A/N: I wrote this for thecompletebookworm`s challenge, "In Memoriam." It was supposed to have been written as it would appear in either The Daily Prophet or the Quibbler, and I chose the Prophet.

Character: Bellatrix Lestrange

Prompt: nickname

Words: 704

She didn`t know why she continued to do it, but every day for the past week Narcissa had flipped through the pages of the Prophet. Today was no different. And as she turned another page of the large obituary section, she couldn`t keep her eyes from looking down the rows. This too was an every day event. Though she denied it to herself, she was searching for the face of her sister. Just yesterday she had seen Severus, his scowling portrait reminding her of the man she was going to miss. He had been an excellent mentor to Draco, whether or not the boy wanted to acknowledge the truth. And then her eyes finally saw a wild maze of hair. Her breath caught in her throat. Did she dare continue? Her disappointment would be great if it weren`t - her chest felt tight at the use of her sister`s nickname - Bella there. Before her mind was made up her eyes engaged themselves again, and it was Bella. Finally.

IIIII

BELLATRIX LESTRANGE, pureblood daughter of Cyngus and Druella Black, died at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on the second of May, 1998. She was forty-nine.

Throughout her life, Lestrange caused much choas, which started at an early age. She attended Hogwarts from 1962 - 1969 and was, like most of her family, Sorted into Slytherin. "Yeah, and she was just like any other in that House...turned out to be a rotten witch," said one of her peers from Ravenclaw.

After leaving the school, Bellatrix, whose family often called her by her nickname of Bella, joined the leagues of You-Know-Who and married fellow Death Eater Rodolphus Lestrange. Their marriage appears to have only been one of convenience.

In 1981, the Lestranges were both caught by Aurors and convicted as Death Eaters. Madam Lestrange escaped Azkaban Prison in 1995, only two years after her cousin, Sirius Black accomplished the same feat. While it is still not known how exactly they managed the feat, it is fact that it involved the Dark Arts; Black joined his cousin after serving a few months as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, an organization created by the late Albus Dumbledore to combat You-Know Who.

While Lestrange is notorious for the many murders she committed, the crime she performed that stands out more than the rest is the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom. A specialist with the Cruciatus Curse, she drove them from their minds and til her last days continued to boast about it, according to sources.

It is not known exactly where she escaped to after her departure from Azkaban, though it is common knowledge that she returned to her master. At the time of her escape, however, He had not been sighted and so it was assumed that she and the others who went with her, were going back to Sirius Black.

On the night of the eighteenth of June, 1996, it is known that Lestrange was in the Ministry of Magic, though the reasons are unknown. Also there were cousin Sirius Black, niece Nymphadora Lupin (nee Tonks), and brother-in-law Lucius Malfoy. Various members of the Order of the Phoenix were in attendance, and it is presumed that one of them killed Sirius Black. Some of the members, however, claim that it was Lestrange who did it. It is highly unlikely that she did, however, due to them both serving the same side.

The night of her death, Lestrange was at Hogwarts, fighting alongside fellow Death Eaters as they attempted to find Harry Potter. After killing auror and niece, Nymphadora Lupin (nee Tonks), Lestrange entered the Great Hall and proceeded to attempt to murder sixth year student, Ginny Weasley, daughter of Arthur Weasley of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. Molly Weasley, however, stepped in front of her daughter. "Not my daughter, you bitch!" the mother is quoted as saying, according to sources. The pair dueled for a few brief moments before Weasley delivered the final blow.

Surviving members of Lestrange`s family include sisters Andromeda Tonks and Narcissa Malfoy and nephew Draco Malfoy.

There will be no funeral service for Lestrange due to the lack of a body, although a private memorial service will be held on the eighth of May.