What You Never Knew

Bellatrix Lestrange: The Actress

1. She loved her parents.

This may not seem so unusual except for the fact that Druella and Cygnus Black did not return her affections. Yes, they were proud of her; yes, they did all they could to raise her to "right"; but it was clear to all who knew the Black family that Druella and Cygnus Black did not love their eldest. It was for this reason that Bellatrix hid her love for them- she did not want to be told what she already knew.

2. Andromeda was her favorite sister.

For the longest time, her best friend was her younger sister by two years. They did everything together- rarely was "Bellatrix" said in a sentence without "Andromeda" following it, or the other way around. In Hogwarts, despite Andromeda being Sorted into Slytherin, this all changed. For that, Bellatrix hated Hogwarts forever.

3. The Sorting Hat tried to put her in Gryffindor.

The worst part was that it wasn't even teasing her- she was 110% sure that that idiotic hat would've put her into Gryffindor if she had let it. The memory was clear in her mind, taunting her…

"Black, Bellatrix!" Professor McGonagall called, and the aforementioned girl strutted to the stool. Her long ringlets of black hair flowed behind her, her coal black eyes stared straight ahead, standing out from her abnormally pale skin. A confident smirk was firmly planted on her face as she elegantly sat down onto the stool and the Hat was placed onto her head.

Another Black, eh? I take it you're hoping for Slytherin?

Yes, I am. Now hurry up and put me there.

Not so fast, Bellatrix. I'm not sure Slytherin is the best fit for you.

Tha- wait, WHAT?!

You have a startling amount of bravery and skill, and should you choose to use them for the right purposes, you could be an outstanding Gryffindor! Plus, your loyalty to your family and beliefs is quite astounding, if I do say so myself.

There is NO WAY I am suited for Gryffindor! How dare you say such a thing, you moronic piece of fabric?!

See? That's bravery right there! It takes nerve to insult me, Miss Black. I decide your future for the next seven years, after all.

Put. Me. In. Slytherin.

Gryffindor would really be much better for you…

I don't care. I'm a Black- I was born to be in Slytherin. Put me there. NOW.

Well, if you're quite sure. I wouldn't be surprised if you regretted it later, though. "SLYTHERIN!"

4. She hated Regulus.

Regulus may have been her cousin, as well as a firm believer in pureblood beliefs, but he was always such a… follower. He would do whatever someone told him to do, and had no qualms about it; he never questioned an order. Ever. This irked Bellatrix to no end; how could a member of the Noble House of Black have such little free will?! It was for this reason she secretly preferred Sirius. He was stubborn; he would argue; he had a mind of his own. So, really, Bellatrix wasn't all that surprised when he was Sorted into Gryffindor. She still preferred him.

5. The best thing her parents ever did for her was arrange her marriage to Rodolphus.

There were so many other, more vile choices. Rodolphus, at least, was handsome; not to mention exceedingly intelligent and witty, always able to have a good banter with Bellatrix. Even though he was a year older than her, she associated with him often, as they ran in the same social circles. In fact, they saw each other so often that when they first discussed their engagement, it wasn't even awkward.

"Oi! Bella!" Rodolphus called, jogging down the hallway to catch up with the Sixth Year. She whirled around and smiled at him.

"Hello, Rod," she said. "What's up?"

"I need to talk with you," he said, pulling her into a deserted corridor. Bellatrix frowned, confused, just as Rodolphus asked, "Have your parents written to you recently?"

"No," Bellatrix answered, "why?"

"I just got a letter from my parents," he began, "and they told me that we're betrothed."

Bellatrix cocked her head to one side. "Really?"

"Really."

"…Well, that's good to know."

Rodolphus raised an eyebrow disbelievingly at her. "I tell you that we're supposed to be married, and all you do is say that's 'good to know'?!"

"Well, we knew we'd both have to be engaged to someone eventually," Bellatrix explained. "There are only so many choices. We shouldn't be so surprised. Besides, it is good to know."

"True," Rodolphus conceded. "So… what now?"

Bellatrix shrugged. "Want to go to lunch?"

"Sure."

And that was that.

6. The saddest day of her life was her wedding.

Yes, she had grown to love Rodolphus, but looking out at the attendants of her wedding, she noticed, with a pang in her heart, the absence of her favorite sister and cousin. Her parents were there, smiling lovingly at her for once in her life; and yet, even that didn't fill the hole in her heart.

7. She was almost a mother.

Rodolphus had wanted an heir to the Lestrange fortune, and so, Bellatrix had provided. Or at least, she had tried to. Three times, the pregnancy test answered "positive". Two were miscarriages- one six months in, another eight. The last pregnancy was a stillbirth. That was the one day Bellatrix cried. The sight of her beautiful baby daughter, with her black curls and Rodolphus' bright blue eyes, dead, broke her heart. From that point on, Bellatrix refused to try having a baby again. She was afraid of losing her child, and feeling that awful heartache.

8. She never loved Lord Voldemort.

People thought she did, mainly because she acted like she did. This was utterly untrue. She merely believed him to be the epitome of all of her beliefs- and for this, she sat him on a pedestal, the one person higher than herself. It was her dream, she would readily admit, to someday be as powerful as him, to be in the same authoritative position as him. She knew how to climb the ranks of power; she knew that first, she would have to become his right-hand woman. Acting like she loved him was all part of her game.

9. She only used the Killing Curse once.

Nobody knew that she had killed Sirius by accident, that she hadn't meant for her Stunning spell to push him through the Veil to death. She tortured many people; she injured many people; she did unspeakable things to everyone she could, but only once did she deliberately murder someone. That someone was her niece, Nymphadora Lupin. She was the result of Andromeda and Ted, that horrid Mudblood. She was a living reminder to Bellatrix that her sister had abandoned her, the result of her best friend leaving her. That spurred unquenchable anger in Bellatrix. So she used the Killing Curse for the first time. She never regretted it. She didn't have time to.

10. It wasn't surprising that Molly Weasley killed her.

Molly had always been an exceedingly talented witch; even Bellatrix had to admit that. To herself, that is. But above everything else, Molly had always been protective of the people she loved. She had only been two years above Bellatrix in Hogwarts, so Bellatrix had been able to witness the protectiveness Molly displayed over Arthur- even though he was a year older than her- as well as her close circle of friends, and, of course, her brothers, Gideon and Fabian, who were both in Bellatrix's Year. So, when Bellatrix had taunted her about her son dying, she had known that she would die that day.

Bellatrix Lestrange was many things, and felt many things. Nobody but herself knew everything about her and her feelings. She hid them well. The term "actress" is one virtually unknown to the Wizarding World. And yet, Bellatrix Lestrange, pureblood extraordinaire, might just have been the greatest actress to ever live- because nobody, not even Severus Snape, saw through her disguise. That is the mark of a true Actress.

Ah, Bellatrix. You gotta hate her, but you gotta love her! Please review- I need 3 before I update!

-Joelle8