Bartemius Noah Crouch, Jr.

BARTEMIUS NOAH CROUCH, JR.

Full Name:      Bartemius Noah Crouch, Jr. Nicknames:      Barty Date of Birth:      March 12, 1962 Hometown:      Greenwhich - London, England Education:      Former Slytherin - Class of 1979 Blood Status:      Pure-blood Occupation:      Writer Employer:      Self-employed Wand Type:      Oak, 12 1/2", Strong, Chimaera mane hair - core

APPEARANCE

Hair:
     Brown/sandalwood, rather straw-like in texture and in color at times as well. Bounces back and forth between matted waves/curls and straight if he bothers to tame said matted waves/curls.
Eyes:
     Grayish blue
Height:
     5'11"
Style:
     When seated in front of his typewriter or a pile of paperwork, Barty has an aloof and lazy appearance. However, when he is finally pulled out from his home, Barty takes on a smart and classy air - mostly because he has an image to keep up with as well as to keep his overly critical father off of his back. Dress shirt, slacks, or even a three piece suit with his leather wing tips if he's feeling especially dapper. Normally, though, Barty likes to wear neutral colors. Usually in jeans and a dark shirt of some sort, he prefers either boots or his sneakers.
Etc.:
     Tall and thin are two words used to describe Barty. He sometimes looks a bit awkward in a crowd full of people. While not a skeleton, he is still a slender lad, with precious little muscle to bulk him up. Barty eats what he wants and only exercises if it pleases him. In character with his height and slenderness, Barty is also a bit of a pale fellow, with freckles peppering his face. His smile, while bright and pleasant enough, is a bit of a crooked smile with defined canines and full lips.

     To match his crooked smile is a slightly disproportionate nose. His eyes are a gray blue, surrounded by light eyelashes that are a dusty blonde color, complimented by his eyebrows, which are a slightly darker shade of his hair color. At times, there are dark circles under his eyes from staying up late for one too many nights in succession. These disappear after a period of time once he's gotten a sufficient amount of rest.

PERSONALITY

Erised:
     To become powerful in his own right, without help from his father - a wizard whose name will go down in history. Be it for his greatness or his cruelty.
Dementor:
     The day his mother's chronic illness was declared by the healers at St. Mungo's.
Patronus:
     Getting twelve O.W.L.s and being granted his Dark Mark from the Dark Lord himself.
Boggart:
     To live and die in anonymity, never doing anything of importance or leaving his mark in the history books.
Likes:
     The Dark Lord, Knowledge, books, antiquities, writing, nice clothes, cultured people, art, power, coffee, pie, Dark Arts, Potions, the suffering of others, smoking, lying, sleeping
Dislikes:
     His father, The Order, debts, the Ministry, paperwork, muggles, muggleborns, half-breeds
Basic Personality:
     Barty Crouch Jr. has never been a level person. He has been called wild: a high-energy sort of boy who often found it difficult to concentrate on one particular subject and easily distracted. Charming and highly vocal, Barty's growing vocabulary and crooked smile often showcased something to be desired. The pent up energy which seems to linger in his posture - shoulders often tight and hunched, fingers splayed and stiff with a habit of twitching at the slightest inclination, a nervous habit of running his tongue along the corner of his mouth - also seems to translate into unexplainable actions. Being a bit of a problem child at home, he seems to be easily provoked into wild actions and mysterious tantrums. His offences as a child were often odd. Not like the typical boyish pranks. Instead it gave way to stolen objects, vandalism, and hints of violence (pulling a playmate's hair hard enough to rip pieces out by the roots). But his energy also yields great passion for particular pass times - obsessions, really. If things strike him as interesting, he will be consumed by it, and if not, he will completely ignore it. For Barty Jr., there is no middle-ground to feelings. He loathes or loves; feels passion for or is revolted by.

     Barty's rather unique personality often made him difficult to be around. His conversation is difficult to follow as he has trouble translating his thoughts into words and he is quick to change subjects without any warning, making speaking with him jagged and confusing. His interests are often too passionate to be able to relate to and his devotion is often too much for the average person. Even his appearance - thin, jutting limbs, sunken cheeks and a narrow-eyed stare - is both unnerving and captivating. His movements are very fluid and although he is not handsome, he is intense and powerful. Sometimes it seems as if he never blinks.

     All this combined makes it difficult for Barty to form relationships. Friends, lovers and acquaintances are all difficult to keep when one is as high-strung as Barty and he appears very socially awkward as a result. Barty has a difficult time relating with others. He does not read the warning signs of social movement - frowns and narrowed eyes seem unexplainable to him and, as a result, he offends others without meaning to. Although he can occasionally seem charming, hamming up the intelligent son of a high-ranking ministry official image, his charm is accidental and can be easily shattered by his other (less pleasing) eccentricities. Because he finds time spent around others stressful and difficult, he can be seen as a loner. Friendless and lonely, he relates better with animals and books than with other human beings. A part of Barty longs for friendship, but the wish seems unattainable with so much standing between him and success.

     Because he is disposed to be passionate, Barty's temper is quick, and he is easily provoked to sometimes uncalled levels of anger. He is often frustrated, tasks that do not translate themselves immediately to him are immediately despised, and are therefore quickly abandoned. Although he is not initially violent, he cannot limit his reactions, and unexpected displays of temper - often translated into childish tantrums - can make him difficult, and sometimes, dangerous. He has little sympathy for anyone or anything and does not react well to failure of any kind, nor the failures of someone whom he has relied upon. A little spoiled and self-centered, Barty operates on an egocentric engine where he concerns himself with no one but himself.

FAMILY HISTORY

Parents:
     Bartemius Crouch, Sr. & Abigail Crouch neé McChesney
Siblings:
     N/A
Spouse/Significant Other:
     N/A
Children:
     N/A
Other Family:
     His grandfather who is known for having an Axminster before flying carpets were banned in Britain
Pets:
     Maverick and Atilla
Biography:
     Bartemius Crouch Sr. is the stark opposite of his somewhat wilder (and less contained) son. A high-ranking ministry official, he is famous for aggressively tracking down followers of the Dark Lord. He is an ambitious man, intent upon rising through the ministry ranks and spends more time at the office than he ever has at home. He is responsible for authorizing aurors in the use of unforgiveables when in contact with a suspected Death Eater - a method prompted by fervor - gaining him much support from the families of Death Eater victims and the more conservative population. He also denies many captured Death Eaters trials and is one of the most avid ministry officials when it comes to filling the walls of Azkaban. Barty Sr. is obsessed with rules and regulations and when dealing with both son and wife, he treats them as stoically and as unaffectionate as any ministry worker encased within the shells of themselves. Although confident in his image as a loyal husband and father, his home-life is far less happy than he presents. His wife is sickly, pale and depressed, whilst his son is a neglected handful, mad and unpredictable.

     Still, none of these inconsistencies mattered when it came to public approval, and it is a well-accepted fact that Barty Sr. would become the next Minister of Magic. He had all the qualifications, was intelligent, well-read and eloquent, groomed and hard-working and possessed an unforgivable air and a dedication to the wizarding world. He was a man at the top of his game and things were all going in his favor. Thus his preoccupation with his own success made him ignorant of the occurrences at home. His son was something of a disappointment, but Bartemius Sr. was convinced he would come around. Still, Barty Jr. was the only thing which could damage Bartemius Sr.'s glowing reputation. As a result, he cut corners and risked more than just promotions in his attempt to cover up his son's various indiscretions. Spoiling him not from love, but from a want to protect his own livelihood.

     This very thought process - this neglect - is what ultimately gave birth to the Bartemius Noah Crouch Jr. of today.

     Unlike her husband, Abigail Crouch sincerely loved her only son. Because she had devoted all her energy to raising her only son, she was ignorant of his many imperfections: his high energy level was charming, his intelligence a quality to be praised, and his social awkwardness and temper merely a sign of an artistic and creative personality. The more unhappy she became in her home life, the more attentive she became to her son and he grew up doused in affection from one parent, while being all but completely ignored by the other. Barty Crouch Jr. adored his mother and is now as affectionate and devoted to her as she is to him. But because of this, he found many reasons to resent his father, and was often provoked into this heart-felt hatred by a mother who felt betrayed. She told stories of neglect and bad behavior without realizing the effect this may have had upon her son. Barty Jr. grew to despise his father - not only from rightful indignation on behalf of his mother, but also from the lack of affection supplied to him from his father as well. Barty acted toward his father on a level of cold indifference and thinly veiled hatred, and has rebelled against him since childhood.

     As a child, Barty was rather energetic; a quality no parent could truly delight in as it led to a variety of other problems. With a father away from home frequently, he was given free reign with a doting mother and his oddities disappeared under a veil of sweetness. Some days he was perfectly well-behaved, an intense love of literature quenching his thirst for knowledge which Abigail adored. Supplying him with as many books as she could get her hands on - all of which Bartemius Jr. quickly devoured - she felt she was further aiding to his education. He could be charming, though in a rather abstract manner, and he was certainly intelligent. The tutors whom he was provided with before beginning Hogwarts all attested to his ravishing passion for learning.

     However, on other days he could be more then just a handful. He was prone to temper tantrums, a childish habit he never seemed to grow out of, and never showed any true signs of empathy with other people. At sign of another’s hurt he would grow quiet, he would observe but he would never really pity, and even at six years old he simply watched an injured animal expire on their drive without any movement to come to its aid. His tutors never lasted more than three months altogether - a thing which his parents both blamed on the teaching staff themselves, rather than their son who grew more harrowing by the year. They were intentionally ignorant to his vaults, however, not wishing to see just what type of boy they were producing with their arrogance, over affection and their detachment.

     His letter from Hogwarts was no surprise to anyone. A boy who was as intelligent as Bartemius Jr. would have no problem excelling at such a school. His father packed him off onto the Hogwarts Express with a sense of glee which stemmed partly from the thought of his son's happiness. Though Barty insisted that he did not want to go, his parents ignored his pleadings and waved a hearty goodbye from the platform as the train took him away from the only home he had ever known.

     Hogwarts was not what he had expected - nor was it what his parents had expected either. He was sorted into Slytherin, his rapid penchant for learning his most immediate trait and insatiable ambition a close second. As it was, Bartemius was suited for no other house. However, though he was immediately noted as extremely clever - answering questions in the classroom with knowledge that surprised professors as beyond his age - he did not make many friends within his house. Those whom were impressed by his performance in class found themselves shocked when they actually had a conversation with him. He was too intense, too easily sparked into anger, and too socially awkward to be an appropriate candidate for friendship. Add that with the fact that he was Bartemius Crouch, Sr.'s only son and that was the cherry that topped it all off.

     Seven years in hell. That's what it felt like for Bartemius Crouch, Jr. While his mother wrote to him often and sent him presents on a whim, his father all but neglected to interact with his son save for Ministry duties that allowed him to appear at the school. He never once came to check on Barty outside of reprimanding him to stand up straighter. To hold his head higher. To conduct himself accordingly. It sickened Barty to the point where a seed was soon planted inside of his heart, bearing fruit to a dark and sinister cruelty unfettered by any outside influence. Not even his mother's love could assuage the disgust building up inside of him against his father. The only light in his life at Hogwarts was when he was successful in obtaining twelve O.W.L.s, a rare feat in and of itself - earning him praise and recognition at Hogwarts. It was Barty's crowning glory, but something he felt should not be what he could be remembered by. That would not be his legacy. That could not be his legacy.

     Barty had his moment to shine, having been "tested" at the Battle of Hogsmeade on graduation day for the class of 1978. It was an assault that shook the magical world to its core and a clear siren that blared the Dark Lord's rise in power - his declaration of war against the world. The order had been given for Barty to begin his training and after a year under the tutelage of Lucius Malfoy (who also had helped bring the half-blood, Severus Snape, into the fold - much to Barty's chagrin), he was able to receive his Dark Mark shortly after his graduation in '79. Years of planning and fighting as a Death Eater only further fueled the fire inside of him. After having performed certain acts for Voldemort (such as hunting down blood traitors and muggleborns alike, gathering information from them through torture and other means), the Dark Lord left to go deal with the Potters.

     The morning of the Dark Lord's defeat was at hand - leaving Bartemius Crouch, Jr. to contemplate his fate. It wasn't checkmate yet on the chessboard. Not for Barty Crouch. He was simply in check right now. There were still a few moves he had left to play.

PLAYER INFORMATION

Name:
     Soph
Payment:
      14 from Eric and 12 from mah other babies!
Comments:
     Boys, boys, boys!