Were Crabbe and Goyle Death Eaters?

Question

I'm wondering if Crabbe and Goyle were teenage Death Eaters, like Draco Malfoy was.

It's not explicitly confirmed in canon if they were or not, but two canon passages in particular, from Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows respectively, keep cropping up for me which imply it might have been a possibility.

First:

‘And here,’ Voldemort moved on to the two largest hooded figures, ‘we have Crabbe ... you will do better this time, will you not, Crabbe? And you, Goyle?’

They bowed clumsily, muttering dully.

‘Yes, master ...’

‘We will, master ...’

_{Goblet of Fire -- page 565 -- Bloomsbury -- chapter 33, The Death Eaters}

Clearly Crabbe and Goyle's fathers were Death Eaters. Being minions of Draco Malfoy, whose father was also Death Eater, would Crabbe and Goyle have wanted to emulate either Draco or their fathers (or both) by following down the same path? J.K. Rowling seems to enjoy the trope in the Harry Potter series of children closely modeling their parents in looks, interests, and destinies.

Second:

‘So how come you three aren’t with Voldemort?’ asked Harry.

‘We’re gonna be rewarded,’ said Crabbe: his voice was surprisingly soft for such an enormous person; Harry had hardly ever heard him speak before. Crabbe was smiling like a small child promised a large bag of sweets. ‘We ’ung back, Potter. We decided not to go. Decided to bring you to ’im.’

‘Good plan,’ said Harry in mock admiration. He could not believe that he was this close, and was going to be thwarted by Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle.

_{Deathly Hallows -- page 505 -- Bloomsbury -- chapter 31, The Battle of Hogwarts}

Crabbe, at least, wanted to physically harm Harry, to essentially facilitate Harry's death by the hand of Voldemort. As well, Crabbe was interested in actually delivering Harry to Voldemort in turn for a reward. It seems to me that Voldemort might have had conversations with Crabbe and Goyle directly, but, Ginny Weasley and Tom Riddle's diary aside, would Voldemort deign to have a conversation with mere students unless there was something in it for him, tangible or strategical?

Crabbe -- again, at least -- used the Cruciatus and Avada Kedavra Curses against Hermione and Harry in the Room of the Requirement. He then goes on to cast Fiendfyre. Goyle is also present and seems to be involved, although J.K. Rowling doesn't detail Goyle as being as excited by engaging in violence as Crabbe was.

So were Crabbe and Goyle more likely bona fide Death Eaters or Voldemort sympathizers who clumsily tried to grab a bit of the action for themselves? Were Crabbe and Goyle Death Eaters?

Answer 1

I don't think that they were. I simply can't see Voldemort making teenagers Death Eaters, no matter how committed to the cause they may be. Draco is, obviously, an exception; he was a fully fledged Death Eater, assumedly even having a Dark Mark. However, Voldemort intended for him to die in his attempts to kill Dumbledore. It costs Voldemort nothing to dangle the possibility of glory and acceptance in front of Draco while giving him a nearly impossible task - kill a wizard powerful enough that Voldemort himself failed to do so - in order to achieve it. His status as a Death Eater was almost certainly to prevent him from realising he was completely expendable.

Crabbe and Goyle are depicted as being stupid and thuggish, essentially acting as nothing more than Draco's bodyguards/servants whilst at Hogwarts. Even at the end of Deathly Hallows I think it would have been Malfoy's idea, rather than their own, to hang back and attempt to capture Harry for Voldemort - I just can't see them being smart enough to think of doing so. Draco, on the other hand, was highly intelligent, and by that point almost certainly aware that he had to do something incredible to earn back Voldemort's favour, both for himself and his parents.

Answer 2

It doesn’t seem like Crabbe and Goyle were Death Eaters.

Neither Crabbe nor Goyle are mentioned as being at the Death Eater meeting (which Draco was at, the Hogwarts year hadn’t started yet), nor are they mentioned as participants in any of the other Death Eater activities. Of course, most of the time they’d be at Hogwarts even if they were, but there’s nothing that really suggests they were made full Death Eaters. Their fathers don’t seem to have been high among the Death Eaters’ ranks, and are in fact not mentioned after the Dark Lord is re-embodied at the graveyard.

Neville would have been around Crabbe and Goyle while at Hogwarts, since he mentions them enjoying the Carrows’ classes, and he doesn’t mention them being full-fledged Death Eaters either.

“Yeah,’ said Neville. ‘That’s how I got this one,’ he pointed at a particularly deep gash in his cheek, ‘I refused to do it. Some people are into it, though; Crabbe and Goyle love it.”
_{^{- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 27 (The Lost Diadem)}}

Lastly, though this is just circumstantial, it seems like the sort of thing that Crabbe and Goyle would have bragged about when trying to bring Harry to the Dark Lord if they did have full Death Eater status.

Answer 3

I've changed my mind. I think it is a possibility.

The age at which one is allowed to become a death eater is 16. I'm not looking for quotas, but Sirius says his brother signed up as soon as he was old enough. We latter find he was 16. We know Draco was marked. Now does Voldemort think he needs death eaters forever? I don't know maybe with control of the ministry he won't. What ever the case his other death eaters are getting old. Training some one from when they are young is always good, they'll be most loyal and brain washed. So if Voldemort wanted to have an army in the future, I think he could have made the Death Eaters.