The Lestranges are an ancient pure-blood wizarding family that originated in France, and only their British branch is known as one of the Twenty-Eight Sacred Pure-Blood Families.
However, at present, this family is little more than a memory. Of the entire Lestrange family, only two male heirs who can breathe remain: Rodolphus and his brother, Rabastan. If we include Bellatrix Black, a member of the Black family, there are only three Lestranges in total.
The fall of the Lestranges has a common motif with the non-magical House of Habsburg. As extremist defenders of blood purity, members of the Lestrange family practiced consanguineous marriages just like the Gaunts.
Anyone with basic knowledge of biology knows the serious risks of consanguineous marriages. Although wizards, as supernatural beings, have the concept that "the purer the blood, the more powerful the wizard," what about the concept that the purer the lineage, the more difficult it is to conceive offspring? Therefore, the Lestrange offspring became increasingly scarce.
The Lestranges have three bloodlines: the Rodolphus Lestrange Line, descended from Radulfus Lestrange, who settled in England and is now completely allied with Voldemort. The last heirs of this line became Death Eaters.
The second line is the main one in France: the Crouse Line. This is the only Lestrange bloodline that did not practice consanguineous marriages. In every generation of the Crouse Line, there is always an heir named Crouse Lestrange. It's worth noting that "Crouse" in Latin means "crow," which could be related to Ravenclaw's motto, "Corvus" (crow in Latin). The last heir of this line is Leta Lestrange, who has a brother named Crouse Lestrange. The fifth Crouse Lestrange died at the age of one in a shipwreck, resulting in another tragedy.
Leta Lestrange attended Hogwarts and had a companion named Newt Scamander. During her time at Hogwarts, she was a frequent target of bullying by Gryffindor girls. Gryffindor girls bully Slytherin students... which shows that not all Gryffindor students are noble people.
But then she met Newt. Due to his deep interest in magical creatures, she established a genuine friendship with Newt Scamander during her school years. Even Newt was willing to take the blame for her and was expelled from Hogwarts.
Leta Lestrange eventually died in the fire set by Grindelwald in Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, and with her, the Crouse line came to an end.
The third bloodline is the Cyrille branch, which split from the Corvus line. The last heir is Cyrille Lestrange Sr.. Given the source of consanguineous marriages, he probably has some unspeakable secrets.
In summary, in Rodolphus's generation, the great Lestrange family is near extinction. Both the Corvus and Cyrille lines have gone extinct.
"A rarity can be a treasure!" This was the only evaluation Tom made of Rabastan, who was under the Ministry of Magic's control. He is one of the two heirs of the Lestrange family.
With him by his side, Tom would have access to the Lestrange family's vault at Gringotts. Not to mention the Goblet of Hufflepuff turned into a Horcrux, only centuries of the Lestrange family's accumulation would be enough to pique Tom's interest.
Tom almost didn't hesitate to decide to seize the Lestrange family's treasure.
After patiently listening to Phineas's "explanation," Dumbledore didn't think too much, as he was planning how to launch the attack. Phineas had finished speaking, and he already had a rough idea in mind.
"Tom, I have a very important task to ask of you," he said, looking him in the eyes with a sincere tone. "I hope that you and the members of the Order of the Phoenix will attack the Malfoy Manor together."
When Dumbledore told him he had a very important task for him, Tom's heart almost stopped beating.
It was a request from Dumbledore! How could it be a simple task? If Dumbledore asked it so seriously, it was certainly not to buy a box of luxury chocolates.
Although it was just an assault on the Malfoy Manor, Tom did not let his guard down. Once again, this was Dumbledore's request. Although he knew he would undoubtedly participate in the attack on the Malfoy Manor, Dumbledore was personally inviting him, which meant he definitely had something in mind.
And as expected, Dumbledore's next words made Tom want to jump and grab him by the beard.
"This time, I cannot go with you," Dumbledore said with a very serious tone.
"Why?" Tom lowered his gaze, feeling somewhat uneasy. If Dumbledore didn't go, who would stop Voldemort at the Malfoy Manor? Would he have to do it?
"I need to stay here to prevent Riddle from abandoning his followers and heading straight to Hogwarts. At that moment, Hogwarts could face a catastrophe," sighed Dumbledore, who, although he had achieved fame thanks to Hogwarts, was also bound to the school.
Dumbledore's concern was not unfounded. Voldemort had just destroyed Azkaban with a surprise attack, so Dumbledore couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't try the same with Hogwarts.
Tom also thought what Dumbledore was saying made sense, but he found it emotionally difficult to accept. Could he face Voldemort now? He didn't know. Even Voldemort, injured by Dumbledore, was still a terrifying Dark Lord, and he couldn't underestimate him.
Dumbledore looked into Tom's eyes and said seriously, "I won't allow you to throw yourself into death. I already have a plan."
Once Dumbledore explained his plan in detail to Tom and the others, even Tom, who would have to face the danger, thought Dumbledore's strategy was feasible.
However, Tom didn't immediately accept but raised a small condition.
"I need a transfer order. Rabastan is of great value to me," Tom made his condition without hesitation.
Dumbledore looked at him deeply. He understood what Tom was thinking.
"The Lestranges are not extinct, and I have serious doubts that with only one prisoner, we can enter Gringotts' vault."
Tom smiled slightly. The Lestranges would be extinct soon. As a wizard who had rejoined the Death Eaters, Tom would have no mercy for them. As for the goblins at Gringotts, Tom thought it would be better if they cooperated and accepted the deal he offered, without acting too stubborn.