Leta Lestrange

Leta Lestrange was a pure-blood witch from the notoriously dark Lestrange family. A contemporary of Newt Scamander at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she was his close friend and confidante during their school years. As an adult, she worked for the British Ministry of Magic and was engaged to Newt's older brother, the Auror Theseus Scamander. Leta's life was defined by a tragic family history and a dark secret from her childhood, which culminated in her heroic sacrifice during a confrontation with the Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald. Her entire story is detailed within the Fantastic Beasts film series and she is not mentioned in the original seven Harry Potter novels.

Leta was born from the forced union of Corvus Lestrange Sr. and Laurena Kama, a witch from a respected Senegalese family. Corvus had used the Imperius Curse to abduct Laurena from her husband, Mustafa Kama. Laurena died giving birth to Leta, leaving her in the care of her cruel and unaffectionate father. Corvus later had a son, Corvus Jr., with another woman and favored him immensely, largely ignoring Leta. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald). Fearing revenge from Mustafa Kama's son, Yusuf, who had sworn an Unbreakable Vow to kill the person Corvus Sr. loved most, Corvus sent Leta and her infant half-brother to America with a house-elf. On the voyage, tormented by the baby's constant crying, Leta secretly swapped her brother with another infant in a nearby cabin, Credence Barebone (later revealed to be Aurelius Dumbledore). The ship subsequently sank in a storm; Leta and Credence were rescued, but her real brother, Corvus Jr., drowned. This act of swapping the babies became a source of immense, lifelong guilt for Leta. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).

Leta was sorted into Slytherin house at Hogwarts. She was an outcast, bullied for her family name and her troubled past. She found a kindred spirit in Newt Scamander, a Hufflepuff who was also an outsider. They bonded over their shared love for Magical Creatures and became exceptionally close friends. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald). During their fifth year, one of Leta's experiments involving a Jarvey went wrong and endangered the life of another student. To protect her, Newt took the blame for the incident. Although Albus Dumbledore argued passionately in his defense, Newt was expelled from Hogwarts. This event created a distance between them, though their bond remained. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).

As an adult, Leta worked at the British Ministry of Magic as an assistant to Torquil Travers, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She became engaged to Newt's brother, Theseus Scamander, a celebrated Auror. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald). In 1927, she became entangled in the search for Credence Barebone and the fight against Gellert Grindelwald. At a rally held by Grindelwald in the Lestrange family tomb in Paris, Leta publicly confessed her secret about the death of her brother. When Grindelwald attacked the Scamander brothers, Leta created a diversion, destroying a skull-hookah being used for prophecy with a powerful spell. She declared her love for Newt Scamander before being engulfed and killed by Grindelwald's cursed Protego Diabolica flames, sacrificing herself to allow Newt, Theseus, and their allies to escape. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).

Leta was a beautiful witch with dark hair and a troubled, haunted expression. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald). She was emotionally complex, burdened by the guilt and trauma of her past. This made her appear aloof and “needy” to some, but she was also incredibly brave, loyal, and capable of profound love. Her actions at Hogwarts to protect Newt and her ultimate self-sacrifice demonstrated her deep-seated courage and protective instincts.

• Accomplished Witch: Leta was a skilled and powerful witch, evidenced by her position at the Ministry of Magic and her ability to briefly duel Gellert Grindelwald.
• Defence Against the Dark Arts: She learned how to defend against a Boggart under the tutelage of Albus Dumbledore. Her Boggart was a vision of a small, shrouded form sinking into water, representing her drowned infant brother. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).
• Non-Verbal Magic: Leta was capable of casting spells non-verbally, a sign of advanced magical skill. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).

• Wand: Leta Lestrange's wand was dark and unadorned, reflecting her personality. (film). Supplementary materials describe it as being made of ebony. (film prop replica information).
• Desk at the Ministry: In her office, she had a desk that contained a hidden compartment where she inscribed “L+N”, referencing her bond with Newt Scamander. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).

• Newt Scamander: Her one true friend and love. Their relationship was the most significant of her life, a source of both comfort and pain. Despite their eventual engagement to others and the distance between them, her final words were a declaration of love for him. (Fantastic Beasts films).
• Theseus Scamander: Her fiancé. He loved Leta and was a source of stability for her, though he was not fully aware of the depth of her trauma. He was left grief-stricken by her death. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).
• Lestrange family: A source of immense pain. She was rejected by her father, Corvus Lestrange Sr., and was the target of a revenge plot by her half-brother, Yusuf Kama. She is a distant ancestor of Rodolphus Lestrange, who married Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black). (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).
• Albus Dumbledore: Her former Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. He was one of the few who saw the good in her and understood her pain, offering her comfort and guidance during her time at Hogwarts. (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).

• Leta: The name is likely derived from Lethe, the river of forgetfulness and oblivion in Greek mythology. This strongly connects to Leta's character, who is haunted by her past and desperately wishes to forget the tragic death of her brother.
• Lestrange: A French surname literally meaning “the strange one” or “the foreigner.” This name reflects the family's outsider status and dark reputation within the wizarding world, as well as Leta's personal feelings of isolation.

Leta Lestrange is a character created by J.K. Rowling specifically for the Fantastic Beasts film series and does not appear or get mentioned in the seven original Harry Potter novels. Her existence was first hinted at in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them when Queenie Goldstein reads Newt's mind and sees that a “taker” named Leta hurt him. In the film adaptations, she is portrayed by Zoë Kravitz as an adult and by Thea Lamb as a teenager. (film).