Harry Potter: Ranking Every Major Magical Family From Worst To Best

The Crouches are the most underrated family in the Harry Potter series. They're only featured in The Goblet of Fire, but despite their limited time in the spotlight, they’re also one of Rowling’s most intriguing creations.

Barty Crouch Junior is the main villain during Harry’s fourth year. Disguised as Mad-Eye Moody, he guides Harry through the Triwizard Tournament and sends him to Voldemort after turning the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey.

When he’s finally unmasked, Crouch’s backstory is revealed. He describes how he escaped Azkaban by using Polyjuice Potion and trading places with his mother. He was then placed under the Imperious Curse by his father before he was set free from his mental and physical imprisonment by Voldemort and Wormtail.

What makes this backstory even more interesting is the contrast between Crouch Junior and his father. Crouch Senior possesses a deep loathing of all those who support Voldemort and he was actually the one who sent his son to Azkaban. His son’s actions also discredited the family name and pushed him out of the running to be the next Minister for Magic.

As such, there’s plenty of complexity to the Crouch family. And despite only appearing in The Goblet of Fire, they deserve much more appreciation from the wider fanbase.