Bellatrix as 'Bella'

[Rach]

No: HPFGUIDX 69334

<<<IAmLordCassandra at a wrote... Uhh...where does it say he didn't 
loose his looks until Harry was a year old...As for the age 
difference. As I understand it, Vol-sorry...You-Know-You...Is around 
McGonagall's age...>>>

JDR wrote: 

I'm assuming he was still walking around in his original body until 
the AK backfired on him, which is when Harry was one year old (1981).
 
The action in CoS takes place when Harry is 12, which is 1992. 
According to the story, the Chamber had been opened fifty years 
earlier, which would be 1942. Tom Riddle was 16 then, which means he 
was born in 1926. That would make him 55 when he lost his power and 
his body and had to travel around possessing tiny vermin. So, say 
Tommy Marvel becomes Lord Voldemort after 10 years of immersion in 
the Dark Arts. That gives him a period of 28 years from 1953(age 27) 
to 1981(age 55) to operate at his peak. If Bellatrix is Lucius' age 
(41 in 1995), then she was born in 1954. Oh, yeah, that is more than 
15 years, but still -- when she's an impressionable 17-yr old from an 
old Dark Family, he's this tall, dark and handsome evil guy of 45.

It could happen...

I am still inclined to believe it would have been be a hero worship 
thing rather than an actual SHIP (as interesting as that would be to 
the plot) - Voldemort has no heart (assuming that Love is the power 
that Harry possesses that LV can never understand). LV reveled in his 
own power by teaching the child of a noble pure blood family the dark 
arts personally ... shaping her to be his most loyal servant.  

I have a gut feeling that LV in his early days had a LOT to do with 
the noble and ancient house of Black. Sirius even mentions that his 
parents thought he (LV) had the right idea, but baulked when they 
found out what he was prepared to do to get his way.

I do hope book 6 answers some of these questions!!

rachel