Bellatrix Lestrange

## Bellatrix Druella Lestrange (née Black)

**Bellatrix Druella Lestrange** (née **Black**) (13 December, 1951 – 2 May, 1998) was an English pure-blood witch, the eldest daughter of Cygnus and Druella Black (née Rosier), and the elder sister of Andromeda Tonks and Narcissa Malfoy. She was a member of the House of Black, an old wizarding family and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Bellatrix started her education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on 1 September, 1963, and was Sorted into Slytherin House.

After graduating from Hogwarts in June 1970, Bellatrix became a Death Eater. She was fanatically loyal to Lord Voldemort and was among the most dangerous and sadistic of his followers. All the Black sisters married pure-blood wizards, except for Andromeda who married Muggle-born Ted Tonks and was disowned by the family, who were forbidden to talk about her. At the end of the First Wizarding War, while searching for information on Lord Voldemort; Bellatrix, her husband Rodolphus Lestrange, her brother-in-law Rabastan Lestrange, and Barty Crouch Jrtook part in the torture of the Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom driving them insane. They were caught and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban for torturing the two Aurors. She finally escaped from Azkaban in the 1996 mass break-out, along with nine other Death Eaters.

Bellatrix participated in several battles of the Second Wizarding War, making it a particular goal to murder any relatives who were members of the Order of the Phoenix. She successfully murdered two, her cousin Sirius Black and niece Nymphadora Tonks. She also murdered the Malfoy family's former house-elf, Dobby, who had become a firm ally of Harry Potter. During the final battle, Bellatrix was one of the last Death Eaters standing. She was eventually killed in a duel by Molly Weasley after her attempted murder of Ginny Weasley.

## Biography

#### Early life (1950s)

Bellatrix was born on 13 December, 1951 to Cygnus Black IV and Druella Rosier, who gave her a rich lifestyle and raised her to be proud of her pure-blood heritage. She was born in Black Manor, believed to be located on the outskirts of Tisbury, Wiltshire, England.

At the time of her birth, she was the youngest member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. That changed when her younger sister, Andromeda Olga, was born the following December. In July of 1955, the sisters gained another, and she was christened Narcissa Anastasia.

She was also the niece of Anselm Rosier, who was a Dark wizard himself and would later fight in the First Wizarding War. Bellatrix had three younger cousins, Evan, Felix, and Boniface, who were about ten years younger than her.

Bellatrix did not have a happy childhood. Her parents, Cygnus and Druella, despised each other with every fibre of their beings, and took little interest in their daughters. Druella was especially cruel. As a consequence of this, Bellatrix became closer to her maternal aunt, Walburga. She frequented Grimmauld Place, the home of Walburga and Orion as a child, and watched over Walburga's children, Sirius and Regulus, on summer holidays. Sirius recalled a particularly terrifying early childhood incident when Bellatrix held him under the water in the bath.

As a child, Bellatrix was twisted, if not cruel. She tormented all other children and took satisfaction in their pain. Around adults, she could pretend to be a perfectly normal human being.

#### Hogwarts years (1960s)

Much to her parents' delight, Bellatrix received her Hogwarts letter at the age of eleven in the summer of 1963. Before attending, her aunt Walburga accompanied her to Diagon Alley in London, where Bellatrix purchased a wand made of walnut and dragon heartstring. She boarded the Hogwarts Express, bound for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on 1 September, 1963,  and was Sorted into Slytherin House, a patron followed by her sisters.

Along with the rest of her family who held pureblood supremacy beliefs, Bellatrix cut off contact with Andromeda when she married Muggle-born wizard Ted Tonks, causing her to be disowned from the House of Black. Neither she or Narcissa had "set eyes on Andromeda since she married the Mudblood Tonks". She also held her cousin Sirius Black in contempt for being a "blood traitor" due his different opinions on Muggles and Muggle-borns.

#### Marriage and Death Eaters (1970s)

Bellatrix eventually married Rodolphus Lestrange, a fellow wealthy pure-blood and Slytherin, marrying out of obligation of fulfilling her family’s pro pure-blood mentality and tradition, Unlike her sisters, she never displayed any affection for her husband whatsoever, never even mentioning him in conversations nor bearing him any children.

When Lord Voldemort first rose to power, Bellatrix and Rodolphus joined the Death Eaters. At some point, she received training in the Dark Arts from Voldemort himself. He was the one to whom she spoke in a romantic manner. However, he never returned her feelings as he was incapable of understanding love and disliked the idea of being emotionally attached to anyone.

### First Wizarding War (1970-1981)

*"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's parting words to the Council of Magical Law
When the First Wizarding War broke out, Bellatrix and her husband Rodolphus both became Death Eaters and fought for Voldemort. Bellatrix joined the organisation in 1975.

During the First Wizarding War, the Death Eaters were fiercely pursued by Aurors. Bellatrix's uncle's family, the Rosiers, were arrested and taken in for questioning in regards to her cousin, Evan's whereabouts. Wartime prisoners of the Ministry were not treated nicely. There was little food and water, and the prisoners were kept in the bowels of the Ministry in London, where it was dark, dank, and cold. Dementors were held in close proximity to the prisoners.

It got so bad that Bellatrix's youngest cousin, Boniface, was Kissed by Ministry Dementors in the year 1979, who could no longer be controlled. Though she did not know him, Boniface was ten years old, and his death was just used as an excuse to commit more bloodthirsty acts. In retaliation, Bellatrix, as well as Evan Rosier and his cousin, Antonin Dolohov, kidnapped, tortured, and murdered former Minister for Magic Harold Minchum, and had his body strung on display in Diagon Alley. Minchum had been removed from office in early 1980.

Bellatrix and her husband remained loyal to the Dark Lord throughout the war, even after he was "defeated" by the infant Harry Potter.

After the Dark Lord's fall on 31 October, 1981, Bellatrix and a group of Voldemort's followers, including Rodolphus, her brother-in-law Rabastan, and Barty Crouch Jr, managed to avoid capture or execution by Aurors. Seeking to find and revive their master, the group kidnapped Aurors and Order of the Phoenix members Alice and Frank Longbottom, just new parents to Neville Longbottom. She and her partners used the Cruciatus Curse to torture the couple for information on Voldemort's whereabouts, until the two captives were driven into insanity when they refused to divulge anything. As a result of the torture, Alice and Frank spent the rest of their lives at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries and were unaware that they had a son together.

#### Imprisonment

This crime caused a wave of fury upon the wizard community of such ferocity that the Ministry of Magic were critically pressured to find the culprits. When the four were captured, they were tried before the Council of Magical Law and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. Unlike many other Death Eaters, Bellatrix didn't lie about her loyalty — she proudly claimed that she was loyal to Voldemort and that she would wait for his return.

Bellatrix was sentenced to life in Azkaban with no chance of release. For her actions, she later described herself as the Dark Lord's most loyal follower and even Lord Voldemort, whom she admired the most, gained a considerable amount of respect for her. Her fifteen years in a maximum security cell took a toll on her already unstable mentality, as well as hollowing out her appearance until only the faintest traces of her familial beauty remained.

### Second Wizarding War (1995-1998)

*"Bellatrix Lestrange, convicted of the torture and permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom'."*
—The Daily Prophets report on her notorious record, regarding her escape from Azkaban
When Voldemort returned to power in June 1995, he said that Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange were faithful members of his inner circle and should be rewarded, as they didn't denounce him after they were captured and tried.

In January 1996, a mass breakout from Azkaban set ten long-imprisoned Death Eaters loose. Bellatrix was one of the ten who escaped in the mass breakout and rejoined Voldemort, as well as the Dementors whom Albus Dumbledore correctly predicted would side with Voldemort.

The Daily Prophet (probably with encouragement from the Ministry of Magic) reported that the escaped criminal Sirius Black must be responsible for the incident. These ten were considered to be some of the most dangerous and highly guarded convicts due to their crimes being brutal and legendary. As a result, Bellatrix and her allies became wanted witches and wizards, living in hiding to avoid being captured by the Ministry.

#### Battle of the Department of Mysteries (1996)

*"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 teaching Harry Potter a lesson on the Unforgivable Curses
Later that very same year, Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan were all members of a Death Eater task force led by Lucius Malfoy. They participated in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, a plot to steal a prophecy regarding Harry Potter and the Dark Lord. She was enraged when Harry spoke Voldemort's given name and mentioned his true status as a half-blood. This enraged her so much that she actually tried to stun him before Lucius deflected her spell with a Shield Charm, not wanting to inadvertently harm the prophecy they were sent to retrieve. She was very condescending when dealing with the seven D.A. members. Bellatrix tried unsuccessfully to retrieve the prophecy from Harry Potter via a Summoning Charm, as her efforts were stopped by Harry's quick use of his own shield charm. However, she was willing to do whatever it took to get the prophecy from Harry, including gleefully and sadistically threatening to torture fourteen year old Ginny Weasley with the Cruciatus Curse while he was forced to watch.

When the Order of the Phoenix members arrived, Bellatrix duelled and defeated her cousin, Aquila Black. She then began to duel her niece, Nymphadora Tonks, and quickly defeated her. Next, she began fighting her cousin Sirius Black who proceeded to taunt her during the course of their duel but she then struck him with a curse that sent him through the veil guarding the Death Chamber, killing him. After Sirius's death, Bellatrix decided to flee. She was the sole Death Eater to escape being captured by the recently arrived Albus Dumbledore by effectively blocking the spell that he had attempted to cast upon her.

Driven into a rage at the loss of his only living relative, Harry pursued her all the way to the Atrium in an attempt to avenge his godfather. After hideously mocking his relationship with Sirius, Harry attempted to use the Cruciatus Curse on her but only knocked her over causing her a few seconds of pain. Dropping her jeering manner, Bellatrix disdainfully lectured him on his failure to execute the curse effectively (inadvertently teaching him how to do it properly in the future) before resolving to torture him herself with it in order to demonstrate the full potency of the curse. After unsuccessfully attempting to attack Harry, she discovered to her horror that the prophecy had been destroyed and proceeded to panic, repeatedly attempting to summon it in vain from Harry who laughed at her efforts and dismissed her pleadings for leniency from her master due to being unaware that the latter had just arrived at the Ministry.

Once Harry realised that Voldemort was indeed present, Bellatrix pleaded with her master not to be punished and tried to warn him that Dumbledore was nearby, but he ignored her and concentrated on attempting to kill Harry. As the Killing Curse blasted from the end of his wand towards Harry, Dumbledore arrived and enchanted the statues of the Fountain of Magical Brethren to protect Harry, act as reinforcements, and to ensure that Bellatrix couldn't intervene as she was then pinned to the ground by the newly sentient witch statue.

Before duelling Voldemort, Dumbledore summoned Cornelius Fudge and several Aurors to the Ministry using the statues as messengers via the fireplaces along the Atrium wall. After a failed attempt at possessing Harry, Voldemort grabbed Bellatrix before Apparating away but not before being seen by Fudge and the Aurors. With the rest of the Death Eaters immobilised and caught by the Ministry only moments later, Bellatrix was the only Death Eater not to be apprehended due to Voldemort intervening on her behalf, a testament to his acknowledgement of her loyalty to him.

#### Plot against Albus Dumbledore (1996)

*"I don't trust you, Snape, as you very well know!... Where were you when the Dark Lord fell?"*
—Bellatrix questions Severus Snape's loyalty
In July of 1996, Bellatrix reluctantly accompanied her younger sister, Narcissa Malfoy, to the house of Severus Snape at Spinner's End. Once there, Bellatrix interrogated Snape and voiced her distrust of him. Snape's calm, reasonable, and logical answers to her aggressive questioning rendered her dissatisfied, but temporarily without retort. However, Narcissa proceeded to beg Snape to look after her son Draco's welfare while he attended Hogwarts and tried to fulfil Voldemort's orders to kill Dumbledore. Snape shocked Bellatrix by asking her to bind him and Narcissa with an Unbreakable Vow to assist Draco.

Furthermore, Bellatrix assisted her nephew in his task by teaching him Occlumency, a tool he used against Snape in order to conceal the details of his mission. She showed her obsessive loyalty to her master's cause in telling her sister that she should be proud, instead of worried, that her son was not "shrinking away from his duty."

## Physical appearance

Bellatrix had the classic "great good looks" and arrogant bearing common for members of the House of Black: She was a tall woman of white skin; and long, thick, shiny dark hair. Her face had a strong jaw, thin lips, and heavily-lidded eyes with long eyelashes. As a Death Eater, Bellatrix bore the Dark Mark on her inner left forearm. However, her lengthy imprisonment in Azkaban took a toll on her appearance - her face became gaunt and skull-like, but she still managed to retain some vestige of her great beauty.

There was a remarkable resemblance between Bellatrix and her sisters - at first glance, Harry mistook Andromeda Tonks for Bellatrix, being was only upon closer observation did he notice the differences (Andromeda had lighter brown hair, a kinder face, and wider eyes). Besides this, Narcissa Malfoy was as fair as Bellatrix was dark.

## Personality and traits

*"Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I’ll do it."*
—Bellatrix gleefully threatens to torture Ginny Weasley
Bellatrix was an intensely sadistic witch with brutal, violent tendencies. Even as a child, she possessed a fierce and dangerous temper, a trait that she shared with her cousin Sirius and her aunt Walburga and which was likely a result of the inbreeding that plagued her birth family. Bellatrix was one of Voldemort's cruellest Death Eaters, always eager to inflict the Cruciatus Curse on enemies. Harry Potter noted that she was as "mad as her master." Likely for these reasons, Bellatrix was slavishly devoted to Lord Voldemort and was willing to do whatever it took for his cause. She believed to have proven her loyalty by her time in Azkaban, an event which had seemingly furthered her mental decline.

Overall, Bellatrix was obsessed with blood purity and took immense pride in the aristocracy of her family since a young age. Like all the rest of Lord Voldemort's followers, she was vehemently against all: half-bloods, Muggle-borns, Muggles, and half-breeds. She had a particular disdain for blood traitors, not being above killing members of her own family who displeased her, including her cousin Sirius and her much younger cousin Aquila, as well as her younger sister's daughter Nymphadora, whom she sought to kill with great determination. Given her reaction to Harry's words that Voldemort is half-blood, it is likely that she didn't know that her master wasn't pure-blood or at least was in denial.

Bellatrix was intelligent and a natural leader, taking in charge in tricky situations. These traits were shown during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor. The latter event was a mark of her decisiveness and ruthlessness, as she took no unnecessary prisoners (preferring to kill them instead), as she planned to do with a group of Snatchers who attempted to defy her. She was the only known Death Eater to have never trusted Severus Snape in spite of her master doing so. However, Bellatrix could be easily distracted and reckless, especially in battle with opponents that appeared to be (or were) weaker than herself.

Bellatrix was egotistical and arrogant, described by Harry as "treat[ing] everyone like scum" in a rather taunting way. She had immense confidence in her skills and never hesitated to jump into battle against any auror or Order of the Phoenix member. Furthermore, she was immensely proud of her status as the most loyal and devoted follower of Lord Voldemort. However, Bellatrix chose to flee when Dumbledore arrived, suggesting that like her master she held a degree of fear and caution for the powerful wizard.

Despite her cruel personality, Bellatrix was not incapable of caring for a few people. She was obsessively in love with her master, Lord Voldemort. She had a close relationship with her younger sister Narcissa Malfoy, grudgingly going with her to Snape's house to ask his help and didn't tell her master of her sister's deception. She also showed affection for her nephew and student Draco Malfoy, but didn't seem to be too concerned about his safety as she would "be glad to give [her own sons] up to the service of the Dark Lord".

## Magical abilities and skills

Bellatrix Lestrange was an extremely powerful and dangerous witch, trained by Lord Voldemort himself. She was a mistress of the Dark Arts, an incredibly skilful duellist, and an experienced Occlumens. Her prodigious magical skill was proven by her many victories over numerous talented wizards and witches, including experienced Aurors.

* **Dark Arts**: Bellatrix claimed to have been trained in the Dark Arts by Voldemort himself. 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". Bellatrix displayed particular proficiency with the Cruciatus Curse, which was her signature spell. Some of her victims include Frank and Alice Longbottom, and Aquila Black. She preferred to torture her victims rather than killing them straight away, doing so with such skill her victims would pass out or would lose their sanity after prolonged exposure to the curse. Following her first duel against Nymphadora Tonks, the latter had to spend some time at St Mungo's suggesting that her aunt cursed her in such a way that couldn't be cured easily. Like her master, Bellatrix was capable of casting the Killing Curse with no regard for the life she wished to extinguish. She effectively killed a fox on her way to Spinner's End in 1996 with this curse.
* **Duelling**: Bellatrix Lestrange was an incredibly skilful and lethal duellist, noted for her "prodigious skill".[12] She presumably took part in many battles during the First Wizarding War, when she duelled against aurors and Order of the Phoenix members alike. She was able to capture the notoriously powerful Frank and Alice Longbottom, though with help from three other Death Eaters. She defeated and seriously injured Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt in duels during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and killed her cousin Sirius Black. She was the only Death Eater to escape from Albus Dumbledore himself, though she was later dispatched by the headmaster's animated statues in the latter's duel against her master. Despite her years of captivity within Azkaban, Bellatrix displayed incredible reflexes that outmatched the much younger and physically-fit Harry Potter, repelling and redirecting his Stunning Spell back towards him with a swiftly cast shield charm. She later participated in the Battle of Seven Potters, where she viciously hunted down Tonks and Ron Weasley, though they were able to hold her off and escape albeit with great difficulty. She quickly and single-handedly defeated four Snatchers at Malfoy Manor who were all described to be "no match for her", including the notoriously savage werewolf Fenrir Greyback. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Bellatrix survived the first part of the battle with no injuries and finally succeeded in murdering Tonks. She also duelled Hermione Granger, Aquila Black, and Ginny Weasley all at once, being able to stalemate their combined efforts. She seemed to be getting the upper hand when she attempted to murder Aquila, given her Killing Curse missed Aquila by "an inch". Her death at the hands of Molly Weasley was due to her vastly underestimating the witch, who was fuelled by grief over the murder of her son, and was nonetheless a skilled witch in her own right. She was the last Death Eater standing apart from Lord Voldemort, despite wielding a wand which she had most likely not won the allegiance of, which is further evidence of her extraordinary duelling skills.
* **Non-verbal magic**: Bellatrix was shown to have been highly adept at casting non-verbal spells, especially dark charms. She fired several destructive curses at Harry Potter without speaking their incantations aloud in the Atrium at the Ministry of Magic. During her duel with Molly Weasley, the intensity was such that the floor around them became "hot and cracked", all without uttering a single incantation.
* **Charms**: Bellatrix displayed a high amount of proficiency in charms, given how she was able to cast the Summoning Charm, Shield Charm and the Stunning Spell effortlessly and successfully. She was able to block Harry's spells using the Shield Charm with lightning speed, and furthermore using it to block an attack from Albus Dumbledore (an incredibly powerful wizard) with great success, showing her considerable talent in this field.
* **Occlumency**: Bellatrix was an experienced Occulmens, and she trained her nephew Draco Malfoy in Occlumency as part of his mission to kill Albus Dumbledore. This training was effective enough that Draco was able to block out Severus Snape on at least one occasion. It is also likely that Bellatrix could perform Legilimency as well, as she may have penetrated Draco's mind in order to train him to block his thoughts.
* **Apparition**: Bellatrix was proficient in Apparition, although her sister Narcissa may be even more skilled than her. This was shown when they both apparated into Spinner's End, with Bellatrix's pop being somewhat louder and Narcissa making only a slight "popping" sound. However, Bellatrix may simply have been too desperate in chasing her sister to do it more quietly.
* **Flying**: Bellatrix was a skilful flyer, as she participated in the Battle of the Seven Potters via Broomstick. She fiercely pursued and fiercely duelled with her niece Nymphadora Tonks, who was also proficient in flying. Her ability to duel whilst flying shows her very impressive talent in this field.
* **Teaching skills**: Bellatrix taught Draco Occlumency and (non-verbal spells, the Unforgivable Curses and other branches of the Dark Arts) in furtherance of his objective to kill Dumbledore. She also unwittingly taught Harry how to properly use the Unforgivable Curses, given how he acknowledged that his success on the Cruciatus Curse was actually from her taunting.
* **Indomitable willpower**: Bellatrix had a very powerful will, remaining adamant in her loyalty to Lord Voldemort even when facing a life sentence in Azkaban. She endured the prison for approximately fourteen years without losing her will to live, in spite of the fact that many prisoners there would have preferred death instead of suffering the depressive states they had been reduced to. She maintained her formidable magical powers and her keen intelligence, although her emotional temperament seemed to have become more unstable due to her years in captivity.

## Relationships

### Family

Bellatrix did not have a happy childhood. Her parents, Cygnus and Druella, despised each other with every fibre of their beings, and took little interest in their daughters. Druella was especially cruel. When Bellatrix was eleven years old, she witnessed her mother and father's explosive duel which ended up sending both of them to St. Mungo's. Following the incident, Cygnus and Druella became separated, and later divorced completely.

As a consequence of this, Bellatrix became closer to her maternal aunt, Walburga. She frequented Grimmauld Place, the home of Walburga and Orion as a child, and watched over Walburga's children, Sirius and Regulus, on summer holidays. Sirius, however, recalled a particularly terrifying early childhood incident when Bellatrix held him under the water in the bath for quite some time. Bellatrix let him go, but her childhood sadism continued to go unchecked, as Sirius never spoke about the incident until much later.

#### Narcissa Malfoy

Bellatrix seemed to have had a fairly close and affectionate relationship with her younger sister Narcissa, whom she called "Cissy." Despite distrusting Severus Snape and attempting to dissuade her sister from approaching him, Bellatrix accompanied Narcissa to Spinner's End to request Snape's help in seeing Draco Malfoy through the task assigned to him by Lord Voldemort in 1996. After Snape agreed to make the Unbreakable Vow, Bellatrix acted as the bonding agent, ensuring that Snape would fulfil his promises to Narcissa.

Narcissa and Bellatrix occasionally clashed over the former's protectiveness towards her son; She argued that Narcissa should be proud that her son was a Death Eater, while Narcissa consistently demonstrated that the safety of her son and husband were her first priorities. At some point, Bellatrix trained Draco in Occlumency to aid him in his mission.

#### Lucius Malfoy

Her brother-in-law Lucius was antagonistic with Bellatrix due to usurping his place within the Death Eater ranks despite the fact she had been imprisoned in Azkaban for fourteen years, unlike Lucius. Their differences in loyalty in the Dark Lord fuelled their antagonism for each other even more. When Bellatrix wanted to kill Harry Potter during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Lucius briefly restrained her. After the battle, she told Narcissa that it was Lucius' fault that she couldn't give Voldemort the Prophecy. However, the two fought together during the skirmish at Malfoy Manor. Seeing Lucius's extreme failure and the confiscation of his wand, Bellatrix treated him with disdain and contempt, showing him little to no respect during their argument of summoning Voldemort for capturing Harry.

#### Andromeda Tonks and Sirius Black

On the other hand, Bellatrix hated her "blood traitor" relatives. After her sister Andromeda married a muggle-born and was disowned, she never saw her again. Bellatrix shared a mutual loathing with her "dear cousin" Sirius Black, who had a similar temper. The two taunted each other as they duelled during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. After killing Sirius, Bellatrix sadistically jeered at Harry about the death of his godfather on multiple occasions.

#### Aquila Black and Nymphadora Tonks

Bellatrix was the godmother of Aquila's brother, Tarry, but even that did not stop her from trying to kill Aquila on multiple occasions. Because Aquila was a blood traitor and a Gryffindor, associated herself with Harry Potter, and Sirius's sister, she attempted to duel Aquila in the Department of Mysteries while others tried to get to her. Aquila faced Bellatrix alone, and as a result was exposed to Bellatrix's extraordinary Cruciatus Curse, but was later saved by her first cousin once removed, Nymphadora.

Bellatrix 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, the fact that she had married the werewolf Remus Lupin, and Voldemort's comments to her about "pruning her family tree". Bellatrix eventually murdered Tonks during the Battle of Hogwarts on the 2 May 1998.

#### Regulus Black

Bellatrix was on relatively good terms with her other cousin, Regulus, who was also a Death Eater during the First Wizarding War. As a child, Regulus was terrified of her, however, as he grew up he felt inclined to get on her good side. Regulus initially espoused the pure-blood supremacist line associated with his family, and like Bellatrix, was sorted into the Slytherin house during his time at Hogwarts. It is unlikely that he revealed his change of heart to Bellatrix, or anyone else, prior to his death in 1979.

#### Altair Black

Bellatrix only knew her godson, Altair Black, as an infant until she was imprisoned in Azkaban in 1981. It is likely that she at least tolerated the baby, but unlikely that she felt sympathetic when she learned of his death and murder by her uncle, Orion Black, as the boy was a squib.

### Lord Voldemort

*"She sat beside her sister, as unlike her in looks, with her dark hair and heavily lidded eyes, as she was in bearing and demeanour; where Narcissa sat rigid and impassive, Bellatrix leaned toward Voldemort, for mere words could not demonstrate her longing for closeness."*
—Bellatrix demonstrates her obsession with Voldemort during the Meeting at Malfoy Manor
Bellatrix was obsessively in love with Lord Voldemort, which extended to her being sexually attracted to him. More than just being a fanatic, she shared his ideas of blood purity and fascination with the Dark Arts. Unlike many of the other Death Eaters, Bellatrix never attempted to deny her loyalties when her master fell in 1981. Instead, she proudly claimed that she was his most loyal and trusted servant, and stated that he would rise again. She seemed to view Azkaban prison as a mere place to wait for his return.

Bellatrix is described as being slavishly devoted to her master, regarding him with "worshipful fascination" and speaking to him in a romantic way. On at least one occasion, during the 1997 meeting of Death Eaters at Malfoy Manor, her cheeks flushed and her eyes welled up with tears when she thought he was praising her. Satisfying him was of the utmost importance to her. She was perfectly willing to kill her niece, Nymphadora Tonks, as a way of "pruning" her "family tree", though she would most likely do it without his advice anyway.

Bellatrix was outraged by anyone showing her master the slightest disrespect. When Harry called him by his name in 1996, she became enraged, feeling that he was unworthy of speaking the name. She was also furious when Harry spoke of Voldemort's half-blood status and Muggle father. Despite agreeing with her master's ideology of blood purity, she apparently didn't care that he himself was a half-blood, if she believed this at all. Voldemort might have falsely told his subordinates that he was a pure-blood, something which Harry Potter suspected. If so, she believed her master's lie over the truth from the enemy.

### Severus Snape

Bellatrix was acquainted with Severus Snape, a fellow Death Eater prior to the end of the First Wizarding War, changing sides shortly before Voldemort's 1981 downfall, and becoming a double agent for Albus Dumbledore. While their relationship prior to Snape's defection is unknown, Bellatrix was highly suspicious of him due to Severus's alliance with Dumbledore and his spotty record of fervent loyalty to the Dark Lord. Although she is genuine in her mistrust of Snape, it is quite likely that she was also envious of the position of trust and respect Snape enjoyed under Voldemort. It is also possible that Snape's half-blood status is a point of derision on Bellatrix's part.

In 1996, Bellatrix followed Narcissa to Snape's house, trying to dissuade her from seeking his help in guiding and guarding Draco in the task of killing Albus Dumbledore. She was taken aback by Snape's conformance in making the Unbreakable Vow, for which she acted as a bond-maker. Both she and Snape fought and died at the Battle of Hogwarts. However, Bellatrix's death didn't allow her to discover that her initial mistrust of Snape had been valid after all.

### Death Eaters

Bellatrix wasn't likely to have viewed many of the other Death Eaters as her equals, as she believed both her skill, devotion, and family status exceed that of others. While it is unclear exactly how much genuine respect the other Death Eaters had for Bellatrix, it was clear they were familiar with her view of herself, as Travers became less suspicious of Hermione Granger, disguised as Bellatrix via Polyjuice Potion in 1998, only after Hermione took on a much haughtier personality.

While in school, Bellatrix was said to be part of a gang consisting of Evan Rosier. Undoubtedly, she considered Voldemort's most loyal Death Eaters to be those who, like her, were imprisoned in Azkaban at some point: namely, Barty Crouch Jr, her husband and his brother.

Peter Pettigrew seemed pleased to see her as well as Narcissa when they visit him and Snape, though Bellatrix didn't acknowledge him. It's possible that she appreciates Peter for his role in bringing back their master or else dislikes him for not attempting to help him sooner.

Bellatrix had a disdainful attitude towards the Snatchers. Despite their role in capturing Harry, she treated them like lowly servants and was quick to attack them the moment one of them disobeyed her. Fenrir Greyback showed fear and resentment towards her, though Bellatrix did acknowledge his role in capturing Harry and agreed that he did deserve to be rewarded.

## 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. The Amazons were warrior women in Greek mythology, which is presumably an allusion to Bellatrix being among the most dangerously skilled Death Eaters. Her name likely has Latin, French and English origins: Bella is Latin both for the plural of bellum, meaning war, and the feminine singular adjective meaning "beautiful;" trix is Latin feminine suffix (i.e. Bellatrix is the Latin word for a female warrior or a personification of feminine beauty). 'Bellatrix' also translates directly to 'war-like'.

Lestrange is likely a play on *l'étrange*, which is French meaning "the strange one". Her name thus alludes to her own mental instability, although technically Lestrange came from Bellatrix's husband Rodolphus.