Attack on Viktor Krum and Bartemius Crouch Senior

Attack on Viktor Krum and Bartemius Crouch Senior
Event information
Location	Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Date(s)	27 May 1995
Participant(s)	Bartemius Crouch Junior, Harry Potter, Viktor Krum, Bartemius Crouch Senior
Description	Crouch Junior killing his father Crouch Senior, covering up Voldemort's plan

"For a week I waited for my father to arrive at Hogwarts. At last, one evening, the map showed my father entering the grounds. I pulled on my Invisibility Cloak and went down to meet him. He was walking around the edge of the forest. Then Potter came, and Krum. I waited. I could not hurt Potter; my master needed him. Potter ran to get Dumbledore. I Stunned Krum. I killed my father."

— Bartemius Crouch Junior admitting his responsibility for the attack

This attack occured on 27 May 1995 and was staged by Bartemius Crouch Junior on Lord Voldemort's orders. Barty Crouch Junior murdered his own father, transfigured his body into a bone, and buried him in Rubeus Hagrid's garden.

History

Background information

Barty Crouch Junior: "I'm your son! I'm your son!"

Barty Crouch Senior: "You are no son of mine! I have no son!"

— How Barty Crouch Senior gained the hatred of his son

In October 1981, Lord Voldemort vanished in the Attack at Godric's Hollow. Barty Crouch Junior, Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange and Rabastan Lestrange set out to find Voldemort to help him get his power back. They captured the Aurors Frank and his wife Alice Longbottom, to try and find out what had happened to him, and tortured them both with the Cruciatus Curse, rendering them both permanently insane as a result.

They were apprehended for torturing the Longbottoms and tried by Crouch's father, Barty Crouch Senior who was heavily admired in the Ministry for his effective leadership as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He sentenced them to Azkaban for life. Mrs Crouch pressured her husband to switch places with their son via the Polyjuice Potion. She took her son's place and soon died, while Crouch Senior placed Crouch Junior under the Imperius Curse at home and had him hide under an Invisibility Cloak.

Despite once being so popular, the public changed their perception of Crouch Senior when Crouch Junior supposedly "died" in Azkaban. They took pity on Crouch Junior for being neglected when he was growing up, and of how harshly and suddenly he was sentenced to Azkaban. Crouch Senior was no longer a popular choice for Minister for Magic and instead was asked to be Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation.

Years later, Bertha Jorkins went round the Crouchs' house, and discovered Crouch Junior. She was put under a very heavy Memory Charm. In around June 1994, Peter Pettigrew found her and took her to Voldemort. He broke through the Memory Charm and found out Crouch Junior was still living, and later helped Crouch Junior escape imprisonment. They put Crouch Senior under an Imperius Curse instead, and planned to use the Triwizard Tournament he was in charge of to get and kill Harry Potter.

Crouch Junior attacked Alastor Moody, and went to Hogwarts using Polyjuice Potion pretending to be Professor Moody. He began getting close to Harry and got him involved in the Triwizard Tournament by putting Harry's name in and ensuring he was selected. Crouch Senior was controlled by the Imperius Curse at Hogwarts, but soon began fighting it. He was soon kept imprisoned in his own home and Voldemort had him send letters to work ordering that Percy Weasely take over his duties and claiming he was too ill to come to work, which raised many eyebrows due to Crouch Senior's workaholic tendencies.

Harry began to get suspicious when he saw Crouch Junior in Snape's office via the Marauder's Map and investigated. Crouch Junior took the map from Harry and told him that Barty Crouch Senior was obsessed with catching Dark wizards. When informed, Sirius Black told Harry, Ron, and Hermione that he found Crouch's behaviour suspicious. Crouch Senior soon escaped imprisonment, and headed to Hogwarts to warn Dumbledore. Voldemort sent an owl ahead to warn Barty Crouch Junior that his father was coming.

The attack

"He attacked me! The old madman attacked me! I vos looking around to see vare Potter had gone and he attacked from behind!"

— Viktor Krum recounting the attack

The attack took place on 27 May 1995 before the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament. After Ludo Bagman showed the four champions what the task was, Viktor Krum told Harry he wanted to talk to him. They went into the Forbidden Forest, and he asked Harry what his relationship was with Hermione Granger. Suddenly, Barty Crouch Senior appeared and tried to warn Harry about Voldemort and his son and how he had to see Dumbledore.

Unfortunately, he hadn't completely thrown off the Imperius Curse that Voldemort had placed on him and wasn't able to completely get his message out as he kept swinging back and forth between the trance he had been put under and reality. Harry went to get Dumbledore, while Victor stayed. Barty Crouch Junior soon arrived thanks to using the Marauder's Map, and while Krum wasn't looking, he hit Krum using a Stunning Spell.

Crouch Junior then killed Crouch Senior, and hid his body under his Invisibility Cloak. Harry got back with Dumbledore, who revived Krum and sent Rubeus Hagrid to fetch Igor Karkaroff. Crouch Junior arrived as Moody and offered to search the forest for Crouch. When Hagrid got back with Karkaroff, Viktor told everyone Barty Crouch Senior had attacked him, because he didn't see Crouch Junior.

Karkaoff accused Dumbledore of treachery. Hagrid, enraged, demanded that he apologise, but Dumbledore stopped him and asked Hagrid to take Harry back to Gryffindor Tower. Hagrid was furious about the fact that Harry could've been killed, and scolded Harry for going off with Krum alone. Meanwhile, Crouch Junior went back to Crouch Senior's body and transfigured it into a bone. He disposed of it in Hagrid's garden.

Aftermath

Cornelius Fudge: "I see two possibilities, Alastor. Either Crouch has finally cracked — more than likely, I'm sure you'll agree, given his personal history — lost his mind, and gone wandering off somewhere —"

Albus Dumbledore: "He wandered extremely quickly, if that is the case, Cornelius."

— Discussion of Crouch's disappearance

Harry filled Ron, Hermione, and Sirius in on the attack. Like Hagrid, Sirius was furious that Harry could have been killed and scolded him for going into the Forbidden Forest with Krum alone and late at night. He made Harry promise he would never go out of bounds again, especially alone and after hours.

Cornelius Fudge simply dismissed Crouch's warnings as the ramblings of a lunatic. He had been jealous of Crouch Senior for years over how much he was admired in the establishment, and for being his competition in the election for Minister for Magic in 1990. The attack was hushed up by the Ministry, and Percy Weasley, Crouch Senior's assistant, was hauled in for questioning.

With Crouch Senior gone, all the loose ends that would have prevented Voldemort's return from happening had been tied. Voldemort returned weeks later. Fudge refused to believe the real reason Crouch Senior was gone until he was forced to acknowledge Voldemort's return one year later.

Shortly after the Battle of the Seven Potters on 27 July 1997, Harry Potter considered the thought of Death Eaters having transformed Alastor Moody's corpse into a bone so it could not be found, or something similar, just like how Barty Crouch Junior did to his father's corpse.

Behind the scenes

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, this event is mostly cut. In the film, Harry just finds Crouch Senior's dead body in the Forbidden Forest.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
• Pottermore (Indirectly mentioned only)