46. It’s Time to Duel!
J.K. Rowling frequently acknowledges that Bellatrix is the most skilled fighter of the Death Eaters. She defeats highly trained Aurors like Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks in combat. Even during the Battle of Hogwarts, she is able to fight off Hermione, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood simultaneously.
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47. Must Have Had a Great Honeymoon
According to J.K. Rowling, the marriage between Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange was “loveless,” as Bellatrix only felt any true devotion to Voldemort. Bellatrix had only gotten married out of a sense of duty to marry well.
Ouch. Sorry Rodolphus. Turns out that Voldemort isn't just an absolutely evil, genocidal maniac... he's also a bit of a homewrecker.
The Writing Cooperative Math.
48. I Don’t Like Him
Despite her having attended school with Severus Snape and having been a Death Eater alongside him for years, Bellatrix grew to hate and distrust Snape as being unworthy of Voldemort’s trust. She despised him for defecting to the enemy when Voldemort disappeared. She also considered Snape’s half-blood status to be a sign of his inferiority, and his inability to have killed Harry Potter in all the years that he was a teacher at Hogwarts proves his weakness and lack of devotion to the Death Eaters’ cause.
And in the end, we suppose, she was right all along. Snape did turn out to be on the other side all along. Good news for the good guys that Beletrix never managed to convince Voldemort to give up on Severus.
49. Kill Count
When it comes to killing off beloved characters, Bellatrix is responsible for two of the saddest send-offs in the Harry Potter series. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, she kills her cousin, Sirius Black, in front of his own godson. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, she throws the knife that kills Dobby, the loyal house-elf.
As if she needed to be more hateable.
Harry Potter Wiki Even in death, he's got pretty much perfect hair.
50. Where Are All the Bad Girls?
Bellatrix Lestrange was the first female Death Eater introduced in the Harry Potter series, books or movies. The only other confirmed female Death Eater is Alecto Carrow.
51. Love Lost
Interestingly, a rather well-known love triangle is hidden within the casting of the Harry Potter film series. Bellatrix is played by Helena Bonham Carter, who had previously had an affair with Kenneth Branagh, who played Gilderoy Lockhart in the second Harry Potter film. This affair led to the end of Branagh’s marriage to Emma Thompson, who also appeared in the film series as Sybill Trelawney.
52. Surprising Fate
Bellatrix’s ultimate fate in the story is death during the Battle of Hogwarts after a fierce duel with Molly Weasley. According to J.K. Rowling, she always intended for Molly to kill Bellatrix, giving two reasons for her choice. Firstly, Molly killing Bellatrix would show the victory of maternal and romantic love against obsessive love (i.e. Bellatrix’s feelings for Voldemort).
Secondly, it would show that just because Molly is a very family-focused woman doesn’t mean that she wouldn’t be able to hold her own in a fight.
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53. Did J.K. Write That??
According to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Bellatrix secretly had a daughter with Lord Voldemort during their time at Malfoy Manor. Whether you decide this is canon or not is your decision, to be honest, since it does seem rather uncharacteristic of Voldemort to care about anyone enough to procreate with them.
54. From A to B
As it’s revealed in the books, as scary as Bellatrix is, she's terrified of one wizard: Dumbledore. She flees from him during the battle in the Department of Mysteries, recognizing him as her superior in magic.
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55. She Might Have Had a Chance
Despite this hesitancy to openly confront Dumbledore, though, Bellatrix is the only person in the book series, apart from Voldemort, to successfully block one of Dumbledore’s attacks.
56. Innocent Cruelty
According to Helena Bonham Carter, her performance as the crazed Bellatrix was inspired by the savagery of children “before they get civilized.” No doubt parents reading this article are nodding their heads sagely in agreement.
57. Unexpected Swear
As fans of Harry Potter will remember, the seventh book and the last movie in the series featured Bellatrix’s battle with Molly Weasley. The battle between them begins when Bellatrix attempts to kill Ginny, only for Molly to scream “Not my daughter you b****!” Not only was this the first use of the word as a curse in the Harry Potter series, but novelist Stephen King later commented that it had been “the most shocking [use of the word] in recent fiction.”
58. Silver Medal?
Originally, the character of Bellatrix was meant to be played by actress Helen McCrory when she made her debut in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. However, McCrory became pregnant and had to drop out of the movie. However, she eventually returned to the film franchise when she was cast as Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix’s sister.
59. Happy New Year
Tom Marvolo Riddle was born on December 31, 1926, and I bet his New Years resolutions always had something to do with the dark arts.
60. With a Name Like That, She Has to be Evil
Voldemort comes from a long line of evil, sadistic witches and wizards. Not only was he descended from Salazar Slytherin, another of his ancestors was a sinister witch named Gormlaith Gaunt. Living in the 1600s, Gormlaith killed her her sister and her Sister’s husband, then kidnapped their five-year-old daughter, Isolt.
61. A Piece of History
Unlike so many stories from Voldemort’s family history, the tale of Isolt and Gormlaith has a (somewhat) happy ending. After over a decade of mistreatment from her aunt, Isolt stole Gormlaith’s wand and fled to the New World, where she founded the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the American equivalent to Hogwarts.
62. Pukwudgie Pride
Gormlaith would eventually meet her end while seeking revenge on her niece. She traveled to the New World in search of Isolt, but she ended up getting more than she bargained for—she was killed when Isolt’s friend, William the Pukwudgie, shot her with a venom-tipped arrow. For his heroics, one of Ilvermorny’s four Houses was named after William.
63. Bloodline
While adult Voldemort was played by Ralph Fiennes, one of the young versions glimpsed in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was played by Fiennes’ nephew, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin. Director David Yates chose the actor not just because of the name, but because of his resemblance to Ralph.
64. Liar
Although Voldemort was pretty big on the supremacy of purebloods, he was actually half-blood. He had one muggle parent, but told his followers and the world that he was a pure-blooded descendant of Salazar Slytherin.
65. How Can I Help You?
At one time, if you walked into Borgin and Burke’s magic shop, you would have been greeted by Riddle’s (less reptilian) face. Riddle worked at the shop during his teens and offered great customer service, while also using the knowledge he acquired to locate magical items. Some of these items later became his Horcruxes.
66. Fam
We all have some conflict with family sometimes, but not as much as Riddle had with his distant cousin, Harry Potter. Riddle was related to Cadmus Peverell, one of the three brothers who were given the Deathly Hallows: the Elder Wand, the invisibility cloak and the resurrection stone. Cadmus received the resurrection stone, while the brother who receives the invisibility cloak, Ignotus, is related to Potter.
Then again, J.K. Rowling has also confirmed that “nearly all” wizarding families are related to the brothers if you go back far enough.
67. Owner of a Lonely Heart
Tom’s wizard mother, Merope Gaunt, used her wizarding prowess to put Tom’s dad, Tom Riddle Sr., under her spell. Literally. The spell (or love potion, to be specific) required continuous doping and Merope eventually slipped up out of guilt, leading to Mr. Riddle coming to his senses. Soon after, he walked out, taking most of the family’s money with him.
Merope gave birth to young Tom at an orphanage and then died one hour later from complications of childbirth.
68. Goody Two Shoes
Riddle served as a prefect during his time at Hogwarts, outwardly coming across as a model student. Meanwhile, he schemed for ways to get more power and manipulate professors, such as the manipulation that led Professor Slughorn to tell him about Horcruxes.
69. You Mad Bro?
It was Riddle’s uncle, Morfin Gaunt, who let it slip that Riddle’s dad was a muggle. How did Riddle respond? He killed his dad, and his dad’s parents. He then framed his uncle for the murders and had him sent to Azkaban. His uncle couldn’t really protest, since Riddle fiddled with his memories.
70. Keep it in the Family
As Game of Thrones has taught us—thanks, Cersei—the desire to keep a bloodline pure can lead to incest. In the case of Riddle, the Gaunt family was very close. Although Riddle wasn’t directly a result of incest, his mother’s bloodline has generations of it going back.
71. Anti-Social
So your parents are gone and you’re in an orphanage. Do you try to make friends or do you torture the kids around you? If you’re Tom Riddle, you do the latter. Riddle’s antics included using his parseltongue to creep people out and hanging another orphan’s pet rabbit. Riddle also took two orphans, Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop, to a cave and did some unethical things that have yet to be confirmed.
Fan theories abound about the specifics, but as of yet, Rowling has never revealed what happened on that dark day.
72. In the Beginning
The Death Eaters began as Slytherin bullies that Riddle recruited. The group helped Riddle gain more influence in Hogwarts. The early group also served as underlings that could carry out acts that Riddle needed to distance himself from in order to maintain his teacher’s pet image.
73. Voldemor
According to J.K. Rowling, the T in “Voldemort” is supposed to be silent. Rowling dropped the news back in 2015. There are public examples of her saying the dark lord’s name like everyone else does, but Rowling says she only pronounces the T when engaging with fans.
74. Overachiever
Riddle excelled as a student at Hogwarts, becoming “the most talented’ student according to some sources. Riddle also got an early start on the dark arts. He created his first Horcrux when he was 16 years old.
75. Mr. Worldwide
It’s pretty common knowledge that Tom Marvolo Riddle is an anagram for the phrase “I am Lord Voldemort.” What’s more interesting is that this remains true for all sixty-eight languages the book has been translated in. Different languages might give Riddle different names, but they do so specifically to keep the anagram.
For example, the Dutch is Marten Asmodom Vilign and “Mijn Naam (my name) is Voldemort.” In the Dutch case, the last name of Vilign also means “evil.”
76. The Departed
J.K. Rowling looked beyond for inspiration for her character’s names. Specifically, some of them came from Edinburgh’s Greyfriars Kirk churchyard. Tom Riddell died when he was 72, while Tom Riddle died when he was 71. Fans began to leave flowers at Riddell’s grave following the revelation.
77. Bad Roommate
Moaning Myrtle has Riddle to thank for her death, since he is the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets and let the basilisk out while he was a student at Hogwarts.
78. Too Close
Remember that awkward hug Voldemort shares with Draco? Not scripted. Ralph Fiennes improvised.
79. Fifteen Minutes of Fame
Christian Coulson, who portrayed Riddle in The Chamber of Secrets, went through a six-month long audition process. The time was made worse by the hectic filming schedule, since the first film was being filmed during the audition process. Coulson says the original slate had thousands of potentials, which eventually got narrowed down to three, and then to one.
Coulson’s 15-minute scene then took seven weeks to film.
80. Method Acting
Coulson’s upbringing actually had some surprising parallels with Riddle’s. The actor went to a “Hogwarts-y” boarding school and also relates to feeling like an orphan while at the school since his parents were abroad. Coulson also says he had the outward appearance of a model student while also being quite mischievous.
Coulson doesn’t give specifics on the mischief but hopefully it wasn’t as bad as Riddle’s.
81. Cut Down
Like the book, the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince film was supposed to show all of Dumbledore’s memories about Riddle. According to screenwriter, Steven Kloves, the director insisted on trimming them down because he wanted to focus on Voldemort’s rise to power, without getting hung up on his past as Riddle.
82. Tom Bates
Although Riddle is obviously a violent, angry fellow, there is also evidence to support the claim he is a serial killer. Serial killers have very specific tell-tale signs, and Riddle actually fits most of them. There is the obvious lack of empathy, violence, and feeling of superiority. Then there’s also his tendency to take trophies from his victims and his harming of animals.
83. Not Quite My Tempo
Eddie Redmayne, who now plays Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts series, auditioned for the part of Tom Riddle in The Chamber of Secrets. He was rejected after reading one line.
84. Foreshadowing
When a young Dumbledore visits Riddle in the orphanage in The Half-Blood Prince, there are seven stones lined up on Riddle’s windowsill. The number is the most powerful in magic in the Potterverse, and also coincides with the pieces of Riddle’s soul.
85. Nailed It!
Ralph Fiennes knew his Voldemort makeup was on point when he made a child cry. Allegedly, the child of a script supervisor was reduced to tears when Fiennes walked past him.
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86. Thanks Dad
Although Tom Riddle did everything to disown his muggle father, he still needed a bone from his dad to get his body back. He also tied Harry Potter to his dad’s grave shortly after returning.
87. Thanks for the Memories
After shipping his uncle off to Azkaban, Riddle also took his family signet ring. The ring was a trophy of his crime, and later served as a Horcrux.
88. Home Sweet Home
Tom’s mother Merope Gaunt grew up in a rundown cottage. The space was shared with her dad, Marvolo, and her Uncle Morfin. The abuse she suffered at the hands of her housemates, along with the poverty, probably contributed to her decision to bewitch a muggle and run away.
89. Good Deal
Although Riddle was a handful as he got older, he was apparently an angelic baby. Mrs. Cole, the head of the orphanage, notes that Riddle rarely cried when he was a wee lad. You’d think he would have been adopted out.
90. No Thank You
Riddle earned an award for Special Services to the School during his time at Hogwarts. Surprisingly, the award is still on display in the trophy room: Ron had the pleasure of cleaning it during detention in The Chamber of Secrets.
91. Reminisce
Harry discovered one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes hidden in a cave. This is the same cave where Riddle earlier traumatized two of his orphanage peers. This fit in with Dumbledore’s belief that Riddle would use items and locations of special significance when creating and hiding his Horcruxes.
92. Coincidence, I Think Not!
The name Riddle adopted later in life, literally means “flight from death” in French. Vol (flight), de (from), mort (death). “Vol” can also mean theft.
93. Unite the Seven
According to Potter lore, Riddle was the first wizard to use more than one Horcrux, splitting his soul into seven pieces. Creating a Horcrux also requires an act of murder, which Riddle took care of in spades.
Teste Dich
94. Shouldn'a Said That
Riddle and Hagrid both attended Hogwarts at the same time. Riddle also framed Hagrid for opening The Chamber of Secrets. Hagrid was expelled, his wand was broken and he was forbidden from using magic.
95. SS
Riddle is the last descendant of Salazar Slytherin, meaning the bloodline dies with him since he didn’t have children. That is, unless you count The Cursed Child (I don’t).
96. Mercy
Apparently, Riddle was complimented on his Halloween costume by a child once. This happened when Riddle was on his way to kill Harry’s parents. In a rare act, Riddle didn’t bother killing the child who insulted him.
97. That Guy Is Poison
Harry and Riddle both share wands with a phoenix feather core, but the types of wood are different. Harry’s wand is made from holly, which is traditionally believed to repel evil. Riddle’s wand uses yew wood, and yew sap is poisonous.
98. Professor Riddle
Riddle originally wanted to teach once he graduated, specifically for Defence Against the Dark Arts. The headmaster at the time, Armando Dippet, declined due to Riddle’s age, and it was probably a good call. When Riddle returned up ten years later to try again, Dumbledore shut him down quick. However, ever since that day, the school was unable to keep a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for more than a single year.
This eerie "coincidence" is largely assumed to be a curse that Voldemort cast on the position out of spite for his rejection.
99. Dark Plans
Some fans have come up with a theory that the curse on the Defence Against the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts was actually an ingenious plan by the Dark Lord. Yes, he was bitter that he wasn’t allowed to take up the post, but that’s not the only explanation for the curse—he also may have created it to ensure that young witches and wizards would be ill-prepared to face him as he rose to power. The constantly shifting cast of characters meant that no single, good teacher could get a foothold, so the students wouldn’t be properly trained in combatting the dark magic of Voldemort and his followers.
100. Kray Kray
The idea behind someone being so feared that no one wanted to utter their name comes from real English history. Rowling used the notorious English gangsters the Kray twins as inspiration, since their reputation allegedly led to people avoiding using their names.
101. Undead
A man willing to use Horcruxes clearly wants to avoid death. J.K. Rowling has said that Tom Riddle’s boggart would likely be his own lifeless corpse. Sweet dreams.
102. What is Love?
Riddle was conceived while his dad was under the influence of a love potion. Aside from a range of issues that come with parental abandonment, Riddle is also physically incapable of understanding love, due to his mother’s tampering with his dad.
103. Garden of Evil
Voldemort left an enormous pile of bodies behind him in his rise to power, but one of his most tragic victims was one that he left alive. After he killed his muggle father and grandparents, their gardener, Frank Bryce, was accused of the crime. Since there was no evidence (the Killing Curse does not leave a mark, so the Riddles’ deaths could not be proven as murder), Bryce was never convicted.
However, just because he got off, that doesn’t mean he didn’t suffer for the crime. The World War II veteran was cast out of the community, and he was forced to spend the rest of his life as an outcast, living by himself, tending the grounds of the people he’d wrongly been accused of killing. Of course, Voldemort would eventually return to finish the job, killing Bryce in The Goblet of Fire.
