Bartemius Crouch Jr.

Bartemius “Barty” Crouch Jr. was a pure-blood wizard, the son of high-ranking Ministry of Magic official Barty Crouch Sr., and one of Lord Voldemort's most fanatically loyal Death Eaters. A highly intelligent and powerful wizard, Crouch's defining role in the series occurs in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where he escapes from Azkaban and, under the guise of Alastor Moody, infiltrates Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His complex and meticulously executed plan was instrumental in engineering Voldemort's return to a full physical body, making him one of the most significant antagonists of the series.

Born into the respected Crouch family, Barty excelled as a student at Hogwarts, achieving twelve O.W.L.s. Despite a promising future at the Ministry of Magic, he secretly joined the Death Eaters. Shortly after Lord Voldemort's first downfall, Crouch was captured alongside Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Rabastan Lestrange. They were tried for the torture and permanent incapacitation of the Aurors Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom using the Cruciatus Curse. In a famous trial presided over by his own father, a distraught Crouch pleaded his innocence, but Barty Crouch Sr. publicly disowned him and sentenced him to life in Azkaban.

Approximately one year into his sentence, Crouch escaped Azkaban as part of a plot conceived by his dying mother, Mrs. Crouch. She used Polyjuice Potion to switch places with her son, dying in his cell while he was smuggled out by his father. For over a decade, Crouch was held prisoner in his own home. He was kept under the Imperius Curse by his father to control him and was hidden from the world under an Invisibility Cloak, cared for by the family's house-elf, Winky. His strength began to return, and he started to fight his father's control.

Crouch's presence was accidentally discovered by the Ministry of Magic witch Bertha Jorkins. Though his father modified her memory, the damage was not permanent. Peter Pettigrew later captured Jorkins for Lord Voldemort, who broke the Memory Charm and learned of Crouch's survival. Voldemort and Pettigrew traveled to the Crouch house, rescued Barty, and placed Barty Crouch Sr. under the Imperius Curse. Freed at last, Crouch attended the 1994 Quidditch World Cup with Winky. When former Death Eaters caused a riot, he stole Harry Potter's wand and cast the Dark Mark into the sky, an act that led to Winky's dismissal from his father's service.

As the central part of Voldemort's plan, Crouch ambushed the famed Auror Alastor Moody just before he was due to begin teaching at Hogwarts. He subdued Moody and imprisoned him in his own multi-locked magical trunk. Using a constant supply of Polyjuice Potion, Crouch assumed Moody's identity and took his place as the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor for the entire school year. Throughout the year, he manipulated the Triwizard Tournament to ensure Harry Potter would win. He placed Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire, provided crucial clues to help Harry overcome each of the three tasks, and eliminated obstacles. When his father, Barty Crouch Sr., briefly escaped the Imperius Curse and attempted to warn Albus Dumbledore, Crouch murdered him on the Hogwarts grounds, Transfiguring his body into a single bone and burying it in the Forbidden Forest. His ultimate act was to turn the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey, which transported Harry and Cedric Diggory to the Little Hangleton graveyard where Voldemort awaited.

After Harry returned from the graveyard, Crouch, still disguised as Moody, led him away from the crowd, intending to kill him. However, his true identity was exposed due to the intervention of Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Severus Snape. Under the influence of Veritaserum, Crouch confessed his entire plan. Before he could provide official testimony, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, arrived with a Dementor which performed the Dementor's Kiss on Crouch. This act destroyed his soul, leaving him alive but in a permanent, vegetative state, unable to confirm Voldemort's return to the wider wizarding world.

In his youth, Barty Crouch Jr. was described as a pale boy with a mop of straw-colored hair and freckles. After his time in Azkaban, he appeared thin and horribly ravaged. As an adult, he was mostly seen in the guise of Alastor Moody, a man with a heavily scarred face, a chunk of his nose missing, and a magical, electric blue eye. Crouch's personality was defined by his fanatical devotion to Lord Voldemort, whom he revered as a father figure. He was highly intelligent, cunning, manipulative, and a superb actor, capable of fooling even Albus Dumbledore for months. He possessed a cruel and sadistic streak, demonstrated by his use of the Cruciatus Curse and his eagerness to demonstrate the Unforgivable Curses on spiders in his Defence Against the Dark Arts class. He harbored a deep-seated hatred for his father, whom he blamed for his mother's death and his imprisonment.

Barty Crouch Jr. was an exceptionally powerful and skilled wizard, whom Dumbledore referred to as one of Voldemort's most faithful and brave servants.

• Dark Arts: He was an expert in the Dark Arts, particularly proficient with the Unforgivable Curses. He effectively used the Imperius Curse on several individuals, including Viktor Krum and his own father.
• Potions: He demonstrated advanced skill in Potions by successfully brewing the notoriously complex Polyjuice Potion continuously for nearly a year.
• Transfiguration: He was skilled enough in Transfiguration to turn his father's entire body into a bone, a remarkable and dark piece of magic.
• Charms: He was capable of confounding the Goblet of Fire, a very powerful magical artifact, to accept a fourth champion from a non-existent school.
• Deception and Acting: His greatest non-magical skill was his ability to impersonate Alastor Moody perfectly, mimicking his personality, paranoia, and skills without raising suspicion.

• Wand: His original wand was confiscated after he cast the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup. He used Alastor Moody's wand for the majority of his time at Hogwarts.
• Alastor Moody's Possessions: While in disguise, he made full use of Moody's magical items, including his magical trunk, magical eye, and Foe-Glass.
• Polyjuice Potion: He kept a constant supply in a hip flask to maintain his disguise as Moody.

• Lord Voldemort: Crouch idolized Voldemort with a fanaticism that surpassed most other Death Eaters. He viewed Voldemort as a true father who rewarded his loyalty, in stark contrast to his own father. His every action was dedicated to serving his master.
• Barty Crouch Sr.: His relationship with his father was one of deep, mutual hatred. He despised his father for his coldness and for sending him to Azkaban. He showed no remorse in murdering him, viewing it as a necessary act to protect Voldemort's plan.
• Mrs. Crouch: His mother was the only person who showed him true affection, sacrificing her own life to save him.
• Winky: The house-elf was devoted to him and his mother, caring for him in secret for years. Crouch, however, showed her little kindness and was implied to be cruel to her.
• Fellow Death Eaters: He held contempt for Death Eaters like Igor Karkaroff and Lucius Malfoy who had denied Voldemort after his fall from power, considering them cowards.

• Bartemius: The name is likely derived from the biblical figure Bartimaeus, a blind beggar who was healed by Jesus. This could be seen as ironic, as Barty was “blinded” by his fanatical devotion to his own “lord,” Voldemort, and was instrumental in restoring him.
• Crouch: The English verb “to crouch” means to stoop or bend low in fear or servility. This reflects his subservient posture before Lord Voldemort and the years he spent forced to “crouch” and hide under an Invisibility Cloak.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch Jr. is portrayed by David Tennant.
• The film introduces a distinctive nervous tic where Crouch flicks his tongue out like a snake. This mannerism is not mentioned in the book and serves as a key clue for Harry to recognize him.
• The film significantly simplifies Crouch's backstory. His mother's sacrifice, his years of imprisonment under the Imperius Curse at home, and the role of Winky are all omitted. His trial is also depicted differently; in the film, he proudly and defiantly screams his allegiance to Voldemort, whereas in the book, he is shown desperately begging his father for mercy. (film)