Bartemius Crouch Junior

Bartemius “Barty” Crouch Junior was a pure-blood wizard and a fanatically devoted Death Eater in the service of Lord Voldemort. Publicly disowned and sentenced to Azkaban by his own father, Bartemius Crouch Senior, for his role in the torture of Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom, he later escaped and played a pivotal role in Voldemort's return to power. By impersonating the famous Auror Alastor Moody using Polyjuice Potion, he infiltrated Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and orchestrated the events of the Triwizard Tournament to deliver Harry Potter to his master.

The son of the influential Ministry of Magic official Bartemius Crouch Senior, Barty was a highly intelligent and gifted student, achieving twelve O.W.L.s at Hogwarts. Following his graduation, he joined Lord Voldemort as a Death Eater. After Voldemort's first downfall, Crouch Jr., alongside Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Rabastan Lestrange, captured the Aurors Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom and tortured them into insanity with the Cruciatus Curse in an attempt to learn Voldemort's whereabouts. They were caught and put on trial before the Council of Magical Law, presided over by Crouch Sr. himself. Despite his son's pleas of innocence, Crouch Sr., in a bid to appear strong and distance himself from the shame, sentenced Barty to a life sentence in Azkaban.

Approximately a year into his sentence, Crouch Jr. was rescued in a plot conceived by his dying mother. She used Polyjuice Potion to take his place in the prison, where she subsequently died and was buried. Back at the family home, Crouch Jr. was kept hidden under an Invisibility Cloak and controlled by his father through the Imperius Curse. He was tended to by the family's house-elf, Winky. Over the years, he began to resist the curse. During the Quidditch World Cup in 1994, he stole Harry Potter's wand and cast the Dark Mark into the sky, causing mass panic. Though he was stunned by Ministry officials, his father smuggled him away before he could be discovered. His existence was later revealed to Lord Voldemort by Bertha Jorkins, a Ministry of Magic employee who had accidentally discovered the truth and was subsequently captured and interrogated by Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew.

Lord Voldemort rescued Crouch Jr. and placed Bartemius Crouch Senior under the Imperius Curse. Their plan involved Crouch Jr. taking the place of Alastor Moody, the newly appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. After subduing the real Moody, Crouch Jr. began taking Polyjuice Potion to assume his identity, a disguise he maintained for the entire school year. As “Moody,” he was a shockingly effective, if unorthodox, teacher, teaching his fourth-year students about the Unforgivable Curses. His true mission was to ensure Harry Potter won the Triwizard Tournament. He placed Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire under a fourth school, confunded the Goblet into believing Harry was a legitimate champion, and provided him with crucial help for each task. He guided Harry towards using a Summoning Charm for the first task, had Dobby give Harry Gillyweed for the second, and manipulated the maze in the final task by incapacitating Fleur Delacour and placing the Imperius Curse on Viktor Krum. He turned the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey that would transport the winner to the Little Hangleton graveyard.

After Harry returned from the graveyard, Crouch Jr. brought him back to his office, revealing his true identity and intending to kill him. However, he was stopped by the timely arrival of Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Severus Snape. Under the effects of Veritaserum, he confessed the entire plot. Before his testimony could be officially taken by the Ministry of Magic, the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, arrived with a Dementor which performed the Dementor's Kiss on Crouch Jr. This left him without a soul, alive but in a permanent vegetative state, unable to provide the evidence of Voldemort's return that the wizarding world so desperately needed.

During his trial, Barty Crouch Jr. was described as a young man in his late teens with a mop of straw-colored hair, a pale and freckled face, and a terrified expression. After escaping Azkaban and living under the Imperius Curse, he appeared sickly and much older than his years. While impersonating Alastor Moody, he took on the Auror's heavily scarred face, gruff voice, and mismatched eyes, including the magical, electric blue one. Crouch Jr. was defined by his fanatical and obsessive devotion to Lord Voldemort, whom he revered as a father figure, in stark contrast to the disdain he held for his biological father. He was highly intelligent, arrogant, and exceptionally cunning, capable of deceiving even Albus Dumbledore for almost a full school year. He was also deeply cruel and sadistic, showing no remorse for torturing the Longbottoms or for murdering his own father. His years of imprisonment and subjugation likely contributed to his significant mental instability.

• Dark Arts: Crouch Jr. was exceptionally skilled in the Dark Arts. He was a master of the Unforgivable Curses, using the Cruciatus Curse with deadly effect and the Imperius Curse proficiently enough to control Viktor Krum.
• Duelling: He was a powerful duellist, proven by his ability to overpower and capture the formidable Auror Alastor Moody.
• Potions: He demonstrated advanced skill in Potions by successfully brewing the notoriously difficult Polyjuice Potion continuously for nearly ten months.
• Transfiguration: He was capable of powerful Transfiguration, having turned his father's body into a single bone to hide his murder.
• Academic Excellence: He was a brilliant student, having earned twelve O.W.L.s, a feat of exceptional academic achievement matched only by Percy Weasley and Bill Weasley.

• Wand: His original wand was used to cast the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup before being discovered by Amos Diggory.
• Alastor Moody's Possessions: While in disguise, he used Moody's wand, his magical eye which allowed him to see through solid objects, and his hip flask, which he used to secretly carry his Polyjuice Potion.
• Marauder's Map: He knew about the map's properties and was able to view it in Harry's possession, which allowed him to see his father approaching Hogwarts.

• Lord Voldemort: Crouch Jr. idolized Voldemort with a religious fervor, viewing him as the most powerful wizard in the world and the only “father” he ever truly had. His greatest ambition was to serve Voldemort and be recognized for his loyalty.
• Bartemius Crouch Senior: His relationship with his father was one of mutual hatred and disappointment. His father disowned him and sent him to Azkaban to preserve his own reputation. In return, Crouch Jr. despised his father for his lack of loyalty and love, eventually putting him under the Imperius Curse and murdering him without remorse.
• Mrs. Crouch: His mother loved him dearly, sacrificing her own life to break him out of Azkaban. It is not known how he felt about her sacrifice, but he did not mention her with any affection.
• Winky: The house-elf cared for him during his confinement but was bound by loyalty to Crouch Sr. He treated her with contempt and was responsible for her dismissal from the Crouch family's service.
• Peter Pettigrew: He held a deep-seated contempt for his fellow Death Eater, whom he viewed as a coward for having hidden from Voldemort's enemies for years, unlike himself who searched for their master.

• Bartemius: This name is possibly derived from the Aramaic name Bartimaeus, a blind beggar mentioned in the New Testament who was healed by Jesus. This could be an ironic allusion to Crouch Jr.'s “blind” devotion to Voldemort or his years spent hidden from sight.
• Crouch: An English verb meaning “to stoop or bend low,” often out of fear or servility. This reflects his subservient, worshipful posture towards Lord Voldemort. The word can also mean “to lie in wait” or “to hide,” perfectly describing his years spent concealed in his father's house.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch Jr. is portrayed by actor David Tennant.
• The film significantly alters his trial scene. In the book, he is dragged away screaming his innocence, while in the film, he is shown weeping and hysterically begging his father for mercy, openly admitting his allegiance to Voldemort.
• The film's narrative omits the roles of Winky and Bertha Jorkins in his backstory. It is implied that Lord Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew broke him out of Azkaban directly just prior to the events of the movie, rather than him having been hidden at home for over a decade.
• While his fate remains the same, the Dementor's Kiss is administered off-screen in the film and is only mentioned by Cornelius Fudge as having been carried out.