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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 to him the one thing he wanted above all... You."
— Barty Crouch Jnr's loyalty to Lord Voldemort[src]

Bartemius "Barty" Crouch Junior (c. 1962 – c. 1996) was a wizard and the son of Bartemius Crouch Senior. He became an ardent follower of Lord Voldemort in order to become a Death Eater and Dark wizard in his teenage years.[11] He was the first escapee of Azkaban prison in its almost 300 year history, though only his father, late mother and the family house-elf knew until 1995, when it was revealed to Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape whilst Crouch was under the influence of Veritaserum.

In 1981, shortly after Voldemort's first defeat, Crouch allegedly participated in the capture and torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom along with the Lestranges, using the Cruciatus Curse to drive the two Aurors to insanity. Crouch and his comrades were sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban for their crimes by his own father.

Crouch and his parents hatched a plot under which Crouch's mother would take his place in Azkaban, using the Polyjuice Potion to disguise herself. She died and was buried in Azkaban, with the result that the wizarding world believed that Crouch himself was dead. Crouch spent the following years living under his father's Imperius Curse. He eventually broke free with the help of Voldemort, who had learned that Crouch was still alive, making him enter the Dark Lord's service again.

He then disguised himself as Alastor Moody, former Auror and the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts during the 1994–1995 school year. In this role, Crouch fixed 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 that 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... got to know his son."
Sirius Black on Barty Crouch Snr's relationship with his son[src]

Barty was born in around 1962 or 1963 into the influential pure-blood Crouch family, which had strong connections to the Ministry of Magic. Bartemius Crouch Senior's intent on catching Dark wizards and becoming Minister for Magic likely played a role in him not paying enough attention to his son. It is very possible that this had an influence on the younger Barty's life choices.[12] 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.[13] 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, though his house was unknown.

Allegiance with Death Eaters[]

Attack on Frank and Alice Longbottom[]

"Father, I didn't! I didn't, I swear it, Father, don't send me back to the Dementors... No! Mother, no! I didn't do it, I didn't do it, I didn't do it, I didn't know! Don't send me there, don't let him! I'm your son! I'm your son!"
— Barty pleading with his father at his trial[src]
Bartycrouchjr1

Barty Crouch Jnr being arrested by Ministry Police

Barty took the Dark Mark in his late teens, and after Lord Voldemort's first defeat in 1981, he worked with Death Eaters searching for their fallen master.[11] He was captured with Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange after they tortured the Aurors Alice and Frank Longbottom with the Cruciatus Curse, driving the couple into insanity.[14] Barty and the other Death Eaters were brought to trial before the Council of Magical Law, over which his father presided.

Barty was insistent on his innocence, claiming he had not taken part in the crimes, and begged his father before the entire assembled Council and witnesses such as Rita Skeeter and his mother to clear him of the charges. Barty's father headed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the time and was under extreme pressure to appear to be punishing the terrorism perpetrated by Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters. He also generally wanted to punish his son; he was very disappointed with him and it was a big embarrassment for Crouch Snr himself to have a Death Eater for a son. 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]
B4C30M1 Wizengamot trial Pensieve memory

Barty is tried before the Council of Magical Law, along with Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange

Barty'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 roughly 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 Barty 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. Barty already looked in poor health when he was brought in, as Sirius described.[15]

His wand was also taken and stored deep in the prison.[9]

In 1982, his mother's health had deteriorated drastically from the stress of her son's imprisonment, as did Barty's own from the severe depression inflicted by the prison. The couple were allowed to visit due to Crouch Snr's high status in the Ministry and as Mrs Crouch's dying wish. 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.[16]

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 behaviour."
— Barty on his years under his father's control[src]

Crouch Jnr was brought back to the family household, where he was nursed back to health by their house-elf Winky. Revitalised, Barty's only goal is to search for his master, which he made no efforts to hide from his father. Crouch Snr, overcame with grief and guilt, sought long and hard to subjugate 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 behaviour (even if it was only a byproduct of the Imperius Curse).

Bertha Jorkins, a Ministry of Magic employee, accidentally discovered the truth when she came unannounced to the Crouch home with some papers for Mr Crouch to sign, in which she heard Winky talking with someone invisible, enough to deduce who was hidden. Crouch Snr rectified this with a Memory Charm so powerful that she suffered permanent brain damage. Shortly thereafter, 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 Bertha, and the Ministry deemed her "missing" for months.[16]

Rejoining the Dark Lord[]

Quidditch World Cup[]

"Wormtail, I need somebody with brains, somebody whose loyalty has never been wavered, and you, unfortunately, fulfil neither requirement."
Lord Voldemort discussing his plans with Peter Pettigrew[src]

Barty was sent to the 1994 Quidditch World Cup under cover of the Invisibility Cloak along with their elf, Winky. Winky knew that Barty had always loved Quidditch and persuaded his father to allow him to go out and have some fresh air. Barty's mother, after all, wanted him to have freedom. Barty's seat, by chance, was in the top box directly behind the seats of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. During the Quidditch match, Barty broke free of the Imperius Curse his father had placed on him. Denied of free will and magic for so long, he stole Harry's wand, which was in view poking out of the boy's back pocket. Winky did not see this, as she was so afraid of heights in the sky box that she covered her eyes for the entire Quidditch match.

Bartycrouchjr

Barty at the Quidditch World Cup camp-site

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 yearned to do and yet was unable. Ministry officials fired multiple Stunning Spells through the woods, crisscrossing 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 Jnr acquiring a wand and nearly escaping. Crouch Snr 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.

Harry-potter-goblet-of-fire-movie-screencaps

Barty before Lord Voldemort in 1994

Left alone in the house with only father and son, one night shortly after the Dark Mark incident, Peter Pettigrew and Lord Voldemort suddenly appeared at the home. Voldemort needed a loyal follower to help him regain power, and easily managed to free Barty from his father's imprisonment. They put Crouch Snr under the Imperius Curse and forced him to keep working at the Ministry as he usually would and act like nothing was amiss.[16]

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 Defence Against the Dark Arts to fourth-year students[src]
Chapter 12 Zoom

Barty Crouch Jnr arriving at Hogwarts disguised as Alastor Moody

As part of his servitude as a Death Eater, Barty was charged with infiltrating Hogwarts Castle, entering Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire and guiding him through the 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 aided by Peter Pettigrew. He created Polyjuice Potion from Alastor's hair and concealed the Auror in his own magical trunk. He then proceeded to take over Alastor's job at Hogwarts, pretending to be him with the potion, teaching Defence 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. He kept Moody alive under the Imperius Curse to continue harvesting hair for the Polyjuice Potion, and to question him about his personality, behaviour and knowledge, in order to make the act more convincing.

B4C14M1 DADA Unforgivable Curses

Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson on the Unforgivable Curses

Upon entering Hogwarts's Start-of-Term Feast with Moody's appearance, he received applause only from Dumbledore and Hagrid, both of whom stopped quickly after realising that absolutely nobody else clapped, as everyone was too fixated 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's 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[17] 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, Barty (under the guise as Alastor) was actually quite effective. Despite his ulterior motives, his teaching of how to overcome curses such as the Imperius was valuable with Harry Potter, who gained the ability to resist even Lord Voldemort himself as a result of this training. He was also a strict teacher, as he kept his students working until the end of the classes despite most of them being distracted by the Christmas festivities.

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 Jnr, revealing how he masterminded Harry Potter's victory in the Triwizard Tournament.[src]

Due to his effective teaching style, Barty became very popular among students and teachers alike. 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 under a fourth school, ensuring he would be chosen as he was the only entry for said school. Barty subtly helped Harry throughout the three phases of the tournament. He nudged Rubeus 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.

In the middle of the first and second task, he attended the Yule Ball and danced the two step ungainly with Professor Sinistra, who was barely avoiding his wooden foot.

He complimented Harry's socks which were hidden under Harry's robes, which he saw through with his magical eye, provoking his dance partner, Parvati to call him creepy and say his magical eye shouldn't be allowed in Hogwarts.

Triwizard Champions before the Second Task

Barty on the second task platform after Harry Potter took Gillyweed

He advised Cedric Diggory into telling Harry how 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, Barty had to improvise. Remembering that Harry mentioned having an elf friend named Dobby who gave him socks for Christmas, Barty 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 giving it to Harry on the day of the task.

During the events surrounding the Tournament, Crouch Snr escaped from his home and travelled to 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 Crouch Jnr that his father would likely show up at Hogwarts. Crouch Snr came upon Harry 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. The former went to the castle to fetch Albus. Crouch Jnr, having kept an eye on the Marauder's Map he borrowed from Potter, arrived at the scene before anyone else, and waited for Harry to leave before he stunned Viktor, and killed his father. He transfigured his father's body into a bone and buried it in front of Rubeus' cabin.

Harry enters the Third Task maze

Barty watches Harry Potter enter the hedge maze during the third task

Before the third and final task of the Tournament, Barty 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 Viktor to get rid of Cedric, but Viktor was stunned by Harry. Nonetheless, Harry got to the Cup, along with Cedric, transporting them to the Little Hangleton graveyard when they grasped it together. It was at this time that Peter performed the ritual to restore Lord Voldemort's physical body, using Harry's blood, Peter's own hand, and Tom Riddle Snr's bone from the grave.[16]

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 attempting to murder Harry Potter[src]
Barty Crouch Junior exposed

Barty getting interrogated by Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Severus Snape

When Harry escaped the graveyard and returned to Hogwarts, Barty 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 Cedric knowing he would tell Harry, bewitched Viktor Krum and stunned Fleur Delacour. Barty then planned on killing Harry and being honoured above the rest of Voldemort's followers.

But before he could, Albus, accompanied by Minerva and Severus, fired a Stunning Spell at him, having realised that he was not Alastor when he removed Harry from his sight — his one slip-up. After the Polyjuice Potion wore off, Barty confessed everything to Albus under the influence of Veritaserum, a strong truth potion.

However, before he could testify before the Wizengamot, Barty suffered a fate worse than death, receiving the Dementor's Kiss by a Dementor that Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge brought with him for protection but instead kissed Barty on sight. Cornelius regarded Barty as a raving lunatic, believing that he merely thought that he was acting for Voldemort and thus was not convinced that the Dark Lord was back.[18]

Post-mortem and legacy[]

"Your Dementor has just destroyed the last remaining member of a pure-blood family as old as any — and see what that man chose to make of his own life!"
Albus Dumbledore regarding the death of the Crouch family[src]

Crouch Jnr's soul removal marked the functional end of the Crouch family bloodline,[18] and what happened to Crouch's empty body following this, is unknown, although it is possible that Crouch died sometime in the mid-1990s; circa 1996.[2]

The younger Barty's death influenced his family's former house-elf Winky's depression, the motherly creature already mourning the latter's father and shocked further that his son was responsible, and her alcoholism with butterbeer continued for years because of this grief. She never really got over her respective masters' deaths.[19]

Decades after his death, in the 2020s, Crouch Jnr's wand manifested during the Calamity as a Foundable and had to be returned to Azkaban.[9]

Physical appearance[]

Barty Crouch Jnr cropped

Barty Crouch Jnr, in his mid-thirties

In his youth, Barty was described as being a pale young man with straw-coloured hair and freckles.[15] In his early thirties, he still had pale, slightly freckled skin and a "mop of fair hair", but his face was lined, and was much older-looking.[5] During his confession under Veritaserum, Barty's face would alight with diabolical mania. Being a Death Eater, he bore the Dark Mark on his inner left forearm.

For eight months, Barty disguised himself as Alastor Moody through the usage of Polyjuice Potion. During this time, his face would be covered with scars, with chunks of his nose missing, and dark grey grizzled hair. He also took Alastor's prosthetics, both the magical eye and wooden leg, for his own.

Personality and traits[]

"...decent people are so easy to manipulate."
— Barty to Harry Potter[src]

Barty was shown to have been intensely hateful, diabolical, scheming, evil, vengeful, cold, cruel, manipulative, callous, loyal, extremely intelligent, sadistic, shadowy, very arrogant, cunning, selfish and ruthless. He was obviously a rather powerful wizard, having demonstrated sufficient magical ability to bewitch 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. Barty was also perceptively observant and, as mentioned above, exceptionally manipulative; 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]

Dangerously clever and fearsomely determined, Bartemius proved capable of orchestrating the events of the Triwizard Tournament so that Harry Potter would be transported to Voldemort, in order to ensure his master's return. Barty's high intelligence also made him bitingly cynical and he remarked how easy some people were to manipulate — he was capable of concern for his plans, and expressed his fear that Harry would have failed the Second Task. He also expressed frustration for how slowly Harry progressed in Barty's plans, citing Harry's weakness of pride as the reason.

Barty was extremely devoted to Voldemort and regarded him as a father figure. His loyalty was matched only by fellow Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange. He also seemed to know much of Voldemort's father, comparing him with his own father. This may imply that Barty was aware of Voldemort's status of being half-blood, but did not care, in contradiction to the Death Eaters' belief of pure-blood supremacy, or that Voldemort simply superseded the blood status. However, Barty'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, which Barty tragically wasted in his obsession to reunite with Voldemort. As with many other Death Eaters, Barty had deluded himself into believing that he alone understood Voldemort, and that they were closest to each other due to their commons, to which was in fact not true as Voldemort never desired a friend nor understood human affections.

One reason for Barty's behaviour 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 in relative isolation, possibly affecting his mental stability. The year he spent in Azkaban also furthered his mental decline, due to the effects of the Dementors. He was also likely very sadistic, not only did he participate in torturing the Longbottoms, but forced their son Neville Longbottom to watch a demonstration of the Cruciatus Curse on a spider, despite the latter's bizarre and panicked response. However, this latter act could have been what the real Moody would have done himself, and possibly it was indeed to teach the students the harsh truths about the Curses.

Crouch also loved Quidditch in his youth, a fact mentioned by Winky. Also, as a young man, he was extremely emotional, weeping and screaming before he was sent to the Dementors and pleading violently with his father to grant him leniency. He screamed constantly in Azkaban — but this can be supremely expected among the prisoners of Dementors. This could be seen as hypocritical, as he snarled at Death Eaters for hiding and refusing to brave Azkaban in Voldemort's name, which is what he did himself. However it could have been merely an act in an attempt to escape so he could continue his search for Voldemort, as he was shown to be a talented actor.

Barty was one of the only known wizards to call Voldemort by his name 'Voldemort' instead of using 'the Dark Lord' or a different version of it, saying his name while talking to Harry after the Third Task. He was also the only known Death Eater to do so, besides Peter Pettigrew; even defectors such as Severus Snape and Regulus Black referred to Voldemort as "the Dark Lord", while fellow fanatically loyal Death Eater Bellatrix saw it as a sign of respect not to speak the name.

"I don't think so! I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned. Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do...."
— Barty Crouch (as Moody) whilst tormenting Draco Malfoy[src]

Crouch Junior was also shown to vehemently detest those who he viewed as cowardly, in particular Death Eaters who had abandoned Voldemort in order to protect themselves.[5] He also happily transformed Draco Malfoy into a ferret as punishment for attempting to attack Harry Potter from behind, showing he could be very sadistic towards those he disliked.

Magical abilities and skills[]

""Avada Kedavra"! Moody roared. There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air — instantaneously the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked, but unmistakably dead."
— 'Moody' casting the Killing Curse successfully on a spider[src]
Barty Crouch Junior kills spider

Crouch Jnr casting the Killing Curse on a spider

Barty Crouch Jnr was very gifted and intelligent, whose potential as a wizard could be matched by only a select few. Armed with only the magical skills he had acquired throughout seven years of Hogwarts education, he successfully demonstrated sufficient magical ability to fool a whole school of learned academicians into believing him to be a seasoned Auror, speaking for his considerable skills. Additionally, Crouch swiftly came up with a feasible strategy to help Harry Potter win the Triwizard Tournament after he placed the boy's name into the Goblet of Fire. His intelligence has been vouched for by even Lord Voldemort, who while reluctant to trust Pettigrew wholeheartedly entrusted him to be the one to guide Harry to the rebirth ceremony. During the Calamity, his appearance as an Adversary was what set the framework for the Lethal classification.

  • Duelling: Crouch was an excellent duellist, as, along with Peter Pettigrew, he was capable of defeating Alastor Moody, who was an extremely powerful wizard that had defeated dozens of other Death Eaters during his time as an Auror before the British Ministry of Magic agents arrived on the scene. However, Crouch was effortlessly subdued by Albus Dumbledore with a single Stunning Spell, before he could react.
  • Defence Against the Dark Arts: Although it was only part of his cover as Alastor Moody, Crouch was a convincingly compelling and talented professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, as his time as Death Eater caused him to learn much about the subject of dark arts. Indeed, during his time at Hogwarts, Crouch's personal experience with the Dark Arts as a Death Eater allowed him to make very engaging lessons for his students. Even after his true allegiance and identity were exposed, students, such as Dean Thomas, noted that Crouch was a good teacher and taught them a great deal, even if he had been a "maniac". 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, and he later managed to teach the skill of resisting the Imperius Curse to Harry Potter.
"“MORSMORDRE!” And something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the patch of darkness Harry's eyes had been struggling to penetrate; it flew up over the treetops and into the sky."
— Barty casting the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup[src]
Morsmordre

Crouch Jnr summoning the Dark Mark in the sky

  • Dark Arts: As a Death Eater, Crouch was taught to launch the Dark Mark into the sky by Lord Voldemort with the Morsmordre spell. This was usually used to signify the Death Eaters' works, but Crouch used it to scare his unfaithful colleagues off. 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 on Frank and Alice Longbottom when he was only nineteen (though it was not explicitly stated how often he used the curse on them, as he was assisted by other Death Eaters).[14] He also had a talent for the Imperius Curse, though he did not use the curse to make the students commit actions they would vehemently object to. While masquerading as professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, he demonstrated all three Unforgivable Curses on a spider. Indeed, his knowledge and mastery of the Dark Arts made his lessons at Hogwarts very informative and engaging. Crouch also kept the real Moody under control via the Imperius Curse for a whole year.[17] He could also cast simpler dark charms such as the Twitchy-Ears Hex[16] and Reductor Curse[8] adeptly.
  • Potions: Crouch was excellent at brewing potions, as he was capable of single-handedly brewing the highly complex Polyjuice Potion, in order to maintain the appearance of Alastor Moody.[5]
  • Charms: Crouch was very talented in this field, enough to hoodwink the extremely powerful Goblet of Fire with the Confundus Charm, a magical object that was immensely difficult to deceive. He did so to make the Goblet mistake that Harry Potter's name had been entered under a fourth school, even though there were only three schools competing as with the previous cases of Triwizard Tournaments. Moreover, Crouch swiftly understood how the Marauder's Map worked when apprehending Harry with it, a powerful charmed artefact, and decided to take it from him for this very reason to ensure that Harry wouldn't figure out who he really was. He was also capable of bewitching the Triwizard Cup to turn it into a Portkey with the Portus charm, a rather powerful piece of magic. He could also effortlessly cast simpler charms such as the Engorgement Charm, Shrinking Charm, Summoning Charm and Stunning Spell, showing his proficiency in this field.
"His wand was out and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor, exactly where Malfoy had been standing."
— Barty having turned Draco into a ferret[src]
B4C13M1 Draco turned into a ferret

Barty having transformed Draco

  • Transfiguration: Crouch showed impressive skills in this field of magic, especially in the sub-branch of Human Transfiguration, which is the most difficult branch of Transfiguration. He promply turned Draco Malfoy into a ferret when Draco was trying to attack Harry Potter when the latter's back was turned.[16] Crouch also transformed his father's corpse into a single bone.[5]
  • Occlumency: Crouch was a very powerful and skilled Occlumens, having successfully hidden his true identity as a Death Eater from Albus Dumbledore himself for nine months. Indeed, had Crouch 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.[20]
  • Non-verbal magic: Crouch could cast many highly advanced spells without uttering incantations, such as when he transfigured Draco Malfoy into a ferret, when and removed the desks in his classroom.[16]
  • Acting skills: Much like Gellert Grindelwald, and Lord Voldemort, young Crouch had proven himself to be a very consummate actor. During his Council of Magical Law trial, Crouch feigned innocence by crying for his parents, hiding his loyalty to Voldemort, and even maintaining such an act during his first days in Azkaban. This affected public opinion later, when they pitied the young man for his father's harsh and uncaring treatment. During his infiltration of Hogwarts, Crouch pulled off the role of Alastor Moody so convincingly, that he managed to deceive everyone around him, including Albus Dumbledore, earning their trust and putting them into good use. He played the role of a friendly mentor to Harry Potter, and also abstained himself from attacking any former Death Eaters (such as Severus Snape and Igor Karkaroff) within his range, instead using Moody's reputation as an extremely accomplished Auror to intimidate them. Crouch was even able to act his way out of an unforeseen complication of Harry seeing him on the Marauder's Map in Snape's office, by claiming that it had been Bartemius Crouch Senior, looking for Dark wizard evidence inside the Potions professor's office. However, Crouch's acting skills were still imperfect, as shown when after Voldemort had been resurrected, Crouch foolishly took Harry away from Dumbledore to kill him, so he would be honoured even more by Voldemort, which was something the real Moody would never do, allowing Dumbledore to finally realise that Crouch has been impersonating Moody.
  • Teaching skills: As the students themselves noted, Barty had proven himself to be a very effective instructor regardless of his speciality, as not only did his talent and knowledge in the Dark Arts make his lectures very informative and helpful to the students, he also projected a powerful charisma that drew his students' attention and interest, making them want to learn from and listen to him, even if some of his methods were considered controversial by the Ministry and he was teaching them about forbidden magic by abusing animals. Even after his true identity and motives were uncovered, his former pupils did not change their opinion of his effectiveness.[17]

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 regarding Barty's father[src]
Roger Lloyd Pack as Barty Crouch Snr (GoF-promo-02)

Barty Crouch Snr, his hated father

Crouch Jnr'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 Jnr was caught with other Death Eaters at 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 would even remotely be connected to the committing of such a horrible crime. Crouch Snr mercilessly sentenced his own son to Azkaban for life.

A little over a year later, the father, as a favour for his dying wife, smuggled him out of prison and kept him under control with the Imperius Curse for years to come. By Crouch Jnr's claim, his father loved only his wife and not him, but this was only in his own perception. The elder Barty's willingness to sacrifice his wife to spend her last days in the horrific Azkaban to rescue their son may be indicating that he retained some paternal affection for him, despite many believed otherwise. It was this sentence that cost Crouch Snr his chance to become Minister for 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 Snr to be demoted to the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. When the elder Crouch was subjugated by Voldemort and escaped, he decided to tell Dumbledore of everything, including that he smuggled his own son out of prison; it was during this moment that Crouch (in a delusive state) expressed his regret to Harry Potter of mistreating and neglecting his son, blaming himself for the young man's choice of life.

Crouch Jnr, in turn, hated his father, considering him to be a very disappointing parent. 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 and had the "great pleasure" of finally murdering him. Adding insult to injury, he transfigured his father's body into a bone and buried it, showing callous, but understandable disrespect for the corpse with a crude method of disposing it.

Barty Crouch Jnr: "No! Mother, no! I didn't do it, I didn't do it, I didn't do it, I didn't know! Don't send me there, don't let him! I'm your son! I'm your son!"
Barty Crouch Snr: "You are no son of mine! I have no son!"
— Barty failing to gain his father's sympathy before his imprisonment[src]

His mother loved him very much, and persuaded her husband to help him escape Azkaban. He also apparently had some affection for his mother as it is revealed that he was "screaming for his mother" during his early days in Azkaban. She was about to die when her son was imprisoned, so she drank Polyjuice Potion and disguised as him to take his place at Azkaban. She died a short time later, and was buried outside Azkaban. However, rather than start afresh and repent for his crimes, he tried to use the opportunity to look for Lord Voldemort and help bring him back to power, apparently his year in prison and hatred for his father caused him to forget his love for his mother, tragically wasting all of her efforts for him.

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 behaviour."
— Barty on his years under his father's control.[src]
House-elf, Winky (Concept Artwork for the HP4 film)

Winky, his father's previous house-elf

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 Jnr 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 behaviour (even though it was no more than a by-product of the Imperius Curse). Winky spent months to persuade Crouch Snr 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 Jnr killed his father.

Crouch Jnr, 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, ignoring her efforts to keep him safe and hidden. He also showed no reciprocating affection for her as he ungratefully used her affections to achieve his goal of serving the Dark Lord, and gave a maniacal smile during his interrogation while she was there, the latter terrifying her.

Lord Voldemort[]

"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 honoured 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]
Lord Voldemort Tom Marvolo Riddle Original Appearance

Lord Voldemort, his master and father figure

In contrast with his real father, Crouch saw Lord Voldemort as a father figure of sorts, and after having been disowned by his own father, 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 and honoured beyond his dreams. In essence, Barty's loyalty is only matched by fellow Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange.

Crouch's loyalty had led him to know many things about Lord Voldemort that even other loyal Death Eaters, such as Bellatrix, presumably do not. Barty knew 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 his father to ensure the rise of the dark order.[16] These three common threads helped to fuel Barty's loyalty. This also implies that Barty was aware of Voldemort's blood status as a half-blood, but did not care, 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 could have simply told Barty about his father being disappointing while neglecting to reveal that Tom Riddle Snr was a Muggle. Voldemort seems to have acknowledged Barty's worth, something his own father failed to do, referring to Barty as "his most faithful servant". However, for all of Voldemort's public claims, he never truly cared for Barty any more than as a useful servant who is as easily disposable as any other, as Voldemort never wanted a friend. Although it is likely that he missed him for his usefulness and complete loyalty.

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 Jnr regarding Death Eaters[src]
Unidentified Death Eater (II)

Death Eaters, his allies

Eventually Barty held a violent hatred towards the 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 as he screamed his innocence in the courtroom. 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, relishing 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. It's likely that he respected Bellatrix Lestrange as well as Rodolphus and Rabastan for their own loyalties to Voldemort. He might have felt a similar respect for other incarcerated Death Eaters such as Mulciber and Travers, and those of his comrades who, like Evan Rosier and Wilkes, had died loyally in Voldemort's service.

Despite his hatred towards them, Barty knew 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. Though it's also possible that he appreciated Pettigrew's role in finding their master in the first place, as well as helping to free him from his father's Imperius Curse, Pettigrew's neglect of guarding Crouch Snr may have nevertheless left another negative thought from Barty. Peter on the other hand seemed somewhat resentful that Voldemort compared him unfavourably to Barty in terms of skill and loyalty.

Harry Potter[]

"The Dark Lord didn't manage to kill you, Potter, and he so wanted to, Imagine how he will reward me when he finds I have done it for him. I gave you to him — the thing he needed above all to regenerate — and then I killed you for him. I will be honoured beyond all other Death Eaters. I will be his dearest, his closest supporter... closer than a son...."
— Barty's desire to murder Harry Potter[src]
GOF promo front Harry Potter

Harry Potter, an enemy

Although Harry Potter was Voldemort's most hated enemy, Barty never showed open hatred for him, though this is assumed to have been an act. 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 plotted to murder 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 (besides Voldemort murdering Lily). 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. It could be that the only reason Barty desired Harry's death was to appease his master, and held no personal grudge. In fact, Barty seemed delighted when Harry proved to be able to throw off the Imperius curse in class; however, this is ultimately debatable, and could have just been part of Barty's act. However, when Crouch exposed himself, he did state how annoyed he was at Harry's pride being a setback for the plan, which forced Crouch to improvise to compensate.

Barty helped Harry with the Tasks of the Triwizard Tournament, because he had turned the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey in order to finalise 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 murdered by Peter Pettigrew immediately, but Harry fought Voldemort and escaped. After that, Barty attempted to murder 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 honour him as none other Death Eater. After that, Harry learned that Barty was given the Dementor's Kiss, which gave Harry a chill in the stomach at the thought.

Barty would end up moulding Harry's future when he made a comment that Harry had what it took to be an Auror. Though he only said it as part of his facade, Harry took the compliment to heart and made becoming an Auror his ambition, which he followed through with following the defeat of Voldemort.

Longbottom family[]

"It's all right, sonny, Why don't you come up to my office? Come on ... we can have a cup of tea...."
— Barty pretending to comfort Neville Longbottom[src]
Longbottoms

Alice and Frank Longbottom

Barty was one of the Death Eaters who tortured the Aurors Alice and Frank Longbottom into insanity[14] in order to make them tell where the Dark Lord was 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.

Normal promo neville plant

Neville Longbottom

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 off-of the class register, he showed interest. He also performed the Cruciatus Curse on a spider, in front of Neville, who was shocked and 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 help him in the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament.

It is unknown how Neville reacted after he learned that his Defence Against the Dark Arts professor was in fact one of the wizards who tortured his parents into insanity.

Albus Dumbledore[]

"I would like you to tell us, how you came to be here. How did you escape from Azkaban?"
— Albus Dumbledore interrogating Barty Crouch Jnr after exposing him[src]
600full-Albus-Dumbledore-the-prisoner-of-azkaban-photo

Albus Dumbledore, an enemy

Albus Dumbledore was one of the participants in Barty's Council of Magical Law trial. Dumbledore, like all of the participants, agreed to send Barty and his fellow Death Eaters to Azkaban forever. He was also shocked by what Barty did to the Longbottoms in 1981. 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 prevent Dumbledore from 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, despite the latter's insistence that he not. In fact, Barty wanted to kill Harry and learn what had happened at the Graveyard. Dumbledore realised that he wasn't the real Moody, knowing that the real Moody would never have removed Harry from Dumbledore's sight after having been told not to, and ran at Barty's office. Dumbledore stunned Barty just as he was going to kill Harry. Harry noted that Dumbledore was in such a fury, that his eyes seemed like having a blue flame, and Harry realised why Dumbledore was considered the one wizard Voldemort always feared. Dumbledore was disgusted by Barty's patricide, as well as abusing and ignoring the love his mother and Winky gave him, and bound him up for it. After Barty's exposure, Dumbledore learned that he was given the Dementor's Kiss, and noted to the Minister that this was a poor move due to the destruction of a valuable piece of evidence, showing he still had some pity for what Barty became as it also meant the Crouch family blood line was permanently ended.

Media[]

Etymology[]

  • The name Bartemius originates from the Biblical name Bartimaeus, a man who was blind all his life until Jesus healed him. Aside from being named after his father, the reasons for naming after a blind man may be due to the fact Bartemius was quite oblivious to his mother's and house-elf's love. It may also reflect his blind devotion to Voldemort. Somewhat similar to the Biblical figure, Crouch lived under an affliction (the Imperius Curse) for years until breaking free.
  • The name "Bartimaeus" means "son of honour"; a fitting name for the son of a man who placed his own honour before his son's life.
  • The surname Crouch is a variation of the English surname Cross. Whereas in the case of Barty Crouch Snr it may refer to his brutality against criminals, as the cross was a gibbet, in the case of his son this may refer to the Cruciatus Curse he supposedly used on the Longbottoms.

Behind the scenes[]

Barty Crouch Junior LEGO

Barty in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4

  • Although Barty received the Dementor's Kiss and had his soul removed in 1995, it is unknown when his body 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 Jnr 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, probably inaccurately, 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 still happened anyway, since there are no contradictions to the book about people's fates even though they are not shown. It is implied in the later films, however, that it did happen when Voldemort broke his Death Eaters out of Azkaban and Crouch Jnr did not appear.
  • In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Barty hides behind a rock and casts the Dark Mark.
  • Barty Crouch Jnr 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.[citation needed]
  • In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Barty was voiced by Sam Hazeldine.
  • Barty's appearance in the film differs drastically from his looks in the book. In the book, he has straw blond 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 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, but he is stopped by Alastor Moody with a white 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, let alone playing any role in it), 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 Jnr in the film was seen trying to slip away as his father is demanding that Karkaroff divulge 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.
  • Barty may have been related, at least distantly, to the Black family, and thus to Bellatrix Lestrange. It is very likely that he was the grandson of Charis Crouch, née Black, who was a first cousin of Pollux Black, who was Bella's grandfather. Therefore, Barty and Bella could have been third cousins, since both of their grandparents were first cousins, and that would better explain the closeness between the two.
  • In the film, there is no mention that he hates Death Eaters who lost faith in Voldemort.
  • It seems strange 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 had ever even worked for him,[5] when he himself did those two things,[15] 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 (as well as 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.
  • In the film version, Barty Crouch Jnr 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 habit led to him giving himself away to his father following the second task of the Triwizard Tournament.
    • The snake-like licking of his lips was improvised by David Tennant himself and is followed by Brendan Gleeson, when Barty is disguised as Mad-Eye Moody.[citation needed]
  • In the films, anyone who takes Polyjuice Potion has their voice remain the same, the only change being in appearance (to help avoid confusing the audience because of this change). This does not seem to be the case for Barty Crouch Jnr when he turns into Alastor Moody, however it does not seem impossible that Barty was imitating Moody's voice the entire time, or that the filmmakers decided to make this an exception since his transformation was kept secret (unlike the others that occurred throughout the films) and therefore the audience would not be aware beforehand until his identity was exposed at the end of the film (though it is notable that Crouch Jnr, without by Polyjuice, only had three lines before his exposure and was not identified, so the change in voice might not have been necessary for someone who hasn't seen Goblet of Fire before).
  • Barty Crouch Jnr was the first person to escape Azkaban, not Sirius Black (although Black was the first to do it on his own). Black's escape was discovered immediately after it was done, leading to this misconception.
  • Crouch thought that killing Harry would please Voldemort. In fact, Voldemort would have been furious, since he repeatedly stated that only he would kill Harry.
  • Ironically, considering his fanatical loyalty to Voldemort, Crouch's lessons on the Imperius Curse's effects while disguised as Moody are what allowed Harry to ultimately resist Voldemort's attempts at using the Imperius curse later on.
  • In the book Barty changes back into himself because he was unable to take the Polyjuice Potion in time due to being knocked out by Dumbledore and Snape earlier. In the film he runs out of potion, which also causes him to blow his cover by nervously asking Harry about the graveyard, despite Harry never mentioning a graveyard in the first place.
  • Coincidentally, the first episode of Doctor Who in which David Tennant portrays the Tenth Doctor is called "The Parting of the Ways". The last chapter in which Barty appears in the book is also called "The Parting of the Ways". The amount of time the characters appear is also very similar. Crouch appears for the first page of the book's chapter, and the Tenth Doctor appears in the final scene of the Doctor Who episode. Furthering the comparison, both scenes feature Tennant appearing after a character changes their appearance, and end with him dressed in a battered leather jacket and black jumper, displaying somewhat maniacal tendencies.
    • the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was released in the UK the same day Tennant made his first solo appearance as the Doctor in a "mini-episode" that aired as part of the 2005 Children in Need TV special, sometimes titled "Born Again".
    • A later David Tennant episode The Shakespeare Code would contain several references to Harry Potter and JK Rowling. In particular, Tennant's character would comment on loving Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows which had not yet come out when the episode aired and Expeliarmus was used to defeat the bad guys.
    • David Bradley would later take on the role of the first incarnation of the Doctor in 2017, after having played the character's original actor, William Hartnell, in the 2013 telefilm, An Adventure in Space and Time.
  • In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Neville Longbottom gives Harry the gillyweed, instead of Dobby (who is absent in the film).
  • Barty's Boggart taking the form of Lord Voldemort[8] is peculiar, considering his fanatical loyalty to the Dark Lord. However, this might be explained in the films, as he says "I will not disappoint you, My Lord." It is possible that he is afraid of what Voldemort will do if he and Wormtail failed their mission, showing that his greatest fear is Lord Voldemort's wrath.

Appearances[]

Wiki
The Harry Potter Wiki has 108 images related to Bartemius Crouch Junior.

Notes and references[]

  1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 27 (Padfoot Returns) - Sirius Black says of Barty "He can't have been more than nineteen" when he was imprisoned in Azkaban, in late 1981, or 1982 as Karkaroff took six-months to catch and Barty's trial is shown after his.
  2. 2.0 2.1 On her website (Archived), Rowling confirmed that the Crouch family became extinct along with the Black family, which either means that Barty must have died before or during Harry's fifth year, or that the two pureblood families became extinct in similar fashions - not because these occurrences happened at the same time.
  3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 36 (The Parting of the Ways) - "Your Dementor has just destroyed the last remaining member of a pure-blood family as old as any —" The Crouch family was a pure-blood family, listed in the Sacred Twenty-Eight directory, so its members would need to have been pure-blood or half-blood, like the Malfoys. (see Writing by J. K. Rowling: "The Malfoy Family" at Wizarding World)
  4. "World Exclusive Interview with J K Rowling," South West News Service, 8 July 2000 - "Hogwarts just serves Britain and Ireland."
  5. 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 35 (Veritaserum)
  6. 6.0 6.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 30 (The Pensieve) - "He was shivering, his straw-coloured hair all over his face, his freckled skin milk-white."
  7. 7.0 7.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 35 (Veritaserum) - "Harry saw a man lying before him, pale-skinned, slightly freckled, with a mop of fair hair.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Harry Potter: Wizards Unite - Adversary: Barty Crouch Junior
  10. See this interview; “Samantha: Was snape the only death eater who could produce a full patronus J.K. Rowling: Yes, because a Patronus is used against things that the Death Eaters generally generate, or fight alongside. They would not need Patronuses.”
  11. 11.0 11.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 30 (The Pensieve) - "a boy in his late teens, who looked nothing short of petrified." This was at his trial after 31 October 1981, so he was still younger when he joined.
  12. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 27 (Padfoot Returns) - “Nasty little shock for old Barty, I'd imagine. 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.”
  13. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 28 (The Madness of Mr Crouch) - “Yes, my son has recently gained twelve O.W.L.s, most satisfactory, yes, thank you, yes, very proud indeed."
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 30 (The Pensieve) - "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" Despite the books never fully confirm whether if Barty Jnr committed the crime or not, the film (second-tier canon, per the canon policy) clearly state he did, in fact, do it.
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 30 (The Pensieve)
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 14 (The Unforgivable Curses)
  18. 18.0 18.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 36 (The Parting of the Ways)
  19. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 18 (Dumbledore's Army)
  20. F.A.Q: Veritaserum at J. K. Rowling's official site (Internet Archive)
Defence Against the Dark Arts (D.A.D.A.)
Subjectsdada
D.A.D.A. at Hogwarts
Classroom 3C · Classroom 3C backrooms · Temporary Classroom · Hogwarts Turris Magnus · Teacher's Office · Storeroom · Staircase · Storage room · Lesson Cup · Race Cup · Duelling Club · Dumbledore's Army
Professors
Isidora Morganach · Dinah Hecat · Arsenius Jigger · Albus Dumbledore · Galatea Merrythought · 1984–1985 professor · 1985–1986 professor · 1986–1987 professor · 1987–1988 professor · Patricia Rakepick · 1989–1990 professor · First 1990–1991 professor · Olivia Green · Quirinus Quirrell · Gilderoy Lockhart · Remus Lupin · Bartemius Crouch Junior (as Alastor Moody) · Dolores Umbridge · Severus Snape · Amycus Carrow (as Dark Arts teacher) · Unidentified professor · Brindlemore
Textbooks
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection · Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts · Break with a Banshee · Gadding with Ghouls · Holidays with Hags · Travels with Trolls · Voyages with Vampires · Wanderings with Werewolves · Year with the Yeti · The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts · Defensive Magical Theory · Dark Arts Defence – Basics for Beginners · Confronting the Faceless · Defence Against the Dark Arts
Spells studied at Hogwarts under D.A.D.A.
Aqua Eructo · Boggart-Banishing Spell (Riddikulus) · Bombarda Maxima · Cave inimicum · Concealment Charms · Counter-curses · Counter-jinxes · Cruciatus Curse (Crucio) · Curse of the Bogies (Mucus ad Nauseam) · Cursed barrier spell · Densaugeo · Deprimo Spell (Deprimo) · Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus) · Ear-Shrivelling Curse · Everte Statum · Freezing Spell (Glacius) · Full Body-Bind Curse (Petrificus Totalus) · Fumos Duo · Green Sparks · Hex-Breaker· Hex-deflection · Hex Zapper · Homorphus Charm · Human-presence-revealing Spell (Homenum Revelio) · Impediment Jinx (Impedimenta) · Imperius Curse (Imperio) · Imperturbable Charm · Killing Curse (Avada Kedavra) · Knockback Jinx (Flipendo) · Lacarnum Inflamari · Langlock · Levitation Spell (Levioso) · Limbo Mist anticharm · Nonverbal spells · Patronus Charm (Expecto Patronum) · Pimple Jinx (Furnunculus) · Protective enchantments · Red Sparks (Vermillious) · Reductor Curse (Reducto) · Salvio hexia · Sea Urchin Jinx · Seize and pull charm (Carpe Retractum) · Shield Charm (Protego) · Smokescreen Spell (Fumos) · Snake-Vanishing Spell (Vipera Evanesca) · Softening Charm (Spongify) · Stretching Jinx · Tickling Charm (Rictusempra) · Tongue-Tying Curse (Mimblewimble) · Trip Jinx · Twitchy-Ears Hex · Verdimillious Charm (Verdimillious) · Verdimillious Duo Spell (Verdimillious) · Verdimillious Tria · Vermillious Duo · Vermillious Tria · Wand-Lighting Charm (Lumos)
Creatures studied at Hogwarts under D.A.D.A.
Banshee · Boggart · Chameleon Ghoul · Charmed skeleton · Cornish Pixie · Dementor · Dugbog · Erkling · Flesh-Eating Slug · Ghost · Ghoul · Gnome · Grindylow · Gytrash · Hag · Hinkypunk · Iguana · Imp · Inferius · Kappa · Manticore · Nocturnal beasts · Nogtail · Poltergeist · Red Cap · Snake · Troll · Vampire · Vampire bat · Werewolf · Yeti · Zombie
Death Eaters
Dark Mark Pottermore
Leader: Lord Voldemort
Death Eaters

Avery II · Alecto Carrow · Amycus Carrow · Crabbe · Bartemius Crouch Junior † · Antonin Dolohov · Gibbon † · Goyle · Gareth Greengrass's brother · Jugson · Barnaby Lee's father · Barnaby Lee's mother · Bellatrix Lestrange † · Rabastan Lestrange · Rodolphus Lestrange · Walden Macnair · Mulciber I · Mulciber II · Nott · Pyrites (possibly) · Augustus Rookwood · Rosier · Evan Rosier † · Thorfinn Rowle · Selwyn · Merula Snyde's father · Merula Snyde's mother · Travers · Wilkes † · Corban Yaxley · Unidentified Death Eaters

Death Eater defectors

Regulus Black † · Igor Karkaroff † · Draco Malfoy · Lucius Malfoy · Peter Pettigrew † · Severus Snape

Death Eater allies

Borgin · Vincent Crabbe · John Dawlish · Delphini · Golgomath · Gregory Goyle · Fenrir Greyback · Mafalda Hopkirk · Narcissa Malfoy (defected) · Ismelda Murk (unofficially, supposedly) · Nagini · Mr Padgett · Mrs Padgett · Pansy Parkinson · Quirinus Quirrell · Albert Runcorn · Stanley Shunpike (Imperiused) · Scabior · Serpent of Slytherin · Pius Thicknesse (Imperiused) · Dolores Umbridge

Other affiliations

British Ministry of Magic (under Voldemort's control) · Daily Prophet (under Voldemort's control) · Dementors · Draco Malfoy's gang · Kreacher (formerly) · Tom Riddle's gang · Gang of Slytherins · Giants (Golgomath's control) · Inferi · Charmed skeletons · Muggle-Born Registration Commission · Theodore Nott (possibly) · Snatchers · Werewolf army · The Unforgivable

Death Eater establishments

Abandoned nuclear power plant · Borgin and Burkes · British Ministry of Magic Headquarters (under Voldemort's control) · The Cave · Chamber of Secrets · Forbidden Forest · Gaunt Shack · Lee family house · Lestrange Vault · Little Hangleton graveyard · Malfoy Manor · Misty Dell · Riddle House · Snatcher Camp · Spinner's End (Severus Snape's house) · The Abandoned Substation · The Ruins · The Quarry

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