The Behaviour of Bartemius Crouch, Jr.

[Jenni A. Merrifield]

No: HPFGUIDX 102893

  Barty Crouch (Jr) was convicted and sent to Azkaban for being one of four
Death Eaters responsible for the capture and torture of Neville's parents
through the use of the Cruciatus curse.  In light of that fact, I found
myself becoming rather intrigued, while recently re-reading GoF, by the
following scenes from chapter 14 "The Unforgivable Curses":

  'There's one - the Cruciatus curse,' said Neville, in a small but distinct
voice.
  Moody was looking very intently at Neville, this time with both eyes.
  'Your name's Longbottom?' he said, his magical eye swooping down to check
the register again.
  [...]
  Moody raised his wand again, pointed it at the spider, and muttered:
'Cruicio!'
  At once, the spider's legs bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began
to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side.  No sound came from it, but
Harry was sure that if it could have given voice, it would have been
screaming.  Moody did not remove his wand, and the spider started to shudder
and jerk more violently -
  'Stop it!' Hermione said shrilly.
  Harry looked around at her.  She was looking, not at the spider, but at
Neville, and Harry, following her gaze, saw that Neville's hands were
clenched upon the desk in front of him, his knuckles white, his eyes wide and
horrified.
  [...]
  Neville was standing alone, halfway up the passage, staring at the stone
wall opposite him with the same horrified, wide eyed look he had worn when
Moody had demonstrated the Cruciatus curse.
  [...]
  But an odd clunking noise sounded behind them, and they turned to see
Professor Moody limping towards them.  All four of them fell silent, watching
him apprehensively, but when he spoke, it was in a much lower and gentler
growl than they had yet heard.
  'It's all right, sonny,' he said to Neville.  'Why don't you come up to my
office?  Come on ... we can have a cup of tea ...'
  (pp 189-90,193, Canadian/British Edition)

  We do know, from the end of the book, that Moody!Crouch used this
particular opportunity to give Neville a book on Mediterranean Water Plants
in the hopes that Harry would eventually learn about the properties of
Gillyweed from Neville.  Still, it got me wondering what Moody!Crouch was
really thinking, as he watched the effects his demonstration of the Cruciatus
curse - the very curse he was convicted for using - had on the only son of
the man and woman on whom he had used it.  Later in the chapter, when Harry
discovers Neville reading the book he got, his eyes are red, suggesting that
he'd probably been crying in the professor's office.  I bet, while being all
compassionate and caring on the outside, Moody!Crouch was evilly and snidely
snickering at Neville's pathetic display of weakness on the inside.

  I also noticed that Moody!Crouch also asked Harry if he was doing okay -
theoretically because of the Avada Kedavra curse demonstration.  Harry
responds by saying he's fine 'almost defiantly', although we know that he
isn't 100% fine, just more fine than Neville.  I suppose that Moody!Crouch
was hoping to get both of them in his office at the same time, and then not
only would Neville have the book on Mediterranean Water Plants, Harry would
also know about it.  Ah, the best laid plans of mice and deranged madmen. ;-)

Jenni

--
Jenni A. M. Merrifield
Software User Experience Professional
Designing to Requirements and walking on Water is EASY. . .
. . . So long as both are Frozen. 
----------
E-Mail & WinIM: [strawberry @ jamm.com]
Blog: [http://strawberryjamm.blogspot.com]
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