Bartemius Crouch Junior [Harry Potter Lexicon]

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======Bartemius Crouch Junior======
=====Introduction=====
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.
=====Biography=====
**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.
=====Physical Appearance and Personality=====
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.
=====Magical Abilities and Skills=====
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]].
=====Possessions=====
  * **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.
=====Relationships=====
  * **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.
=====Etymology=====
  * **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.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * 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)