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"Are you a wizard, or what?"
The title of this article is conjectural. Although it is based on canonical information, the actual name is a conjecture and may be supplanted at any time by additional information released from canonical sources. If this occurs, please move this page to the appropriate title. |
The trial of the Lestranges and Bartemius Crouch Junior occurred before the Council of Magical Law at some point after 31 October 1981.[1] The accused were Crouch Jnr and three members of the Lestrange family: Rodolphus Lestrange as well as his brother Rabastan and wife Bellatrix, who had tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity.
The trial[]
Rodolphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, Bellatrix Lestrange and Bartemius Crouch Junior were brought in front of the Council of Magical Law for torturing Frank and Alice with the Cruciatus Curse while they tried to find Lord Voldemort.
During the trial Crouch Snr's wife/Crouch Jnr's mother was present as well, who sobbed into a handkerchief.
The crime was described as being so heinous that such acts were rarely heard of, as the victims had been so severely tortured that they became permanently insane. Crouch Jnr pleaded that he did not participate in the torture, while Bellatrix Lestrange proudly declared that she would wait for the Dark Lord to return. Despite his son's pleas, Crouch Snr sentenced all four to life imprisonment to Azkaban and disowned his son, much to the delight of the outraged jury.
There were some who doubted the guilt of Crouch's son. In Sirius Black's opinion, and by all accounts, the trial was nothing more than a sham for Crouch Snr to express his hatred for his son and to publicly disown him in front of the entire Wizengamot. However, given Crouch Jnr's obsessive loyalty to Voldemort, it is likely that he did indeed torture the Longbottoms.
Outcome[]
Crouch Jnr's mother was dying from stress and as a last favour to her, her husband offered to release their son. Later, with the use of Polyjuice Potion, she turned into her son and took his place in Azkaban, while Crouch Jnr took a potion to look like her and she died in Azkaban and was buried beside the prison, bearing her son's name and appearance.
Then, years later at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Crouch Jnr (who was disguised as Alastor Moody) finally got his revenge by killing his father with great pleasure, then turning his body into a bone and then burying it in Rubeus Hagrid's garden.
Behind the scenes[]
- The Lestranges were omitted from the film adaptation while Crouch Jnr, instead of being imprisoned and accused, was sitting in the balcony and then being caught by wizards when Alastor Moody stops him.
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 30 (The Pensieve) - The torture of the Longbottoms and the trial is after the fall of Voldemort.