History of House Lestrange
Legacy. A word that Great Aunt Walburga has engraved into my mind. A word that has meant both freedom and imprisonment. My destiny. My fate. My sole purpose for existing. Ensuring that both the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Lestrange and the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black continue on or end in elegance and grace.
Lyra was born out of duty. My mother, Bellatrix Lestrange, never loved my father. My father, Rodolphus Lestrange, worshiped my mother’s beauty and nothing more. Mother was corrupted by the Black Madness. She, like many from her family, craved power. The marriage between my parents was purely for political purposes. Two perfectly psychopathic purebloods who despised anyone who was not also a pureblood.
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House Lestrange came from the South of France. At first it was a small family of horse breeders, but our ancestor, Glorian Lestrange, began experimenting with the horses they bred. He created the first ever winged horses and over the course of his life, he perfected their breeds. His daughter, Aurelia Lestrange, helped to perfect the breeds after he passed.
From that moment on, the French Lestrange's grew in wealth. Until one day, there was a split in the family. It is still debated by both sides as to the true cause of the split. But I was told that it was an argument between two brothers. Abraxian and Granian Lestrange. They both thought that their horses were far better than the other’s horse. What started as a simple argument turned into a feud, then a duel, then a split.
Abraxian packed up his wife and children and moved to Great Britain in 1537. Abraxian continued breeding his horses and selling his highly sought after creatures. But he found an interest in the land surrounding them. He saw the money it could reap and slowly, he began purchasing land and, in turn, the people living on it. Within a century, House Lestrange owned the majority of the Scottish Lowlands and had been slowly creeping south. Few people were able to say that they were not 'owned' by the Lestrange Family.
By the 1880s, House Lestrange had become undeniably powerful. Both the French and British Branches of the family wielded such power that no one dared to cross them. They became closely linked to the other pureblood families of Great Britain and only stood second to the Gaunt Family. They were only slightly frowned upon due to their slightly different view on muggles and muggleborns, which I later learned.
The turn of the 20th century was the beginning of the downfall of House Lestrange. Many Pureblood Families would suffer throughout this century. It began with Lord Corvus Lestrange IV, from the French Branch. He made too many mistakes, too many poor decisions, and was the beginning of the end. He was cocky, over-confident, and too narrow-minded to be the Head of House Lestrange.
With the death of Leta Lestrange, the French Branch had died out. The British Branch swooped in and bought their orchards, vineyards, and farms. Many considered this the prime of the British Lestrange Family, and perhaps it was. They had no competitors in name anymore, they owned prosperous land in multiple countries, their wealth seemed to only be growing with no signs of stopping. Their magical power seemed almost unmatched as they taught their children from a young age how to harness their magic.
The Rise of Grindelwald marked the end of many families and the downfall of many others. So many joined his cause, his sugar-coated words, and his sweet promises were more than enough to convince anyone who heard them. Especially as ignorance was rampant in many countries around the world, and ignorance creates fear and hatred. The British Lestranges barely pulled through without casualties but they too had become susceptible to ignorance, despite the vast library in the Lestrange Manor tucked away near Loch Lomond.
The rapid growth of intolerance poisoned the very roots of Pureblood Society. No one was immune, not even the so-called ‘Blood Traitors’ were immune. Intolerance would lead to the end of the Wizarding World of Britain and Ireland. Inter-marriages to ensure blood purity were merely depleting the numbers of these families. Family Magic had to be restrained to only those born to one of the family as it began to get confused and inter-mingle with disastrous effects.
To simplify this, the Black Family and the Lestrange Family were led by two proud men. Lord Orion Black and Lord Aurelian Lestrange. They had become friends in school and were academic rivals, always forcing each other to be better simply to stay on top. They created an alliance with each other and as Heads of their Houses they controlled all those in the family.
The two lords decided to join their families together through a marriage between Orion’s niece, Bellatrix Black, and Aurelian’s son, Rodolphus Lestrange. At the betrothal dinner, both Bellatrix and Rodolphus were warned to not only behave but that if they failed, then they would suffer greatly for it. The two understood it was duty, Bellatrix being the oldest of her generation in the family and Rodolphus the Heir of his own.
After a year of marriage, and a war creeping through the land, Bellatrix and Rodolphus were told to have an heir by the end of the year or forfeit their fortunes. So, they conceived as instructed. All the while, Bellatrix had an affair with the man she worshiped, the man she and her husband were loyal followers of Lord Voldemort. It was an open secret, but no one was to speak about it. At least not to speak openly about it. What was Rodolphus to do? Tell the Dark Lord to stop bedding Bellatrix?
During this decade, the House of Black disowned its Heir, Sirius Black. Then their spare, Regulus, died in the war. His fate is unknown, but was likely killed for failing his Lord. Lord Black was left without a son, without an heir, and he soon followed Regulus to the grave. Leaving Lady Walburga Black on her own in her grief and her anger.
By law and magic, the Heirship of House Black would be given to a surviving descendant or the child of the oldest member of the next generation. Despite being blown off of the family tapestry and publicly disowned, Sirius became the Lord of House Black following the death of his father, though nothing would come of it until the death of Walburga. As Sirius had no children when he became Lord, Lyra became the Heir Apparent of both House Black and House Lestrange.
The year of 1981 is the year everything changes. After the attack on the Potter Family in Godric’s Hollow, the domino effect begins. Sirius Black is wrongfully imprisoned without a trial and is declared incapacitated making Walburga Black the Lady Regent instead of Lady Dowager. Harry Potter is hidden somewhere by the so-called Light Faction. Bellatrix and Rodolphus along with my uncle, Rabastan, and another Death Eater, Bartemius Crouch Jr. Decide to hunt down the Longbottom Family to get answers regarding the whereabouts of their Lord.
After the horrendous crime of torturing the two Longbottom Aurors, the four Death Eaters were hunted, captured, and imprisoned in Azkaban, the prison for truly despicable Wixen and occasionally other creatures within the Wizarding Worlds of Great Britain and Ireland. The House of Lestrange had been considered as a Fallen House. Shamed and disgraced beyond repair.
Lyra Lestrange, daughter of Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange, was sent to 12 Grimmauld Place, to live with her Great Aunt Walburga. If she weren’t the Heir Apparent for House Black, Lyra likely would’ve gone to my Aunt Narcissa and her husband, Lucius Malfoy. For the next 8 years, she lived in isolation with Walburga Black. The only other company being the house-elf, Kreacher, who took charge in caring for the poor girl. The rules and expectations engraved into her very heart and soul by the only person who now had access to her. The weight of two very old and very powerful houses rested on her shoulders and Lyra could feel the pressure.