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Full name: Bellatrix Elladora Black Lestrange
Canon from: Harry Potter
Canon type: Books
Age: 29
Point in time when character has been taken from canon: After two months' incarceration in Azkaban
Crime: Murder and torture

Character history:
Bellatrix Black was the closest thing to the son her father had wanted and her mother had been unable to provide. Special treatment from her father cultivated a sense of superiority to the other women in the household, an attitude that would eventually be extended to most women in general. This was simply an extension of the fact that her family was superior to most- in power, in purity, in any sense that mattered. Through instruction in the social niceties of the wealthy, pureblood world, Bellatrix learned to tolerate an exceptional level of tedium. Traditions, however, were in place for a reason, and the values they embodied took deep root in her worldview.

As Bellatrix grew older, she took to almost mothering her two younger sisters- dressing them up, telling them what to do, feeling responsible for their behaviour and how it reflected on the family. She never shied away from delivering a sharp slap to Cissy's pale cheek when the youngest Black daughter couldn't seem to behave properly. Her relationship with her mother was strained by lack of obedience on Bella's part. The only authority Bellatrix actually recognized was her father's, which seemed to amuse him, even if he tried to conceal that fact. Generally, Bellatrix was inclined toward male friends, finding them much more entertaining and liberated than more of her female peers. Though a good deal younger, Bellatrix was especially fond of her cousin, Regulus. While her aunt and uncle were doing a proper job of bungling things with Sirius, Regulus seemed to just implicitly know how to behave.

When Andromeda left, something vicious broke in Bellatrix. It was as if the low born, barely human parasites in the wizarding world had murdered her sister, they'd ripped Andromeda away from the Black family. What had before been a generalized disdain for mudbloods and their ilk blossomed into something profoundly personal, opening her eyes to the true threat facing their society. Safeguarding their world was the responsibility of the pure. The Mininstry weak and corrupt, Bellatrix found an outlet through the wizard with the vision to understand what was going on, what needed to be done, and had the power to bring it about. The Dark Lord was going to save their world. Under His instruction and in her serivce, her loyalty and devotion grew by leaps and bounds. With His authority, she was granted leave to unleash herself completely. Having grown up in a world of rules and protocols, such release intoxicating. Addictive. And it was all possible through the Dark Lord.

Her marriage to Rodolphus Lestrange could almost have been called a marriage of convenience. He was of an appropriate status, he had the money and reputation, and the proper sort of values. Above all else, he wasn't boring. Although things between them could become a bit volatile, Bellatrix never would have been able to respect or tolerate a man she could easily push around. However, Bellatrix had the rather uncommon benefit of gaining a partner through marriage. She gained an equal, someone worthy of her, someone who could see and admire even the darkest facets of who she was.

When Sirius, too, was lost, Bellatrix appeased her fury by killing seven muggles, three of them children. She put her full support behind Regulus as the future of the Black family, and could not have been prouder when he took the Mark. His disappearance a few years later dredged up despicable rumors- treason, desertion. She never believed a word of it. Instead, it inspired mistrust in those who voiced such claims, and those who had reason to envy her cousin's position. A high-ranking Death Eater made the mistake of musing over the possibility of Regulus' betrayal in front of her while Bellatrix was in a particularly foul mood. Though she was punished exhaustively for killing so useful a Death Eater, she never properly repented the act.

The fall of the Dark Lord seemed like only further proof of traitors in their ranks. The mere notion of one who knew what they were working toward being able to try to circumvent their aims revolted Bellatrix. Unable to believe it was possible, that it could be true, she and those left who were closest to her set out to cut a path of killing and torture till it led them to the Dark Lord. Panic and paranoia, however, made her relentless. They took too many risks. Dead end after dead end inspired a desperation she was unable to articulate, let alone complain. It was almost a relief to be apprehended. She washed her mind, over and over again, in the assurance that it was the Dark Lord who would find them. They just had to wait. Be faithful. And he would reward them. And then, then they would make everyone pay for the loss and injustices they'd suffered.

Character personality:
Bellatrix is power-hungry, superior, and aggressive, which fuels what she regards as a perfectly justified level of narcissism. Her ego is maintained by the praise and admiration of others, and trumping opponents of any variety. She takes great offense when those she considers beneath her make any attempt to secure what she perceives to be rightfully hers. While highly susceptible to veneration and flattery, she honestly trusts a painfully small number of people. She has a strong sense of personal and familial pride, and something of a convoluted, slightly archaic sense of honour, all of which are not too difficult to offend. Her temper comes hard, cold, and often vicious, but she is capable of sustaining a smoldering grudge for decades.

Within the confines of a prison, Bella's nature is set on edge. Being imprisoned and practically powerless creates an almost frightening challenge to her perception of herself. A sense of being toyed with or manipulated will likely set off her temper and prompt her to lash out. She has no care for being told where to go or what to do, and learning to cooperate may take some time. Underlying this, however, is an iron will to survive, coupled with a knack for self-preservation, that may help her adjust- or at least, appear to adjust. Bellatrix rarely has much incentive to look out for anyone other than herself, or to respect anyone other than herself, so she may regard interactions with other prisoners as more amusing diversions than anything else.

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