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Biographical Details | Temperament and Personality | Physical Traits | Magical Traits | Wand Traits | Nicknames/Aliases/Titles/Appearances | Organizations/Teams/Clubs | What Happened to Bellatrix After the Fall of Voldemort? | What Helena Bonham Carter Has To Say About Bellatrix | How Bellatrix Changed Throughout The Series | How Bellatrix Differs in the Books and Movies | Video of Bellatrix | Bellatrix Costume
Note: Some of the content in here may contain spoilers from the books, movies, and/or Pottermore.com
Biographical Details
Date of Birth = 1951 (exact date unknown)
Mother = Druella Black (née Rosier)
Father = Cygnus Black III
Siblings = Andromeda (sister) and Narcissa (sister)
Spouse = Rodolphus Lestrange
Children = None
Wizard Blood Status = Pure Blood
Hogwarts House = Slytherin
Occupation = Death Eater
Life Status = Deceased, killed by Molly Weasley on May 2, 1998
Temperament and Personality
Bellatrix Lestrange was a volatile, sadistic, arrogant woman who fully embraced the doctrine that Pure Blood witches and wizards were superior to Half Bloods and Muggles. She was cold emotionally to everyone, including her husband, with the exception of Voldemort. She married her husband because it was expected of her, but she appeared to have no love for him. The only man for Bellatrix was Voldemort, whom she loved to a point of fanaticism and obsession.
We don’t know much about Bellatrix’s youth or past, but we do know that she was sent to Azkaban for her part in the torture of Aurors Alice and Frank Longbottom some time around 1981 or 1982. She, along with fellow Death Eaters Rodolphus Lestrange (her husband), Rabastan Lestrange (her brother-in-law), and Barty Crouch Jr. (son of Ministry worker Barty Crouch Sr.), tortured the Longbottom’s in an effort to find out where Voldemort had disappeared to after his attempt on young Harry Potter. Their extended use of the Cruciatus Curse destroyed the minds of Alice and Frank, who lived out the rest of lives not knowing who they were or their only son, Neville.
Bellatrix was ruthless and never had any remorse for the injury or death she caused. She was truly frightening because of her lack of morals or conscience. This trait also enabled her to become Lord Voldemort’s most loyal Death Eater, and she willingly went to Azkaban proud of her support of him and all that she had done while in his inner circle. In 1995 Voldemort helped her escape the wizard prison, along with other imprisoned Death Eaters, and she eagerly returned to his side. It appeared that Voldemort respected her above all others for her unwavering devotion to him.
Physical Traits
Race = Human
Gender = Female
Skin Color = Pale
Hair Color = Dark
Eye Color = Dark
Other Notable Traits = Bellatrix was described as heavily lidded eyes and had a close resemblance to her younger sister, Andromeda. She may have been beautiful prior to her incarceration, but time in Azkaban slowly eroded away much of her beauty, leaving her gaunt and wasted.
Magical Traits
Patronus = None
Boggart = None
I pondered what Bellatrix’s Boggart might be, which is a fun thing to think about. Given that Bellatrix didn’t have a conscience I doubt she was afraid of anything, but the only thing I can think of that would have terrified her was being rejected by Voldemort.
Wand Traits
Length = 12 3/4″
Wood = Walnut
Core = Dragon heartstring
Pliancy = Unyielding
Maker = Unknown, possibly Garrick Ollivander
Master = Bellatrix
Owner = Bellatrix
Temporarily Owned By = Hermione Granger
Additional Details = Hermione’s wand was confiscated by a Snatcher in the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Hermione, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley were all taken by the Snatchers to Malfoy Manor where they escaped with help from Dobby, and they grabbed any wands they could find as they escaped. One of the wands they grabbed belonged to Bellatrix and Hermione used it after their escape, though the wand never worked properly for Hermione and she hated using it.
Bellatrix never got her wand back and she fought in the Battle of Hogwarts with someone else’s wand. It is possible that she never won over the allegiance of the wand but despite that Bellatrix was able to perform formidable magic with it. I shudder to think how much more murder and mayhem Bellatrix would have been able to do if she had her wand with her during this battle.
Nicknames/Alias/Titles/Appearances
Nicknames = None
Aliases = None
Titles = Death Eater
Appearances = None
Organizations/Teams/Clubs
Organizations = Death Eaters
Teams = None
Clubs = None
What Happened to Bellatrix After the Fall of Voldemort?
I assume her body was buried since Molly Weasley killed her during the final battle at Hogwarts.
What Helena Bonham Carter Has To Say About Bellatrix Lestrange
Helena Bonham Carter may not have had as much screen time in the various Harry Potter movies as some of the other stars but she made the most of every minute she had. Helena took the character of Bellatrix and completely owned her in every way. Helena admitted to being attracted to Bellatrix because she was mentally stuck in a childlike way.
Did you know that Helena wasn’t originally cast as Bellatrix? Actress Helen McRory was going to play Bellatrix but found herself pregnant so she walked away from the role. McRory was later cast as Bellatrix’s sister, Narcissa Malfoy, but her loss was Helena’s gain. The irony of this is that Helena herself became pregnant, something that is visible to sharp eyes in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
According to one article I read, Helena was a huge fan of the Harry Potter stories, loves, magic, and loved the opportunity to play a witch.
Author J.K. Rowling describes Bellatrix in the books but doesn’t go into too much detail about her. Helena added her own touches to the character by making Bellatrix even more “insane and unhinged then she was meant to be.” It was Helena’s idea to give Bellatrix rotten teeth as a way of showing the toll Azkaban took on her, and she also chose the black corset worn over her dress.
Perhaps the most iconic aspect of Helena’s Bellatrix was her wild, unruly, curly hair. Helena has naturally curly hair so the curls were hers, and she said that she wanted her hair messy in an effort to keep the hair and makeup people away.
How Bellatrix Changed Throughout The Series
The only change I can think of was when Bellatrix went from living to dead. Otherwise, she was very consistent as a character.
How Bellatrix Differs in the Books and Movies
The book version of Bellatrix is no where near as detailed as the version we see in the movies. The movie version of this character is much more exaggerated and extreme, which works well because Bellatrix was a woman driven by her sole devotion to Voldemort. Helena’s exaggerated actions showed this devotion in a way that the books didn’t.
Bellatrix did not have rotten teeth in the books but did in the movies because Helena Bonham Carter thought it would be a good way to show Bellatrix’s physical decline during the many years she spent in Azkaban. It was a great addition on the part of Helena because it showed a woman who was once sexy but who had become repulsive.
Those of you who have seen the movie version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 1 remember the seen where Bellatrix was torturing Hermione in the Malfoy Manor. This scene is very different in the book than it is in the movie. In the book, Hermione was tortured into unconsciousness with the Cruciatus Curse, then Bellatrix held a knife to her throat and threatened to slit Hermione’s throat while demanding that Harry and Ron drop their wands. Bellatrix pressed the knife against Hermione’s throat hard enough to draw blood and was ready to give her to Greyback the Werewolf but was interrupted when Dobby caused a chandelier to fall.
In the movie, instead of holding a knife to Hermione’s throat she used it to carve the word Mudblood into Hermione’s arm. This was something that both Helena Bonham Carter and Emma Watson came up with together, and it was, in my opinion, the kind of change that improved the scene.
Video of Bellatrix
Here is a short video with Helena Bonham Carter talking about her time as Bellatrix and how much fun it was to play such a villainous witch.
Bellatrix Costume
Bellatrix is a wildly popular character from the Harry Potter universe, so it comes as no surprise that she is also a popular character to dress as. I have gathered all the essential items, as well as fun optional ones, for anyone who wants to dress up as this arrogant and mad witch. You can see all the items at the Bellatrix costume page.
Biographical Details | Temperament and Personality | Physical Traits | Magical Traits | Wand Traits | Nicknames/Aliases/Titles/Appearances | Organizations/Teams/Clubs | What Happened to Bellatrix After the Fall of Voldemort? | What Helena Bonham Carter Has To Say About Bellatrix | How Bellatrix Changed Throughout The Series | How Bellatrix Differs in the Books and Movies | Video of Bellatrix | Bellatrix Costume
