Rodolphus Lestrange

Rodolphus Lestrange was born into the famous Pure-blooded family of the Lestranges in Great Britain, in or before 1952. He was the elder brother of Rabastan Lestrange. Rodolphus was an important Death Eater of Lord Voldemort and was married to Bellatrix Lestrange, who was probably the most important of all Death Eaters. Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, and Barty Crouch Jr were the four Death Eaters sentenced to life at Azkaban prison for torturing the Longbottoms.

However, they were broken out of prison by Lord Voldemort. Rodolphus was once again sent to Azkaban after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries from where he escaped again. He was finally arrested and sent to Azkaban for the third time after the Battle of Hogwarts, but he escaped yet another time and was the one who told Delphi of her true parentage.

Early Life

Rodolphus Lestrange was born in or before 1952 in Great Britain into the Lestrange family, which was a Pure-blooded family. His younger brother was Rabastan Lestrange. Rodolphus Lestrange attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when he was eleven years old and was sorted into Slytherin house. He became friends with fellow Slytherin members Evan Rosier, Bellatrix Black, Severus Snape, and Lucius Malfoy. His brother Rabastan was also a Slytherin student.

First Wizarding War 

Rodolphus and his wife Bellatrix were very active during the First Wizarding War and would constantly follow the orders of the Dark Lord. However, after Voldemort’s sudden disappearance, Rodolphus, Bellatrix, Rabastan, and Barty Crouch Jr went to the house of the Aurors Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom and tortured them with the Cruciatus Curse in the expectation of finding more details about the disappearance of the Dark Lord. However, they knew nothing about this, and eventually, they were tortured a lot and lost their sanity due to this. 

Rodolphus was sent to Azkaban along with the other three for this felony. However, Bellatrix claimed that the Dark Lord would return and would one day free them from Azkaban prison, and Rodolphus believed this to be true. 

Between The Wars 

Rodolphus Lestrange stayed in his cell in Azkaban between the two wizarding wars. However, while his wife, Bellatrix Lestrange, and his brother Rabastan Lestrange were still in Azkaban along with him, Barty Crouch Jr had been freed from his cell without the knowledge of the Dementors. It was the dying request of Barty Crouch Jr’s mother to her husband Barty Crouch, who agreed to break him out of prison. 

Rodolphus Lestrange and several other Death Eaters were broken out of prison in the year 1996 after the return of Lord Voldemort. Rodolphus Lestrange, his wife Bellatrix, and Rabastan Lestrange reunited with their master, the Dark Lord, soon after.

Second Wizarding War

Rodolphus Lestrange was very crucial among the Death Eaters during the Second Wizarding War. He was among the Death Eaters who fought the Battle of the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic headquarters. They had come to steal the prophecy made about Harry Potter and the Dark Lord but were outwitted by the members of the Dumbledore’s Army, which included Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Ginny, and Luna, and later by the Order of the Phoenix. Rodolphus was arrested at the end of this battle and was sent to Azkaban once again. 

He was broken out of Azkaban for the second time, and he was one of the Death Eaters who took part in the Battle of the Seven Potters. He tried to attack Nymphadora Tonks and Ron Weasley but was unsuccessful in the process.

Later, Rodolphus Lestrange took part in the Battle of Hogwarts. His wife, Bellatrix Lestrange, was killed by Molly Weasley, and Lord Voldemort was killed by Harry Potter. Rodolphus survived the war but was imprisoned in Azkaban soon after. 

Later Life

Rodolphus Lestrange is believed to have escaped from Azkaban yet another time around the year 2020. He was the one who tracked down his stepdaughter Delphi and told her about how she was the daughter of Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange and that she was conceived in the Malfoy Manor during the Second Wizarding War. However, this was pretty much all that we see Rodolphus Lestrange doing in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and very little is known of him beyond this point. It is very likely that he went into hiding to prevent being imprisoned again.

Bellatrix and Rodolphus

Despite being married to Rodolphus, it is quite clear from Bellatrix Lestrange’s behavior that she was madly in love with Lord Voldemort. Furthermore, she ended up having a child with Lord Voldemort despite being married to Rodolphus Lestrange.

It is believed that Rodolphus and Bellatrix married each other more due to requirements that were set by their Pure-blooded families. Since both the Blacks and the Lestranges were very traditional and only approved of Pure-blooded marriages, and also since both Bellatrix and Rodolphus were very proud of their heritage and rules, they decided to marry each other. Furthermore, they were very highly devoted to the cause of Lord Voldemort, and therefore, it didn’t matter if she loved Voldemort more than him. 

Rodolphus was very accommodating of the relationship between Bellatrix and Voldemort as is evident from his attempt to reunite with their child Delphi and tell her about her parents Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix. Furthermore, he broke out of Azkaban prison just so that she could be made aware of this truth and avenge her father and probably even bring him back.

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