OOP: Babyhead DE/the actual Fourth Man

[Kirstini]

No: HPFGUIDX 67812

Cheryl the Lynx wrote:> Any theories as to who was the baby-headed 
DE? I've narrowed it to 
three possibilities <snip loads of lovely logical reasoning that I 
wish I could do myself> : Crabbe, Rastaban, and Avery.
I can't help but think that Avery once more really, really blew 
it...>
(me - K)
Is the Baby-Head effect permenant? Did we find out? (I keep trying 
to approach that passage rationally, and end up a big blubbering 
mess. Also, have loaned out OotP, so can't check just now.)
Certainly, Babyhead!DE was still staggering around about five-ten 
minutes later, wasn't he? Because if so, although it would have been 
characteristic of Avery, I'm going to go for Rastaban. It's probably 
not Crabbe's dad, because this would require some character 
development (ie resentment, trauma) beyond the occasional chuckle 
and some muscle-flexing from Crabbe junior (very interesting angsty 
fic material, though), and Avery is one of the only DEs with even a 
modicum of character established. I can't see LV tolerating yet 
*another* farcical cock-up from him, and the poor chap has already 
had about three doses of the old Crucio in his page-time. I'm sure 
Avery's going to get all weakly rebellious at some point and pull a 
Reverse Pettigrew on the DEs.
On the other hand, that darned brother Lestrange, stuck in at the 
last minute, has surely got to have some sort of purpose. Why not 
just have someone say "Mrs and Mr Lestrange, Bartemius Crouch, and 
noted evil wizard Bob Smith were all convicted of the torture of 
Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom" and be dome with it? Why even 
stick in a Fourth Man at all? Bella only needs a husband so that we 
don't find out her surname immediately.

Oh, I'm having a hard time constructing any sort of logical argument 
this afternoon. 
Kirstini
NB - anyone else notice that Alice was never described as an Auror 
in GoF? <eg>