InsaneJournal

The Lestrange family was never as rich as the Malfoys or as regal as the Blacks, but as the heir to his family's name, Rodolphus was determined to make the Lestrange's stand out. The reputation they did have was rather unsavory. Rumors were passed between other families that the Lestranges were far more stuck up than they ought to be and often found that no one was as good a match for their Pureblood daughters as other Purebred Lestrange sons. And in fact, it was true! Although brothers were never really marrying sisters, the branches of the Lestrange family tree were a little too tightly woven. As a result, Lestrange parents had a tendency to produce defective progeny that were prone to serious and debilitating mental illness. More than one Lestrange had gone completely insane in the past to the point where the joke was often passed that so much of the Lestrange income went to paying hospital bills for housing their insane that Saint Mungo's was able to build a whole knew wing strictly for their care.

But hey, at least the Lestrange children weren't born with missing eyes or deformed faces and bodies so it could be worse!

To combat the negative to non-existant Lestrange reputation, Rodolphus has joined the Death Eaters, not only because he was raised to be a purist but because Voldemort alone allows him the ability to act out aggressively against Wizarding and Muggle society, insuring that the Lestranges will go down in infamy as heinous and horrible criminals. While his father attempted to do the same by joining the Knights of Walpurgis before they aligned themselves with the Dark Lord, he was unwilling to act out violently and force his family into something so nefarious and evil.

A long standing and rather barbaric tradition in the Lestrange family kept Rodolphus and his father from ever having to confront each other on these differences of opinion. Whenever a Lestrange heir turned seventeen years of age and was thus recognized as an adult by society, it was his duty to take the place of his father as the head of household. While now, in more modern times, a first born son is to wait until after graduation before following through with the ceremony, the result is the same. The only way for a son to completely take charge was to kill the other alpha male, a lot like is often scene in packs of animals in nature. So, after graduation, Rodolphus killed his father who willingly gave up his life in favor of upholding the tradition. The murder was something none of the other Lestranges ever spoke about, the affair being highly private and sacred to them. While Rodolphus mother knew it would happen eventually, she still couldn't help but withdraw from her oldest son after the deed had been done and spent the remainder of her life locked in her bedroom.

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  Application:
  
  Name: Rodolphus Lestrange
  House: Former Slytherin
  Year (for 1975-1976): Graduated
  Blood Status: Pureblood
  Birthday: February 20, 1954
  Pet (if any): None. While he had a few growing up, they had a tendency to disappear frequently under mysterious circumstances
  
  Physical Appearance: Most of Rodolphus strength lies in his upper body. Years of physical activity and rowdy outdoor play in his youth has rewarded him with broad shoulders and strong arms. He has a firm grip although his hands are somewhat of an annoyance to him given the rough calluses on his fingers and the square shape of his palms. He has the hands of a laborer, he claims, and they are probably his least favorite feature. Standing at 187 centimeters, it is one of Rodolphus' goals to grow as tall as he possibly can figuring he would prove to be a much more imposing figure that way. With green eyes and brown shoulder length hair that he wears it in that messy, carefree way that seems to be so popular with the boys his age these days, Rodolphus considers himself to be attractive. In fact, he considers himself to be more attractive than other men his age but that isn't at all surprising given his ego. He isn't the type, however, to brag about this fact or to spend hours preening in front of the mirror, that just wouldn't be manly. Since he's rather proud of his station in life, Rodolphus dresses in a fashion that reflects his social standing, favoring ties, cufflinks, and vests that match his robes. In fact, the only time he can ever be seen dressing down is when he's spending time outdoors, and of course, when he's going to bed.
  
  Biography:
  
  Rodolphus was the first born in the pair of Lestrange children and thus earned not only a hefty birth right but also the task of being responsible for the family name, not only carrying it on for future generations, but also for its standing in the Wizarding community. Rodolphus' father took a very active role in his son's life, eager to mold him into a proper heir with a set of morals and beliefs that would belie the type of reputation their family possessed - or at least the type of reputation he wished for the Lestrange family to have. The truth of it was, the Lestranges weren't as rich as the Malfoys and they certainly weren't as regal as the Blacks. Instead, they suffered rumors of marriages between those a little too closely related and covered up the Lestrange family tendency for mental unrest and illness as one of their deepest secrets. Thus, they'd always sort of blended into the hodgepodge of Pureblood family lines that propagated the United Kingdom which certainly wasn't, in his father's opinion, any way to live. Although Mr. Lestrange had often tried to find some way to stand out, he'd never quite managed success.
  
  Rodolphus mother was a keen and observant woman who seemed capable of seeing everything through an objective lens, rarely letting her heart get in the way of her head. Although she would never be overtly overbearing or assert her dominance she was the type of woman who could lead her husband to her own conclusions all the while allowing him to feel as if he had come up with the idea himself, and no one ever noticed.
  
  Rodolphus took after his mother more than he did his father, or so he always assumed. His mother had always seemed so detached, and those feelings he often found reflected in himself. He listened to and obeyed his parents for the most part but where other children were forming loving bonds with the other members of their family, Rodolphus felt no such desires. His family became important to him because family and bloodlines were important to most Pureblood children but he never quite managed to honestly care about any of them, a sentiment that extended even to his younger brother. Rodolphus was ambivalent towards the addition of Rabastan to their family group. His apathy, however, wasn't easily recognized by anyone outside of the calculating eye of his mother. Very early on, Rodolphus learned the importance of appearances in the world he lived in, how it was vital to stand out but not for the wrong reasons. He learned to mimic the behaviors of the other children his own age and rapidly became extremely adept at pretending to be normal.
  
  There was one thing he did manage to adopt from his father's way of thinking and behaving and that was a desire to make the Lestrange family stand out. Like his father, Rodolphus wasn't content with remaining in the background. In Hogwarts, he spent his first few years there being the center of attention as much as possible. He didn't care what he stood out for as long as he was noticed. He was a braggart and a bully, he joined the Slytherin Quidditch team as a beater, told dirty jokes, and teased girls with dead mice and grossed out everyone by eating spiders and tearing the wings off of butterflies with his teeth. He spread unsavory and wild rumors around school about himself and his family to insure that his classmates would, at the very least, talk about him.
  
  As he grew older, especially after Rabastan entered school, Rodolphus' antics toned down drastically. As he became a 'young man' his pursuit for attention turned academic where he excelled in Transfiguration. Instead of trying to upset people's sensibilities, Rodolphus tried to be charming, making acquaintances with the men and women his parents invited into their home. He learned the names of the members of other Pureblood families and paid more attention to his Pureblooded peers. It was a general consensus that Rodolphus grew up to be a "fine young man" even if he had a bit of a rocky start.
  
  Rodolphus is a purist but not as passionately as some of his fellows. While he harbors absolutely no sympathy or soft feelings towards Muggles and Mudbloods, his elitist beliefs stem from the fact that being absolutely superior to most people just because he was born into the right family is just to fantastic a hand out to pass up! Despite the implication that his view on Pureblood supremacy is built on shaky supports, Rodolphus' loyalty to the Dark Lord hasn't been questioned. While he may be sympathetic to the Dark Lord's plight, he serves Voldemort for one very simple reason. Voldemort gave Rodolphus the perfect outlet in which he can achieve his most important goal: infamy.
  
  Voldemort has proven to be an aggressive man of action and Rodolphus, who has never considered himself to be a man of great thoughts or intellectual depth, is more than willing to follow orders. While he learned a long time ago that earning a reputation through negative acts and behaviors was far easier than one earned through tedious, good works, Voldemort allowed Rodolphus to take this revelation to a whole knew level. Rodolphus took the Mark and pledged himself to servitude to the Dark Lord shortly after he left Hogwarts.
  
  Although he understands the importance of discretion and patience now, he is (maybe not so) secretly on edge with anticipation for a full fledged war to break out. While now he is forced to act with subterfuge and anonymity, his desire for attention and celebrity is just barely sated with his ability to boast and brag among his fellow Death Eaters.
  
  Rodolphus considers himself the Dark Lord's attack dog, and has realized his station in life is to follow. He's more than happy to do what he's told when he's told since Voldemort always seems to know the type of tasks he will excel at. When a statement needs to be made, Rodolphus is there with his hand in the air desperate to be chosen to make it.
  
  Likes: The color white, goldfish, knives, the Cruciatus Curse, the summer months, steak, being manly, attention, ignoring personal space, testing boundaries, instilling terror, blood, bugs, socializing, his wife, the Dark Lord.
  
  Dislikes: Werewolves, Dementors, his wife, snow and being cold, aging, playing fair, Lucius Malfoy (he's too pretty), being ignored, animals, sitting still and being quiet.
  
  Classes (3rd years and above): Although he isn't in school, when he was, Rodolphus did well in Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. On the other hand, he did very poorly in any class that demanded a lot of detail and attention or keeping anything alive such as Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, and Herbology.
  
  Extracurricular Activities: Former Quidditch Beater for Slytherin, trapping animals, studying methods of torture, death, and dying.
  
  Romantic history: Rodolphus is all around extremely straight and has always been drawn to strong women. Pandering, doe-eyed, giggling girls never really did it for him compared to the type of woman who could kick his arse, either figuratively or literally. Although, that didn't stop him from flirting with all types of girls in his youth. When he met Bellatrix Black he very quickly decided she was the epitome of the perfect woman, at least for him. She seemed far above the petty lovesick dramas of their peers. In fact, she hardly seemed interested in men at all although for a very long time, Rodolphus believed this was all a ruse in order to gain rights to his exclusive attention. The abuse from her that he would have most likely received from the extra special attention he did give her didn't phase him for quite some time. He strove for her hand in marriage and spent a great deal of time with Bellatrix's parents to insure that the match would be made. With his plans to finally bring the Lestrange family name to the lofty heights it deserved, he was convinced Bellatrix was the perfect woman to help achieve his goals.
  
  After they were married, he quickly realized that all of that time she spent acting like she hated him wasn't flirting at all...she actually did hate him. He tried to not let it bother him though, never one to back down from any sort of challenge, and pursued her approval and affection none the less. She never seemed to honestly prevent him from his rights to her as his wife, but her caustic tongue after their love making soon began to wear on him and now he only ever propositions her in the hopes of finally producing an heir.
  
  It's finally began to dawn on him that Bellatrix will probably never be able to be the wife he'd always wanted and that she's probably a little too attached to the Dark Lord but he hasn't given up on her entirely even if his eyes have began to wander.
  
  What was your character’s status before Dumbledore’s spell? Rodolphus had fought alongside the Death Eaters, naturally. It was the least he could do after he'd been broken out of Azkaban and besides that, he had quite a lot of pay back to dish out to those that had imprisoned him, killed his Dark Lord, and forced him to waste the finest years of his life in prison.
  
  Current Students: Rodolphus' goal is, as it has always been, is to make his name as famous as the Blacks and Malfoys. He's decided to do this through pain, torture, and murder. It would also be nice, in his opinion, to finally impregnate his wife so his mother and father will leave him alone and his ability to perform and live up to his responsibilities will no longer be questioned. Finally, although it seems impossible, Rodolphus would also like to finally seduce his wife.
  
  Writing Sample (Choose at least one of the following):
  - Write a sample journal entry
  
  No matter what any great authors or intellectual men say, I'll never be convinced that journaling is anything other than an act strictly for girls under the age of seventeen. Journals should be filled with drawings of hearts and kittens and notes passed between preadolescents giggling over this boy or that boy or how they want to have a sleep over and practice their snogging skills on fruit.
  
  Supposedly, keeping record of a young man's life is something worthwhile, not only for his own personal development and reflection but also so he can see how far he's come. At least, that's what my father said although I find it hard to believe that he sits down every night for a good old fashioned 'dear diary' himself.
  
  Still - heaven forbid I should ever be on the outside of any new trend lest my social life come crashing down in absolute flames, a true pity, so here I am with my very own journal. However, I refuse to reflect or develop, I'm perfect just the way I am, so instead I'm going to use this book for every inappropriate reason I can come up with. Today I am going to rate all the Pureblood girls I can think of, seventeen or older, based on their looks, personality, and overall allure. I think that's a more than responsible use of these blank pages.
  
  Don't worry if you're unhappy with your score, ladies. You can certainly do something to change your numbers by showing me a good time.
  
  
  - Write a sample 3rd person entry
  Rodolphus sat uncomfortably in a very comfortable chair within the sitting room of Cygnus and Druella Black's home. He had been here many times before and had long since gotten used to being here and its peculiar atmosphere crossway between a library, museum, and a melodramatic romance novel, but this particular occasion struck a far different chord than ever before. Even the sitting room he was waiting in, the same room he had waited in more times than he could count, felt different than normal. The ticking of the grandfather clock was obnoxiously loud. He usually equated the noise to that of a heartbeat but he could no longer measure the methodic tick-tock against the too-swiftly pounding organ in his chest. He tried not to fidget, he tried to sit still, to be patient, to breathe, but even the most simple of tasks seemed out of his grasp. And why shouldn't they be? It wasn't every day you marched into the home of any of the Blacks, past or present, and demanded "I'm going to marry your daughter!"
  
  In his head at home, the plan seemed ideal. He'd been pussyfooting around for nearly a year attempting to get into the good graces of Bellatrix's family and had decided he was finally a well tolerated suitor pretending to be a family friend. He'd made sure to get caught staring at and flirting with Bellatrix when they were together in order to make his interest known and had even casually hinted at the idea to her mother and father. And now, today, it was the final step in his plan. If the Blacks were a family that honored pure blood, power, and strength, simply waltzing into their home and demanding the hand of their eldest daughter in marriage was sure to go over well. The action had guts and practically bled confidence. At least, that had been his assumption. Unfortunately for Rodolphus, however, after his proclamation he'd been given a strange look and sent to wait in the drawing room where he had been sitting for what felt like an eternity.
  
  Not for the first time, Rodolphus shifted his weight, leaning slightly in his chair to catch a glimpse of himself in the mirrored back of a display curio. He thought he looked well put together, dressed in a dark suit beneath robes lined with the same pale gold of his tie. He'd picked out these clothes months in advance, had the suit specially tailored in order to fit him perfectly. While he always attempted to give the Black family a good impression, this particular moment in time was crucial.
  
  Rodolphus sat up quickly in his chair regaining his former perfect posture at the sound of someone sliding open the pocket door. He rose to his feet as a house elf entered, balancing a large tray of tea paraphernalia. More important than the disgusting, bat-like creature, however, was the fact that it was being followed by Mr. and Mrs. Black themselves. Apparently, it was show time.
  

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