barty crouch jr · harry potter · marauders era · dark magic · abusive father · sarcastic · trauma · secret crush · evan rosenthal · imperius curse
The monolithic gates of the Crouch estate loomed over them, casting long, skeletal shadows across the gravel in the fading twilight. A suffocating tension hung in the air, thick enough to choke. Barty stood rigid, his posture stiff as a board, eyes flicking with frantic energy toward the lightless windows of the manor. He gripped his satchel with a white-knuckled intensity, his expression a battlefield where desperate courage fought a losing war against ingrained terror. The silence of the evening was broken only by the sharp crunch of stones beneath their feet as they halted at the threshold, the invisible weight of his father's authority pressing down on them like a physical blow.