Leta Lestrange Character Bio

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Leta Lestrange was a Pure-blood witch with British and French heritage. It is apparent to me that from when she was a young girl, she was extremely distraught over the Lestrange family’s origins and the trauma of her accidentally causing the death of her half-brother Corvus Lestrange.

We know that Leta was a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1908 until 1915, and she was placed in Slytherin house. Leta was often a subject of bullying during her school years.

She quickly developed a close bond with Newton Scamander, though this relationship soon fell apart when Leta caused trouble using a Jarvey; Newt took the blame for her, which resulted in him being expelled.

Later in life, it was a relief for me to see that Leta turned over a new leaf and became a respected member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. We saw her get engaged to Newt’s older brother, Theseus, in 1927, which I found a surprise due to her apparent feelings towards Newt.

That same year, we witnessed Leta sacrificing her own life during a rally held in Paris by Gellert Grindelwald. I think Leta was distracting him when she destroyed his skull hookah using a powerful spell.

Leta was immersed in Grindelwald’s flames, which was the cause of her death. Although I found her passing emotional, this is what eventually inspired Newt to go to war with Gellert.

Leta Lestrange Quick Facts

Full Name Leta Lestrange
Birth Date Between September 1896 and late April 1897
Birth Place Lestrange Manor
Marital Status Engaged
Death Date [if applicable] September 1927
Boggart Corvus Lestrange, her half brother, who she sees drowning
Zodiac Sign Unknown
Siblings
  • Yusuf Kama (maternal half-brother)
  • Corvus Lestrange (half-brother)
Children No children
Partner / Spouse Theseus Scamander
Occupation
  • Employee of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement
  • Torquil Travers Assistant
Magical Heritage Pure-blood
Species Human
Special Abilities
Hogwarts House Slytherin
Wand Ebony, length and core unknown
Patronus
  • Defense against the dark arts
  • Charms
  • Magical Mystery
Actors Who Played Zoe Kravitz
Last Updated May 2022

Leta Lestrange Birthplace

It is believed that Leta was born at her family home, Lestrange Manor.

Leta Lestrange Parents

So far, we know that Leta was born to the Lestrange family at Lestrange Manor somewhere between 1896 and 1997. She was the only child of Corvus Lestrange lV after his rape of Laurena Kama.

The Lestranges, her father’s family, were a Pure-blood family deemed one of the “Sacred Twenty Eight ” by Cantankerus Nott. Her mother’s side of the family was a powerful and wealthy Pure-blood family who had Senegalese heritages.

Leta Lestrange Physical Traits

Leta Lestrange Physical Traits

I see Leta as a stunningly beautiful witch. She had dark hair, dark eyes, and beautiful skin. She was somewhat of a goddess when it came to appearances in the Wizarding World.

Leta Lestrange Personal Traits

I think that after reading a lot about her personality, she was possibly a little self-absorbed at times. For instance, according to Queenie, she was a “taker” and not a “giver” and often displayed an element of selfishness. After hearing a great deal about the tragedies Leta suffered throughout her life, I believed this left lots of marks on her personality.

Perhaps her mother’s death had left her confused and damaged, and then on top of that, her part in her brother’s death left her feeling incredibly guilty. I see this guilt shown when we see that her Boggart takes the form of her baby brother drowning.

I have to feel sorry for Leta; she had been through so much as a child that it is entirely understandable why she experienced difficulty with her emotions as a young adult.

I think that she thought of herself as a kind of evil monster. I think it is pretty clear that she felt additional guilt when her best friend, Newt, took the blame for something that she had done at school, which terminated his education. Although she never did anything to try to put this right at the time (I often wondered why.) Despite all of this, Leta comes across as a polite and kind, if a bit damaged, girl.

She remained loyal to her friend Newt even after their close friendship ended, and I think she always had strong feelings toward him, which is why I found it surprising when it was revealed that she later got engaged to Newt’s older brother.

Leta’s personality was different from what I expected of the Slytherin stereotype and was in total contrast to what we had previously learned about Corvus’s father. She had no interest in Pure-blood supremacy beliefs. Despite her family being one of the “Sacred Twenty-Eight,” Leta was a much more positive soul.

She also didn’t see herself as superior because of her Slytherin status, and she quickly became friends with Newt, who was a Hufflepuff. They were both slightly outcasted from their fellow students. I think this was because they were both seen as somewhat odd to the people around them and perhaps weren’t included in many group activities.

Despite what we had previously learned about Leta’s personality, towards the end of The Crimes of Grindelwald, we witness Leta show the ultimate selflessness when she ends up sacrificing her own life to save that of her friend and fiance.

I think this is trying to show similarity to how, many years later, fellow Slytherin, Severus Snape, would also sacrifice his life for others. This sacrifice would have a massive impact on Newt, giving him the push he needed to choose a side in the Global Wizarding War finally.

Leta Lestrange Early Life

Leta Lestrange Early Life

When we discovered that her mother sadly passed away not long after Leta was born, it appeared that her father remarried very quickly to Clarisse Tremblay; the pair had a son together, also by the name Corvus. We then learned that once again, shortly after his birth, Clarisse passed away.

Leta did have another half-brother on her mother’s side of the family. His name was Yusuf, but I believe they never met due to a family feud.

Leta’s father learned that the Kama family had sworn an Unbreakable Vow of vengeance upon his loved ones because he had abducted and raped their Matriarch, so he sent his family servant to take Leta and Corvus Jr to America.

Leta couldn’t deal with the baby’s constant crying, so she switched her baby brother with a baby in a nearby cabin. The ship sank, and one of the boats capsized; her little brother drowned. We are led to believe that the baby she had switched with Corvus Jr ended up being raised by a woman in New York.

I think that Leta’s later life was significantly impacted by her turmoil during her childhood, which I will go into greater detail about below.

Leta Lestrange Hogwarts Years

Upon starting her school years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Leta was sorted into Slytherin House.

Leta was bullied in school, mainly because of the gossip about her being an unwanted child and the part she played in her half-brother’s death.

She came across Newt Scamander while searching for a place to hide from her tormentors. It was clear that the two had a deep connection, and we see them quickly develop a close bond. They also spent a lot of time together over the school holidays taking care of an injured raven.

Leta attended Professor Dumbledore’s lesson in Boggarts. Newt’s Boggart was just a simple, tedious office job, but Leta’s was traumatizing and haunting, her baby brother swaddled in a blanket, drowning in deep water. This Boggart had a massive impact on Leta, and I think she felt a deep sense of shame.

She was comforted by Newt at the Great Lake. He showed her one Bowtruckles he had befriended on the school grounds. I think it was probably here where they first started to recognize their bond and likeness to one another.

At one point, Newt was given a month’s detention for getting cheeky, so Leta set off a Dungbomb under the professor’s desk so that she would also receive detention and get to spend more time with her friend. She refers to this when she is reunited with him. Newt claims not to remember, but in my opinion, he frankly just didn’t want to reveal the torch he still held for her.

In 1913, one of Leta’s experiments went too far. It involved a Jarvey and put someone’s life at risk. There were also firm laws about possessing a Jarvey, meaning she was going to be in a lot of trouble. Newt wanted to help his friend, so he took the blame for the incident. This resulted in him being expelled from Hogwarts instead of Leta.

Leta Lestrange After Hogwarts Years

Leta Lestrange After Hogwarts Years

Newt Scamander still had deep feelings toward his friend for many years after they parted, and he eventually fell in love with her. He always kept a photograph of her in his magical suitcase whenever he traveled.

By 1927, Leta had fallen deeply in love with Newt’s older brother, Theseus. They planned to marry on June 6th, 1928, and Newt would be the best man. On March the 19th, Leta, along with Newt, Theseus, and Bunty, participated in the book launch of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

This took place at Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley. When Spellbound was published the next day, the caption they had put on the photograph wrongly indicated that Newt and Leta were engaged. This started a problem between Porpentina Goldstein and Newt.

Working for the Ministry

Six months on, Leta took her fiancé’s advice and began working for London’s British Ministry of Magic. She was the assistant to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Torquil Travers.

She was part of a delegation that was led by Travers. They were to question Albus Dumbledore about the rumors of Newt traveling to Paris. Dumbledore found Leta reminiscing about the old days.

During a visit to the French Ministry of Magic, Leta told her fiancé that he must make a promise to her that he would be careful during the Gellert Grindelwald rally. Theseus informed her of the rumor that Credence Barebone could actually be her long-lost stepbrother; Leta denied this, and Theseus agreed with her that her brother was, in fact, dead. He did, however, urge her to check her family records, just to be absolutely sure.

Leta searched for the family box in the Records Room, where she came across Newt and Tina, who were also hunting for the box. Leta discovered that the box had been taken to the Lestrange Mausoleum.

Melusine, the Records Keeper, sent Matagots after them because Newt had entered unlawfully. Newt advised everybody not to fight the Matagots and keep them docile, but it was too late; Leta had already cast a spell. When the beasts started to attack, Newt hid the three of them in his suitcase.

The Truth Revealed

They headed to the Lestrange tomb, and Leta found the Lestrange family box. They crossed paths with Jacob Kowalski, Yusuf Kama, Nagini, and Credence Barebone. Leta managed to stop Yusuf from going through with his vow, under the wrong impression that Credence was really Corvus Lestrange Jr.

She confessed to her part in the death of Corvus, proving that Credence couldn’t possibly be the same person. The conversation was then interrupted by Grindelwald’s Rally starting beneath them.

I believe that at that moment, confessing her involvement in the drowning of her little brother must have brought about some immense emotion. I imagine Leta felt a great sense of relief, like a weight lifted, after finally admitting the truth behind the tragedy.

Although, I do often wonder whether one of the reasons she was able to sacrifice herself so readily was because of this admission and the fact she felt she couldn’t live with what would follow now that everybody knew.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

Leta participated in a meeting consisting of supporters of Grindelwald. They discussed his approach to Muggles and projected an image of the effect of hiding from non-immigration and the coming war.

Grindelwald ordered the assembled deportees and proclaimed his views, which they did. The wizard then created a circle of black flames around him to divide loyal followers from his enemies. Only faithful followers could cross his spell, while others would get burned.

Among his followers was Credence Barebone, who had been tricked by Grindelwald into thinking he would help him learn more about his identity. Also, Queenie Goldstein, Tina’s little sister, found Gellert’s speech so convincing that she thought it was thanks to him that her biggest dream was to marry Jacob, which was against the law. When Grindelwald attacked Newt and his brother, Leta approached him, pretending she was about to join his cause.

Just before she was engulfed in flames, she looked at the brothers, the two most influential men in her life, and said, “I love you,” though it was never made clear which one she said it to. I like to believe that she was actually stating this to both of them because as much as it was clear that she loved her fiancé, it was also obvious she never lost her feelings for Newt.

Leta Lestrange Family [Spouse / Partner, Kids]

Leta Lestrange Spouse

I do not believe that Leta and Theseus ever had any children during their short time together.

Leta Lestrange Magical Abilities and Special Skills

Charms

Leta was shown to be very talented when it came to charm work. During her third year at Hogwarts, she successfully cast the Dark Charm “Oscausi” on a fellow student who had been speaking out of turn about her. This charm sealed the girl’s mouth shut.

She managed to track down the Lestrange family records in the French Ministry of Magic using her knowledge of magic, including a spell that rotated the cabinets and revealed Newt and Tina.

She was also shown to use the Summoning Charm to summon the Lestrange Family Tree Box in the vault.

In her adult life, she was very successful in casting the Stunning Spell; she used it to try and stun some Matagots in the French Ministry of Magic.

She used a very powerful charm to shatter Grindelwald’s Skull-Hookah.

Apparition

Leta was an accomplished witch and was able to apparate whenever necessary. She was shown to do this when she apparated at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Defense Against the Dark Arts

I think this was probably Leta’s best field in magic. She saved Newt and Theseus’ lives after being caught in the flames of Grindelwald’s black fire, although this ended her life.

She was considered one of Albus Dumbledore’s best students in the Dark Arts. The only part she struggled with was repelling her Boggart, but this was not down to lack of skill; it was, in fact, due to her immense guilt.

Leta Lestrange Wand

The length and core of Leta’s wand are unknown, but we do know it was made from ebony.

Leta Lestrange Trivial and Fun Facts

  • The name Leta most likely comes from the name Leda, the daughter of the Aetolian king Theseus, a Princess who became a Spartan Queen in Greek mythology, of which the story of Leda and the Swan is the main focus.
  • A young Leta is played by Ruby Woolfenden and Thea Lamb in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
  • Leta may be related to Bellatrix Lestrange, though only through marriage.
  • During the Candidates’ Dinner, Theseus attempted to arrest Grindelwald’s acolytes at the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise when Leta was murdered by Gellert Grindelwald.

Leta Lestrange Appearances in Books

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (mention only)

Fantastic Beasts and The Crimes of Grindelwald

Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore

Leta Lestrange Appearances in Films

Leta Lestrange Appearances in Films

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (mention only)

Fantastic Beasts and The Crimes of Grindelwald

Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore 

Leta Lestrange Quotes

“I don’t really know what Leta likes these days because people change.” — Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Final Scene

“Oh Newt, you never met a monster you didn’t love.” — Fantastic Beasts and the Crimes of Grindelwald

FAQs

Question: How are Leta Lestrange and Bellatrix Related?

Answer: Despite the same last name, they are not actually very closely related. The name Lestrange stirred up chilling memories of one of Lord Voldemort’s dedicated servers, and Death Eater, Bellatrix. Born into the Pure-blood Black family, she was the older sister of Draco Malfoy’s mother.
Bellatrix later married Rodolphus Lestrange. The couple became Voldermort’s most dangerous Death Eaters. The pair were responsible for the torture of Neville Longbottom’s parents and were sent to Azkaban for their crimes.

Question: How Did Leta Lestrange and Newt Become Friends?

Answer: Because they were both outsiders, slightly unusual, and both had a love for mystical creatures, this built an excellent foundation for their friendship. Leta felt immense guilt when Newt took the blame for her mistakes and got himself expelled.

Question: Why Was Leta Lestrange’s Boggart a Baby Drowning?

Answer: Leta was overwhelmed with guilt after the part she played in her half-brother’s death, as it was partly her fault that the infant drowned at such an early age. This memory traumatized Leta so much that her boggart became the thing she feared the most, her guilt.

Research Citations

  1. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
  2. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – The Original Screenplay – Scene 67
  3. Writing by J. K. Rowling: “Pure-Blood” at Wizarding World
  4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay, Scene 88
  5. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay, Scene 65
  6. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Magical Movie Handbook
  7. Who Is Leta Lestrange?
  8. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay, Scene 92

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