While there are plenty of twisted witches and wizards throughout the Harry Potter series, perhaps none are more twisted than Bellatrix Lestrange. She managed to move from her simple beginnings to become the right hand of one of the most feared dark wizards in the history of the wizarding world, Voldemort. Throughout her life, Bellatrix was the cause of a lot of heartache due to just how little she regarded those around her.
Even though much of Bellatrix’s life is quite easy to learn about, fans of the Harry Potter series will still have to do some digging to uncover many details of her life. She’d been a powerful witch for a long time, and she never seemed all that interested in doing anything remotely good with all that power.
The Childhood Of Bellatrix Lestrange
It’s possible that Bellatrix was set up to look down on others right from the very beginning. When she was born back in 1951, she was met with a childhood filled with wealth and an overt sort of pride that came from the fact that she was part of a powerful pure-blood family. Much of her childhood is highlighted by the fact that she was a part of one of the few wizarding families left that were truly pure-blood, something that was known as the Sacred Twenty-Eight. This pride in pure blood was so significant that it would cause Bellatrix and other members of her family to cut ties with others including her own sister Andromeda, and her cousin Sirius Black.
She would eventually make it to Hogwarts, though the details of her time there are few and far between. What is known is that she was sorted into Slytherin house, something that likely only served to further push Bellatrix toward her darker and more dominant magical urges.
Bellatrix And the First Wizarding War
After her time at Hogwarts, Bellatrix managed to become a Death Eater for Voldemort, something that would only serve to further her power. It was at this point that she would develop twisted romantic feelings for Voldemort, though the dark wizard was a bit more preoccupied with his own evil schemes. It wouldn’t be a shock to hear of plenty of dark crimes committed by Bellatrix during the First Wizarding War, but most of the details known about this time simply point to Bellatrix being fiercely loyal to Voldemort. Despite Voldemort’s seemed death on the night in which he went to kill the Potters, Bellatrix would continue to serve him.
It was Bellatrix’s loyalty in this era that would be a major catalyst in the wizarding world moving forward. At some point, Bellatrix got her hands on Neville Longbottom’s parents, Frank and Alice, and began torturing them for information. That horrific torture session warped the minds of the Longbottom’s in the worst way possible, leaving them in a forever changed mental state. Those who have experienced the Harry Potter series will know that Bellatrix’s curse of choice here was the Cruciatus Curse, a curse that is capable of dealing continued immense pain to the target. Bellatrix couldn’t get the information she wanted on Voldemort from the Longbottom’s but she likely reveled in destroying the minds of two Order of the Pheonix members.
The Capture of Bellatrix Lestrange
Unfortunately for Bellatrix, her use of the Cruciatus Curse to torture the Longbottoms didn’t go over well. Being a Death Eater already put her at odds with the law, but her actions only further added fuel to the fire, and she was eventually captured alongside a group of other Death Eaters. While the Ministry of Magic may not always make the best decisions, the choice to sentence Bellatrix to life in Azkaban was probably one of the best decisions they could have made. She would end up getting out later in life, but the wizarding community had no way of knowing that the Voldemort fanatic would eventually be released once the dark wizard rose back to power.
It’s probably for the best that Bellatrix never wavered in her support for Voldemort, as it made her an obvious choice to add back to his ranks once he had been brought back properly. She’d remained in Azkaban for more than a decade, and while not much is known about her actions during her imprisonment, it’s obvious that even years of prison were not enough to change her allegiances.
Bellatrix And The Second Wizarding War
Bellatrix wouldn’t be left to rot in Azkaban for the rest of her life, because Voldemort would eventually see to it that she was broken free. Voldemort’s reason for freeing her from the dark prison was her passionate loyalty to him, though her twisted skill with the dark arts was likely an additional factor. While she would lay low for a while after her initial freedom, it wouldn’t be long before Bellatrix would begin to wreak havoc again.
She’d reappear during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in The Order Of The Pheonix to not only best the likes of Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt but also to kill her own cousin, Sirius Black. While she would ultimately fail to achieve her master’s goals, she would be able to escape with him unlike many of the others in attendance.
After that fiasco, Bellatrix would participate in the plan to kill Dumbledore in The Half-Blood Prince by casting an unbreakable vow that meant Snape would be forced to assist young Draco Malfoy in his task. At some point during this period, Bellatrix would become pregnant with and give birth to Voldemort’s child though that plotline is only seen in the book and stage-play for Harry Potter And The Cursed Child.
Bellatrix would be involved in the chaotic combat of the Battle of the Seven Potters from Deathly Hallows: Part One, though she would fail to do anything of note. After their capture during their quest to destroy Voldemort’s Horcruxes, Bellatrix would make a fatal error in telegraphing important objects being kept in her Gringotts vault, but she would also enjoy her time torturing Hermione with the Cruciatus Curse. Before the group escaped, Bellatrix would manage to kill Dobby with the throw of a knife and wouldn’t be seen again in a major way until the Battle of Hogwarts.
During Voldemort’s assault on Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows: Part Two, Bellatrix took on all comers, eventually being locked in a battle with Luna Lovegood, Hermoine Granger, and Ginny Weasley (whom she nearly killed) all at the same time. Her attempt to kill Ginny was enough to enrage Molly Weasley, which would prove to be Bellatrix’s downfall. The angry Weasley mother would have a brief duel with the witch before finally killing her, putting an end to Bellatrix’s evil ways only moments before her master would meet his final end.
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