of the constellation Draco. It is derived from an Arabic phrase "Rās al-Thu`bān (رأس الثعبان)" meaning "head of the serpent"; the snake is a symbol strongly connected with Lord Voldemort and Slytherin. The star is also known as *Alwaid*, meaning "who is to be destroyed" in Arabic.

His name might otherwise be derived from the Germanic elements *hraban* ("raven") and *stein* ("stone"), the latter of which became *stan* in Old English. The Germanic origins of his brother's name might support this theory.

The name "Lestrange" echoes the French phrase *l'étrange*, literally "the strange one." In Old French, *estrange* means "foreigner." The surname may allude to English journalist Template:Wplink, 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.