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- "If there's something I hate more than any other, it's a Death Eater who walked free. They turned their backs on my master when he needed them most. I expected him to punish them. I expected him to torture them. Tell me he hurt them, Harry.... Tell me he told them that I, I alone remained faithful... Prepared to risk everything to deliver him the one thing he wanted above all... You."
- —Barty Crouch Jr.'s loyalty to Lord Voldemort[src]
Bartemius "Barty" Crouch Junior (born c. 1962-1995) was a pure-blood wizard and the son of Bartemius Crouch Senior He left school at the height of the First Wizarding War and joined Lord Voldemort to become a Death Eater. In 1981, shortly after Voldemort's first defeat, Crouch participated on the capture and torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom along with the Lestranges, using the Cruciatus Curse to drive the two Aurors into insanity. Crouch and his comrades were sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban for their crimes by his own father.
However, his mother plotted to switch places with him, and Crouch spent years living under his father's Imperius Curse. He eventually broke free with the help of Voldemort who had learned about him being alive, and again entered the Dark Lord's service, disguised as Alastor Moody, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts during the 1994–1995 school year. In this role, Crouch manipulated the Triwizard Tournament so that Harry Potter was chosen as a champion, and turned the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey that transported Harry and Cedric Diggory to Voldemort. Shortly afterwards, his identity was exposed, and Crouch was given the Dementor's Kiss by a Dementor Cornelius Fudge had brought along with him.
Biography[]
Early life (1962-1973)[]
- "Should have spent a bit more time at home with his family, shouldn't he? Ought to have left the office early once in a while... gotten to know his own son."
- —Sirius Black on Barty Crouch Sr.[src]
Crouch was born in around 1962 or 1963 into the influential pure-blood Crouch family, which had strong connections to the Ministry of Magic. His father, intent on catching Dark Wizards and becoming Minister of Magic, likely failed to pay enough attention to his son. It is very possible that this had an influence on the younger Crouch's life choices.[1] His mother, Mrs. Crouch, was a "wispy looking witch" who dearly loved him.
Hogwarts years (1973-1980)[]
Barty attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Young Barty had achieved twelve O.W.L.s, though Crouch was delirious when claiming it. It is very likely that he knew many other Death Eaters and their allies at school, such as Severus Snape, Regulus Black, and Lucius Malfoy.
Allegiance with Death Eaters[]
Attack on Frank and Alice Longbottom[]
Crouch took the Dark Mark shortly after his graduation from Hogwarts School, and after Lord Voldemort's first defeat in 1981, he fell in with some Death Eaters searching for their fallen master. He was captured with Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange after they tortured the Aurors Alice and Frank Longbottom with the Cruciatus Curse.[2] He and the other Death Eaters were brought to trial before the Council of Magical Law, over which his father presided.
Crouch was insistent on his innocence, claiming he had merely fallen in with the wrong crowd, and begged his father before the entire assembled Council and witnesses such as Rita Skeeter and his mother to clear him of the charges on the torture crime. Crouch's father headed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the time and was under extreme pressure to give the appearance of having gotten something done about the terrorism caused by Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters. The torture of the Longbottoms was considered one of the most evil crimes recorded and used the trial as nothing more as to condemn his son.
Imprisonment in Azkaban and escape[]
- "We have heard the evidence against you. The four of you stand accused of capturing an Auror — Frank Longbottom — and subjecting him to the Cruciatus Curse, believing him to have knowledge of the present whereabouts of your exiled master He Who-Must-Not-Be-Named —"
- —Barty and three other Death Eaters being accused before the court[src]
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Barty is tried before the Council of Magical Law, along with Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange
Crouch's father chose to make a public example of his son, and sentenced him to a term of life imprisonment in Azkaban at the age of eighteen or nineteen. According to Sirius Black, the trial was no more than an excuse to show how much the father hated the child, as the elder Crouch went as far as to drown out his son's voice by shouting the announcement of sentencing, and Crouch was screaming inside his cell for his mother for the first few days, but then quieted down from the extreme depressive influence of the Dementors, as did many other prisoners. Crouch already looked in poor health when he was brought in, as Sirius had described.[3]
One year later, his mother's health had deteriorated drastically from the stress of her son's imprisonment. The couple were allowed a deathbed visit of their son due to Crouch Sr.'s high status in the Ministry. She persuaded her husband to help smuggle their son out of Azkaban by swapping him for his mother. Using Polyjuice Potion, and undetected by the blind Dementors, Mrs. Crouch took the place of her son. She died a short time later, and was buried outside the fortress under the guise of her son.[1]
Imprisonment with his father[]
- "I was under my father's control. I was forced to wear an invisibility cloak day and night. I was always with the house-elf. She was my keeper and caretaker. She pitied me. She persuaded my father to give me occasional treats. Rewards for my good behavior."
- —Barty on his years under his father's control[src]
Crouch Jr. was brought back to the family household, where he was nursed back to health by their house-elf Winky. Revitalized, Barty's only goal is to search for his master, which he made no efforts to hide from his father. Crouch Sr., overcome with grief and guilt, sought long and hard to subjegate his wayward son, to protect his son's secret existence from public and to prevent him from searching for Voldemort. In the end, the elder Crouch was forced to use the Imperius Curse on his son when he found no other methods capable of the feat of controlling him, and forced him to hide under an Invisibility cloak at all times. Winky was assigned to become Barty's caretaker and keeper, where she would constantly try to persuade his father to reward him for good behavior.
Bertha Jorkins, a Ministry of Magic employee, accidentally discovered the truth when she came unannounced to the Crouch home and discovered their secret. Crouch Sr. rectified this with a Memory Charm so powerful that she suffered permanent brain damage. Years later, Peter Pettigrew ran into Bertha while searching for Voldemort. In the hopes that she would prove useful to him, Peter tricked her into going with him. She ended up proving very useful to Voldemort; not only did he extract the whereabouts of his loyal servant, but also gathered information on the Triwizard Tournament, which was to be held at Hogwarts. Voldemort murdered Jorkins, and the Ministry deemed her "missing" for months.[1]
Quidditch World Cup[]
- "Wormtail, I need somebody with brains, somebody whose loyalty has never been wavered, and you, unfortunately, fulfil neither requirement."
- —Lord Voldemort to Peter Pettigrew in 1994[src]
Crouch was sent to the 1994 Quidditch World Cup under cover of the Invisibility Cloak along with their elf, Winky. Winky knew that Crouch had always loved Quidditch and persuaded his father to allow him to go out and have some fresh air. Crouch's mother, after all, wanted him to have freedom. Crouch's seat, by chance, was in a skybox alongside Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. During the Quidditch match, Crouch broke free of the Imperius Curse his father had placed on him. Furious of his father's actions, Crouch decided to get revenge, and stole Harry's wand, which was in view. He then escaped Winky's watch over him, as she was so afraid of heights in the sky box that she covered her eyes for the entire Quidditch match.
After the World Cup was through, Barty launched the Dark Mark into the sky over the campgrounds in reaction to the free Death Eaters making sport of Muggles. His anger stemmed from their lack of initiative in finding their master, which he learned to do and yet was unable. Ministry officials fired multiple Stunning Spells through the woods, criscrossing the area where Barty and Winky had been, rendering them both unconscious and breaking the spell Winky had used to bind Barty to her in the chaos. Winky was dismissed for being found with Harry's wand, which was proven to have produced the Dark Mark, as well as her guardianship being proven unreliable due to Crouch Jr. acquiring a wand and nearly escaping. Crouch Sr. found his son's unconscious body behind the bushes, and recasted the Imperius Curse on him after the other officials left, and the two returned home.
Left alone in the house with only father and son, one night shortly after the Dark Mark incident, Peter Pettigrew and Lord Voldemort, who needed a loyal follower to help him regain power, managed to free Barty from his father's imprisonment. They put Crouch Sr. under the Imperius Curse and forced him to keep working at the Ministry as he usually would.[1]
Disguised as Alastor Moody[]
- "So — straight into it. Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you counter-curses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in the sixth year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then. But Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of your nerves, he reckons you can cope, and I say, the sooner you know what you're up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you've never seen? A wizard who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Brown, when I'm talking."
- —Barty teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts to fourth year students[src]
Barty Crouch Jr. arrives at Hogwarts disguised as Alastor Moody
As part of his servitude as a Death Eater, Crouch was charged with infiltrating Hogwarts Castle, entering Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire and guiding him through Triwizard Tournament without having appeared to do so. Barty accomplished this by breaking into former Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody's home and kidnapping him. He created Polyjuice Potion from Moody's hair and concealed the Auror in his own magical trunk. He then proceeded to take over Moody's job at Hogwarts, teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was able to maintain his disguise for months undetected by consistently sipping the potion from a hip flask; he did so in plain view of students and staff, and it was generally assumed that this was due to intense paranoia.
Upon entering Hogwarts' Start-of-Term Feast with Moody's appearance, he received applause only from Dumbledore and Hagrid, both of whom stopped quickly after realizing that absolutely nobody else clapped, as everyone was too fixaded on Barty's scarred facade. Barty then ignored the jug of Pumpkin Juice on the High Table and instead took a swig out of Moody's flask, administering a new dosage of the Polyjuice Potion while upholding his disguise personality of fearing of being poisoned by food prepared by others.
Barty used his time at Hogwarts to gain the trust of the students and staff at Hogwarts. During his first lesson for a group of fourth year students, he demonstrated all three Unforgivable Curses on three different spiders[4] and, controversially, later also the Imperius Curse on the students themselves, although he claimed to have had permission to do so, in order to teach them how to overcome it. As a teacher, Crouch (under the guise as Moody) was actually quite effective, and despite his ulterior motives, his teaching of how to overcome curses such as the Imperius was valuable with Harry Potter gaining the ability to resist even Lord Voldemort himself as a result of Crouch's training.
Assisting Harry Potter[]
- "Who put your name in the Goblet of Fire, under the name of a different school? I did. Who frightened off every person I thought might try to hurt you or prevent you from winning the tournament? I did. Who nudged Hagrid into showing you the dragons? I did. Who helped you see the only way you could beat the dragon? I did."
- —Barty Crouch Jr., revealing how he masterminded Harry Potter's victory in the Triwizard Tournament.[src]
However, Crouch was not at Hogwarts to mould future wizards. He entered Harry Potter's name under a fourth school into the Goblet of Fire, confusing it with a powerful Confundus Charm to ensure Harry's placement for Lord Voldemort's gain. Crouch subtly helped Harry throughout the three phases of the tournament. He nudged Hagrid into showing Harry the dragons, later suggesting that Harry play to his strengths to pass the task and thus giving Harry the idea of using a broomstick to accomplish it. He advised Cedric Diggory into telling Harry how to to work out the golden egg clue, knowing that he would repay Harry for telling about the dragons. He also planted the book Magical Mediterranean Water Plants and Their Properties onto Neville Longbottom early on, hoping that Neville would tell him about gillyweed for the underwater task. With Harry's own pride and independent streak standing in the way of the plan, Crouch had to improvise. Remembering that Potter mentioned having an elf friend named Dobby gave him socks for Christmas, Crouch called Dobby into the staffroom and staged a loud discussion with Professor McGonagall about gillyweed, right in front of Dobby. The house-elf responded by stealing the plant from Severus Snape's personal stores and gave it to Harry on the day of the task.
During the events surrounding the Tournament, Crouch Sr. escaped from his home and Apparated near Hogwarts, where he wandered in his confusion in search of Dumbledore, planning on confessing about how he smuggled his son from Azkaban. Voldemort immediately sent an owl to Hogwarts warning him that his father would likely show up at Hogwarts. Crouch Sr. came upon Harry Potter and Viktor Krum but by then, he was so delusional and insane that he was unable to clearly convey anything beyond what appeared to be ramblings about his son and Bertha Jorkins. The former went to the castle to fetch Dumbledore. Crouch arrived at the scene before anyone else, stunned Viktor Krum, and killed his father. He transfigured his father's body into a bone and buried in front of Rubeus Hagrid's hut.
Before the third and final task of the Tournament, Crouch volunteered to place the Triwizard Cup in a maze through which the contestants were to navigate. He took advantage of this opportunity to turn the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey. As he patrolled around the labyrinth hedge, he Stunned Fleur Delacour and used the Imperius Curse on Krum to get rid of Diggory, but his puppet was stunned by Harry. Nonetheless, Potter got to the Cup, along with Diggory, transporting them to the Little Hangleton graveyard when they grasped it together. It was at this time that Peter Pettigrew performed the horrible ritual to restore Lord Voldemort's physical body, using Harry Potter's blood, Pettigrew's own hand, and Tom Riddle Sr.'s bone from the grave.[1]
Exposure and the Dementor's Kiss[]
- "Mad, am I? We'll see! We'll see who's mad, now that the Dark Lord has returned, with me at his side! He is back, Harry Potter, you did not conquer him—and now—I conquer you!"
- —Barty before trying to kill Harry Potter[src]
When Harry escaped the graveyard and returned to Hogwarts, Crouch ushered him away from the panicking crowd to interrogate him about Voldemort's return. He revealed to Harry that it was he all along who guided him through the Tournament; he put his name in the Goblet of Fire, got Hagrid to show the dragons, explained the Golden Egg to Diggory knowing he would tell Harry, bewitched Krum and stunned Fleur. Barty then planned on killing Harry and be honored above the rest of Voldemort's followers. But before he could, Dumbledore, accompanied by McGonagall and Snape, fired a Stunner at him, having realized that he was not Moody when he removed Harry from his sight, his one slip-up. After the Polyjuice Potion wore off, Crouch confessed everything to Dumbledore under the influence of Veritaserum.[5]
- Dumbledore: "What has happened? Why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I'm surprised at you -- I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch"
- McGonagall: "There is no need to stand guard over him anymore, Dumbledore! The Minister has seen to that!"
- — Minerva McGonagall furiously tells Dumbledore what Fudge did to Crouch Jr.[src]
However, before he could testify before the Wizengamot, Crouch suffered a fate worse than death, receiving the Dementor's Kiss by a Dementor that Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge brought with him. Fudge regarded Crouch as a raving lunatic, believing that he was thinking that he was acting for Voldemort and thus wasn't convinced that he was back.[6] What happened to Crouch's empty body is unknown.
Physical appearance[]
In his youth, Crouch was described as being a pale young man with straw-colored hair and freckles.[3] In his early thirties, he still had pale, slightly freckled skin and a "mop of fair hair".[5] During his confession under Veritaserum, Crouch's face would alight with diabolical mania.
For eight months, Crouch has disguised himself as Alastor Moody through the usage of Polyjuice Potion. During this time, his face would be covered with scars, with missing chunks of his nose, and dark grey grizzled hair. He also took Moody's prosthetics, both the magical eye and wooden leg, for his own.
Personality and traits[]
- "I will be honored beyond all other Death Eaters. I will be his dearest, his closest supporter... Closer than a son..."
- —Barty to Harry Potter about Lord Voldemort[src]
Crouch appears to have been highly cunning and diabolically intelligent. He was obviously a quite powerful wizard, having demonstrated sufficient magical ability to Confound the Goblet of Fire into believing that four schools participated in the Triwizard Tournament in order for Harry to participate in the contest despite the object's power. Crouch was also perceptively observant; his keen attention to the habits and motivations of others enabled him to impersonate Alastor Moody so accurately that he even managed to fool Albus Dumbledore.[5]
Crouch was extremely devoted to Voldemort and regarded him as a father figure. His loyalty is matched only by fellow Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange. He also seems to know much of Voldemort's father, comparing him with his own father. This may imply that Crouch is aware of Voldemort's status of being half-blood, but does not care, in contradiction to the Death Eaters' belief of pure-blood supremacy. However, Crouch's immense loyalty to Voldemort blinded him to those who truly loved him, namely his mother and the family's devoted house-elf Winky. They sacrificed much to give him a second chance at a happy life, but Barty was only interested in returning to Voldemort.
One reason for Crouch's behavior may be the fact that his father neglected him during his childhood and/or teenage years, and later forced him to spend years under the Imperius Curse and in relative isolation, possibly affecting his mental stability. The year he spent in Azkaban might also have furthered his mental decline, due to the effects of the Dementors.
Crouch also loved Quidditch in his youth. Winky used this reason to persuade his father to allow him to attend the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, as a treat for his good behavior (under the Imperius Curse). Crouch, on the other hand, used this as a chance to launch the Dark Mark into the air to frighten disloyal Death Eaters.
Magical abilities and skills[]
Barty Crouch was an academically strong student in his youth and became accomplished in the Dark Arts. It is most likely that he was among the most powerful Death Eaters of Voldemort.
- Dueling: Crouch, along with Peter Pettigrew was capable of capturing Alastor Moody who was a very powerful wizard and had defeated several powerful Death Eaters during his time as an Auror.
- Dark Arts: As a Death Eater, Crouch was taught to launch the Dark Mark into the sky by Voldemort. This was usually used to signify the Death Eaters' works, but Barty used it to scare his unfaithful colleagues.
- Unforgivable Curses: Crouch was able to perform all three Unforgivable Curses successfully and from a young age, considering that he used the Cruciatus Curse to devastating effect when he was only nineteen.[2] While masquerading as professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, he demonstrated all three Unforgivable Curses on a spider. Barty also kept the real Moody under control via the Imperius Curse for a whole year. [4]
- Potioneer: Crouch was a skilled potioneer, as he was capable of brewing the complicated Polyjuice Potion.
- Charms: Crouch was talented enough to hoodwink the very powerful Goblet of Fire, a magical object that is extremely difficult to deceive. He did so to make the Goblet mistake that Harry was a champion under a fourth school.
- Transfiguration: Crouch showed strong skills in Transfiguration, turning Draco Malfoy into a ferret, and his father's corpse into a bone.
- Non-verbal magic: Crouch could cast many very advanced spells Non-verbally, such as when he transfigured Malfoy into a ferret, removed the desks in his classroom and cast a charm on the ceiling in the Great Hall to stop it raining.
- Wand versatility: Crouch was able to use wands other than his own, including Harry Potter's and Alastor Moody's, even performing difficult spells such as the Unforgivable Curses with them. With Moody's wand, however, he may have won its allegiance by defeating Moody.
- Resistance to the Imperius Curse: Around 1981, Crouch was placed under the Imperius Curse by his father. After years, he managed to break free from the curse at certain times.
- Occlumency: Crouch was presumably skilled in Occlumency, having successfully hidden his true identity as a Death Eater from Albus Dumbledore for nine months. Had he not been weakened and groggy from having been attacked in 1995, he would have been able to use Occlumency to protect himself from the effects of Veritaserum.[7]
- Defense Against the Dark Arts: Although it was only part of his cover as Moody, Crouch was a convincingly compelling teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts during his time at Hogwarts, his personal experience with the Dark Arts allowing him to make his lessons very engaging for all the years he taught. Even after his true allegiance and identity were exposed, students such as Dean Thomas noted that he had taught them a great deal even if he was a "maniac".
Relationships[]
Parents[]
- "Should have spent a bit more time at home with his family, shouldn't he? Ought to have left the office early once in a while... gotten to known his own son."
- —Sirius Black on Barty's father.[src]
Crouch Jr.'s father, as a high-ranking Ministry official, spent his entire life dedicated to eradicating the Dark forces, and as such, didn't pay enough attention to his own son. When Crouch Jr. was caught with other Death Eaters in the crime scene of torture of Alice and Frank Longbottom to insanity, his father's parental affection extended to as much as giving him a trial, something he did not always give other suspects. In the end, the trial was merely to make an example out of his own son, and to publicly disown him, making clear he had nothing to do with anyone who'd commit such a horrible crime. Crouch Sr. mercilessly sentenced his own son to Azkaban for life, and in the son's truth the father, as a favor for his dying wife, smuggled him out of prison and kept him under control with the Imperius Curse for years to come. What the father's motives really were, were not revealed, but it is likely he too loved his son as he was able to sacrifice his wife into spending her last days in a place like Azkaban in order to save the son; contradicting to this, however, Crouch Jr. claimed that his father loved his mother but not him. It was this sentence that cost Crouch Sr. his chance to become Minister of Magic, his position as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and his wife to suffer her last few days in Azkaban. It was also this sentence that caused Crouch Sr. to be demoted to the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
Crouch Jr., in turn, hated his father. Being sent to Azkaban for one year and imprisoned in his own mind for twelve, only increased the friction between father and son. Crouch also claimed that he suffered the indignity of being named after his father had the "great pleasure" of finally killing him.
However, his mother loved him very much, and persuaded her husband to help him escape Azkaban. She was about to die when her son was imprisoned, so she was disguised as him and took his place at Azkaban. She died a short time later, and buried outside Azkaban. However, rather than start afresh and repent for his crimes, he used the opportunity to look for Lord Voldemort and help bring him back to power.
Winky[]
- "I was always with the house-elf. She was my keeper and caretaker. She pitied me. She persuaded my father to give me occasional treats. Rewards for my good behavior."
- —Barty on his years under his father's control.[src]
Winky the house-elf was extremely loyal to the Crouch family, to the point of surpassing the mere house-elf's magical binding. She took care of Crouch Jr. when he was smuggled out of Azkaban, and became his carer and keeper. She was extremely devoted to this duty, and was very motherly towards him, asking his father to reward him occasionally for good behavior (even though it was no more than a by-product of the Imperius Curse). Winky spent months to persuade Crouch Sr. to let his son attend the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, and tried to suppress her acrophobia in order to keep an eye on the hidden convict. This all proved how much she loved him, despite his crimes. She was devastated when she was dismissed for failure, and became horrified when she heard of how Crouch Jr. killed his father.
Crouch Jr., on the other hand, thought that Winky's motherly nature was only out of pity and magic-bound duty. He launched the Dark Mark in the camp-site in order to scare disloyal Death Eaters, despite her efforts to keep him safe and hidden.
Lord Voldemort[]
Lord Voldemort, his master and father figure.
- "The Dark Lord and I have much in common. Both of us, for instance, had very disappointing fathers...very disappointing indeed. Both of us suffered the indignity, Harry, of being named after those fathers. And both of us had the pleasure...the very great pleasure...of killing our fathers! ... I will be honored beyond all other Death Eaters. I will be his dearest, his closest supporter... Closer than a son..."
- —Barty Crouch Jr. to Harry Potter about Lord Voldemort[src]
In contrast with his real father, Crouch saw Lord Voldemort as a father figure of sorts, and after been disowned by his own father and after his Azkaban year, was fanatically devoted to him. In fact, at that point Crouch was willing to sacrifice and give absolutely everything to serve the Dark Lord. He also believed that if he finished off Harry Potter, he would be welcomed back, closer than a real son. In essence, Barty's loyalty is only matched by fellow Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange.
Crouch's loyalty has led him to know many things about Lord Voldemort that even other loyal Death Eaters, such as Bellatrix, do not. Barty knows that Voldemort had a disappointing father, that he suffered the indignity of being named after that father, and that he had the great pleasure of killing said father to ensure the rise of the dark order.[1] These three common threads helped to fuel Barty's loyalty. This also implies that Barty is aware of Voldemort's blood status as a half-blood, but doesn't care about it, in contradiction to the Death Eaters' belief of pure-blood supremacy. It could very well be that Voldemort told Barty these similarities between the two, and used them as a way to get Barty to join him. Voldemort seems to have acknowledged Barty's worth, something his own father failed to do, referring to Barty as "his most faithful servant."
Death Eaters[]
- "If there's something I hate more than any other, it's a Death Eater who walked free. They turned their backs on my master when he needed them most. I expected him to punish them. I expected him to torture them. Tell me he hurt them, Harry. Tell me he told them that I, only I remained faithful…"
- —Barty Crouch Jr. about Death Eaters[src]
Eventually Barty held a violent hatred towards Death Eaters who had abandoned faith in Lord Voldemort. He believed that those who would not brave Azkaban for him, and denied their affiliation with him, were unforgivable—apparently having completely forgotten that he was once like that himself. So, after the drastic change in him, Barty practically begged Harry to tell him that Voldemort punished the Death Eaters for their thirteen years of disloyalty, to hurt them for their lack of faith.
Due to this fanatical loyalty held by Barty, he launched the Dark Mark into the 1994 Quidditch World Cup to frighten the Death Eaters who were levitating the Roberts family for fun, in retribution for their faithlessness, despite the risk of being caught. Also, during the year he was disguised as Alastor Moody, he spent a great deal of time intimidating former Death Eaters, Igor Karkaroff and Severus Snape, and relished the thought of being alone with them to kill them. This intimidation extended to Draco Malfoy, the son of another disloyal Death Eater, Lucius Malfoy.
Despite his hatred towards them, Barty knows how to control his temper when necessary, and prevented himself from attacking them during his disguise as Moody. He even set aside his differences with Peter Pettigrew, one of the most disloyal Death Eaters, and the one responsible for Voldemort's initial downfall due to the information given about the whereabouts of the Potter family, in order to work together to revive the Dark Lord.
Harry Potter[]
Harry Potter, an enemy
- Harry: "You're mad!"
- Barty: "Mad, am I? We'll see who's mad, now that the Dark Lord has returned, with me at his side! He's back, Harry Potter, you did not conquer him - and now - I conquer you!"
- — Harry Potter with Barty, after Lord Voldemort's return.
As Harry Potter was Voldemort's most hated enemy, Barty hated him too. After Barty became more paranoid and fanatically loyal to Voldemort, Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew found Barty at his house. Voldemort freed Barty from the Imperius Curse and they planned to kill Harry. Barty was the one who put Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire, while disguised as Alastor Moody. However, Barty didn't show that he was a Death Eater, and played the role of a friendly teacher towards Harry, giving him useful information about how to succeed in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. He was also the one who taught the Unforgivable Curses to Harry, and the first person Harry saw performing the Killing Curse. Over the year Barty taught Harry, he kept the boy safe from harm, and chased away other people who would threaten or get in the boy's way, all for him to serve Voldemort's plan. Harry also saw Barty's trial in the Pensieve, and was told by Albus Dumbledore that it was unknown if Barty was guilty or innocent.
Barty helped Harry with the Tasks of the Triwizard Tournament, because he had turned the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey in order to finalize the plan to resurrect Voldemort and eliminate Harry once and for all. When Harry and Cedric Diggory touched it, they were transported to the Little Hangleton graveyard. Cedric was killed by Peter Pettigrew, while Harry fought Voldemort and escaped. After that, Barty attempted to kill Harry, but failed, being caught by Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall. Barty told them the story of his imprisonment, his escape and his return to Lord Voldemort (he was under veritaserum at the time). He also told them that Voldemort would honor him as none other Death Eater. After that, Harry learned that Barty was given the Dementor's Kiss.
Longbottom family[]
Barty was one of the Death Eaters who tortured the Aurors Alice and Frank Longbottom into insanity,[2] in order to make them tell where was the Dark Lord hidden. After that, the Longbottoms were permanently sent to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, and Barty was imprisoned in Azkaban along with the Lestranges.
In 1994, Barty met Neville Longbottom, the son of Frank and Alice, while he was disguised as Alastor Moody. When he read the name of Neville in a list, he showed much interest. He also performed the Cruciatus Curse on a spider, in front of Neville, who was shocked and frightened. However, Barty was stopped by Hermione Granger, who noted that Neville was very frightened. After that, Barty invited Neville to his office for a cup of tea, and gave him a book about plants. In fact, Barty gave the book to Neville in order to help Harry Potter, who was Neville's room-mate, to win in the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament.
It is unknown how Neville reacted after he learned that his Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was in fact one of the wizards who tortured his parents into insanity.
Albus Dumbledore[]
Albus Dumbledore, an enemy.
- "Who are you? Where is the real Alastor Moody?"
- —Albus Dumbledore to Barty in 1995.[src]
Albus Dumbledore was one of the participants in Barty's trial. Dumbledore, like all of the participants, agreed to send Barty and his fellow Death Eaters in Azkaban forever. He was also shocked by what Barty did to the Longbottoms in 1981. In 1994, Barty and Dumbledore met again, as Barty accepted the offer Dumbledore had made to Alastor Moody, to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. Barty was disguised as Moody and went to Hogwarts, while planning to send Harry Potter to Voldemort. During the time Barty lived at Hogwarts along with Dumbledore, Barty used Occlumency, in order to protect himself from Dumbledore learning who Moody really was.
In 1995, after Harry Potter returned to Hogwarts from the Little Hangleton graveyard, Barty told Dumbledore that he would go along with Harry in his office, to help him relax. In fact, Barty wanted to kill Harry and learn what had happened at the Graveyard. Dumbledore realized that he wasn't the real Moody, knowing that the real Moody would never have removed Harry from Dumbledore's sight after recent events, and ran at Barty's office. Dumbledore stunned Barty at the time the latter was going to kill Harry. Harry noted that Dumbledore's eyes seemed like having a blue flame, and Harry realized why Dumbledore was considered as the greatest wizard of all time. Dumbledore was disgusted by Barty's patricide, and bound him up for it. After Barty's exposure, Dumbledore learned that he was given the Dementor's Kiss.
Behind the scenes[]
- Although Barty received the Dementor's Kiss and had his soul removed in 1995, it is unknown when his body actually died.
- He is also the only character who is known to have suffered the Dementor's Kiss, though it is said there have been other victims as the Kiss was explained to Harry by Remus Lupin in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
- His Kiss has never been portrayed for an audience to see.
- Additionally, the Kiss is never mentioned in the films. Instead, it is implied that Crouch Jr. was sent back to Azkaban by order of Albus Dumbledore, with Severus Snape holding him at wand-point to keep him quiet. Crouch doesn't fear this as he believes that he'll be welcomed back like a hero and he is never mentioned again in the films.
- Even though the Kiss is not shown, it is implied in the later films that it did happen when Voldemort broke his Death Eaters out of Azkaban and Crouch Jr. did not appear.
- In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Barty hides behind a rock and casts the Dark Mark.
- Barty Crouch Jr. was played by actor David Tennant in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. However, Brendan Gleeson plays most of the role, as he is the actor who portrays Moody. David Walliams was offered the role but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts with the third season of Little Britain.
- Barty's appearence in the film differs drastically from his looks in the book. In the book, he has sandy hair and is more lined but in the film, he has brown hair.
- Barty's role in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire differs drastically from the book. In the film, he is sentenced for the same crime as the book, but unlike in the book, it was based on Igor Karkaroff's testimony. Unlike in the book, once caught, there is no doubt of his guilt or insanity. He does not attempt to deny his guilt, nor does he beg his father to acquit him. Instead, he unsuccessfully tries to escape from the court room when he is stopped by Alastor Moody with a spell and then arrested by Ministry Police. After being brought in front of his father, he sarcastically greets him in a show of defiance. He was also implied to have somehow escaped from Azkaban (with his father not even being aware of his son's escape) and appears in Harry's vision of Voldemort and Wormtail in Little Hangleton. After the Quidditch World Cup, Harry actually sees Barty create the Dark Mark, but does not know who he is due to being unable to make out Barty's face in the dark. Barty approaches Harry in order to capture him, but flees when his father and the Aurors arrive.
- On a related note, Crouch Jr. in the film was seen trying to slip away as his father is demanding that Karkaroff reveal the identity of the other Death Eater, apparently anticipating that Karkaroff was referring to him, but was unable to leave before Karkaroff blurted out the name.
- If he did not receive the Dementor's Kiss, this could cause a paradox, as he would have been able to be tried before or during the fifth film, proving Harry was not lying about Voldemort's return. Although, the Ministry may simply be too biased to take what Barty would have said into account, as they consider him too deranged to trust, and Veritaserum is resistible. Also, he never returns even after the mass breakouts. It is presumed that he did receive the Kiss, and that it just wasn't shown or mentioned.
- It seems odd that Barty, when disguised as Alastor Moody, asks Harry if Voldemort punished the "cowards who wouldn't even brave Azkaban for him", and those who denied that they'd ever even worked for him,[5] when he himself did those two things,[3] and ended up screaming for his mother at the first few days of his imprisonment. There are several possible reasons for this apparent discontinuity:
- Crouch, a manipulative man, and clearly a convincing actor (he was able to convincingly pose as Alastor Moody for over nine months) was trying to escape prison to resume searching for Voldemort.
- Barty, like virtually everyone else in Wizarding Britain, feared Azkaban, and the knowledge of his impending lifetime conviction (not to mention the six Dementors in the room at the time) caused him to lose his nerve.
- Due to his time in Azkaban, not to mention the years he subsequently spent under the Imperius curse, Barty may have simply gone insane, and disregarded his own actions.
- It should be noted, however, that at no point during his trial does Barty actually deny being a Death Eater. He simply denied being involved in torturing the Longbottoms (he specifically cries out "I wasn't involved!"), and begged his father not to send him back to the Dementors.
- During his lesson on the Unforgivable Curses, Barty takes note of Neville Longbottom's name, looking at it on the register and at Neville intensely. He demonstrated the Cruciatus Curse – the same curse he was claimed to have used to torture Neville's parents into insanity – on a spider directly in front of Neville, only stopping when Hermione Granger screamed at him to, noticing how much it upset Neville. Afterwards, however, Barty took Neville aside for tea and gave him a Herbology book (which he also does in the book).[4]
- In the film version, Barty Crouch Jr. has the habit of licking his lips when threatened, in a snake-like way, to which he occasionally shows while under the disguise of Alastor Moody. This action led to him giving himself away to his father following the second task of the Triwizard Tournament.
- In most sentences Barty says, while he is not disguised as Alastor Moody, he says the word "I".
- In the films, anyone who takes Polyjuice Potion has their voice remain the same, the only change being in appearance. This does not seem to be the case for Barty Crouch Jr. when he turns into Alastor Moody, however it does not seem impossible that Barty was imitating Moody's voice the entire time.
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Despite the books never fully confirm whether if Crouch Jr. committed the crime or not, the film (second-tier canon, per the canon policy) clearly state he did, in fact, do it.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Goblet of Fire, Ch. 30
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Goblet of Fire, Ch. 14
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Goblet of Fire, Ch. 35
- ↑ Goblet of Fire, Ch. 36
- ↑ F.A.Q: Veritaserum at J.K. Rowling's Official Site