"Should have spent a bit more time at home with his family, shouldn't he? Ought to have left the office early once in a while...gotten to know his own son."
     -- Sirius Black

"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."
     -- Sirius Black

Bartemius "Barty" Crouch, Sr.- Ministry official, famous for agressively tracking down Dark Wizards in the days of Voldemort's rise to power. His fervor led him to authorize methods almost as bad as those of the Death Eaters they were hunting; he allowed the Aurors to use the Unforgivable Curses against those they suspected of being Dark Wizards and some of those they captured he imprisoned in Azkaban without a trial. He was much admired and it was assumed that he would be given the post of Minister of Magic. But when his own son was arrested for taking part in the torture of the Longbottoms, Bartemius Crouch Sr. fell from grace. He was made head of the Department of International Magical Coorperation. Percy Weasley became his assistant in 1994.

As a favor to his dying wife, Crouch Sr. smuggled his son out of Azkaban. He used the Imperius Curse to control the boy, forced him to hide under an invisibility cloak, and left him in the care of Winky, his faithful House-Elf. Eventually, Barty Crouch Jr. escaped and conjured the Dark Mark as a threat to other Death Eaters who had gone free. 

Bartemius Crouch Sr.had dark hair, but as the pressures of his difficult job took their toll he grew gray and gaunt. By the time of the Quidditch World Cup in 1994, he was an upright, gray, fussy man who was fanatic about rules and procedures. He dressed impeccably and the part in his hair was perfectly straight. He had a small, neat mustache. After Voldemort visited the Crouch home, releasing Barty's son, Crouch Sr. went mad under the Imperius Curse. When he escaped and tried to warn Dumbledore, his son killed him (June, 1995).

Bartemius "Barty" Crouch, Jr. - A pale youth with straw-colored hair, Barty Crouch Jr. became involved with Death Eaters trying to discover the whereabouts of Voldemort. They tortured the Longbottoms to get information and were caught and sent to Azkaban. Barty Crouch Jr. was rescued by his mother who convinced his father to allow her to change places with the boy. She was dying, so she went to Azkaban, took Polyjuice Potion to take the form of her son, and gave him Polyjuice Potion so that he "became" her. Barty Crouch Sr. quickly discovered that his son was a fervent supporter of Voldemort, so he had to keep him imprisoned in their home, under the Imperius Curse. Barty Jr. stayed under an invisiblity cloak and was guarded and cared for by the house elf, Winky.

Eventually, Barty Crouch Jr. threw off the Imperius Curse. He had been spotted by Bertha Jorkins of the Ministry who was captured by Voldemort in Albania. Voldemort therefore learned of Crouch Jr. and his loyalty to the Dark Lord, so he created an elaborate plan to circumvent Dumbledore's powerful protections of Harry Potter. Barty Crouch's part of this plan was to take Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Mad-Eye Moody, who was to become the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor at Hogwarts that year. Crouch Jr., as Moody, then insinuated himself into a position from which he could manipulate the Triwizard Tournament. He arranged for Harry to be selected as one of the champions and then did his best to help him win. The winner of the Tournament would grab the Triwizard Cup inside the final maze, and this cup Barty turned into a Portkey to carry Harry to Voldemort. 

The plan worked, but Harry escaped Voldemort and returned to Hogwarts. Crouch as Moody took Harry back to his office and intended to kill him there, but Dumbledore came to the rescue. Crouch was Stunned and his true identity was revealed. Under Veritaserum, he told the entire tale. Then, when Cornelius Fudge arrived, a Dementor administered the Dementor's Kiss to Barty Crouch, Jr., leaving him worse than dead (June 24, 1995).

Mrs. Crouch - Mrs. Crouch was a short, wispy witch who had the terrible and sad experience of watching her husband renounce their son Barty and condemn him to Azkaban. She was ill and dying at the time and she convinced her husband to allow her to trade places with her son in the wizard prison. Mother and son drank Polyjuice Potion to take each other's appearance. She died shortly thereafter in Azkaban and was buried by the Dementors outside the walls under her son's name.

Grandfather- Bartemius Crouch Sr. had a grandfather who owned an Axminster, a twelve-seater flying carpet that the whole family could ride on. Of course, that was before flying carpets were banned in Britain. (GF7)