barty crouch jr. we're all killers. we've all killed parts of ourselves to survive. we've all got blood on our hands. something somewhere had to die so we could stay alive.
name — bartemius jonathan crouch, jr.
age — thirty one.
gender identity and pronouns — cis male, he/him.
occupation — loan shark.
affiliation — neutral (and/or the highest payer).
aesthetic — handcuffs, surprising those who may doubt you with your intelligence, days passing by in blurs of time, sharp snide remarks cast at anyone, nightmares, gaudy printed shirts only buttoned halfway, the invisible reminder of bruises that once littered your skin, never meeting anyone’s expectations, the smell of nicotine, being selfish and self-sufficient, a hunger for power mixed with a lack of remorse, watching your mother cry over how much you disappointed her, empty pill bottles, secretly craving some sense of validation, gold chains and rings, knowing something about everyone, dark circles smudged under your eyes, white knuckles, the constant need to be one step ahead of everyone else
about / full biography ( tw abuse, tw violence )
barty is the only son of bartemius crouch, the former district attorney for new york city. crouch sr. was something of a public figure in the city for most of barty’s childhood, praised for cleaning up the streets and supposedly getting rid of any gang activity that existed on the streets. in truth, crouch sr. was more talk than action, feeding off of the attention and praise that he received for what he did while playing up the humble do-gooder role.
as the only son and given the reputation the crouch name had gained in nyc, barty had a lot of expectations on his shoulders, his parents having an idea of the person they wanted him to be - something of his father’s shadow. however, it was quickly seen that barty was nothing like that. cunning, naturally intelligent and cynical - he quickly realized that the biggest mistake he’d ever make was being born a crouch. his father held onto hope that barty would change or grow into the man that they expected, but when it didn’t happen he took matters into his own hands.Â
he tried words first, hoping that barty would straighten himself out against the constant reminder that he was a let down or a disappointment, but it didn’t serve it’s purpose. when that didn’t work, he resorted to physical force. whether it was his smart mouth or his average grades or the time he’d been caught smoking, there was always an answer that came along in the form of his father’s fists.
his resentment growing into full blown hatred, it was during his late teens that barty started getting in trouble with the law. small crimes here and there at first - some drug use, some small robberies, a bar fight. they’d always let him off with a warning and a reminder of how much of a great man his father was, and how barty was doing a disservice to the crouch name. eventually, he committed one crime too many and was sent to prison.
during his time in prison, he vowed to take down the crouch name that was held in such a high regard, looking to turn it from the respected one his father had held into something tarnished and ugly - the name of an infamous criminal. the tattoo across his chest, written by himself with a needle and a bottle of ink in his cell, was a reminder that the name belonged to him. while everyone had been looking at him to change, he made up his mind - if he was going to be a criminal, he was going to be the best one.
through connections he made in prison, after his release he began to run a few get rich quick schemes to get himself into a better spot. and with the blossoming gang activity on the street, it was a perfect time to position himself as an asset to the two gangs involved in the war. his empire grew slowly, from a makeshift office into something bigger. and while he usually works as the loan shark, he’s willing to do whatever dirty underhanded things people need from him - as long as they’re willing to pay the price. a jack of all trade, you might even say.
wanted connections ;Â
- former friends/enemies ; someone who knew him before his downward spiral. perhaps through affluent new york circles or educations, this would be someone who was familiar and perhaps even friendly with barty when they were younger. obviously, barty began his descent into a life of crime, and this person might’ve cut their losses.
- loan shark, and then some ; i imagine that barty isn’t above doing more than just writing out loans for people. i think he’d sort of comply with any sort of request that someone from the gang is looking for but isn’t looking to do themselves for whatever reason. stealing, killing, whatever it is he’s willing to do it.
- the highest bidder ; barty is currently in possession of some confidential files from the police department - one that he is willing to show or hand over to some of the gangs as long as they’re willing to give him a favor at some point.Â
- the ex ; someone who had a serious relationship with barty before he went to prison. this might’ve also been a person who was in similar affluent circles, except the relationship blossomed into something more than friendship. with barty being arrested, this character would’ve eventually broken up with him because of the reputation that he brought along with him.Â
- what is a friend ; barty doesn’t have a lot of friends for a lot of obvious reasons but this is one person who he does care about, and would be willing to do whatever was asked of him to give them what they need. they’re a reminder that maybe he’s not as far gone as he believes himself to be, and there might be some good left in him.Â
Benjy Fenwick: Your right-hand man and your closest friend, you have a respect for Benjy that can’t seem to find for anybody else. The two of you may not be cut from the same cloth but you consider them your soulmate, more or less - you have since you first met them in prison. When everyone turned their back on you because of who you were, they came to you and offered you their help, something you promised you would never let yourself forget. Now that you’re both finally out and starting to make your mark in this damned city, you want to take Benjy with you to the top - though at times, you worry that they may not see the world the way you do.Â
Lucius Malfoy: It’s less of a rivalry and more of a full-fledged jealousy, and you’re grown enough to admit that. But you’ve been watching Lucius from afar, gathering information even before you were let out, and you’ve seen how far they’ve gotten themselves, all the mobs in their hands. What you’ve done - stealing the files - was only the beginning and you know it was hardly enough to get yourself to where Lucius is now. But every man has a weakness and you’re determined to find Malfoy’s - they’re no easy target, but once they’re gone, the mobs will have no other choice but to start looking elsewhere.Â
Hestia Jones: They hate you, you know that much. And you have no interest in changing that, mostly because what happened to Hestia’s cousin wasn’t your fault. After all, you never forced anyone to do anything - all you did was introduce a life that could have been better, and it was never your fault that the risks were just a little higher. Until recently, you’ve had no interest in revisiting this blip from your past, but now that you’re aware of Hestia’s potential connection to Orion Black’s murder, you’re beginning to think that it might not be such a bad idea to give them a quick visit. You don’t like to be left in the dark, and if anyone’s going to find out the truth, it’s going to be you.Â
If there’s something I hate more than any other, it’s a Death Eater who walked free. They turned their backs on my master when he needed them most. I expected him to punish them. I expected him to torture them. Tell me he hurt them, Harry… Tell me he told them that I, I alone remained faithful… Prepared to risk everything to deliver to him the one thing he wanted above all… You.“