Sirius Black and Bellatrix Lestrange are two of the most iconic characters in the Harry Potter series, but did you know that they are actually related? In this article, we will explore the complex and twisted family tree of the Black family, and how Sirius and Bellatrix are connected by blood and magic.
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The Black Family: A Proud and Pure-blooded Lineage
The Black family is one of the oldest and most prestigious wizarding families in Britain. They are known for their fanatical adherence to the pure-blood ideology, which means that they only marry other pure-bloods and disown any relatives who associate with Muggles or Muggle-borns. The Black family motto is “Toujours Pur”, which means “Always Pure” in French.
The Black family has a tradition of naming their children after stars or constellations, such as Sirius, Regulus, Andromeda, Bellatrix, and Draco. They also have a tapestry that depicts their family tree, which hangs in the ancestral home of 12 Grimmauld Place. The tapestry shows the names of all the members of the Black family, as well as their spouses and children. However, any member who is deemed unworthy or disloyal to the family is blasted off the tapestry by a magical burn mark.
Sirius Black: The Rebel and The Outcast
Sirius Black was born in 1959 to Orion and Walburga Black, who were both staunch supporters of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Sirius was their eldest son and heir, but he did not share their views or values. He hated his parents and their cruelty, and he despised their obsession with blood purity. He was sorted into Gryffindor House at Hogwarts, much to his parents’ dismay, and he became best friends with James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Together, they formed the Marauders, a group of pranksters and adventurers who also learned how to become Animagi (wizards who can transform into animals).
Sirius was the first person in his family to be disowned by his parents, who burned his name off the tapestry when he was 16 years old. He ran away from home and moved in with James’ family, who treated him like a son. He also became the godfather of James’ son, Harry Potter, who was born in 1980.
Sirius was a loyal member of the Order of the Phoenix, a secret organization that fought against Voldemort and his followers. However, he was falsely accused of betraying James and Lily Potter to Voldemort, and of killing 12 Muggles and Peter Pettigrew (who had actually faked his death and framed Sirius) in 1981. He was arrested and sent to Azkaban, the most notorious wizarding prison, where he spent 12 years without a trial.
Sirius escaped from Azkaban in 1993, after seeing a picture of Pettigrew in his Animagus form (a rat) on the front page of the Daily Prophet. He wanted to find Pettigrew and clear his name, as well as protect Harry from Voldemort’s return. He met Harry for the first time in Hogwarts, where he revealed his true identity and story to him. He also reconciled with Remus Lupin, who had believed him to be guilty for all those years.
Sirius became a fugitive from the Ministry of Magic, who still believed him to be a dangerous criminal. He had to hide in different places, such as caves or his old family home. He maintained contact with Harry through letters or a two-way mirror. He also resumed his role as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, after Voldemort’s return was confirmed in 1995.
Sirius died in 1996, during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. He was dueling with his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, who hit him with a curse that sent him falling through a mysterious veil in the Death Chamber. His body was never recovered, but Harry heard his voice calling out to him from beyond the veil.
Bellatrix Lestrange: The Fanatic and The Killer
Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black) was born in 1951 to Cygnus and Druella Black. She was their eldest daughter and sister to Andromeda and Narcissa. She was sorted into Slytherin House at Hogwarts, where she became friends with other future Death Eaters, such as Rodolphus Lestrange (whom she married), Severus Snape, Avery, Evan Rosier, and Wilkes.
Bellatrix was one of the most loyal and devoted followers of Lord Voldemort. She believed in his cause of purging the wizarding world of Muggles and Muggle-borns, and she enjoyed torturing and killing his enemies. She was also obsessed with Voldemort himself, and had a twisted love for him, although he did not reciprocate her feelings.
Bellatrix was one of the few Death Eaters who did not abandon Voldemort after his first downfall in 1981. She was part of the group that tried to find him and restore him to power, along with her husband Rodolphus, his brother Rabastan, and Barty Crouch Jr. They attacked the Longbottoms, a prominent Auror family, and tortured them with the Cruciatus Curse, hoping to extract information about Voldemort’s whereabouts. However, they only succeeded in driving them insane. They were captured by the Ministry of Magic and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban.
Bellatrix escaped from Azkaban in 1996, along with several other Death Eaters, after Voldemort broke the prison’s defenses. She rejoined Voldemort’s side and participated in several attacks and battles against the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore’s Army. She also became one of the few people who knew about the existence of Horcruxes, the objects that contained fragments of Voldemort’s soul and made him immortal. She was entrusted with one of them, the locket of Salazar Slytherin, which she hid in her family vault at Gringotts Bank.
Bellatrix killed several people during the Second Wizarding War, including her cousin Sirius Black, her niece Nymphadora Tonks, and Dobby the house-elf. She also tortured Hermione Granger at Malfoy Manor, trying to get information about the sword of Godric Gryffindor, which was another Horcrux. She was killed by Molly Weasley during the Battle of Hogwarts, after she tried to kill Ginny Weasley.
How is Sirius Black Related to Bellatrix: A Summary
Sirius Black and Bellatrix Lestrange are first cousins, as their fathers were brothers. Sirius’ father was Orion Black, who married his second cousin Walburga Black. Bellatrix’s father was Cygnus Black III, who married Druella Rosier, a pure-blood witch from another old family.
Sirius and Bellatrix had very different personalities and values. Sirius rebelled against his family’s pure-blood ideology and joined the Order of the Phoenix, while Bellatrix embraced it and became a Death Eater. They fought on opposite sides of the war and hated each other. Bellatrix killed Sirius during a duel at the Ministry of Magic.
Sirius and Bellatrix are also related to many other characters in the Harry Potter series, such as Draco Malfoy, Nymphadora Tonks, Regulus Black, Andromeda Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy, and Harry Potter (by marriage).
According to doms2cents.com, screenrant.com, wikipedia.org, and sage-qa.com.
