The Dark Lord instils fear even in his greatest, most loyal servants. My name is Bellatrix Lestrange, and I serve The Dark Lord to get rid of blood traitors and mudbloods. They taint our world when they are not even worthy to practice magic.
1968 - Becoming a Death Eater and my first mission.
I waited a year before I got the Mark, as he wanted me to prove my loyalty. He had seen my thirst for power and the Slytherin ambition which ran through my veins. I received the Dark Mark in the July before my seventh year at Hogwarts. That day will be with me for the rest of my life.
I felt nervous. Today would be the first time I would be officially meeting the Dark Lord. His power scared yet enthralled me. It was a warm summer's day but I felt cold, like I had been pushed into a frozen lake. I had never doubted my decision to join the ranks of the Death Eater's; I had spent my time trying to convince Him I would be an asset rather than a problem. Now it was time to face my destiny and I was sitting here wondering whether I was prepared for the reality of what was coming.
A few hours later and I were wandering around an abandoned castle. The place is not disclosed to anyone but those in The Dark Lord's inner circle. I had come here by portkey which was provided by Rabastan, my future brother-in-law. The night's air was filled with the sweet scent of honeysuckle, but even that could not remove the stench of evil that lingered here. It was like a sacred place to them, a place where they meet for great events. Initiation of a new person was only one of these. The other was for regular updates and orders and lastly for captives and torture.
The sun had started setting and it wouldn't be long until the ceremony started. I realised I had walked into a medieval torture chamber. I went and had a look at some of the instruments, blood still stained upon some of them. I had no doubt that they hadn't been used since the castle had been abandoned, but I still shuddered at the thought of their suffering. I might have decided to become a Death Eater but it didn't stop me from having a conscience.
"Bring her to me." The Dark Lord ordered.
I walked forward, feeling terrified that I would fall. The full moon hung in the sky, not daring to go beneath a cloud in case it missed something. I was heavy with anticipation. I had been the first to be called. After a nervous look around me, I saw people with long black cloaks and masks who stood watching my every move. A small breeze ventured through the room and made my blood run cold.
"Do you swear that I have your allegiance from now until you die?" The Dark Lord questioned. He was looking directly at me with his red eyes expecting an answer.
"I swear my allegiance to you. From this day, until the day I die." I replied.
"Mordesmore!" He hissed.
My arm felt as if it was on fire. I am sure the pain was a test of what I could handle. If could handle this then I could handle anything that was passed my way. The cold air of the night rushed to soothe the burning skin. I had finally done it; I was now a follower of the Dark Lord. Once it was over and I had returned to the circle, Rodolphus took his oath and Mark. The stars shone brightly under the glowing moon as if they were praising me. I finally felt as if I belonged to this path, a path laid out for me before I was even born. The path to protect my race and my magic from being contaminated.
My first task was to gather information on a secret organisation called the Order of the Phoenix. This was assigned to me and my then future husband, Rodolphus Lestrange. When we had discovered information, we were to pass what we had learned on to Rabastan.
The task was extremely hard, as nobody in the castle talked about the Order. One afternoon in June, I became lucky.
I was walking on my own through the corridors of Hogwarts in my free period. I could hear voices coming from the corridor to my right. I slowed down so they could not hear my footsteps. I felt as if I shouldn't be doing this. What if it was a couple in the middle of a private conversation? I know I was a bit of a gossip but, I wouldn't want to overhear any gory details of their time together.
The closer I got the more distinguishable the voices became. I recognised them as seventh years, although I couldn't place their names.
"McGonagall said that we would have to meet with Dumbledore in the next week to tell him our answer." One of the boys said.
"I know Gideon. Do you want to do this? I mean I know we said that we wanted to fight Voldemort and everything but do we really want to do it in this way? Couldn't we just be Aurors for the ministry?" the other boy asked.
My heart started to race. These were the Prewett brothers talking. They had obviously been asked into the Order by McGonagall, which meant the old hag is in it too.
"Yes Fabian it is the way I want to do it. It would take years to become a proper Auror and now we have a chance to really fight without the complete training." Gideon replied.
The information I passed on enabled me to rise higher through the Death Eater ranks. I had passed my first test with flying colours.
II. 1972 - The first time I felt no remorse.
I had always had a conscience about what I was doing. I knew in my heart it was the right thing and that I should not care about it. They were worthless people who were below me; contaminating everything I believed in. Yet there were still human, still able to feel hurt, anger and pain.
I remember the night I felt no remorse for what I had done. The transition for me was complete. I had done it so many times that the remorse and regret kept slipping away, piece by piece, until there was none left.
It was a winter's night, and the inky black sky held no light. The stars had not come out to witness the treachery which was about to happen. Rodolphus, Lucius, and I unlocked the back door and slipped in.
We crept silently through the house until we each reached a bedroom. Inside were two sleeping figures of a man and woman. We decided to take these down first. We cast a silencing charm whilst we overpowered them. Once we had them under control, we went to the next two bedrooms where a girl and her brother were sleeping peacefully. We took them to their parent's room and made them stand in the corner.
We took the man first and spread him on the bed. The silencing charm was removed, and we began to torture him. His screams filled the room, and his family began to cry out his name, encouraging him to stay strong. It only took a couple of times until he passed out. He was weak, just like the rest of man apart from my master – he was never weak.
The mother was the next one to be tortured. Both the children latched on to her, as if trying to save her from our clutches. Their eyes widened in even more fear as their mother was tortured. She lasted longer than her husband did, and fought until the very end.
"Shall we show them the ending, Lucius? I think they should watch it before it happens to them." I said sadistically, enjoying every moment of their pain and suffering.
"Yes, Bella, I believe we should. Would you like to do the honours, or should I?" Lucius replied.
"You, Lucius, may have the honour, as I have had the pleasure of torture."
In one swift motion, he shouted 'Avada Kedavra,' and the man fell limp on the floor. He repeated the same curse on the woman lying there as well. The children were now crying harder, and the eldest was trying to protect her little brother to no avail. We took the girl asher brother grabbed at her, trying and failing to keep her from Rodolphus' great strength.
We tortured and killed the girl, and we let her brother watch. Then, we had our way with him as well. I never felt one ounce if guilt. I normally did, but it was as if all my conscience had melted away.
After this night I used muggles as practice to impress the Dark Lord even more. I felt so lucky that they were defenceless, at least then they would never dare to fight back.
III. 1981 – The Prophecy and fall of My Master
Snape had been promoted into the inner circle after he relayed a prophecy to The Dark Lord concerning him and an unborn boy. The Dark Lord took this to mean the Potters son. I remember asking him why he had gone after the Potters rather than the Longbottom's.
"My Lord, I do not question your decision, but why go after the Potters? Surely the Longbottom's are more traitorous?"
"My dear Bellatrix, I thought the answer to be obvious."
"My Lord?" I said hesitantly.
"The Potter's son is a half-blood, the fewer of those we have in the world the better. Out of all of those we persecute, it is half-blood's and mudbloods who suffer most. If my ultimate threat is either a half-blood or pureblood, then the half-blood is more likely to rise up against me." The Dark Lord said in a high, cold voice.
Peter Pettigrew, the Potters friend, had become a Death Eater. A Gryffindor who was weaker than I was at my weakest thought he could survive in the Dark Lords service. I tortured him to make sure we got all the information out of him we could. The Potters knew that the Dark Lord was after them and were planning to go into hiding. He passed as much information as he could. He once told us that Dumbledore suspected someone close to them had turned traitor and was passing information and therefore couldn't come as often. His reason was that we wouldn't be able to have the information we needed if his cover was blown. At last, in October, he gave the Dark Lord the location of the Potters and the charm was broken.
My Lord had disappeared because of the Potter boy. They were saying that a baby had defeated him. A baby, defeat my master, who was the strongest and most powerful wizard to have ever lived, I should certainly think not.
I was captured after Rodolphus, Rabastan, Barty and I tortured the Aurors called Longbottom. We were the only ones brave enough to go looking for him. At the end of my trial I vowed that my master would rise again.
My first month in Azkaban was hell. I felt all the happiness leave me as soon as I got there. The screams of the other inmates kept me awake in my cold, damp cell.
Screams were also replaying in my mind from every victim I had tortured. The pure terror on their faces never left my mind when I closed my eyes. Eventually I became numb. No feelings, just thoughts of my master as the madness set in.
IV. 1996 – My Escape and the Prophecy
Fifteen years I spent looking at those four walls. Fifteen long years of sitting there doing nothing, but wait for my master to rise again. I knew he would come for me when he did. I most his most loyal and trusted servant, valued above all others. The time had finally come when I was to be reunited with him.
It was a cold wet night, I would have guessed sometime around January or February. Time had gone on that I couldn't remember what month it was, I used to guess by the weather but it hardly helped me. A storm was brewing at sea; I heard the wave's crash into the rocks below, as the wind howled outside the small window. That night the dementors let me, Rodolphus, Rabastan and seven others out and we returned to our master at once.
The first time I saw him tears threatened to fall. I might have been a strong woman but this is what I have lived, breathed and hoped for the past few years of my life. I knelt before him and kissed the hem of his robes.
"My dear Bella, how nice it is to see you." My master said.
Looking up into his eyes I replied, "You too My Lord. It has been a long time; I have waited for this moment since they said you had gone. Fools they were, I never believed you were gone."
"I should hope not. Now I have a task for you." He said getting back to his old self.
During the last weeks of the summer term the Dark Lord intended to trick Harry Potter into getting the prophecy for him. Lucius was to arrange the whole operation as he still had good ties within the ministry.
The time had finally come for the mission to be fulfilled. The elf, Kreacher, was to lie to Potter about where my blood traitor cousin was. Lucius and I waited for Potter to come.
I thought Potter would come alone but he brought two Weasley brats, the mudblood, Longbottom's son and a Lovegood. They tried to outsmart us but they only began to win when the infamous Order showed up.
I began to dual my half-blood niece and then my worthless cousin took over. It seems as if he lost his touch in Azkaban. I fired another curse at him and he lost his balance, falling into the Veil behind him. I let out a shriek of mirth one less traitor to worry about. I fled the scene, not wanting to stay around and get caught. I heard footsteps behind me and a shout of 'Crucio'. I turned and faced my attacker... none
other than Potter. I laughed and told him 'You have to mean it Potter; you have to really want to cause pain'
My master came and sent me back. When he returned he was angry, he called the rest and told us that some had been captured, including Lucius and Macnair. The mission had been a disaster as the minister and several Aurors had seen my master.
The Dark Lord spoke of a task he planned to be carried out by Draco, between me and Narcissa. Draco was to be branded with the Dark Mark and told to kill Albus Dumbledore. Narcissa cried and cried over this. She had not wanted Draco to take his father's place among the Death Eater's; to her he was her little baby still. I told her she should be proud that he had been picked to serve The Dark Lord.
"Cissy, you should be proud! The Dark Lord wants him in his service. Not even I was marked before I had turned seventeen." I exclaimed.
I looked at her sprawled out in her bed. Her long blond hair unkempt and looking positively dishevelled from a night of weeping. It seemed the only thing she had done since he learnt of Draco's task. She claimed not to be too worried over Lucius as she knew he was safe in Azkaban.
She lifted her head up and looked me in the eye. "I'm going to see Snape. He will know of the plan I am sure." She said softly. She got up and started to dress more smartly.
I stared at her with a million thoughts running through my head. "Snape might not of the plan and I do not trust him."
Narcissa turned sharply, "Well I do. Draco has always looked up to him and he is the only one who can help whilst he is at Hogwarts." She replied fiercely.
"How can you go against the Dark Lord's orders you will be killed and so will I!" I argued.
"Because it's the only help we are going to get. Snape is the only one who can take Draco's place if he cannot do it." She replied.
I sensed a feeling of foreboding. I did not trust Snape and thought he would betray us to the Order.
Later on we visited Snape and Cissy was right he did know of the plan. I was still cautious around him though and didn't trust him fully. Narcissa begged him to make an unbreakable vow to help and protect Draco with his task. He readily agreed which surprised me and then asked me to perform it.
V. The 'Golden Trio' and the Final Battle
I could hear raised voices coming from a room in the manor and went to investigate. I saw Draco and Lucius in the face of a boy who distinctly looked like Potter. His two companions looked like the mudblood and blood traitor Weasley. I noticed that one in the group of snatcher's had the Sword of Gryffindor.
"We have to call the Dark Lord." I announced. I went to roll up my sleeve but Lucius spoke out.
"No Bellatrix, this is my home therefore I will call him."
"You lost your right to call him when you lost your wand Lucius." I replied coldly. "Where did you find that?" I shrieked, pointing to the sword.
"It was found with the prisoners Ma'am." He replied.
"Then we shall have to find out how they got it. Draco, why don't you show our guests to the cellar." I called.
"Don't order my son around in his own home." Narcissa demanded. "He is not your slave. Greyback you can go instead."
"Of course Mrs Malfoy."
"Leave the mudblood, maybe she will tell us something useful." I said grinning at the thought of what I was going to do with her.
"No don't take her, take me instead!" the red head shouted.
"Maybe I will after I'm through with the mudblood. Blood traitors are just as bad them."
I walked to the drawing room and started torturing her with my specialty. I asked over and over again where she got the sword from. I felt fury that she had been in my vault. What if they had stolen the cup? My master would be angry with me, it was one of his prized possessions.
"Get the Goblin." I ordered.
Wormtail returned with the Goblin in his hand.
"Is this the real sword?" I asked impatiently.
"No it is a fake."
"A fake? You're completely sure?
"Yes madam, it is definitely a fake."
Just then Potter and the Weasley brat came in. There was a struggle and I ended up holding the mudblood with my dagger to her throat. I had lost my wand to Potter and it was the only weapon I had left. The chandelier fell and I let go of the mudblood to save myself. A crack sounded in the room and I looked up. Standing there helping the traitors was Dobby, my sisters old house elf that Potter set free.
"Dobby! What are you doing?" I shrieked.
He told them to hold on and was about apparate out when I threw my dagger and hit him. In that moment I felt triumph that he was dead. The next feeling however was dread. We had called the dark Lord to say we had captured Potter and his friends and now they escaped. There would be hell to pay when he came back. We solemnly sat in silence until he arrived.
To say he was no best pleased is an understatement. Everyone present I the manor was confined to its walls until the battle came. And the battle did come.
The weeks being confined in the manor were hell. I had nothing to do but make snide comments to Lucius.
One day a Goblin from Gringotts came to see my master. There had been a break in into my vault and the cup was stolen. We rushed out of the room as soon as we could. Those who did not make it were slaughtered in the Dark Lord's wrath. He sent word to Snape, to expect Potter there.
I barely remember how I got to Hogwarts that evening. The rush of adrenalin, from the feeling of impending victory was enough to make me confident of our win. We had more people to help us and many dark creatures on our side.
I went straight into battle and saw my good for nothing nieces half-breed husband fall. I then saw her and started duelling. I had wanted to kill her as much as Potter. Her mother has tainted our line by marrying a muggleborn and now she besmirched even more by marrying a werewolf. Her skill was good for an Auror but it didn't match mine and I told her to say hello to her husband for me as the green light hit her. She fell backwards, the light leaving her eyes. I knew my job was just beginning.
Later I was elated to know that Potter was dead. I triumphantly walked with the procession with a smirk on my face. The Longbottom boy stood up to us and sliced Nagini's head off, the battle started again and I was duelling with three kids.
Molly Weasley pushed them aside and took over the duel. Her skills were good but I was still superior. I taunted her about her dead son and laughed with complete mirth. I never knew what was happening until a saw a green light heading towards me.
In that moment I saw my life flash before my eyes. I did not feel any regret for what I had done. I had chosen my path long before now and knew what it entailed. At one
point in my life I did have a conscience; I could feel the way others felt, but my long stay in Azkaban ended that.