Barty Crouch Jr. had been utterly unremarkable at school.
It wasn't that he was mediocre. His grades were good, his father was the head of the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and he had even joined the Hufflepuff Quidditch team as a Beater. It was simply that he had been completely overshadowed by the dazzling Sirius Black and James Potter.
Sirius aside, James Potter was an excellent Seeker. Though he was not as good as Viktor Bloom at the same age, when he wore that red uniform and chased the Golden Snitch on his broomstick, he looked like a blazing fireball.
Meanwhile, as always, the Hufflepuff team had little desire to win or lose. Especially after Sirius's younger brother Regulus joined the Slytherin team as its Seeker, everyone wisely stepped aside to avoid getting hurt in matches. It simply was not worth risking their lives over an inter-house competition.
After Bella graduated a few years earlier, she married Lestrange and became Voldemort's most loyal Death Eater. Perhaps because of this, she preferred Regulus to inherit the Black family rather than Sirius. From the moment he entered school, Regulus had shown his admiration for Voldemort. At the time, Sirius had no time to manage his younger brother. He was busy learning to become an Animagus and making the Marauder's Map, and he even quit the Quidditch team for those things.
Regulus, meanwhile, threw himself into Quidditch, making his rivalry with James Potter on the pitch somewhat dangerous. Not only were their brooms fast, but Regulus would occasionally use little tricks that Bella might have taught him. Several times, James had nearly fallen for them. Though James never mentioned these matters or deliberately tried to drive a wedge between Regulus and Sirius, the bond between the brothers did grow