Bellatrix Lestrange is usually a go-to character for fans who are obsessed with villains in movies and novels. After all, she pretty much ate up every single moment that she endured during the Harry Potter series.
She was truly devoted to her cause, even if there seemed to be no morals surrounding it. In fact, it was a lack of morals that turned her into a visually iconic antagonist with a personality as vile as her beliefs.
In short, Bellatrix Lestrange was unhinged, crazed, and sadistic. This is why fans were immediately obsessed with her.
Bellatrix, of course, was also Lord Voldemort's most loyal servant and most talented Death Eater. Everything she did was for him and his cause.
This was an interesting trait, since we are so accustomed to understanding why a lead villain did what they did. This doesn't always explain why an anatagonist's followers them. This is precisely one of the reasons why Bellatrix was so engaging.
She seemed to have a sick obsession with Voldemort that went so far beyond romantic desire. She was also very clearly scared of him and his remarkable magical abilities.
However, the reason for her obsession clearly went a lot deeper and probably had to do with the relationship that she had with her parents.
Even the biggest Harry Potter fans are often surprised to learn some of Bellatrix's most interesting traits. After all, she remains a bit of a mystery.
Without further ado, here are the 20 Strangest Things About Bellatrix Lestrange's Body.
20. Her Parents Forced Her Into A Political Marriage
Huge fans already know that Bellatrix was actually married to Rodulphus Lestrange throughout the course of the Harry Potter series, which explains why she didn't have the last name of Black like her cousin, Sirius.
Bellatrix grew up the eldest of three sisters. Her parents were part of a long line of pure-blood families, which meant that they had a bloodline of only magical blood.
Whenever one of their family proved themselves a Blood Traitor and married a half-blood or muggle, they were blasted off the family tree... sometimes quite literally.
This ideology led to what some fans claim was an arranged marriage between Bellatrix and Rodulphus.
In reality, she was merely forced to find an upstanding and pure-blood match even though she never loved the man she chose.
19. She Had A Sadistic Personality
Even actress Helena Bonham Carter, who portrayed the dark witch in the Harry Potter movie series, claimed that Bellatrix had "a sadistic personality disorder."
This would explain the enjoyment she got from hurting people; whether it was through her continued use of the Cruciatus Curse or her interest in generally harming or ending other living things.
After all, it would take a lot of psychological damage to make someone as awful as Bellatrix, so it makes sense that it was chemical, especially after her stint in Azkaban.
In comparison to other Death Eaters, Bellatrix was completely deranged. Other Death Eaters even feared her and were put off of her "bloodlust."
There had to have been some significant psychological trauma there.
18. She Took The Life Of Her Favourite Cousin
Bellatrix is probably best-known for being responsible for taking the life of Harry's mentor and godfather, Sirius Black.
Although it might have seemed like Bellatrix had no issue using an Unforgivable Curse on Sirius - at least on the outiside - he was actually her favorite cousin growing up.
Surprisingly, Bellatrix was actually quite close to her family. The only thing that affected this was if a relative's allegiances weren't aligned with the rest of the family's.
As soon as they broke away from the family, Bellatrix would disown them.
However, disowning them wasn't always enough. She quickly learned to hate them and wanted them to meet their end.
Not only did she take out Sirius for associating with blood-traitors and mudbloods, but she also ended the life of her niece, Tonks, for the same reason.
17. She's An Excellent Dueler
Bellatrix wasn't just a psychotic maniac with an unhealthy devotion to Lord Voldemort - she also was an asset to his ranks.
Author J.K. Rowling has said, on numerous occasions, that Bellatrix was the most dangerous Death Eater that Voldemort had at his disposal.
Not only was this because of her unhinged personality that easily made her throw herself in harm's way without worrying about the repercussions, but it also had to do with the fact that she was an excellent dueler.
She knew dark magic like the back of her hand.
In the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows novel, Bellatrix even managed to fight off Ginny, Hermione, and Luna all at the same time without breaking too much of a sweat.
16. Her Family Was Part Of The Sacred Twenty-Eight
Bellatrix's family, the Blacks, were a wealthy pure-blood family with a sickening desire to keep their lineage free of half-bloods and muggles.
In fact, they even had a racist family motto - "Toujours Pur," which meant "Always Pure."
Their obsession with being pure-bloods, as well as disowning any family member who married someone who wasn't, was known throughout the Wizarding World in Britain.
They were even part of an exclusive line of witches and wizards called The Sacred Twenty-Eight.
This group of families has been entirely pure-blood for generations and therefore were untainted by non-magical blood.
Not every family in the Sacred Twenty Eight were against muggles and half-bloods like the Blacks, Lestranges, and Malfoys, but a good chunk of them were.
15. She Was An Occlumens
When most people read that Bellatrix was an outstanding dueler and powerful dark witch, they aren't surprised.
However, the fact that she was actually an Occlumens tends to surprise fans, since this skill takes a level of focus, which is a trait not often linked to Bellatrix.
Occlumency is the magical act of closing one's mind off the powers of Legilimency, something we've seen a few times in the series.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Snape taught Harry how to close his mind off to prevent Voldemort's mental attacks. This was something that Harry struggled with throughout the series.
J.k. Rowling revealed in Half-Blood Prince that Bellatrix had trained Draco to fight off any attacks on his mind that may have thwarted his plan to assassinate Dumbledore.
14. The Polyjuice Potion Made From Her Tasted Awful
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, there is a memorable scene where Hermione has to drink polyjuice potion in order to transform into Bellatrix.
This was something that she had to do so that she, Ron, and Harry could get into Bellatrix's Gringott's bank vault in order to steal and destroy a Hufflepuff cup that was one of Voldemort's Horocruxes.
Because the recipe for the potion called for some of Bellatrix's hair, Hermione actually got to taste a bit of the dark witch.
After drinking the polyjuice potion, Hermione remarked that Bellatrix tasted "disgusting."
This directly reflected that Bellatrix's insides were just as gross and awful than the sickness that she exuded on the outside.
13. Her Wand Pushed Her Toward Dark Magic
Although there were clearly many factors that made Bellatrix turn to a life of crime and hatred, her wand actually had a role in her fate.
Wands contain a variety of different cores. Each one gives a wand a different magical quality, as well as a personality.
Bellatrix's main wand, which Ollivander described as "unyielding," had a core of Dragon Heartstring.
This core has a history of turning wizards and witches toward dark magic since it is known as one of the most powerful wand cores.
Another reason why Dragon Heartstring is so powerful is that it's presumably taken from a dragon that is about to meet it's demise or has already ed. This means that it's a core that comes from the act of perishing.
Hermione's wand had a similar core, but she was one of the few with it who didn't turn to the dark side.
12. Her Famous Teeth Were Made Thanks To Helena Bonham Carter
One of the most recognizable elements of Bellatrix Lestrange's appearance is her rotten teeth.
Although this was something that J.K. Rowling didn't really specify in any of her books, her teeth play a large part in all of the movies that Bellatrix shows up in.
They are especially noticeable during the Battle of Hogwarts when she laughs at Neville for standing up to Voldemort.
The idea for Bellatrix to have such ratchet teeth actually came from actress Helena Bonham Carter. This was something that dated back to her original appearance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Because Bellatrix had spent so much time in a horrible prison, Bonham Carter wanted her to appear really "savage."
She wanted Bellatrix's gnarly teeth to really standout and frighten children.
11. Helena Based Her Performance On "Savage Children"
Helena Bonham Carter reportedly based a lot of Bellatrix's attitude on "savage children" before they get civilized by society and/or their parents.
That explains the type of mania, greed, and immaturity that Bellatrix so often displayed with throughout the Harry Potter movies. She basically acted like a child who had eaten too much sugar and was told to have a time-out.
Moments when she randomly lashed out in anger, trashed the Hogwarts dining tables, and made "grossed-out" noises at the thought of mating with Muggles, all reflect an immature, spoiled, and mean child.
On top of this, she was also a sadistic maniac.
Bonham Carter claimed that she played up the sadist in Bellatrix, which actually led to her damaging Matthew Lewis' inner ear when she captured him in Order of the Phoenix. Essentially, as she got a little too aggressive with her wand.
