#Insanely overpowered triumvirate

[annoyinglandmagazine]

[knowshisowna]

META 001 | power 

if rodolphus lestrange wants you dead at his hand , odds are you are dead.

the eldest of the death eaters , arguably the wisest , his strategy employed in full by tom riddle ( not voldemort but tom riddle , which is a very important distinction because tom riddle was much less into delegation and entrusting duties to others than voldemort was , who had no choice really ) , and his skills taught by the same. he didn’t study under tom to the intensity or attention that bellatrix did , but he still worked under the tom the longest , was taught a wide array of dark magic , and was already quite skilled by the time he came under his employ.

now mind you , when we say rodolphus’s and bellatrix’s mentor , we’re talking about tom fucking riddle , who was able to kill his father and grandparents and perform a solid memory modification on his uncle at the age of 16 , who was able to get away with killing myrtle as a school - age boy. tom riddle , whose only real “equal” is albus dumbledore. and by 1980 - 81 , the final stretch of the first war , rodolphus has been under him for 15 - 16 years. not only that , but the triumvirate have been fighting alongside one another and learning one another’s techniques for nearly as long. they are fluid , cogs in the same machine , powerful. and rodolphus , with insurmountable skill , invulnerable tactics , an army at his will , he is one of the most formidable foes in this regime if not the most , edged out only by his wife , though they serve two very distinct purposes.

but rodolphus doesn’t DO dirty work. rodolphus doesn’t wrinkle his suit or stain his collar unless absolutely necessary. it is usually in aid of his brother or bellatrix , and not because they cannot handle themselves but because he is protective. and also , the order knows that whoever is under those masks is going to need their best and more of them. if any member of the triumvirate was ever overwhelmed , it was in quantity rather than quality. it’s just facts.

now bellatrix’s tutelage under tom was far more extensive and for a far different purpose. fitting , because she does love her work. she loves punishment , torture , displaying her skills. rodolphus is more reserved , but she has always been the warrior , the knight , the soldier through and through. he is the wand at her back , but if he can stand back and let her work , he will without question.

as for rabastan , he is not as ruthless as bellatrix nor as refined as rodolphus , but he is RABID. he fights like a trapped animal , relentless , restless. he doesn’t know how to give up , and he will go to the greatest lengths to back his brother and sister - in - law. pre - azkaban , he is at his best. he is a finisher. he is the turn of the tide , the one to come in last minute and tip a scale if need be. he complements them well , and he knows it.

basically considering 9 times out of 10 , you aren’t going to find one without the other two either present or all too close for comfort , you aren’t getting the jump on them. you aren’t overpowering them. you are holding them off long enough to escape. and rodolphus can orchestrate a draw if need be , as in tom riddle wanted someone specific left alive and he had to ensure that , but if you are alive after engaging him , it is most likely because he made it so. most order members are children , younger than them. the marauders ? children. the only three i can see giving rodolphus a run for his money pre - azkaban ( outside of albus ) would be moody , kingsley ( for a time ) , and frank , and we all know how the latter ends , but . . . let’s talk about it.

bellatrix , rodolphus , and rabastan are able to capture two of the most respected aurors employed by the ministry. not only capture them but torture them into insanity. not kill them , despite the desperation to find voldemort and get answers. they had the sound mind to keep them alive through it all , which is something people tend to overlook because they think bellatrix has always been crazy , and rabastan has always been weak. it just isn’t true. barty was instrumental in capturing the longbottoms due to his inside information as was augustus rookwood , but these three took them down. and honestly , i think between bellatrix and rodolphus , they could have done it on manipulation tactic alone.

and they only need each other. more often than not , if there is something crucial to be handled , they only need each other. barty is a whole other post due to who his father is , who he is to the lestranges , his credit for helping locate the longbottoms etc etc , but these three rely solely on one another , and they had to work for that just as well. 

but like i said , rodolphus delegates A LOT. because he has a lot of faith in the innate need to impress him and evade letting him down by those beneath him. the mckinnons ? many death eaters were sent , and the lestranges weren’t there at all. the bones family ? again , this was a family that could be manipulated because they had children. rodolphus and rabastan won’t hurt defenseless children , but edgar wouldn’t know that. his wife didn’t know that. they only know the masks. they don’t have names. they don’t have faces. so just the THREAT of their presence would have been enough , but it wasn’t necessary. he’s sending teams and factions to handle these missions , and all while he orchestrates a fucking war. he can fight. he can take on the best. but he doesn’t need to. that’s power. tom riddle knows it , and rodolphus does too. because by the end , tom was so focused on his own quest , it was the lestranges in charge of an army.

so again , the odds of overpowering and / or overcoming the triumvirate are slim to fucking none. they aren’t your classmates. they aren’t your peers. THEY AREN’T YOUR EQUALS. they are the first. they are the best. most are just lucky they never have to come across them , and if you do , may the gods be with you.