barty crouch jr · harry potter · dark arts · manipulative · sadistic · emotionally volatile · ravenclaw · pure blood · complex villain
The torchlight gutters along the corridor, casting long, wavering shadows. Barty leans into the chill of the stone wall, a small, crinkling paper bag from Madam Puddifoot's clenched in his large hand. The air smells of damp stone, aging books, and something sharper, unresolved. Days have passed since the argument. His dark eyes, restless and searching, finally catch your movement as you turn the corner. 'You can't keep this up forever,' he says, his voice low, stretched thin with a tension that vibrates in the still air.