#bellirius

An art commission for Sirius x Bellatrix

You said I killed you — haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers.

For Sirius it’s literal, and for Bellatrix it’s more metaphorical.

Many people believe that Sirius and Bellatrix both died due to "underestimating their opponents.” While this is true, the nature of their “arrogance” are slightly different: Bellatrix died because she simply didn’t take Molly’s fighting skills into account, not paying enough attention to her, while Sirius died because his eyes were fixed solely on Bellatrix, paying too much attention to her.

When facing Molly, Bellatrix's words were, "What will happen to your children when I've killed you?" — now this was the attitude of toying with prey before delivering the killing blow. She was certain she could kill Molly; she looked down on her, never seeing her as an equal opponent.

In contrast, during Sirius and Bellatrix's duel, there is a line that says,"Only one couple were still fighting, apparently unaware of the new arrival." Sirius was completely absorbed in his entanglement of the reunion with his cousin. They were so deeply drawn to each other that they failed to notice the chaos around them — Dumbledore's arrival, the Death Eaters fleeing in all directions, and so on. From this, we can deduce two things:

1. Their dueling skills were evenly matched.

2. Neither of them was willing to let the other go.

Moreover, the fact that they were dueling face-to-face on a dais in the center of the room further symbolizes their "equal contest" dynamic.

At this point, I don't think Sirius would underestimate Bellatrix's abilities from a rational basis. On the contrary, I believe he was fully aware of her power. In fact, it’s possible that, for him, she was the only opponent worthy of respect.

And yet, despite this, Sirius still made a fatal mistake. All his senses — his eyes, his ears, his entire awareness — were completely focused on Bellatrix, to the point where he forgot everything else around him, even the deathly veil sitting right behind him.

He was no longer fighting as a Phoenix Order member trying to take down a Death Eater. He lost the basic senses and judgment that a well - experienced duelist should have. Perhaps he didn’t even want to defeat her, nor kill her (because that would be a “shame”, he’s truly enjoying tangling with her) let alone complete his job in a clean move. He was driving his entire being to clash with Bellatrix’s ferocity, but in the process, he unknowingly became captivated by her ferocity and every one of her movements.

Because Bellatrix was not simply an opponent: she was “Bella” — she was both his past and the very core of his present existence.

The line "Come on, you can do better than that" also supports this interpretation. He was purely enjoying the duel with her, taunting her, hinting at his familiarity with her, while indirectly acknowledging her strength.

Perhaps he wanted to see her as the ferocious, warlike "Bellona," the violent goddess of evil. Perhaps he was trying to awaken her consciousness, wanting her to realize that she as someone so powerful could make a better choice than "serving Voldemort." Or perhaps he was provoking her for taking so long to kill him...

We cannot truly know the dynamics or nature of their duel, but what is certain is that Sirius died in the ecstasy and irresistibility of battling his cousin. Bellatrix, on the other hand, failed to fulfill her duty of retrieving the Prophecy because she, too, was unable to pull herself out of their entanglement, forgetting the prophecy in the process.

In the end, she died in exactly the same manner as Sirius. In a way, she was also unable to extricate herself from their fated entanglement.

Bellatrix/Sirius. 13k. E Rated.

At Regulus's funeral, Sirius confronts Bellatrix about his brother's death. Things escalate. Bellatrix discovers she has fewer boundaries than even she realised, and Sirius discovers he's not as reformed as he thought.