#i. meta: rodolphus & bellatrix.

[sofoulandfairaday]

N.B. This is not exclusively a Harry Potter blog, you will find many fandoms (and tons of non-fandom stuff too). But my original takes are MOSTLY about hp.

My HP meta & some additional little thoughts

Why do you like Bellamort so much?

Same question, part 2

On Bellatrix's relationship with her parents

Did Bellatrix know the Cup was a Horcrux?

Bellamort: love, lust, or is it just fucked-up?

What do the Blacks think of Bellamort?

Did Bellatrix's death make sense? (yes)

Same question, explained better because people got mad

How did Delphi feel about Narcissa?

Did Bella & Sirius really not see each other for years?

Reimagining Delphi in a world without TCC: two scenarios (long)

On Bella and Cissy's relationship, pre- and post-Azkaban

My headcanons

Random Marauders Era Headcanons (mostly about the Blacks)

Sirius Black Headcanons (long)

On Sirius, Regulus & their parents & generational abuse (long)

Patronus headcanons for the Blacks

Silly headcanons about Rodolphus

Random Bella headcanons

An obscenely long Bellamort headcanons post

Barty Crouch jr

Delphi

Delphi part 2

Lord Voldemort/Tom Riddle

Black Sisters

Does Andy get a job?

Rabastan (short version)

James Headcanons

Lily Headcanons

Remus Headcanons

Severus Snape Headcanons (long)

Peter Pettrigew

Lucius Malfoy

Canon > Fanon Death Eater simp (I know, pathetic) esp First Wizarding War. The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black is my Roman Empire. I hate character bashing of basically any character

[knowshisowna]

META | the relationship between rod & bella.

one thing i feel like i don’t talk about enough on this blog is the actual relationship between rodolphus and bellatrix. not the perceived relationship , not the one crafted and solidified for them , not the one on paper. no , the real and raw relationship they share between the two of them when no one else is around , when no one else is watching. because it is one of the most important relationships not only to rodolphus but to rabastan and the death eaters as a whole.

first and foremost , they are as close to close friends as either of them can imagine , more so even than rodolphus and antonin although their relationships do not at all look alike and not just physically. bella and rod grew up together , and while he is substantially older , they learned from one another. they didn’t get along at first probably. they are at two opposite ends of a vast scale , and there was a lot of push and pull to start. he was order , and she was chaos. limits had to be tested. lines had to be drawn. and some things had to give.

of course , him being older and a lover of organization , this clashed with a reckless little girl’s idea of fun , but they grew to respect each other , or at the very least each other’s abilities. it was evident to everyone how formidable they could be together under the right circumstances , circumstances tom himself manufactured. and a union between the two of them would offer them both the freedom few others could say they had without upsetting tradition. bella wouldn’t have to bare children , and rodolphus wouldn’t have to worry for his home.

the marriage is of course more to the benefit of tom , but it benefits the two of them as well because at the time of the union , they had the same ambitions. they wanted the same things , and they were focused on the same goals. bella is still up in arms about it , but more so about the marriage itself and the fact that not even she , protege of voldemort , is able to evade the horrid tradition. but she and rod are still friends. and more importantly , they are partners and allies. they aren’t focused on raising a family , they’re focused on raising an army , and whatever may come of that , the foundation still holds. 

and in his canon verse , rod becomes comfortable in his role. he gets to do what he wants , bella gets to do what she wants , and they both reap the benefits of being in tom’s inner circle although those benefits differ between the two. and eventually they grow to love each other , which bella is still bitter about lmao , but it isn’t a love that looks like any other. they aren’t overly romantic and head over heels or anything , but they care for one another. they look out for one another. they worry about getting the both of them home. and they call the other out on their bullshit always. 

most of all , they’re honest with each other and with themselves. tom and bella will always take precedence for bella , and the brothers lestrange will always take precedence for rod ( and narcissa takes precedence for both , but anyway ) , and they have a comfortable understanding. they trust and respect each other , and while they can still be selfish , they accept that about each other.

[artemisia-black]

Bellatrix's Villain origin story

Following on from my meta I wanted to give Bellatrix, a villain origin story that is more nuanced than her simply being ‘insane’.

Note: I’ve changed a few cannon things like her father only being 13 when she was born and given her a birthday (she’s a scorpio like her cousin Sirius)

Part one

Bellatrix’s father Cygnus Black, was a man who was keenly aware of his position as the first-born son of the secondary branch of the Black family. He had always felt second best to his meek cousin Orion and longed to best him by being the first to secure the family line. An accomplishment that would be rewarded by gold and political office. To achieve his end, he married Druella Rosier, a beautiful witch with a good name, in a lavish ceremony which took place three days after his graduation from Hogwarts.

His new bride, was also keenly aware of her position as the only daughter of a family whose only asset was a respectable name. And although Druella had initially set her sights on Orion, she lacked the dowry and charm to secure him, so she married Cygnus instead (a match that her father still considered a coup).

After their honeymoon, Cygnus spent long hours at the Black family estate currying favour with Arcturus Black the titular head of the family, only returning home to deal with his marital duties.

Finally, after three years of marriage Druella fell pregnant and the couple basked in their collective dreams of glory and power. A dream that hinged on the baby having a penis. However, they were sorely disappointed.

Bellatrix Black was born in the drawing room of her parent’s Wiltshire house, on a cold November day, only to be met with the cold-disappointment of both her parents.

After being given a traditional Black family name, the infant girl was handed to a Nanny while her parents returned to the task at hand.

Her early childhood was characterised by loneliness and Bellatrix would often find herself retreating into a vivid fantasy world where she would slay dragons and complete quests. A fantasy which contrasted starkly to the small, featureless nursery to which she was often confined.

By age seven, she had two sisters and with the birth of her cousin Sirius, her parents' tenuous marriage began to fail completely.

Blazing rows would erupt between Cygnus and Druella. Rows which were so loud, they could be heard throughout the cavernous rooms of the manor. Cygnus would increasingly spend his days drunk, berating his wife and daughters for the misery his life had become. And on many occasions, singling out Bellatrix as the useless wretch who had cost him the glory that was his birth right as a Black. An opinion which was the only point of agreement between her parents.

A few weeks after the birth of her cousin Regulus, Cygnus moved his mistress into the property while regularly threatening his wife and children with destitution should they dare report it to Arcturus or their Grandfather Pollux .

Bellatrix was a precocious child and she used books as a means to fill the void inside her. The void where her parent’s love should have been. She read voraciously, and soon realised that her father was wrong. She was not a useless wretch but a member of nature’s nobility. A superior being who was born to rule over others as was the natural order. And Bellatrix, spent many hours recounting her readings to her sisters, as they cowered together during yet another row between his father and their mother, or their father and current mistress.

At age 11, she was sent to stay at the Black family seat in Kent. Here she was taught how to behave in a manner befitting her last name as she prepared for school.

At age 12, Bellatrix attended Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Slytherin house.

Transfiguration and Potions were a joy to her. She sat next to Rodolphus Lestrange in Defence Against the Dark Arts class, where they developed an immediate hatred for each other. In time, she grew to hate her inferior, vapid classmates.

She was a talented student and far surpassed every one in her year, yet she was keenly aware (as her mother before her) that her purpose in life was to make a good pureblood marriage and be her husband’s brood mare.

And the wild thing inside her chafed against this, she longed to make her mark on the world, and finally prove she was not a useless wretch.

At age 16, Bellatrix's beauty blossomed, and although she showed no interest in boys, it was not long before her parents arranged her marriage to Rodolphus Lestrange in exchange for a hefty dowry. The day Bellatrix was called into her father's study and told she would marry was the only time he ever expressed pride in her. Although it was a pride, rooted in her ability to bear children.

At age 18, Bellatrix and Rodolphus were married in a lavish ceremony attended by the more important branch of the family. And for the first time ever, Bellatrix truly understood what it meant to be a woman in this world. The walls seemed to close in on her as she observed the deference given to her cousin Sirius. A mere boy wielded more power than she could ever hope too. Despite her prodigious talent she would never escape the confines of her sex.

[therealvinelle]

Submasterpost: Harry Potter

Last updated: 24th of December

Thoughts on the books:

Why I don't think they're good

Thoughts on JKR and Meyer's strengths and weaknesses

Were there significant changes in the movies?

How would the Muffin have ended them?

Tom Riddle:

“Burn, baby, burn!” - Tom Riddle, ca. 1970

Tom Riddle: A Reasonable Man Living In an Unreasonable World

Now What’s a Dark Lord Like You Doing With a Crippling Depression Like That?

Lord Voldemort Is The Dread Pirate Roberts

Lord Voldemort Also Flinches Upon Hearing His Name, But For a Different Reason

Tom Riddle Was Not Illiterate

Tom Riddle and Muggles

Why One Should Always Picture Tom Riddle With a Rose Between His Teeth and Poetry Under His Arm

Tom Riddle/Hermione Granger, Misery style

How truthful were the memories Dumbledore showed Harry of Tom Riddle?

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ‘T’ IN VOLDEMORT?

Because bi not

Why did he go after Harry and not Neville?

What if Tom created Twilight vampires?

What if Tom Riddle was a god?

On Tom Riddle being able to create a horcrux, or: on intelligence and horcruxes

What if Tom Riddle waited for Dumbledore to die before doing anything?

On fanon Tom

Were there anybody he cared about?

Tom’s bogart and patronus

Would Tom enjoy immortality?

Is he more Walter White or Jimmy McGill?

What if the horcrux connection was a two-way mirror, allowing Tom insight into what Harry was up to?

Tom is reborn, and must redo his life. What does he do?

Tom Riddle is adopted by Muggles. Would this change things?

Albus Dumbledore:

He’s misogynistic

How did his time period influence him?

Great with kids

Other characters who don’t get their own category:

Thoughts on Cedric Diggory, Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe, and Colin Creevy

Could the cast of Harry Potter catch Kira? What about Tom Riddle and Lily Evans in a buddy cop AU?

Who should have killed Bellatrix?

Madeye Moody lives in a world with Twilight vampires (or thinks he does). How does he cope?

What if Petunia wasn't jealous of Lily?

What if Sirius didn't die?

Worldbuilding:

A History of Magic: Why It’s All Made Up (Featuring Helena Ravenclaw, a Con Artist)

Knights of Walpurhisnicht

Why do they marry so early?

Do wizards understand science?

On turning Muggleborns against Muggles

A fabricated, yet plausible history of magic

Is there an upper limit to magic? What even is it?

Is the DADA position cursed?

Why did no one interfere when Harry was being abused?

The movies:

Anon wants a fancast but doesn’t get one

Ships:

Albus Dumbledore/Tom Riddle:

Could it happen? (NOPE)

The Muffin is forced to write a fic. How would she go about it?

Albus Dumbledore & Tom Riddle:

No, Dumbledore was never going to like Tom

Harry/Peter:

Could it happen? (JESUS CHRIST WHY DO YOU WANT THIS ANON)

Harry/Sirius:

Y/N? (N!!!!!)

Harry/Tom:

What if Harry and Tom Riddle were soulmates?

Hermione/Dumbledore:

Could it happen?

Hermione/Ron:

Hermione/Ron: Boring Boat

What do they each look for in a partner?

Hermione & Umbridge

How was their relationship affected by the end of Order of the Phoenix?

Lily & Petunia:

Explaining their relationship

Movies:

Thoughts on the Movies

Who would I cast as Voldemort?

Other:

What the Hell Is the Cused Child

Art and Meta Combo for How the Muffin Visualizes Harry, Hermione, Ron, Draco, and Tom Riddle

Thoughts on the Death Eater McGonagall theory

What would a CW adaption of Harry Potter look like?

Thoughts on the epilogue

On accents 

One of the main HP characters has a squib child. What shenanigans ensue?

Visualizing Tom Riddle, Cedric Diggory, and Sirius Black

Might the Potters have survived if Dumbledore hadn't taken the invisibility cloak?

What if the prophecy was misinterpreted, and someone other than Harry was the chosen one?

What happens to the souls of those kissed by dementors?

Hermione, Ron, and Harry fight. Who wins?

Harry as the son of Rodolphus and Bellatrix, or: Bellatrix gets an abortion

Crossovers:

Tom Riddle and Light Yagami attend Hogwarts at the same time. Shenanigans?

What does Dumbledore make of the budding Tom-Light friendship?

Darth Vader is transported into the Harry Potter universe

Harry is reborn as Anakin Skywalker

[warriorlid14]

More Ron Meta

So, something I've been thinking about lately that I've never heard talked about is that Ron is very efficient on his own without the rest of the trio. The main two examples of this are:

1. That one time he led the silver trio out of a sticky situation in Umbridge's office.

2. And most telling: escaping the Snatchers. He was on 5-to-1 odds and still escaped. Now, he kinda tells us what happens and there's no reason to think he's lying, but I do think he's not telling us the whole story because he was gone the entire night. Even if it was as quick of an encounter as he made it out to be and he landed a few miles off, it still shouldn't have taken all night to find the other two. So I'm led to believe the encounter lasted longer than he said, BUT ANYWAY. Even if he wasn't. Still successfully manipulated them and escaped on 5-to-1 odds with his life and stole one of their wands.

But even with those being the main two examples, we still see more of it throughout the rest of the series.

1. The chess game. Sure, the other two were there, but this was an entirely Ron operation.

2. Staging a rescue operation with Fred and George in CoS.

3. The DoM when the groups were separated. We don't see this one at ALL besides Luna telling us how Ron and Ginny got injured. But we do know that they were being chased by 4 death eaters, and there's no way they simply outran them because of Ginny's broken ankle and Ron's loopiness. So they must've disabled them in some manner or outmaneuvered them or distracted them or SOMETHING. I so wish we could've seen this.

3. Dueling Bellatrix Lestrange AND Rodolphus Lestrange AND at least one other death eater with Tonks. Tonks tells us they didn't get Bellatrix but that they really hurt Rodolphus and that Ron stunned one of them straight on. I'm assuming it isnt Rodolphus he stunned cuz the death eater in question probably fell to their death. Oops. So at least three, two of them being in Voldemort's inner circle and great duelers.

4. Taking down Fenrir Greyback with Neville. The most notoriously evil werewolf in the series. These badass boys.

5. Also dueling some unnamed death eater at the end of HBP.

Now I'm not by any means saying that he works better without Harry and Hermione. But it's interesting how a lot of his more badass moments are apart from them. And I don't know it it's his inferiority complex or some sort of groupthink thing going on and him going "well, they're my awesome friends, who are smart and I trust them, so I'll just follow their lead", but I so wish we could've see more of his leadership/fighting/ability to finesse his way out if situations on screen.

[dumbledore-and-grindelwald]

Do you think Rowling , Thorne or both of them will ever expand on the character of Delphini? Give us some backstory ? I felt she was not entirely fleshed out in the play . Also I hope Azkaban is not really the end of the road for that girl . She needs rehabilitation and I want to believe the play didn't close that door . I really enjoy reading your HP meta . I'd like to read your thoughts on your favorite characters , pairings and themes . Hopefully summer gives you more free time to write !

I’m not getting free time. :p I’m working too many hours and have trouble with exhaustion, mood-swings and insomnia these days so I either don’t have a lot of time in my hands or I don’t have as much inspiration I guess. I ‘m not in a long-posts mode. I only write when something quite specific strikes me and I want to get it out. :p

I am not sure that Rowling or Thorne will expand on Delphi. The thing is that Cursed Child was written as a standalone. It was conceived in a way that does not necessitate for them to expand on it. Delphi is a character that is approached in a way that serves the themes of the play and the development of multiple characters while introducing a new character whose own story and psyche presents some interest. I think that this is both what makes Delphi a good character AND what her character suffers from. She has potential but she does not get the same exposure that Scorpius or Albus do as a character in herself since maintaining the mystery around her is necessary for the longest part of the play. 

I can’t speculate on whether we’ll ever learn more about her. Some things that I would really love to read Rowling and Thorne’s thoughts about are:

1) The extent to which mental illness and being abused weighted to who Delphi became.

2) By extent I’d want to hear more about whether her attending Hogwarts would have made a difference for her; especially since a lot of the lies she tells Scorpius and Albus are clearly partially drawn from her own experiences and her longing for Hogwarts and for interacting with other young wizards and witches is apparent.

3) Her feelings about Bellatrix.

4) Her desire to be and overachiever, her intense insecurities and her need to contradict her feeling of being a ‘spare’.

5) Delphi and Rodolphus’ relationship.

6) Delphi’s view of the Malfoys: How Draco’s ‘redemption’ might have prevented her from seeking out her mother’s relatives and how seeing Scorpius, her cousin, as the polar opposite of what her father represented might have affected her disdain for him.

7) Delphi and the potential of rehabilitation (which is something that I could see for her and has not been explored when it comes to most antagonists of the HP series). 

[sofoulandfairaday]

I know you’re not a big fan of CC, but I adore your takes and meta, so, how do you imagine Delphi and how would you improve her character?

Or headcanons, to put it more simply hshshs

Errr not an easy question, actually. I'm going to imagine two different scenarios for this because this character is such a blank slate that she could be taken anywhere.

Scenario n°1 - Bella&Vold die (follows canon)

Delphi was a Dark Magic experiment that Vold&Bella did for whatever reason. Either that or she was an accident (the more I think about it, though, I'm starting to believe that maybe Vold wanted to involve her in some kind of magic experiment, maybe even to get a new body/get a better grasp on immortality and he needed his own child's flesh - think Abraham and his sacrifice to God, just twisted)

They just don't have the time to do it. The Battle of Hogwarts happens suddenly when Vold realizes that Harry & Co. have the Cup, so there is just no time. We all know what happens.

In the aftermath, Lucius/Narcissa/Rodolphus/whoever tells Harry (not the Ministry, Harry specifically) about Delphi, in exchange for a better plea deal. It's up to Harry to decide what to do.

Harry (who is the same character as he was in the books, not that weird OC that has his name in CC) has a little crisis: he doesn't know what to do with this information. His first impulse is "oh no, oh God, Bellatrix and Voldemort's lovechild, let it die". I think he would tell Ron and Hermione, and Dumbledore's portrait. He also tells Andromeda (together with Narcissa - *insert their complicated reunion HERE*)

After much reflection and discussion (and Dumbledore's help, and the fact that Harry is an empath with a huge heart in canon), he would come to the conclusion that they cannot fail this child: they cannot have another Tom Riddle, shunned and abandoned by the world. They cannot let another monster be born out of neglect.

Andromeda still hates Bellatrix and she has Teddy (she needs time to love her daughter's murderer's child), Narcissa&the Malfoys have their trials going on (also hated Bellatrix and Vold by the end), Hermione has to go back to Hogwarts, so Harry & Ron raise her ???

It's mostly Kreacher, in truth. They all stay at 12 Grimmauld Place.

It takes years for all the adults in her life to check their fucking biases, but in the end, they all have a hand in raising her: Malfoys, Tonkses, and the Golden Trio. Draco likes her especially.

They keep her identity hidden for her own safety (and even just to give her a fair chance at life). They say she was Rodolphus' secret niece or something. She still has access to a part of the Lestrange fortune.

Speaking of Rodolphus, he is horrified that the girl doesn't know who her parents are (they decide they'll only tell Delphi when she's a little older), and he asks for visitation rights for years. Finally, they grant them to him for good conduct, with the promise that he'll be supervised and won't try anything funny (like prophecies or time-turners, which just do not exist in this version).

Delphi isn't stupid, though. She's incredibly magically talented, looks like Bellatrix & Tom Riddle (Rod might have cried the first time he saw her), she's a Slytherin, she can speak Parseltongue (her biggest secret, no one outside of her closest family knows) - she starts having suspicions at the age of 9. She finally asks Harry, one day, when she is 13. He tells her that he would have liked to wait, but that he never wanted to hide it from her - yes, your parents were Tom Riddle and Bellatrix Lestrange.

Of course, she knows who these people were. What they did, even just to some of the people who are closest to her (Andromeda, Hermione). She denounces their actions, and yet she feels an ache for the family she'll never know.

She'll also never be able to claim her own surname out in the open - she'd be lynched in the streets.

She starts asking about them. She always has to preface it with"I know who they were, but". Harry understands. Oh, no one understands better than him. And while Ron&Hermione don't know much, Harry tells Delphi all he's gathered on the Dark Lord in those years, especially when he was still young, bright, Tom Riddle.

Andromeda is still very hesitant to talk about Bellatrix, but Narcissa likes to show her old photograph albums, and talk about her childhood, and Rodolphus never shuts up about Bella. They tell her how talented she was, how bright, how powerful, how passionate.

They tell her how she had been conceived as a Dark Magic experiment, her father never really paid her much mind, but how her mother couldn't help but get attached - even though she fought it, even though He told her not to. She couldn't help but love that part of Him that was in her. Rodolphus had adored that child too, from the beginning.

She has always been loved, from the start. She does not become Tom Riddle 2.0

Her parents were horrible people, but they were people. She was going to be just like them: powerful, ambitious, determined, studious, the best.

I feel like she would become a teacher, like her father had half-wanted to do, many many years before. Maybe not at Hogwarts, maybe even in higher education, but she would become extremely respected in her field and is remembered as a researcher and a great witch.

Rita Skeeter or whoever tries to come out with a theory about "Voldemort's secret child" when she's 30 or around that age. She's already so respected (not to mention, Harry Potter's goddaughter) that she is able to just laugh it off. "Even if I was, suck my dick" is basically what she says (in more elegant terms, of course).

She does have her parent's temper, though. And, just like Harry, her mother's eyes.

I also like to think that she took care of Rod in his old age, after he gets finally released from Azkaban (<3). In his deathbed delirium, he sees Bellatrix and dies in a Snape-way, happily.

Scenario n°2 - Voldemort wins AU

First of all, I guess it really depends on whether Bella dies. And I'm sorry to say that Delphi's survival chances increase if Bella does die (because there's something just so heartbreaking about Vold not being able to kill Bellatrix's daughter now that she's gone, now that she's the only part of her left).

Also, now he does need a new second in command. He can find another way to reach immortality but Bella's magical skill cannot go to waste.

Who raises her?

Errr

Do the Malfoys still betray Voldemort? If they do, which leads to Bellatrix's death, they are soooo fucked. There is no way they survive.

So Rodolphus, maybe? I'm going with him.

Voldemort isn't father of the year, guys. He's hateful and bigoted and utterly unaffectionate. Also, he misses Bella, although he'd never admit to it. He never talks about her. Ever. In his twisted, dark, mind he hates her for leaving him, for letting herself get killed, for dying. She betrayed and failed him.

Rodolphus, in all his grief, cannot shut up about her. As soon as Delphi musters the courage to ask him, Pandora's box opens and she learns everything and anything about her.

I don't know how her personality evolves in this scenario. I can't imagine her being particularly stable. She vows to become like her mother, better than her mother even. She failed her father, in the end, but Delphi won't (I imagine she also thinks of Voldemort's word as Gospel).

Vold trains her, of course, as he did Bella.

He cannot help but notice her and Delphi's similarities, but also their differences. Delphi is more subtle, quieter. Like Bella, she's naturally skilled at offensive magic. Unlike Bella, she's cold. Sharper. Hides her emotions more. She's reserved, and flighty. And yet, she craves his approval just like her mother did.

She grows up quite lonely, with no friends, possibly a tad socially awkward.

I think she'd have a hard time dealing with people outside her comfort zone, but also nobody would ever treat her like they would a normal person, they'd always be too afraid. It probably gets lonely.

She would call herself either Gaunt or Black, I feel. Voldemort wouldn't like her having the Lestrange name, Rodolphus' name, but all three are pureblood houses with no heirs, so at least one of them has to be picked up again (also, unless the Malfoys have some distant cousins tucked away somewhere, they're also gone)

I never really know what to make of Voldemort wins!AUs because these characters, to me, are somewhat doomed by the narrative. There is no happiness for them, even when they win. Voldemort is so full of rage that, once England is at his feet, Harry Potter is dead, he realises just how empty immortality is. A black pit even deeper than death and yet he knows that he cannot die, because he cannot feel guilt for his crimes, and therefore if he were to pass on to the next life, there would simply be no next life. His soul is destroyed, it's eternal nothingness. So he's fucked himself, basically.

Rod dies, eventually, and she mourns him deeply. She cannot bring herself to realise that he was more of a father to her than her own father but she feels his absence, and only understands how much she took him for granted when he's no longer there.

She and her father have this weird attraction/repulsion relationship where he wants to have her close but then cannot stand it when she is. She is at the same time too much of Bellatrix and too little of Bellatrix.

Much more depressed than in the other version of events. Her father is an immortal God who can't love her or be close to her in any way that matters, she's mostly alone (when she's an adult, it's by choice, because she just can't stand other people). She's immensely powerful, much more than her other self, but it just means nothing.

Loves her mother much less, in this scenario. She is too obsessed with Vold to really care about her (much like in the original play).

I cannot really imagine a happier future if Bellatrix had lived, because I feel like Voldemort would have even less need for Delphi. I could write a very long post about why it makes absolutely no sense for either of these characters to choose to have children, so this is the best I have.

I think that Bella would have loved her daughter but never more than the Dark Lord - and that in itself is tragic.

I'm sorry if these suck, I've tried my best.

[knowshisowna]

META 001 | power 

if rodolphus lestrange wants you dead at his hand , odds are you are dead.

the eldest of the death eaters , arguably the wisest , his strategy employed in full by tom riddle ( not voldemort but tom riddle , which is a very important distinction because tom riddle was much less into delegation and entrusting duties to others than voldemort was , who had no choice really ) , and his skills taught by the same. he didn’t study under tom to the intensity or attention that bellatrix did , but he still worked under the tom the longest , was taught a wide array of dark magic , and was already quite skilled by the time he came under his employ.

now mind you , when we say rodolphus’s and bellatrix’s mentor , we’re talking about tom fucking riddle , who was able to kill his father and grandparents and perform a solid memory modification on his uncle at the age of 16 , who was able to get away with killing myrtle as a school - age boy. tom riddle , whose only real “equal” is albus dumbledore. and by 1980 - 81 , the final stretch of the first war , rodolphus has been under him for 15 - 16 years. not only that , but the triumvirate have been fighting alongside one another and learning one another’s techniques for nearly as long. they are fluid , cogs in the same machine , powerful. and rodolphus , with insurmountable skill , invulnerable tactics , an army at his will , he is one of the most formidable foes in this regime if not the most , edged out only by his wife , though they serve two very distinct purposes.

but rodolphus doesn’t DO dirty work. rodolphus doesn’t wrinkle his suit or stain his collar unless absolutely necessary. it is usually in aid of his brother or bellatrix , and not because they cannot handle themselves but because he is protective. and also , the order knows that whoever is under those masks is going to need their best and more of them. if any member of the triumvirate was ever overwhelmed , it was in quantity rather than quality. it’s just facts.

now bellatrix’s tutelage under tom was far more extensive and for a far different purpose. fitting , because she does love her work. she loves punishment , torture , displaying her skills. rodolphus is more reserved , but she has always been the warrior , the knight , the soldier through and through. he is the wand at her back , but if he can stand back and let her work , he will without question.

as for rabastan , he is not as ruthless as bellatrix nor as refined as rodolphus , but he is RABID. he fights like a trapped animal , relentless , restless. he doesn’t know how to give up , and he will go to the greatest lengths to back his brother and sister - in - law. pre - azkaban , he is at his best. he is a finisher. he is the turn of the tide , the one to come in last minute and tip a scale if need be. he complements them well , and he knows it.

basically considering 9 times out of 10 , you aren’t going to find one without the other two either present or all too close for comfort , you aren’t getting the jump on them. you aren’t overpowering them. you are holding them off long enough to escape. and rodolphus can orchestrate a draw if need be , as in tom riddle wanted someone specific left alive and he had to ensure that , but if you are alive after engaging him , it is most likely because he made it so. most order members are children , younger than them. the marauders ? children. the only three i can see giving rodolphus a run for his money pre - azkaban ( outside of albus ) would be moody , kingsley ( for a time ) , and frank , and we all know how the latter ends , but . . . let’s talk about it.

bellatrix , rodolphus , and rabastan are able to capture two of the most respected aurors employed by the ministry. not only capture them but torture them into insanity. not kill them , despite the desperation to find voldemort and get answers. they had the sound mind to keep them alive through it all , which is something people tend to overlook because they think bellatrix has always been crazy , and rabastan has always been weak. it just isn’t true. barty was instrumental in capturing the longbottoms due to his inside information as was augustus rookwood , but these three took them down. and honestly , i think between bellatrix and rodolphus , they could have done it on manipulation tactic alone.

and they only need each other. more often than not , if there is something crucial to be handled , they only need each other. barty is a whole other post due to who his father is , who he is to the lestranges , his credit for helping locate the longbottoms etc etc , but these three rely solely on one another , and they had to work for that just as well. 

but like i said , rodolphus delegates A LOT. because he has a lot of faith in the innate need to impress him and evade letting him down by those beneath him. the mckinnons ? many death eaters were sent , and the lestranges weren’t there at all. the bones family ? again , this was a family that could be manipulated because they had children. rodolphus and rabastan won’t hurt defenseless children , but edgar wouldn’t know that. his wife didn’t know that. they only know the masks. they don’t have names. they don’t have faces. so just the THREAT of their presence would have been enough , but it wasn’t necessary. he’s sending teams and factions to handle these missions , and all while he orchestrates a fucking war. he can fight. he can take on the best. but he doesn’t need to. that’s power. tom riddle knows it , and rodolphus does too. because by the end , tom was so focused on his own quest , it was the lestranges in charge of an army.

so again , the odds of overpowering and / or overcoming the triumvirate are slim to fucking none. they aren’t your classmates. they aren’t your peers. THEY AREN’T YOUR EQUALS. they are the first. they are the best. most are just lucky they never have to come across them , and if you do , may the gods be with you.