Vincent Crabbe

Vincent Crabbe was born into the Pure-blood Crabbe family to Crabbe Sr and his wife. Crabbe Sr was a Death Eater like the fathers of his friends, Lucius Malfoy and Goyle Sr. Vincent Crabbe was born in the year 1980, and he joined Hogwarts in September 1991 along with his friends Draco Malfoy and Gregory Goyle and was a Slytherin student like them. It was also the same year that Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger joined Hogwarts. Harry came to know that Crabbe was the son of Death Eater Crabbe Snr when the latter was summoned by Lord Voldemort when he returned to life in the Riddle graveyard. It is possible that the Crabbe family comprised a line of dark wizards who were very stubborn about blood purity.

Vincent Crabbe was one of the henchmen of Draco Malfoy, along with Gregory Goyle, who would constantly be by his side and help him do his dirty work. In several instances throughout the series, Vincent Crabbe, along with Gregory Goyle, would act as Malfoy’s sidekick and help Draco to bully other students of Hogwarts, especially Neville Longbottom. He was a member of the Slytherin house, which was known to insult and bully Muggle-borns. 

Appearance

Crabbe had a huge intimidating physique with very thick arms and a huge neck. His arms were compared to that of a gorilla, and he had a flat nose and a pudding bowl-style haircut. He towered over most of the students of his age but was known to possess very low intelligence. He had a soft meek voice which contrasted his huge intimidating physique. However, he is said to have been very quick on his feet, as is evident from how fast he ran to escape the Fiendfyre he created in the Room of Requirement.

Vincent Crabbe And Gregory Goyle

Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were inseparable and were almost always seen together except during the Battle of Hogwarts in the last film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, where Blaise Zabini was seen with Vincent Crabbe. Although both Crabbe and Goyle were present during the Battle of Hogwarts in the final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in the last Harry Potter film, actor Jamie Waylett was unable to reprise his role due to some personal reasons. 

The duo were always seen with their ringleader Draco Malfoy who would constantly bully younger students and students from Gryffindor with the help of these two. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle shared some similarities as they were both physically intimidating, were from Slytherin house, and were known to be very slow and barely got by in their studies. 

They were one of the most popular ‘duets’ in the Harry Potter franchise besides Fred and George Weasley. They were fooled together by Harry, Ron, and Hermione during the Christmas of 1993 for the trio to enter the Slytherin dormitory to question Draco. The duo would also later join the Slytherin Quidditch team together. They were also members of the Inquisitorial Squad under the orders of Dolores Umbridge. Finally, they also humored the Carrows and agreed to use the Cruciatus Curse on students.

Appearances in the Harry Potter Universe

Vincent Crabbe makes several appearances in the Harry Potter series. In the Harry Potter movie adaptations, Vincent Crabbe is played by Jamie Waylett, the British actor in the first six movies. In the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, Vincent Crabbe is not seen. Instead, a different actor is believed to play him by some fans. However, it is actually actor Louis Cordice who plays Blaise Zabini, that accompanies Draco and Goyle in most scenes which is why this misunderstanding occurs. Although Vincent Crabbe is still in Hogwarts during his seventh year, according to the books, Vincent Crabbe’s character is not shown in the movies. 

It is possible that his absence was caused by Waylett’s first arrest at 20 years old, which occurred after he was found in possession of a knife and possession of cannabis. Later in 2011, Jamie Waylett got into serious trouble for taking part in the London Riots and was accused of making a petrol bomb. He was given a two-year sentence in 2012 by the Westminster Magistrates’ Court. According to a BBC report, Waylett was sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid work in the form of community service in his previous arrest for possession of marijuana.

 Vincent Crabbe first appears in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone when Malfoy visits Harry’s compartment and asks him to be his friend. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle accompany Draco Malfoy when he tries to befriend Harry. However, after Draco says his name, Ron sniggers, and Draco gets angry and insults Ron and his family. After hearing this, Harry rejects Draco’s advances for friendship, and the compartment gets tense as Crabbe and Goyle try to charge toward Harry and Ron. 

Vincent Crabbe was chosen by Malfoy to be his second in a duel that was supposed to take place between Harry and him. However, it was just a prank to get Harry caught out of bed to possibly get him detention, and the duel never occurred. At the end of the first year, Harry and Ron were surprised to know that Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle had passed their exams.

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Crabbe and Goyle are tricked by Harry and Ron into eating cakes laced with Sleeping Draught during the Christmas feast. Harry and Ron later pluck hair from Crabbe and Goyle and use it to make a Polyjuice Potion. They then go to the Slytherin Common Room to interrogate Draco Malfoy about the Heir of Slytherin. However, Ron and Harry were unsuccessful in figuring out who the Heir of Slytherin was as Draco himself didn’t know who it was. 

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Vincent Crabbe accompanied Draco Malfoy with Gregory Goyle to bully Harry and his friends in their compartment in the Hogwarts Express. However, their schemes were cut short when they found out that Professor Lupin was also in the compartment that Harry was in. In the same year, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, and a few other Slytherin students tried to scare Harry during a Quidditch match by disguising themselves as Dementors using their cloaks. However, Harry managed to cast a Patronus charm and scared them away in the process.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Crabbe was one of the students who passed around “SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY” badges which also turned into “POTTER STINKS” as a sign of retaliation for Harry participating in the Triwizard Tournament. While the Hufflepuff students were angry that Harry tried to steal the thunder of their friend Cedric Diggory who was chosen as the only Triwizard champion from Hogwarts by the Goblet of Fire, Crabbe, and the other Slytherins were just using it to harass Harry. Crabbe and Goyle were also attendants at the Yule Ball.

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, during their fifth year, the Ministry of Magic intervened in the affairs of Hogwarts, and Dolores Umbridge, the Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, was appointed as the High Inquisitor and later Headmistress of Hogwarts. She eventually created an Inquisitorial Squad, which consisted mostly of members from Slytherin house, including Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were also selected as beaters in the Slytherin Quidditch team, and Crabbe sent a bludger at Harry after the match ended, causing a fight to erupt. Both Harry and George Weasley were banned from Quidditch forever by the biased Umbridge, but this ban was later lifted after her departure from Hogwarts.

Crabbe, along with Goyle and Malfoy, tried to ambush Harry after they realized that he had been responsible for their fathers going to Azkaban, but Harry was swiftly saved by the Dumbledore’s Army members who turned them into giant slugs in the Hogwarts Express. Also, as members of the Inquisitorial Squad, Crabbe and Goyle had tried to ambush the members of the Dumbledore’s Army when their meetings were revealed to be held at the Room of Requirement. 

Later, when Harry, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, and Ginny were trying to escape from Hogwarts to find out if Sirius was doing alright, they were caught by the Inquisitorial Squad and Umbridge, but Hermione managed to distract Umbridge by taking her to the Forbidden Forest in the guise of showing her Dumbledore’s secret weapon. In the meantime, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville escaped from Crabbe, Goyle, Draco, and the others.

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Draco Malfoy started his secret plot to kill Albus Dumbledore on the orders of Lord Voldemort. In order to smuggle in some Death Eaters into Hogwarts, Malfoy also started repairing the Vanishing Cabinet that was kept in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts as it had a twin in Borgin and Burkes. However, the cabinet in Hogwarts was spoilt and had to be repaired. Draco convinced Crabbe and Goyle to take the Polyjuice Potion and disguise themselves as girls so that they could keep an eye outside the Room of Requirement while Draco repairs the cabinet. However, Draco kept the true reason for their disguise a secret from them which is why Crabbe and Malfoy had arguments.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Crabbe and Goyle were some of the very students who used the Cruciatus Curse on other students upon the orders of Alecto and Amycus Carrow, who were Death Eaters that were summoned to teach at Hogwarts. In the case of students undergoing detention, specifically, Half-bloods and blood traitors, Amycus and Alecto decided to let students practice the Cruciatus Curse on them. Neville was asked to do the same too, but he refused and was severely punished for this.

Vincent Crabbe also took part in the Battle of Hogwarts alongside Draco Malfoy and Gregory Goyle, although this was short-lived as he died shortly after.

Crabbe Dies

Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco tried to attack Harry, Ron, and Hermione when they were trying to search for the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw in the Room of Requirement. However, Harry tried to maintain a conversation with Draco for a while and stall them until Crabbe lost his cool, called Hermione a Mudblood, and cast the Killing Curse on her, which she barely missed. This enraged Harry and Ron, and they all began to duel. Eventually, Crabbe cast the Fiendfyre, a particularly difficult and dangerous spell in Dark magic which he had probably learned from his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes teacher Amycus. It started spreading wildly; it was unstoppable and burnt the entire place down. Crabbe did not know how to stop it, and despite Harry’s attempts to save Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe, they couldn’t save Crabbe. 

Crabbe died in the Fiendfyre he himself created. However, in the movies, instead of Crabbe, Goyle casts the Fiendfyre, and Crabbe is not seen in the movie. Furthermore, Blaise Zabini accompanies Draco and Goyle to the Room of Requirement, and Goyle dies in the flames of the Fiendfyre.

Crabbe, Goyle, and Mindless Hatred

The trope of young men with a lack of a mentor or a decent role model is not unheard of, and neither is it restricted to a trope. Rather, it is a common occurrence seen even in the real world. Both Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were made fun of for being devoid of independent thought and having some violent disorder that prevented them from being more in touch with the world. The lack of a positive role model who could teach them early in life about the world made it even worse. 

This lack presented itself in the form of mindless violence devoted to a very meaningless and dangerous cause – bigotry. A lot of real-life examples exist of something very similar all across the world. When young people are not guided properly and are not taught essential skills and thought processes, an entire generation of people committing mindless violence is born. The lack of a good mentor plays a prominent role in creating this generation which delves into mindless hatred, bigotry, and violence.

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