Bellatrix Lestrange (Harry Potter)

"Potter, you cannot win against me! I was and am the Dark Lord's most loyal servant. I learned the Dark Arts from him, and I know spells of such power that you, pathetic little boy, can never hope to compete!"

—Bellatrix regarding her own loyalty and skill^[src]

Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black) (1951 – 2 May, 1998) was an English pure-bloodDark witch, the eldest daughter of Cygnus and Druella Black (née Rosier) and 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 in 1962 and was Sorted into Slytherin House.

After graduating from Hogwarts she became a Death Eater. She was fanatically loyal to Lord Voldemort and was among the most dangerous and sadistic of his followers. While Bellatrix and Narcissa married pure-blood wizards, Andromeda married Muggle-born Ted Tonks and was disowned by the family. Andromeda was burned off the Black family tree and they were forbidden to talk about her. At the end of the First Wizarding War, while searching for information on Lord Voldemort: Bellatrix, Rodolphus Lestrange (husband), Rabastan Lestrange (brother-in-law), and Barty Crouch Jr took 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.

Bellatrix escaped from Azkaban in the 1996 mass break-out, along with nine other Death Eaters. She 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 with the Killing Curse. Bellatrix also murdered the Malfoy family's former house-elf, Dobby (who had become a firm ally of Harry Potter) with her silver knife. During the final battle, she was one of the last Death Eaters standing. Bellatrix was eventually killed in a duel by Molly Weasley, after her attempted murder of Ginny Weasley.

Before her death, Bellatrix secretly gave birth to an illegitimate daughter named Delphini, whom she conceived with her beloved master, Lord Voldemort. Delphini was conceived sometime after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in 1996 and before Bellatrix's death at the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998.^[10]

Biography

Early life (1951-1970)

"Snape... was part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters. Rosier and Wilkes — they were both killed by Aurors the year before Voldemort fell. The Lestranges — they're a married couple — they're in Azkaban."

—Bellatrix's time at Hogwarts was spend among a select group of Slytherins^[src]

Bellatrix was born in 1951 to Cygnus Black III and Druella Black (née Rosier), who raised her to be proud of her pure-blood heritage. She was the elder sister of Andromeda and Narcissa Black^[11], though Bellatrix cut off contact with Andromeda when she married Muggle-born wizard Ted Tonks causing her to be disowned from the House of Black. Bellatrix told Voldemort in 1997 that neither she or Narcissa had "set eyes on Andromeda since she married the Mudblood Tonks".^[12] Bellatrix also held her cousin Sirius Black in contempt for being a "blood traitor" for his different opinions on Muggles and Muggle-borns. It was clear that she held her views on blood supremacy over family ties and relations.

Bellatrix came from the pure-blood Black family, and as such she was given a rich lifestyle. Bellatrix attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Slytherin House. She 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, although they would later work well together in their service to Lord Voldemort. Unlike Narcissa and Andromeda, Bellatrix displayed no affection for her husband whatsoever, never even mentioning him in conversations nor bearing him any children.

When Voldemort first rose to power, Bellatrix and Rodolphus joined the Death Eaters and at some point received training in the Dark Arts from Voldemort himself. He was her true love, the one to whom she spoke in a romantic manner and showed concern for. 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^[src]

When the First Wizarding War broke out, Bellatrix and her husband Rodolphus both fought for Voldemort's Death Eaters, and remained loyal to Voldemort throughout the wizarding war and even after he was defeated by 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. Bellatrix and her partners used the Cruciatus Curse to torture Alice and Frank for information on Voldemort's whereabouts, until the two captives were driven into insanity when they refused to divulge anything.

This crime caused a wave of fury upon the wizard community of such ferocity that the Ministry were critically pressured to find the culprits, and when the four were captured they were tried before the Council of Magical Law and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. As a result of the torture Alice and Frank spent the rest of their lives at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuriesand were unaware that they had a son together.

Between the wars (1981-1995)

Imprisonment

After the fall of the Dark Lord, Bellatrix stood trial for her crimes. Unlike many other Death Eaters, she did not lie about her loyalty — she proudly claimed that she was loyal to Voldemort and that she would wait for his return.^[13] Indeed, Bellatrix was so proud of her loyalty to Voldemort that, during her trial before the Council of Magical Law, she was said to have sat upon the chair she was chained to as if it were a throne.

She would later describe herself as the Dark Lord's most loyal follower and even Lord Voldemort, whom Bellatrix admired the most, gained a considerable amount of respect for her. Bellatrix was sentenced to life in Azkaban with no chance of release. She would spend the next fifteen years in a maximum security cell until her escape. Her time in Azkaban 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.

Harry Potter later witnessed Bellatrix's trial in 1995 in a memory of Professor Dumbledore's.^[14]

Second Wizarding War (1995-1998)

Escape from Azkaban

"We have confirmed that ten high-security prisoners, in the early hours of yesterday evening, did escape... We strongly suspect that the breakout was engineered by a man with personal experience in escaping from Azkaban; notorious mass murderer Sirius Black, cousin of escapee Bellatrix Lestrange."

—Daily Prophet regarding the 1996 Azkaban mass breakout^[src]

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 did not 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 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. They lived in hiding to avoid being captured by the Ministry.^[14]

Battle of the Department of Mysteries

Main article: Battle of the Department of Mysteries

"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^[src]

Later that very same year, Bellatrix and her husband and brother in-law   were 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, not wanting to inadvertently harm the prophecy they were sent to retrieve.. She was very condescending when dealing with the six D.A. members. Bellatrix tried unsuccessfully to retrieve the prophecy from Harry Potter via a Summoning Charm, but her efforts were stopped by Harry's quick use of a Shield Charm. She was also 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 niece, Nymphadora Tonks, then began fighting her cousin, Sirius Black. Sirius taunted her during the course of their duel, but Bellatrix then struck Sirius with a spell that sent him through the veil guarding the Death Chamber, killing him. After Sirius's death, Bellatrix defeated Kingsley Shacklebolt before deciding to flee, being the sole Death Eater to escape being captured by Dumbledore when he arrived by effectively blocking the spell that he had attempted to cast upon her. Driven into a rage at the loss of his only loving 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 order to demonstrate the full potency of the curse to him. 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 Albus 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 could not 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

"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^[src]

In July of 1996, Bellatrix reluctantly accompanied her 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. Narcissa, however, 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 Albus Dumbledore. Snape shocked Bellatrix by asking her to bind him and Narcissa with an Unbreakable Vow to assist Draco.

Bellatrix also 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. Bellatrix 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."

Battle of the Seven Potters

Main article: Meeting at Malfoy Manor

Bellatrix: "My Lord, it is an honour to have you here, in our family's house. There can be no higher pleasure."

Lord Voldemort: "No higher pleasure... That means a great deal, Bellatrix, from you."

Bellatrix: "My Lord knows I speak nothing but the truth!"

— Bellatrix's delight at Voldemort staying at Malfoy Manor^[src]

By the next year, Bellatrix was living with Narcissa at Malfoy Manor. She was the only resident of the manor who was actually pleased that Voldemort was staying there, telling him that there was "no higher pleasure". Despite her unwavering loyalty, her master humiliated her and the Malfoys by mentioning the marriage of Nymphadora Tonks, the daughter of Bellatrix and Narcissa's sister, to the werewolfRemus Lupin. Bellatrix insisted that she and Narcissa did not consider Nymphadora to be their niece, as they had disowned her mother (for marrying Nymphadora's father, a Muggle-born). Voldemort eventually stopped the teasing and advised Bellatrix to "prune" her "family tree", which she eagerly agreed to do as soon as possible.

When the Death Eaters subsequently attacked the Order of the Phoenix while they were moving Harry Potter from 4 Privet Drive, Bellatrix and her husband pursued a disguised Ronald Weasley and Tonks, whom Bellatrix tried very hard to kill. Rodolphus was injured in the pursuit and Tonks escaped. Soon afterwards, a copy of Godric Gryffindor's Sword was secured in Bellatrix's family vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank on Voldemort's orders, with Voldemort and Bellatrix both unaware at the time, that it was merely a copy.

Skirmish at Malfoy Manor

Main article: Skirmish at Malfoy Manor

"You're lying, you filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, tell the truth! What else did you take? What else have you got? Tell me the truth or, I swear, I shall run you through with this knife! What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!"

—Overheard parts of Bellatrix's interrogation of Hermione Granger^[src]

In March 1998, when Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were captured by a group of Snatchers and brought to the manor with Godric Gryffindor's sword, Bellatrix panicked. This led Harry to deduce that there could be something of great importance in her vault —Voldemort's Horcrux, Helga Hufflepuff's Cup. Bellatrix, coming out of her panicked state, rapidly stunned all the Snatchers present. She intended to kill them at a later date, as Draco was unwilling to do so himself. She also had Draco try and identify Harry, as his face was unrecognisable due to a well placed Stinging Hex from Hermione. This was in an effort to disguise his and by extension her and Ron's identities. Draco was hesitant and offered no solid proof that they had Harry in custody. Harry and Ron were then separated from Hermione.

Bellatrix interrogated Hermione and brutally tortured her with the Cruciatus Curse. Even in extreme pain Hermione managed to lie, claiming the real sword was only a copy.^[12] But Bellatrix thought that maybe Harry and his friends got the sword from her vault, so she told Peter Pettigrew to get the goblin Griphook from the cellar to tell her if the sword was a fake or not. Griphook also managed to lie, obeying Harry's request and keeping the trio's secret safe. After Pettigrew was strangled to death in the cellar with his own silver hand by showing mercy and loosening the grip he had on Harry's throat, Harry and Ron escaped the cellar and proceeded up the stairs to aid Hermione.

Bellatrix threatened Hermione with her knife, after Harry stunned Greyback and Lucius and Ron disarmed her. While holding the knife to an unconscious Hermione's throat, Bellatrix demanded that the prisoners drop their wands, and then pressed her Dark Mark, calling Voldemort.

However, Dobby Apparated and created a diversion and caused the chandelier to fall from above Bellatrix's head, making her release Hermione and jump out of the way. She lashed out at the house-elf in complete disbelief of his rebellious action to his "former masters". Dobby claimed he was a "free elf" and Disapparated. As the house-elf Disapparated with Harry, Bellatrix threw the knife at them in a desperate attempt to prevent their escape, and the Apparition sucked up the knife with it, wounding Dobby in his chest, who died. She and her relatives were severely punished by Voldemort for allowing Harry to escape. Bellatrix also lost her wand in the skirmish.

After the incident at Malfoy Manor, Hermione used the hair of Bellatrix that had fallen on her while Bellatrix was torturing her to change herself into Bellatrix, therefore letting her sneak into Gringotts (Diagon Alley was infested with Death Eaters).

Duel with Molly Weasley and death

"Molly's curse soared beneath Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart. Bellatrix's gloating smile froze, her eyes seemed to bulge: for the tiniest space of time she knew what had happened, and then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared, and Voldemort screamed."

—Description of Bellatrix's demise at the hands of Molly Weasley^[src]

During the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998, Bellatrix finally succeeded in murdering Nymphadora Tonks, her estranged sister's daughter.^[9] When Voldemort called a temporary retreat, waiting for Harry Potter to turn himself in, Bellatrix waited by his side; she offered him help when he was dazed after using the Killing Curse on Harry, but was coldly rebuffed. Bellatrix eagerly asked Voldemort if she could check Harry for signs of life, but was refused and instead he sent her younger sister to confirm his death. When Narcissa had lied and told Voldemort that Harry was dead, Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters (and supporters) followed Voldemort to Hogwarts to announce Harry's "death". Bellatrix in particular gloated at the survivors' despair.

When the battle resumed, Bellatrix fought Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood all at once, having become the last Death Eater standing aside from Voldemort who was also fighting three opponents. It was said that despite all three young witches being skilled, they did not equal Bellatrix's magical abilities even when working together as Bellatrix had more duelling experience and a wider arsenal of spells. She cast a Killing Curse at Ginny, which narrowly missed its mark by an inch; this enraged Molly Weasley, who promptly threw off her cloak and shouted a vocal challenge to the Death Eater as she charged forward, the latter cackling with laughter at her. However, Bellatrix's laughter quickly turned to rage as Molly began to attack, making her realise her opponent was more formidable then she had expected. The two began to duel with the intensity of their powers being stated as causing the ground beneath them to become hot and cracked due to their intent to finish the other off once and for all.

Despite this, Bellatrix continued to laugh and mock her opponent with sadistic glee, eventually providing an opening for Molly to strike her in the chest with a curse which proved fatal. As her body toppled to the ground, an outraged Voldemort turned on Molly. This prompted Harry, who had watched the battle unfold beneath his Invisibility Cloak, to reveal himself, and the final showdown between him and Voldemort ensued. Bellatrix did not live to find out that her mistrust of Snape had been valid and she did not live to see her master's final defeat moments later.^[12]

Although it is unknown what happened to her body following the Battle of Hogwarts, it is possible that if she was not cremated or buried in Great Britain, she might have been sent to France to be buried and laid to rest alongside the countless other members of the Lestrange family in the family's mausoleum at the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

Physical appearance

"A woman with thick, shining dark hair, long eyelashes and heavily hooded eyes… was sitting in the chained chair as though it were a throne."

—Bellatrix's outward apperance at her trial^[src]

Bellatrix had the classic "great good looks" and arrogant bearing common for members of the House of Black: tall and beautiful, with long, thick, shiny dark hair, thin lips, heavily-lidded eyes with long eyelashes, and a strong jaw. As a Death Eater, she 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.^[14] There was also a remarkable resemblance between her and her sisters - at first glance, Harry mistook Andromeda Tonks for Bellatrix, and it 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.^[15]

Personality and traits

"Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I’ll do it."

—Bellatrix gleefully threatens to torture Ginny Weasley^[src]

Bellatrix was an intensely sadistic witch with brutal, violent tendencies.^[15] She was intelligent, but could be easily distracted. She also possessed a fierce and dangerous temper, a trait that she shared with her cousin Sirius and her aunt Walburga. She was immensely proud of her status as the most loyal and devoted follower of Lord Voldemort.

Bellatrix was slavishly devoted to Lord Voldemort, believing that she proved her loyalty by her time in Azkaban, which seems to have furthered her mental decline. She was Voldemort's most trusted and loyal follower. Bellatrix was also one of his cruellest Death Eaters, always eager to inflict the Cruciatus Curse on enemies and her family members; Harry Potter noted that Bellatrix was as "mad as her master."^[14]

Bellatrix was egotistical and arrogant, described by Harry Potter as "treat[ing] everyone like scum." She was obsessed with blood purity and took immense pride in the aristocracy and pure-blood of her family. Like all the rest of Lord Voldemort's followers she was vehemently against all: blood traitors, half-bloods, Muggle-borns, Muggles, and half-breeds. Also she was not above killing members of her own family who displeased her. Ironically Voldemort himself was half-blood. Given her reaction to Harry's words that Voldemort is half-blood, it is likely that she didn't know that her master was not pure-blood or at least was in denial.

Bellatrix was a natural leader and took charge in tricky situations, such as during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor. She also had immense confidence in her skills and never hesitated to jump into battle against any auror or Order of the Phoenix member; she did however choose to flee when Dumbledore arrived suggesting that like her master she held a degree of fear for the powerful wizard. Another mark of her decisiveness and ruthlessness was that Bellatrix took no unnecessary prisoners (preferring to kill them instead) as she planned to do with a group of Snatchers who attempted to defy her in Malfoy Manor in 1998.^[12] In ways, Bellatrix was like Minerva McGonagall; both were very powerful witches who were unfailingly devoted to their cause and their leader's greatest deputy. However, McGonagall (like most on her side) only trusted Snape because Dumbledore did, whereas Bellatrix never trusted Snape despite her master doing so.

Despite her cruel personality, she was not incapable of caring for a few people. She was obsessively in love with her master, Lord Voldemort. She was also sexually attracted to him and the two eventually conceived a child (a daughter named Delphini) born between the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and the Battle of Hogwarts. Bellatrix hid her daughter as a secret from the world. Bellatrix also did not seem to care for her husband, due to her having an affair during their marriage. She had a close relationship with her younger sister, Narcissa Malfoy. She grudgingly went with Narcissa to Severus Snape's house when Narcissa wanted to ask Snape to help Draco and did not tell her master of Narcissa's deception. She also showed affection for her nephew Draco Malfoy, teaching him Occlumency and possibly other skills.

Magical abilities and skills

"She was a witch, as Harry knew, with prodigious skill and no conscience."

—Harry Potter regarding Bellatrix's duelling skills^[src]

Bellatrix Lestrange was an extremely powerful and dangerous witch who was trained by Lord Voldemort himself. She was a mistress of the Dark Arts, an incredibly skilful duellist, and an Occlumens. Her prodigious duelling 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, and displayed particular proficiency with the Cruciatus Curse. She boasted to have knowledge of Dark spells that few could comprehend the power of^[14]; a claim supported by her status as Voldemort's "best lieutenant". Following her first duel against Nymphadora Tonks the latter had to spend some time at St Mungo's suggesting that Bellatrix 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. However, unlike the Dark Lord, she usually preferred to torture her victims rather than killing them straight away, doing so with such skill her victims would pass out or even go insane.

• Non-verbal magic: Bellatrix also seemed highly adept at using non-verbal spells. She non-verbally killed a fox with a flash of green light on her way to Spinner's End in 1996 which was most likely a non-verbal Killing Curse. She also ferociously duelled Molly Weasley with such intensity that the floor around her became "hot and cracked", seemingly without uttering a single incantation. She also fired a curse at Harry non-verbally, which caused a tank of brains to lift and tip itself onto him whilst he chased her in the Thought Chamber and furthermore fired several destructive curses at him without speaking in the Atrium at the Ministry of Magic and used an unknown spell to bring Greyback to his knees at Malfoy Manor.
• 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 where she duelled against aurors and Order of the Phoenix members. 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, as well as killed her cousin Sirius. Bellatrix was also the only Death Eater to deflect a spell from Albus Dumbledore himself making her the only death eater to escape from him, another example of her formidable magical abilities, though she was later dispatched by the headmaster's animated statues.^[14] She quickly and single-handedly defeated four Snatchers at Malfoy Manor who were all described to be "no match for her". Even the notoriously savage werewolf Fenrir Greyback was brought to his knees with no effort from her. Despite her years of captivity within Azkaban, Bellatrix displayed incredible reflexes that outmatched the much younger and physically-fit Harry Potter. She was able to conjure a Shield Charmand deflect his own spell back at him the moment he cast it.^[14] She also participated in the Battle of Seven Potterswhere she viciously hunted down Nymphadora Tonks and Ron Weasley, though they were able to hold her off and escape albeit with great difficulty. During the Battle of Hogwarts Bellatrix survived the first part of the battle with no injuries, and finally succeeded in murdering Tonks possibly after a duel. Just before her death Bellatrix duelled Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny Weasley all at once and was described as being equal in skill to all three witches, as she was able to stalemate their combined efforts. Indeed she seemed to be getting the upper hand when she attempted to murder Ginny. 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.^[12] She was the last Death Eater standing (apart from Lord Voldemort) and it should be noted that she was wielding a wand which she had most likely not won the allegiance of, which is further evidence of her extraordinary duelling skills.
• Occlumency: Bellatrix 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 possibly block out Severus Snape. It is also likely that she could perform Legilimency as well, as she may have penetrated Draco's mind in order to train him to block his thoughts.^[15]
• Charms: Bellatrix displayed a high amount of proficiency at Charms, given how she was the only Death Eater besides Voldemort to successfully block an attack from Dumbledore as well as her aforementioned use of the Shield Charm against Harry Potter in their duel.
• Flying: Bellatrix was also a skilful flyer, as she participated in the Battle of the Seven Potters and fiercely pursued and duelled with her niece, who was also proficient in flying a broomstick, while flying.
• Apparition: Bellatrix was skilled at Apparition. However, her sister Malfoy may be even more skilled than her. This was demonstrated when they both apparated into Spinner's End, with Bellatrix's pop being somewhat louder and Narcissa making only a slight "popping" sound. With Apparition, it was generally considered that the quieter the 'pop', the more skilled at Apparition that wizard or witch is, although Bellatrix may simply have been too desperate in chasing Narcissa to do it more quietly.
• Unbreakable Vow: Bellatrix could cast a bonding spell to help make an Unbreakable Vow for Draco Malfoy, which could force Severus Snape to kill Albus Dumbledore and protect Draco regardless of whether he wanted to or not.
• Teaching skills: Bellatrix taught Draco Occlumency 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, as she remained adamant in her loyalty to Lord Voldemort even when facing a life sentence in Azkaban. She endured Azkaban for approximately fourteen years without losing her will to live, as many prisoners would have preferred to die over the depressive states they have been reduced to.

Relationships

Family

Lord Voldemort: "I'm talking about your niece, Bellatrix. And yours, Lucius and Narcissa. She just married the werewolf, Remus Lupin. You must be so proud."

Bellatrix: "She is no niece of ours, my Lord. We — Narcissa and I — have never set eyes on our sister since she married the Mudblood. This brat has nothing to do with either of us, nor any beast she marries."

— Voldemort discussing blood purity with fellow Death Eaters^[src]

Bellatrix took the pure-blood values of her family very seriously, as indicated by her marriage into a known pure-blood wizarding family and her zealous belief in Death Eater ideology. She had no feelings of affection for those in her family deemed blood traitors by disgracing and dishonouring her family by not fanatically honouring the prejudiced values she did, and readily attacked and killed them on many occasions.

Narcissa Malfoy

She 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; Bellatrix 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. Still, the two seemed close, and, at some point, Bellatrix trained Draco in Occlumency to aid him in his mission.^[15]

Andromeda Tonks and Sirius Black

"I killed Sirius Black! I killed Sirius Black! You going to get me? You going to get me? You going to get me?"

—Bellatrix cruelly taunts Harry about murdering Sirius^[src]

On the other hand, Bellatrix hated her "blood traitor" relatives. After her sister Andromeda married a muggle-born and was disowned, Bellatrix never saw her again.^[12] She shared a mutual loathing with her "dear cousin" Sirius Black, and 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.^[14]

Nymphadora Tonks

Bellatrix also 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

It is possible that Bellatrix was on good terms with her other cousin, Regulus, who was a Death Eater during the First Wizarding War. 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.

Draco Malfoy

Her relationship with Draco seemed to have some affection; though she seemed to disapprove of his inability to kill and his dislike for torture. She taught him Occlumency, non-verbal spells, the Unforgivable Curses and other branches of the Dark Arts, making her already talented nephew a powerful wizard. His blood relationship with her was probably the only reason he was remained alive; due to his father's failure and Snape taking over his 1996-1997 task. Seeing Lucius's extreme failure and the confiscation of his wand, Bellatrix treated her brother-in-law with disdain and contempt, showing him little to no respect during their argument of summoning Voldemort for capturing Harry.

Delphini

Bellatrix also had an illegitimate daughter with Lord Voldemort, named Delphini. Delphini was born in secret at Malfoy Manor in the late 1990s as the result of a liaison between Bellatrix and Voldemort.^[16] Bellatrix did not live long enough to watch her daughter grow up; this left the infant Delphi an orphan as her father had been. Euphemia Rowle took Delphi in and raised her, allegedly only because she was offered a substantial amount of gold,^[17] but according to Delphi, Rowle was not fond of her.^[17]

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^[src]

Bellatrix was obsessively in love with Lord Voldemort.^[9][18][19] 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.^[13] More than just being a fanatic, she shared his ideas of blood purity and fascination with the Dark Arts. 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".

She is described as being slavishly devoted to her master, regarding him with "worshipful fascination" and speaking to him in a romantic way.^[12] 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. He did not reciprocate her romantic feelings, as he did not know love. Due to his egotistical and self-centred nature, however, it is possible that he was at least pleased with her desire for him. He may have even tried to reciprocate her feelings, as the two did conceive a child together. The relationship, and the honour of bearing of his child, could have also been a reward to Bellatrix for her loyalty to him. Perhaps he just wanted an heir and Bellatrix willing gave him one, without any romantic feelings on his part. However, as he believed that he had a found a way to cheat death (through his Horcruxes), he most likely did not feel a need to leave an heir behind.

He respected her talents and skills, and apparently considered her of greater importance than most of his other servants. At the conclusion of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, he grabbed her and Apparated away with her. She was the sole Death Eater whom he bothered to help, though this may have been out of convenience (as she was much closer in proximity than the other captured Death Eaters) rather than any preferential treatment.

Bellatrix was outraged by anyone showing her master the slightest disrespect. When Harry Potter 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 did not care that he himself was a half-blood, if she believed this at all. Voldemort might have falsely told her (as well as his other 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.

When she was killed by Molly Weasley during the final battle, Voldemort's fury was said to "explode like a bomb". Her death was the only one that he attempted to avenge (before Harry Potter intervened). It is unlikely, though, that he truly cared about her as a person. He was angry about losing someone who was very useful to him.

Unknown to nearly all, it would be revealed years later after her death that Bellatrix and Voldemort had in fact engaged in a sexual relationship, resulting in the birth of their daughter, Delphini, who was born at Malfoy Manor before Battle of Hogwarts. It is highly likely that Voldemort used this as a way to reward Bellatrix for her undying loyalty to her master, and for her rather potent and notable successes as his most loyal lieutenant.

Rodolphus Lestrange

In marrying Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix made a "respectable pure-blood marriage"^[14], as it was expected of her.^[9]They attended Hogwarts together and were pat of a gang of other Slytherin students which also included Lucius Malfoy, Evan Rosier, and Severus Snape^[14]. There is no indication that their relationship went beyond this. She never expressed any love or concern for him. It was Voldemort to whom she spoke in a romantic manner instead. She and Rodolphus did seem to work effectively together as Death Eaters, further suggesting their partnership is strictly professional. Both were some of the most loyal and valued Death Eaters so it's likely that they would've felt a connection from their mutual devotion to their master. Rodolphus tortured Alice and Frank Longbottom alongside his wife, brother, and Barty Crouch Jrin 1981^[13]. He fought with Bellatrix during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries^[14]. He was also with her during the Battle of the Seven Potters, as Nymphadora Tonks mentioned cursing him and being pursued by Bellatrix^[12].

Bellatrix once told Narcissa that if she had sons, she would "be glad to give them up to the service of the Dark Lord".^[15]No children appear beneath Bellatrix and Rodolphus's names on the Black family tapestry, indicating that she had no daughters from Rodolphus either. It could be surmised that she made no attempts to produce children with her official husband, as she truly adored her master and concentrated on pleasing him.

Harry Potter

"My Lord, I'd like to volunteer for this task. I want to kill the boy."

—Bellatrix's desire to kill Harry Potter^[src]

Bellatrix Lestrange saw Harry Potter as her master's most hated enemy and despised him for the inexplicable threat he posed to the Dark Lord. She thought of him as someone lesser than herself due to his status as a half-blood and wanted him dead very badly.

Harry had hated Bellatrix ever since he first saw her in the Pensieve due to learning that she was responsible for the attack on Alice and Frank Longbottom. That said, he seemed to have an odd fascination with her prior to the events of the Department Of Mysteries as he is noted to being immediately drawn to Bellatrix's picture when the news of the ten escaped Death Eaters appeared in the Daily Prophet and whenever he saw her image on wanted posters. Additionally, he is described as experiencing "a little jolt in his stomach" after seeing her picture in Kreacher's bedroom. After she killed his godfather in the Battle Of The Department Of Mysteries, Harry aggressively pursued her after she fled from Dumbledore and attempted to cast the Cruciartus Curse on her as well as taunt her for her failed efforts in achieving the prophecy for Voldemort. At the onset of the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor, the mere sound of her voice when she appeared in the fray was enough to make his fear reach a new high. Bellatrix also killed Dobby the house-elf and Nymphadora Tonks, and when she attempted to murder Ginny Weasley during the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry was diverted from his goal of destroying Voldemort in the hopes of attacking her; he was stopped only by the sudden intervention of Molly Weasley.

Harry's hatred for Bellatrix was intense enough for him to feel agitated when laying eyes on her sisters, both of whom resembled her.

Longbottom family

Bellatrix: "Longbottom? Why I have had the pleasure of meeting your parents, boy...."

Neville Longbottom: " I DOE YOU HAB!"

— Bellatrix cruelly mocking Neville about his parents^[src]

After the fall of the Dark Lord in 1981, Bellatrix along with three other Death Eaters (including her husband, Rodolphus Lestrange and the son of well known Bartemius Crouch Senior, Bartemius Crouch Junior) set out to attack members of the Order of the Phoenix, hoping to interrogate them for information on Voldemort's whereabouts. She personally attacked Alice and Frank Longbottom, torturing them by means of the Cruciatus Curse in her attempt at forcing them to yield the information she wanted. The event rendered the Aurors clinically and permanently insane, therefore condemning them to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for the remainder of their lives. Prior to the Longbottoms' capture and torture, Alice had given birth to a baby boy, Neville Longbottom.

Neville was left with parents incapable of even recognising him let alone caring for him, and so was raised by his grandmother. Bellatrix seemed to find the fact that she had caused Neville's family tragedy highly amusing. Upon realising who Neville was, she proceeded to mock his loss, extremely angering him in the process. Ever since he was old enough to understand why his parents needed to be hospitalised, Neville had despised Bellatrix Lestrange, but given his benign nature, he never sought vengeance against her. Instead, Neville honoured his parents by showing more bravery than anyone could have expected of him, retaliating, when Bellatrix taunted him, rebelling against the tyranny of the Carrows during his seventh year at Hogwartsand subsequently fighting during the 1998 Battle of Hogwarts against Voldemort and his forces.

Severus Snape

"I don't trust you, Snape, as you very well know!"

—Bellatrix expressing her distrust in regards to Snape^[src]

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's quite likely that she was also envious of the position of trust and respect Snape enjoyed under Voldemort. It's 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. Bellatrix 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; Bellatrix dying, however, did not allow her to discover that her initial mistrust of Snape had been valid after all.

Albus Dumbledore

" [...] or dear Bellatrix, who likes to play with her food before she eats it [...] "

—Albus Dumbledore regarding Bellatrix's sadistic tendencies^[src]

Albus Dumbledore knew Bellatrix to be a highly dangerous Death Eater since the First Wizarding War, having also witnessed her trial and imprisonment, after she tortured the AurorsFrank and Alice Longbottom to insanity and beyond.

Though Bellatrix was fanatically loyal to Voldemort, and believed that he was greater and more powerful than Dumbledore, she would not brave Dumbledore in a duel, as she recognised him as a far more superior wizard than she was a witch. During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, Bellatrix opted to flee rather than engage Dumbledore in battle, deflecting his spells as she made her escape, and was the only Death Eater in the Death Chamber who succeeded in escaping from him — a testament of her prodigious magical skills.

While Bellatrix most likely never had so much as a full conversation with the Headmaster, Dumbledore seemed to understand her very well; he admitted to Severus Snape that he would prefer to not fall prey to Bellatrix Lestrange in his weakened state (caused by Voldemort's cursed Horcrux ring), as she liked to "play with her food before she eats it"; in other words, inflict unbelievable pain before finally delivering the killing blow.

Death Eaters

Bellatrix was not 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. 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, and her husband and his brother.

While in school she, along with her husband and Snape, were said to be part of a gang consisting of Evan Rosier, Wilkes, Avery, and Mulciber.

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

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. Bellatrix is notable for being one of the only female Death Eaters, this is exceptionally impressive since wizarding society as a whole seems fairly patriarchal. A desire to prove herself in a 'Man's World' could also lead to her obsessive overkill.

Bellatrix had a disdainful attitude towards the Snatchers. Despite their role in capturing Harry Potter, 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 Potter and agreed that he did deserve to be rewarded.

Hermione Granger

Bellatrix tortured Hermione when the trio were caught by Snatchers and tried to get the truth out of her as to why the trio had Godric Gryffindor's sword and thought they had stole it from her vault. Even through this pressure, Hermione lied that it was a fake and Griphook helped get that across. In the Battle of Hogwarts Bellatrix duelled Hermione, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood all at once. Her selection of Hermione for torture as well as her hatred for Muggle-Borns greatly implies that Hermione was viewed as lowly dirt by Bellatrix.

Order of the Phoenix and enemies

Ron Weasley: "No! You can have me, keep me!"

Bellatrix Lestrange: "If she dies under questioning, I'll take you next. Blood traitor is next to Mudblood in my book."

— Bellatrix's prejudice and belief in blood supremacy^[src]

Most of the Order of the Phoenix knew Bellatrix as one of the most dangerous and sadistic of Lord Voldemort's followers, especially considering Bellatrix managed to kill, seriously injure, or duel and successfully defeat several Order members. She despised her "blood traitor" cousin and niece, Sirius Black and Nymphadora Tonks, both of whom she eventually murdered; she bested Kingsley Shacklebolt at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, was disgusted by Remus Lupin, as a werewolf, marrying into her family through Nymphadora Tonks, and of course, took part in torturing the Aurors Alice and Frank Longbottom.

At the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor, she singled out Hermione Granger, as a Muggle-born, to torture and interrogate, though she offered to take Ron Weasley next, as a member of the Weasley family, well known in pure-blood supremacist circles as "blood traitors." During the Battle of Hogwarts, Bellatrix cruelly taunted Molly Weasley about the death of Molly's son, Fred, and when she tried to attack Molly's daughter, Ginny, she instigated a vicious battle between Molly and herself. This battle ended in the death of Bellatrix, who continued laughing derisively at the efforts of her opponent until the moment she realised Molly had defeated her.

Kreacher

Kreacher was the last house-elf of the House of Black, and he mimicked his family's pure-bloodsupremacist values. Like Sirius Black's mother, he was disappointed with Sirius for not sharing those same values. He favoured Bellatrix and Narcissa, Sirius' two cousins. He kept pictures of Bellatrix and some other Black family members in his sleeping area at 12 Grimmauld Place. His picture of Bellatrix was his favourite, as he had attempted to repair it with Spellotape and placed it in front of the others.

In December of 1995, when Sirius yelled at Kreacher to "get out" of a room, Kreacher interpreted the words as a command to leave his master's service and exit the house altogether. Because Bellatrix was currently in Azkaban and Andromeda had been disowned, Narcissa was the next family member whom he could serve. He went to her home and gave her information about Harry's godson relationship with Sirius Black. Later, after Bellatrix escaped from Azkaban, he helped her by injuring Buckbeak, Sirius's hippogriff. He also lied to Harry about Sirius being gone from the house one day, when he had actually only gone upstairs to tend to Buckbeak's injury. Harry went to the Ministry of Magic to "save" Sirius, who in turn went there to save Harry. After Bellatrix killed Sirius in a duel^[14], Kreacher hoped to officially move into her possession, but Sirius's will transferred ownership to Harry^[15]. Kreacher eventually gave his loyalty to Harry in 1997. He fought against Voldemort and his Death Eaters, Bellatrix included, during the Battle of Hogwarts^[12].

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. This is presumably an allusion to Bellatrix Lestrange being among the most dangerously skilled Death Eaters. The Amazons were warrior women in Greek mythology. 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 both her beauty and her mental instability, although technically Lestrange came from Bellatrix's husband Rodolphus.

Behind the scenes

• In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry witnesses her trial for the torture of Neville's parents in the pensieve. Despite this, she does not appear in the film adaptation, in which Barty Crouch Junior seems to be solely responsible for the crime (although Bellatrix's role in it is later revealed in the following film).
• Originally, Helen McCrory was going to play the role of Bellatrix in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but due to her pregnancy, she opted out of the film and was replaced by Helena Bonham Carter. Ironically, Bonham Carter herself learned she was pregnant shortly after completing filming. McCrory was eventually cast as Bellatrix's sister Narcissa in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. In the film, Bonham Carter is noticeably wearing looser clothing, as opposed to her form-fitting costume of the previous film (see below). With Bonham Carter's casting, she is roughly the same age as Bellatrix during the books (early-mid 40s), but she is younger than all of the Marauders, whom she pre-dates in her Hogwarts education.
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Bonham Carter's costume reflected the mental state of the character, thus the torn gloves and dress. She also had alternate attires with a hood worn up and a mask, but they were not used in the final cut of the film.
• On the tapestry depicted in the film, the face of Bellatrix pictured is a face of Helena Bonham Carter. On the DVD there is a different picture of Bellatrix on the tapestry, where she has a purple hat and looks stylistically similar to her sisters.
• Bellatrix's most frequently used spell is Crucio.
• In the films, her Apparition manifests as plumes of black smoke.
• She is normally pictured on the right of Lord Voldemort, and most people on the right side of leaders, are thought as the most loyal follower of the leader.

• Sirius Black told Harry Potter that Bellatrix ran in the same crowd as Severus Snape while at Hogwarts, but her date of birth makes this impossible. Bellatrix would have attended Hogwarts from 1962 to 1969, or possibly 1963 to 1970, depending on which month in 1951 she was born in, whereas Snape began his schooling in 1971. This may simply be an error, as J. K. Rowling has admitted that maths is not her strong suit.^[20] Another possible explanation could be that both Bellatrix and Snape went around with the same type of people, some of whom may have overlapped depending on age. It is is also possible that she failed her exams and had to repeat several Hogwarts years, though this is extremely unlikely as she was rather active during the First Wizarding War.
• Bellatrix's wand is 12¾" walnut wood, with a dragon heartstring core. It was described by Garrick Ollivander as "unyielding".^[21]

• Helena Bonham Carter, who portrays Bellatrix in the Harry Potter (film series), described the character as being "as bonkers as they come", commenting that Bellatrix has "a bit of a child-like madness... like boys who like to pick apart an insect for the sake of it".^[22].
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Bellatrix participates in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower but in the book there is no mention of her. Also, a new scene was added of The Burrow being attacked and burned over the Christmas holidays by Bellatrix, Fenrir Greyback and an unknown Death Eater, possibly Amycus Carrow, Corban Yaxley, or Thorfinn Rowle.
• J. K. Rowling states in an interview that she had always intended that Molly Weasley would kill Bellatrix, for two main reasons: Firstly, so that Molly could "have her moment [of victory]" and show the doubting Bellatrix that simply because she dedicates herself to her family doesn't mean that she isn't a powerful witch. And second, to show the difference of Molly's romantic and maternal love against Bellatrix's obsessive 'love' of Voldemort.^[19]
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Bellatrix appears in the adapted scene of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower despite there being no mention of her presence there in the sixth book. Also of difference is the fact that there is no literal "Battle" between the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix during this scene; allowing the former group to pass through Hogwarts without resistance and Bellatrix to walk insanely on the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall before casting a spell to destroy all of the Hall's many windows. It is during the segment in the Astronomy Tower that Bellatrix speaks the line, "well done", to Draco for cornering Dumbledore. In the book, it is Amycus Carrow who congratulates Draco for his work, and far less formally. Bellatrix then proceeds to order Draco to hurry and murder Dumbledore, in place of Yaxley (who does not make a true appearance at all in the film). Also different in this section of the film is that Bellatrix casts the Dark Mark into the sky after Dumbledore's death, whereas in the book, it is Gibbon who does so prior to the death of the Headmaster. Finally, Bellatrix (in the film) is shown to commit acts that were Thorfinn Rowle's doing in the book. These include burning down Hagrid's hut (although the film shows the burning process to be more explosive than it was described to be in the book) and briefly torturing Harry with the Cruciatus Curse.
• Bellatrix's wanted poster is featured on an official Warner Brothers Harry Potter t-shirt. It says that Bellatrix was convicted for murder. In the book, she was sentenced to Azkaban for her participation in the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom, though it's likely that she also committed several murders as well.
• Bellatrix has the distinction of being the only person in the series to duel all three main characters on separate occasions. She attacked Harry Potter during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, fought Ron Weasley in the sky during the Battle of the Seven Potters and duelled with Hermione Granger in the Battle of Hogwarts.
• In the special features of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, J.K Rowling describes Bellatrix as 'the female Death Eater par excellence'.
• Bellatrix, like her two younger sisters, Andromeda and Narcissa, only had a single child.
• Bellatrix is the only Black sister to have a child out of wedlock.
• It's likely that it was Bellatrix who picked the name for her daughter from Lord Voldemort, as Delphini follows the tradition of the House of Black to name its members after stars and celestial bodies. It's also likely that if it was indeed Bellatrix's choice, Voldemort could have approved it as it was a pure-blood name which complied with traditions of high-born pure-blood noble family.
• In the final book and film, Molly Weasley is the one who kills Bellatrix. However, in the final video game, after Neville defies Voldemort and pulls the sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat, Voldemort casts a Killing Curse at Neville and it ricochets off of the sword and hits Bellatrix, she does not die when it hits her, but screams when it does. She later fights Molly and is defeated, lying on the floor dead, unlike the movie when she's blasted into ash.
• The script for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince describes Bellatrix as a "mad child."
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Bellatrix does not question Snape about his loyalties nor does she show any signs of disagreement or hatred towards Snape. However, she does sneer at him and taunt him for being a coward as well as tell her sister that "He can't be trusted" to which Narcissa responds "The Dark Lord trusts him".
• For the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie, Popco had introduced several "series" of Harry Potter movie action figures, including Bellatrix, in the United Kingdom and several other European countries. This made people in the United States go online to buy this action figure and/or others via British departments of certain online shopping websites. These websites include Amazon UK and Ebay UK.
• Bellatrix may have been a classmate of Rita Skeeter as both women were born in the same year (1951).
• In an interview, Helena Bonham Carter mentions that the scene where she holds Neville with her wand to his throat contains an injury. She ad-libbed pushing her wand into his ear canal, thinking it was good torture. Unfortunately Neville moved his head towards her and ruptured his ear drum. She didn't learn until later that she did it, and regrets it because Matthew Lewis "Is such a nice young man."
• Bellatrix appears as something of a mini-boss in the Harry Potter Adventure World of LEGO Dimensions. She can be fought if the player knocks on the door to Grimmauld Place, then after battling five to fifteen Death Eaters she must be hit three times with an object using the levitation charm.
• In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, Bellatrix kills Dobby launching him various objects (like a fish or a lamp) which caused their death crushing him instead than launching him a knife. Also, her death is very different. After fighting Molly Weasley and Kingsley Shacklebolt, Bellatrix's corpse separates in three pieces (her head, her torso, and her legs) and later explodes, killing her in the process.

Trivia

• Helena Bonham Carter also portrayed big screen villainesses Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and The Red Queen from the movie adaption of Alice In Wonderland (as well as its sequel, Alice Through The Looking Glass.)
• Helena Bonham Carter also appeared in 2012's Dark Shadows as the evil Dr. Julia Hoffman.

Gallery

Promotional work of Bellatrix Lestrange