Bartemius Crouch Junior

Bartemius “Barty” Crouch Junior was a wizard and a fanatically loyal Death Eater who played an instrumental role in the return of Lord Voldemort. The son of the high-ranking Ministry of Magic official Bartemius Crouch Senior, he was convicted for his part in the torture of the Aurors Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom and sentenced to life in Azkaban. After a clandestine escape, he spent years imprisoned under his father's Imperius Curse before being freed by Voldemort. His most significant act was infiltrating Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for an entire school year by impersonating the famous Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody using Polyjuice Potion. In this guise, he successfully manipulated the Triwizard Tournament to ensure Harry Potter was delivered to Lord Voldemort, leading directly to Voldemort's rebirth and the murder of Cedric Diggory. He was exposed shortly thereafter and subjected to the Dementor's Kiss, leaving him without a soul and unable to provide testimony, a fact Cornelius Fudge used to deny Voldemort's return.

Early Life and Turn to the Dark Arts Barty Crouch Jr. was the son of Bartemius Crouch Senior, a powerful and ambitious figure who was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement during the First Wizarding War. He was a gifted student at Hogwarts, achieving twelve O.W.L.s. Despite his academic success, he fell in with a pro-Voldemort crowd and became a Death Eater shortly after graduating. Trial and Imprisonment in Azkaban Following Lord Voldemort's first downfall, Crouch Jr. was captured alongside Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Rabastan Lestrange. They were put on trial for using the Cruciatus Curse to torture Aurors Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom into insanity. His father, Crouch Sr., presided over the trial. Despite his son's pleas of innocence, Crouch Sr. publicly disowned him and sentenced him to a life term in Azkaban to demonstrate his own ruthlessness against crime, a move that secured his popularity but destroyed his family. Escape and Imprisonment at Home Crouch Jr.'s mother, who was dying, persuaded her husband to arrange an escape. During a visit, she used Polyjuice Potion to switch places with her son. She remained in his cell and died there, where she was buried by the Dementors who cannot perceive such deception. Back at his father's house, Crouch Jr. was kept hidden under an Invisibility Cloak and controlled by his father through the Imperius Curse. He was cared for by the family's loyal house-elf, Winky. His strength slowly returned, and he began to fight his father's curse. Return to Voldemort's Service His presence was accidentally discovered by Bertha Jorkins, a Ministry of Magic employee who had come to the Crouch home. Crouch Sr. placed a powerful Memory Charm on her to make her forget, but the charm was so strong it permanently damaged her memory. Years later, Voldemort, acting on information from Peter Pettigrew, captured Bertha Jorkins in Albania. He broke her Memory Charm, learning that Crouch Jr. was alive. Voldemort and Pettigrew traveled to England, overpowered Crouch Sr., and freed Crouch Jr. from the Imperius Curse, restoring him to his master's service. Impersonating Alastor Moody Crouch Jr. became central to Voldemort's plan to capture Harry Potter. He and Pettigrew subdued the real Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody just before he was due to begin teaching at Hogwarts. Using Polyjuice Potion, Crouch Jr. assumed Moody's identity, keeping the real Auror alive in a magical trunk to supply hair for the potion and information about his personality. As the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, he was a demanding but effective teacher. He placed a powerful Confundus Charm on the Goblet of Fire to make it select Harry as a fourth champion. He then subtly guided Harry through each of the Triwizard Tournament tasks, ensuring he would reach the Triwizard Cup first. He turned the Cup into a Portkey that would transport whoever touched it to the Little Hangleton graveyard where Voldemort was waiting. During this time, his father escaped and tried to reach Dumbledore, but Crouch Jr. murdered him on the Hogwarts grounds and transfigured his body into a bone, which he buried. Capture and Fate After Harry returned from the graveyard, Crouch Jr., still disguised as Moody, led him away from Dumbledore to his office. He intended to kill Harry and be hailed as Voldemort's most loyal servant. However, his Polyjuice Potion wore off, revealing his true identity. Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Severus Snape burst in and stunned him. Under the influence of Veritaserum, Crouch Jr. confessed the entire plot to Dumbledore. However, before this testimony could be heard by the wider Wizarding World, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, arrived with a Dementor as a bodyguard. The Dementor performed the Dementor's Kiss on Crouch Jr., sucking out his soul. This left him in a permanent vegetative state, unable to confirm Voldemort's return.

In his youth, Barty Crouch Jr. was described as a pale young man with a freckled face, straw-colored hair, and a terrified expression during his trial. As an adult impersonating Moody, he adopted the Auror's heavily scarred face, mismatched eyes (one being a magical, electric blue eye), and a wooden leg. Crouch Jr.'s defining personality trait was his absolute, fanatical devotion to Lord Voldemort. He viewed serving Voldemort as his life's highest purpose and a source of immense pride. He was highly intelligent, cunning, and a masterful actor, capable of deceiving even Albus Dumbledore for almost a year. He was also arrogant, cruel, and sadistic, demonstrating the Unforgivable Curses on spiders in front of his class with clear enjoyment. He harbored a deep and murderous hatred for his father, whom he blamed for sending him to Azkaban and controlling him.

Crouch Jr. was an exceptionally powerful and accomplished wizard.

• Dark Arts: He was highly proficient in the Dark Arts, particularly the Unforgivable Curses. He used the Cruciatus Curse on the Longbottoms and the Imperius Curse on many, including Viktor Krum and his own father, whom he ultimately killed with Avada Kedavra.
• Charms: He was capable of casting a Confundus Charm powerful enough to fool an ancient and potent magical object like the Goblet of Fire.
• Potions: He successfully brewed the incredibly complex Polyjuice Potion repeatedly for an entire year to maintain his disguise.
• Transfiguration: He was skilled enough to transfigure his father's dead body into a single bone to hide the evidence of his murder.
• Deception and Acting: His greatest skill was arguably his ability to impersonate Alastor Moody perfectly in manner, speech, and magical ability for ten months, fooling students, staff, and even Albus Dumbledore.

• Wand: His wand specifications are unknown.
• Polyjuice Potion: A constant supply, which he brewed himself to maintain his disguise as Moody.
• Alastor Moody's Magical Trunk: A seven-locked trunk that he used to imprison the real Moody in his own office.
• Alastor Moody's Magical Eye: He wore Moody's magical eye, which gave him 360-degree and x-ray vision.
• Marauder's Map: He confiscated the map from Harry Potter, recognizing it as a potential security risk to his mission.

• Lord Voldemort: Crouch Jr. worshipped Voldemort with a fervent, almost religious, loyalty that surpassed that of nearly any other Death Eater. His actions were driven entirely by a desire to serve his master and facilitate his return to power.
• Bartemius Crouch Senior: His relationship with his father was defined by mutual hatred. He resented his father for disowning him and imprisoning him both in Azkaban and at home. This culminated in him murdering his father without remorse when he threatened to expose the plan.
• Mrs. Crouch: His mother loved him unconditionally, sacrificing her own life to free him from Azkaban. It is not shown that he reciprocated this love, as his focus was entirely on his master.
• Winky: The house-elf who cared for him during his confinement at home. While Winky was fond of him, he held her in contempt and was instrumental in her dismissal from the Crouch family's service.

• Bartemius: This name is likely derived from the New Testament figure Bartimaeus, a blind beggar who was healed by Jesus. This could be seen as ironic, as Crouch Sr. was “blind” to his son's true nature, and Crouch Jr. was “blind” to all but his devotion to Voldemort.
• Crouch: An English surname meaning “to bend low” or “to stoop.” This aptly describes his subservient posture towards Lord Voldemort, as well as the “crouching” or hiding he was forced to do for years under his father's control.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Crouch Jr.'s personality during his trial is depicted as manic and defiant, famously sticking his tongue out in a snake-like manner. This was an ad-lib by actor David Tennant. (film)
• In the film, Crouch Jr.'s fate is left ambiguous. He is not subjected to the Dementor's Kiss on-screen, and it is implied he is simply returned to Azkaban. This alters the plot, as it removes the key reason Cornelius Fudge could so easily deny Voldemort's return, as a living Crouch Jr. could have provided testimony. (film)