On Trial

[Melody]

No: HPFGUIDX 44665

Eric Oppen wrote:
>>>I can't find anything in the "trial scene" of Barty Crouch where he
explicitly _says_ "I am not a Death Eater," or "I do not serve Lord
Voldemort."  All he does is scream for mercy, appeal to his parents
unsuccessfully, and say that he didn't do the particular crime he's
been charged with---the torture of the Longbottoms.  _At no time_ does
he explicitly deny serving Lord Voldemort.<<<

I add:
Acutally, I can not find a single time in the books where Barty Jr.
out and out lies.  He may not always tell the whole truth as he does
under the veritaserum, but if anything, Barty Jr. actually does tell
the truth.  In the side room after the Goblet of Fire draws out the
four names, Barty/Crouch actually spells out what he did.  He
carefully chooses his words to conceal yet also reveal the truth.

So then in the trial, can we then assume that Barty Jr. is telling the
truth to his parents?  We have not evidence either way.  Because he is
a deadeater and is so driven, we do assume he is lying in the
courtroom to save his own skin, but that is not necessarily true.
Based on our first-hand knowledge of Barty Jr. as a teenager, as
Crouch, and as under vertiserum, he seems to prefer a sort of
etiquette and honor to his demented, twisted views.  "Petty" vices as
lying, cowardice, and apathy are thought by him to be weaknesses.

So maybe he is telling the truth in the courtroom and was not guilty
of that crime.  The question still is then, does he still deserve to
go to Azkaban because we know he was a deadeater, and a brilliant,
dedicated one at that?  It is justice in our eyes, since the whole
reason we lock people away in the first place to protect us from them
and them from themselves.

There is not reform program in Azkaban.  Seems the WW believes once a
bad guy always a bad guy.

Melody