Welcome to Gaia! ::

I have to say, I despise Bellatrix with an unrelenting passion. She is my second least favorite character, as far as liking them as people. And you can't say I only hate her for being a Death Eater, because my least favorite is Umbridge. And it's also not just because she's evil, because I actually love Lucius Malfoy. I hate her because she was so utterly twisted and didn't have a single redeeming quality, or even a real reason for how messed up she was. Being a Black is not a redeeming quality. You can't help what family you're born into. Some people like to give her a bit of leeway by saying she was insane because of Azkaban and it wasn't her fault she was so messed up, but yes, it was. She was either insane before she went to Azkaban or she was a truly evil person, because the things she did before Voldemort fell and the reason she got sent to Azkaban are truly evil acts, no getting around it. She turned her back on her family, her own sister, because she had betrayed the family just because of who she married. She killed Sirius and Tonks and she liked it, which is truly depraved. Yes, she was raised in a 'pureblood' family and was taught to hate, but so was her cousin Sirius, and he was a member of the OotP. Her own sister, who was obviously raised by the same parents, married a muggleborn. I'm not saying that she should have known better, because it is a lot to ask of a person to go against how they are raised. But it is possible, so while you can't just let it go because that's how she was raised, you also can't use it as an excuse. And while it is true that she was only doing what the Dark Lord expected of her, you also have to realize that she took it farther than others did. She took it much farther than the other Death Eaters. Some of them were afraid at their trials, some of them faked a good lifestyle in public to avoid being sent to Azkaban. Those people had the mind to be ashamed for their actions, they knew that they had done something wrong, whether they knew it consciously or not. Anyone who lies about what they were doing to avoid trouble or is terrified of the consequences knows deep down that the actions they have committed they are wrong. Bellatrix took this to another level. She knew it was wrong, and she was proud. This is the mark of a truly evil person, when they will not only admit that what they did was terrible, but are proud of it. She didn't even have a small shred of human compassion or guilt in her. She would have condemned her own child to die in the name of Voldemort. Once the Dark Lord was gone, it she was the only Death Eater who truly remained loyal. Even Barty Crouch Jr. tried to get out of going to Azkaban, who Voldemort called his most loyal follower (I wonder how hurt Bellatrix would have been by that statement!) Her loyalty isn't even a redeeming factor, because of who she was so loyal to. And to be honest, I don't think that she was loyal to him so much as to what he represented. Yes, when he 'died' she remained loyal, but I think that if he had changed sides (for whatever reason) that she would have killed him in anger at his abandoning her like that.

As a person, I hate Bellatrix, but I wouldn't take her out of the books. I think that she was a very important factor. She represented the less distinguished part of the Dark Side. Voldemort is a plotter, and he is very smart and in a way very regal. Bellatrix created a dark, chaotic persona that I think was an integral part of the books. I can't say I like her character, because I don't, but I do like her inclusion in the books. I like what she brought to the books, even if I don't like her.

*overdramatic bow* Why thank you. I have been told I can be quite eloquent when I put my mind to it.

I don't hate her for that action in particular, (although I must say HOW DARE SHE!?) but more because it was only one thing on a long list of depraved and evil actions.