Lestrange family

**Lestrange** is the surname of an ancient pure-blood wizarding family and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. They are related to the Black, Malfoy, Tonks, Lupin, and Rosier families. Bellatrix Black married into the family only because it was expected of her to make a respectable pure-blood marriage.

The Lestranges are a very old and wealthy family with a vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank full of treasure. Like the House of Black, many Lestranges practice the Dark Arts and believe in the notion of pure-blood supremacy, they disdain Muggles, Muggle-borns, blood traitors, and in some cases half-bloods. Similar to the Gaunts, they are willing to intermarry with cousins to maintain their purity.

## History

The Lestrange family, being named in the Pure-Blood Directory as one of the "Sacred Twenty-Eight" pure-blood families, dates back centuries in the British wizarding community.

The family has 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 rumored to be an inability to cope with stress of the office.

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. She would later cross paths with Newt again.

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. Bellatrix, in particular, described herself as "the Dark Lord's most loyal servant". 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.

## Family members

### Blood relatives

* Radolphus Lestrange - Minister for Magic from 1835 to 1841
* F. Lestrange - a family member who lived in the mid-19th century
* R. Lestrange - a family member who lived in the mid-19th century
* Corvus Lestrange I - husband of Heloise Lestrange, father of Corvus Lestrange II
* Corvus Lestrange II - son of Corvus and Heloise Lestrange, father of M., Josette, and Corvus Lestrange III
* M. Lestrange - oldest child of Corvus and Minette Lestrange, sibling of Josette and Corvus
* Josette Lestrange - daughter of Corvus and Heloise Lestrange, sister of M. and Corvus
* Corvus Lestrange III - son of Corvus and Minette Lestrange, brother of M. and Josette Lestrange
* Corvus Lestrange IV - son of Corvus and Eglantine Lestrange, father of Leta Lestrange, biological father of Credence Barebone
* Leta Lestrange - aspiring magizoologist with a close relationship with Newton Scamander, daughter of Corvus and [[Laurena Kama|Laurena Lestrange, half-sister of Credence Barebone
* Credence Barebone - obscurial, son of Corvus and Clarisse Lestrange, half-brother of Leta Lestrange, also known as Corvus Lestrange V
* Lestrange - a classmate of Tom Riddle and one of his earliest Death Eaters, possible father of Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange
* Rodolphus Lestrange - a Death Eater, brother of Rabastan Lestrange, husband of Bellatrix Lestrange
* Rabastan Lestrange - a Death Eater, brother of Rodolphus Lestrange

### Relatives by marriage

* Heloise Lestrange - wife of Corvus Lestrange I, mother of Corvus Lestrange II
* Minette Lestrange - wife of Corvus Lestrange II, mother of M., Josette, and Corvus III
* Eglantine Lestrange - wife of Corvus Lestrange III, mother of Corvus Lestrange IV
* Laurena Lestrange - first wife of Corvus Lestrange IV, mother of Leta Lestrange
* Clarisse Lestrange - second wife of Corvus Lestrange IV, biological mother of Credence Barebone
* Bellatrix Lestrange - a fanatically loyal Death Eater who was killed by Molly Weasley during the Battle of Hogwarts, wife of Rodolphus Lestrange

## Etymology

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 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 organization.