[OOC] - About the character

Basics

• Name: Bellatrix Atropos Lestrange (neé Black)
• Birthdate: March 26, 1951
• Citizenship: British
• Current residence: Lestrange Manor, Swanton Morley, Breckland, Norfolk, England
• Blood status: Pureblood

Physical

• Height/weight: 5'11" / 145lbs
• Hair/eyes: Black hair, grey eyes
• Manner of speech: Bellatrix's speech tends toward the overly formal, with a received pronunciation accent that makes her status as the equivalent of wizarding nobility quite obvious. There is a hard, almost gravelly edge to her voice and she speaks so that she can be heard rather than the soft, simpering tones that so many of the other pureblood society women tend to favor.
• Manner of dress: She loathes being dismissed as less than she is because she is a woman and as such, tends to eschew the more traditionally feminine attire of most pureblood society women, instead favouring tailored and collared shirts, fitted dresses and even the occasional trousers under her robes, much to her mother's chagrin. But the robes are a staple, whether they are fitted and worn alone or looser and draped over her other clothes. She is a witch and she is not going to parade about as a Muggle. Although certainly not the type to follow the latest fashions and trends, she still enjoys the trappings of wealth and tends to dress in a way that draws attention to herself, especially for public gatherings.
• Physical description: Bellatrix is quite tall and with more curves than your typical pureblood woman, a fact that she is quite pleased with. She does not wish to appear as some waiflike thing who could blow over in the first stiff breeze, after all. She is undeniably beautiful in her youth, with the classic Black family good looks. Her skin is pale and unblemished and her facial structure could be best described as aristocratic, with high cheekbones and a strong jaw. Her long, thick, black hair is the first thing that most people notice about her and she generally leaves it down and loose. She has grey eyes under heavy, hooded lids and thin lips that are invariably curled in a haughty sneer. Her only distinguishing marks are a Dark Mark tattoo on her left forearm and a collection of mostly faded battle scars.
• First impression: Impossibly arrogant and frighteningly unpredictable.

• PB: Christina Scabbia

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a79/airmanx/CRISTINASCABBIA.jpg?t=1244362746
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bsdzYPyKYTo/Rqe0N0gtqNI/AAAAAAAABzw/74hswlk8Y9g/2006-05-05-Cristina.Scabbia.(Lacuna.Coil).Karmacode.press.promo.HQ.07.jpg
http://i11.tinypic.com/rbi52w.jpg

Personal

• General personality: Passionate, impetuous, fanatical and stubborn, Bellatrix is quite simply, a force to be reckoned with. Her temper is explosive, she is quite subject to her own whims and fancies and she is absolutely devoted to the Dark Lord. These are the traits that are most obvious within Bellatrix, but there is far more to her than just her fiery temperament and obsession with Voldemort's cause.

Bellatrix is capricious and unpredictable and one is never entirely certain which aspect of her personality they are going to encounter. Will it be the hot-tempered and violent sadist that will lash out at anyone who dares stand in opposition to her? Or the haughty and arrogant society woman who manages to both shun and embrace the strictures of purist society at the same time. The whimsical creature that indulges every impulse and finds amusement in the strangest of places? Or for those few who are close enough to see her in her more private moments, the oddly restless calm that seems to consume her when she is left to her own devices?

She is a mass of contradictions, largely due to the near constant struggle within her between the woman that she is and the woman society expects her to be. While she does not particularly care what society thinks of her, there are still certain appearances to be kept up. The difficulty is maintaining a façade for any length of time in the face of the near-constant irritations that threaten to raise her ire. But for her family and for the sake of the cause, she must restrain herself as best as she can manage, no matter how much she would dearly like to curse every Mudblood who so much as crosses her path. It is a challenge, to put it mildly.

The role of the haughty pureblood, however, is certainly no mere act. She believes herself to be superior to just about everyone around her, save of course, the Dark Lord and it comes through in her words and actions. Even with those few people who she genuinely likes, she still cannot fully restrain her arrogance. As far as she is concerned, her skills, family name, wealth and social standing place her in a class of her own. And those are the only standards that are important to her. Even if she did meet someone who was likely an equal, she has far too much pride to ever admit as much.

Bellatrix is an inherently restless person who will seemingly never be satisfied. Idle hands do not suit her. She is driven, determined to be the absolute best at everything she does and is constantly seeking greater power. If she encounters a task that she does not believe she can do, she will be dismissive of it and refuse to even try rather than suffer the humiliation of failure. She is also a complete fanatic and becomes quite easily captivated by a task if it catches her interest. Once she sets her mind on a goal, she will do whatever it takes to achieve it and truly does exemplify the Slytherin mindset of "using any means to get their ends." Of course the primary focus of her fanaticism is her service to the Dark Lord. She believes absolutely in the pureblood cause, but what is more important is the approval and recognition of the Dark Lord which she so desperately craves.

It is in her service of the Dark Lord that she is able to unleash her sadistic side, an opportunity that she relishes. She finds inordinate pleasure in the pain and suffering of others and is generally unfamiliar with any feelings of guilt or remorse. She has absolutely no qualms about torturing or killing another and has no patience for the "societal mores of right and wrong" as she sees them. The rules, quite simply, do not apply to her. She has the power to render someone into a state of complete agony with a mere flick of her wand - why wouldn't she take advantage of it?

Her devotion and desperate need for the Dark Lord's approval is a rather surprising aspect of her personality in and of itself. The proud, strong, independent woman who would bend to the will of no mere man quite willingly falls to her knees in the Dark Lord's presence. But for a woman who discounts the praise of most as empty and meaningless, the rare approval of the Dark Lord, the man she sees as a god and the one person in the world who she quite willingly acknowledges as being superior to herself, is the only praise with meaning. His opinion is the only one that truly matters to her and she will do whatever she can to please him.

• Strengths and weaknesses: Bellatrix's greatest strength is easily her duelling ability (and she is very much aware of that fact.) She has always had a natural talent for duelling and hexes, although that talent has been developed to even greater effectiveness thanks to Voldemort's training. Her strength in duelling is not due to any great mind for strategy, however, but because of pure strength, stamina and knowledge of spells, not to mention the willingness to use them. She is also a skilled occlumens and legilimens and has developed quite the talent with knives.

In terms of weaknesses, most of her weaknesses really are tied to her personality flaws in some way or another. There is very little middle ground when it comes to Bellatrix. Confidence becomes arrogance, annoyance becomes rage, determination becomes zealotry, boredom becomes impatience. She is a woman of extremes and try as she might to control them, her powerful emotions get the better of her all too often.

Practical weaknesses include potions, a complete inability to manage just about any domestic pursuit – she is absolute rubbish in the kitchen, she couldn't manage a cleaning project to save her life and just about every attempt at gardening has resulted in nothing more than a patch of dead plants and overgrown weeds.

And of course, she does not remember the last nine years of her life, an injury that has left her impossibly frustrated. Bellatrix at 20 is a rather different creature than she was at 29 when age and experience tempered some of her less flattering qualities. Frustrated with her present situation, her stubborn and impetuous tendencies are at their worst.
• Mental health: Unstable, even more so now due to her memory loss.

Relationships

• Relatives: Husband: Rodolphus Lestrange
Father: Cygnus Black (deceased)
Mother: Druella Black (nee Rosier)
Sisters: Andromeda Tonks (disowned) and Narcissa Malfoy
Sisters-in-law: Chloris Lestrange Burke, Corbina Lestrange
Brothers-in-law: Rabastan Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy and Theodore Tonks (deceased/unrecognized)
Cousins: Sirius Black (disowned) and Regulus Black
Stepson: Marius Lestrange
Stepdaughter-in-law: Astra Lestrange
Nephew: Draco Malfoy
• Relationship with family: Cygnus Black - Bellatrix absolutely adored her father. She always looked up to him and respected his rule over the house (although that doesn't mean she didn't disobey his rules on more than a few occasions.) While most children would want more doting and attentive parents, Bellatrix was perfectly content to settle for his encouragement of her ambitions and talents. She saw herself as filling the role of the son he always wanted, a position she took on with great enthusiasm.

Druella Black - The relationship between Druella and her eldest daughter tends to be rather tense as Bellatrix has always railed against the societal expectations of what a pureblood woman should be that her mother put upon her. Although Bellatrix would certainly never wish ill upon her own mother, the two strong yet very different women are frequently at odds with one another. Their relationship has improved in the last few years since Bellatrix married and moved out of the house, but there are definitely more than a few topics that they will never see eye to eye on.

Andromeda Tonks - Bellatrix adored Andromeda when they were children and she took her defection as a very personal betrayal. In her mind, Andromeda chose a Mudblood over her and that is simply unforgivable. However that was before her memory loss and the death of Ted Tonks. While Bellatrix is still appalled at her sister's decision, she has put her up in the cottage she bought during Rodolphus's incarceration in the hopes that she will be persuaded to return to her family. The news that she was the one responsible for Ted's death, while certainly not something she regrets in the slightest, complicates matters to put it mildly.

Narcissa Black - Narcissa will forever be seen as the baby sister in Bellatrix's eyes, even now that they are well into adulthood. Her fierce devotion to her family is most evident in her relationship with her sister, who she dotes upon and is even quite affectionate with at times. Of course, although she is a strong woman in her own right, Bellatrix can't help but see Narcissa as one who needs to be protected and she can be rather condescending from time to time, but for once it can actually be said that she means well.

Rodolphus Lestrange - The relationship between Bellatrix and her husband has always been a tempestuous one as the two engage in a near constant battle of wills, often erupting in shouting matches and violent displays of temper. Which is not to say there isn't affection between them, at least prior to her memory loss. While Bellatrix never went so far as to actually admit that she loves (or loved) her husband, she did care for him. More importantly he was the only man save her father and the Dark Lord who has ever earned her respect. Now, however, she views Rodolphus with a wary sort of suspicion. She somehow came to marry this man who she remembers as nothing more than her mentor, he more than anyone else has more knowledge of her life in the last nine years and his stoic nature has left her impossibly frustrated as she has attempted to regain her bearings.

Marius Lestrange - Just as with Rabastan, Rodolphus's son should earn little regard in Bellatrix's eyes, however his presence and assistance as she has dealt with her memory loss has left her with some degree of fondness for the man, even if she does not remember who he is.

• Sexuality: Straight
• Significant other: Rodolphus Lestrange, married 1972
• Children: None and now incapable of bearing them.

Educational

• School: Hogwarts
• Years: 1962-1969
• House: Slytherin
• Achievements: Bellatrix had no interest in quidditch and no one with any sense would entrust her with a prefect's badge. She was a member of the duelling club and while she was invited to join the Slug Club, she had little interest in playing into Professor Slughorn's social-climbing machinations.
• NEWTS: Astronomy – A
Charms – O
Defense Against the Dark Arts – O
Herbology – P
Transfiguration – O
Ancient Runes – E

Occupational

• Occupation: Socialite, if only in name. Bellatrix does not work. She certainly does not need the money and she believes it is better for her to focus her attentions on the war and serving the Dark Lord. Never mind that she doesn't have the attention span or patience to actually hold down a job if she wished.
• Previous jobs, if any: None

The War

• How is your character involved in the war? Bellatrix is a woman who is happiest on the front lines of the war, fighting for the cause. Her devotion to Voldemort and determination to succeed have established her as a member of his inner circle*, which is a role she relishes with pride. While others may serve him with their connections and influence, Bellatrix sees herself as the Dark Lord's weapon more than anything else. She thoroughly enjoys "getting her hands dirty" and quite willingly tortures and kills on the Dark Lord's command. And she's quite effective at what she does.
*for all of another week anyway...
• Will your character die during the next year? I'm not planning on it but really, who knows. :p
• If yes, please give some details on how/when you'd like this to occur: N/A

Overall History
Each section should be at least one paragraph

• Family/childhood: Bellatrix Black was born to Cyngus and Druella Black in 1951, the oldest of three sisters, in a family that was fanatical in its support of the pureblood ideology. Her father very much wanted a son, an heir to continue on the Black family name and while Bellatrix could not very well change her gender, she did everything she could to prove to him that she was better than any son could ever be. As a result, the man played a formative role in Bellatrix's upbringing, although his influence definitely trended more towards nurturing her ambitions than her emotions.

As a child, Bellatrix always had a vivid imagination and would love to run around with her sisters, although she would grow frustrated with them when they did not go along with whatever fantasy or "brilliant plan" she had concocted. She was always the trouble-maker in the family, the one who was dreaming up some new plot and trying to rope the others into it, although despite the woman she would grow to become, as a child her plots were generally quite innocent. Usually along the lines of stealing biscuits from the kitchen or breaking into one of the forbidden rooms. Contrary to popular belief, the only animals she ever tortured were when she was much older and learning the Dark Arts. And that was just for research purposes. Still, her sadistic streak was evident even at a young age, as her parents discovered when they returned home to find the nanny utterly disturbed and recounting a story of how young Bellatrix had ripped the limbs and heads off of all her dolls, mimicking their screaming the whole time.

She was a precocious and curious child and her first spell was at the age of seven, when she convinced her tutor that she needed tea and biscuits to continue and the woman foolishly left her wand on the table. Bellatrix took the wand and imitated the action she had seen her father do countless times to light the fireplace, although Bella's target was her books. She was done with studying and wanted to go play. Her incendio was not terribly effective at first, just causing the pages to smolder a bit, but she was encouraged by even such a limited success and began casting the spell over and over again until she had created a proper fire out of one of the books. She then stripped off the frilly pink dress she had been put in that morning, set it on fire and ran outside. While her mother was quite justifiably angry when she found out (not to mention frustrated that they would have to find yet another new tutor, as Bellatrix had quite the ability to run through them), her father could not help but be proud of her for the impressiveness of the display. The incendio remains one of her favourite spells. Still, she was more closely monitored and wands were more closely guarded after that point, much to her chagrin.

• School/work: It was a foregone conclusion that she would receive a Hogwarts letter and when it did come, she was elated at the prospect of getting out of the house, away from the nannies and tutors, and most importantly, of learning proper magic. She had been told extensive stories of Hogwarts by her parents and tutors and she strode into the Great Hall that first day as if she already owned the place. There was no question in her mind that she would be sorted into the Slytherin house. In her mind, it was the only house a Black was to be sorted into. Still, the sorting hat gave her a bit of a scare when it first began considering Gryffindor, due to her passion and temper. In the end, however, her ambition and love of manipulating people landed her firmly in the Slytherin house. That and the fact that she threatened to set the hat on fire if it did not just sort her into Slytherin already.

Once sorted, her family name preceded her and she quickly rose to the top of the inner Slytherin hierarchy, but outside of her House, she had a reputation as being dangerous and a little unhinged. Although she became far better at maintaining her public façade as she matured, she was frequently in detention during her first few years, generally for hexing classmates. She could not help but consider Hufflepuffs ideal "target practice." Never mind the fates of the students who actually angered her. Towards the end of her fourth year, after a mostly failed experiment with a flaying spell she discovered in the Restricted Section, she was pulled into the Headmaster's office and actually threatened with expulsion if she did not learn to control herself. While this lecture did not actually put an end to her experiments with hexes, she did become far more adept at escaping punishment and has mostly remained out of trouble, although a few unfortunate classmates who had her "crimes" pinned on them could not say as much.

Bellatrix generally did well in school, although there was a definite disparity in her marks between the subjects that interested her and those that do not. She is reasonably intelligent, so while she does not struggle with most of the subject matter (save potions and herbology which she has always had trouble with) she simply did not put the effort into the subjects that she thinks are unimportant or boring. For her NEWTs she received O's in Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration, the subjects she considered to be practical for her own needs and interests.

But what really captured her attention in her final years at Hogwarts was the prospect of joining Voldemort's cause to protect the pureblood world and eliminate the growing mudblood influence. Bellatrix became obsessed with learning every bit of news she could discover about the Dark Lord and his activities because she wanted nothing more than to fight. Her initial inquiries were rebuffed by some of the men in the pureblood society who did not think a woman, let alone a seventeen-year-old girl was fit for battle, but this only made her more determined. Her determination managed to catch the eye of Rodolphus Lestrange and shortly after leaving Hogwarts he made her introduction to Voldemort and she proudly took his mark.

• Recent history: Bellatrix quickly became obsessed with Voldemort's cause and doing everything she could to win Voldemort's favor. She was placed under Rodolphus's mentorship and they developed what would kindly be called a difficult relationship. Bellatrix had absolutely no patience for what she saw as Rodolphus's condescention towards her and she fought against him at every possible opportunity. It did not help matters that the Dark Lord had rewarded her devotion by granting her a few personal training lessons, which only heightened her arrogance toward the other Death Eaters, including her mentor.

And yet despite the constant conflict between the two of them, or more likely because of it, Bellatrix eventually developed respect for Rodolphus as the only man (save the Dark Lord) who could truly challenge her. She began to relish their fights and the way he could get under her skin and make her feel. A relationship developed between the two and despite the fact that she fully resented the societal pressure to take a husband, even she could not bring herself to fully reject the norms of pureblood culture. Rodolphus was at least a man who she respected, whose company she had actually come to enjoy in her own twisted way and someone she actually recognized as an equal so she consented to marry him in 1972.

Her life since leaving Hogwarts has consisted of largely playing the role of society wife by day, Death Eater by night. Obviously her passions lie entirely with the latter, but the former is necessary to keep her out of Azkaban, much to her chagrin. The war has affected her life a great deal, largely just in terms of sheer time and energy devoted to serving the Dark Lord (which she would never dream of changing, of course) but also in terms of her family.

Andromeda leaving to marry Ted Tonks was a huge blow to Bellatrix, not only because it destroyed her notion of her perfect, pureblood family, but also because she was truly quite fond of her sister and she considered her defection to be a great personal betrayal. Of course she translated that sense of betrayal into a sheer rage and mentally cast Andromeda out of her family as soon as she was blasted off of the family tree. To mention her estranged sister to her now is one of the quickest ways to send her into a fit of rage. Sirius's betrayal came next and while it certainly did not affect Bellatrix the way her sister's did, she was still quite furious with him for what was, in her mind, humiliation for her entire family.

The recent assassination of her father has only intensified her hatred of the Ministry and everyone who supports them. Bellatrix was always very much her father's daughter and while she believes that casualties, even those of innocents, are a natural part of war, that thought does nothing for her rage and desire for vengeance. Now she has even more of a reason to fight than ever and her father's death is pushing her further and further into her obsession with the war.

Or it was, right up to the point where she lost all memory of the last nine years. She has been working to pull together bits and pieces, mostly from her sister, but being told stories of what she has done is a quite different thing than remembering the experiences herself. As far as she can remember, she is still twenty years old, she has just been promoted to the Dark Lord's inner circle after two years in his service, she is still unmarried, her family is still whole and the disparity between what she remembers and reality is overwhelming.


[IC] - Samples

1. Please provide links to two journal entries and two rpg threads you have completed in the past (any character)
http://atticusavery.insanejournal.com/6037.html
http://atticusavery.insanejournal.com/5613.html

http://asylums.insanejournal.com/blurred_lines/286594.html
http://asylums.insanejournal.com/blurred_lines/275599.html

2. Journal sample. You may either link to a past journal entry (same character) or write a 1-2 paragraph post here.
http://blackest-heart.insanejournal.com/

3. RP sample. You may either link to a past thread/log (same character) or write a sample third person RP sample here.
http://asylums.insanejournal.com/snitched/219878.html