Alastor Moody

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Professor Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody
Harry Potter character
Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, played by Brendan Gleeson in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Gender	Male
Hair colour	Grey
Eye colour	Normal eye: Brown Magical eye: Electric Blue
Allegiance	Order of the Phoenix
Actor	Brendan Gleeson
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of books, an ex-Auror working for the Order of the Phoenix.

Alastor ("avenger") is a household god in Greek myth called on by families to visit fury upon those who have wronged them.

1 Background
2 In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
3 After teaching at Hogwarts
4 External links

[edit] Background

Moody is perhaps the most famous Auror in modern times, single-handedly responsible for capturing numerous wizard criminals. Moody is horribly scarred, described as looking as if he had been carved out of wood by a person with only the crudest understanding of the human form. He has lost several body parts, including an eye, leg, and part of his nose in fighting practitioners of the Dark Arts, and is cautious—some might say paranoid— he refuses to eat or drink anything which he himself has not prepared 'as it is all too easy to poison an unattended cup.' He is particularly conspicuous because of his peculiar magical eye which can rotate three hundred and sixty degrees and see through walls, doors, invisibility cloaks, and the back of his own head (hence the nickname "Mad-Eye"). He is also capable of hearing across great distances that his magical eye is able to target (although this ability is only presented in the movie and may not be canon).

Brendan Gleeson plays Moody on screen in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and will be returning in the sequel Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

[edit] In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Moody was appointed as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. Before the school year began, however, he was locked up in a chest by Barty Crouch Jr, a faithful follower of Voldemort, who used a Polyjuice Potion to take his form in order to replace him. Moody owes his life to the fact that one ingredient of the Polyjuice Potion is a part of the person whose form is to be assumed, such as a tuft of hair. Crouch Jr. needed to keep him alive, under the Imperius Curse, so he would be able to use his hair in the potion and question him. Moody's habit of carrying his own drink in a private hip flask allowed Crouch to take the Potion regularly without raising suspicion.He owns an 11 inch wand that looks hacked and cracked and been through a lot.

Image:Gleesonmoodyclassroom.jpg

On the night of the final task, Crouch attempted to kill Harry, but was stopped by Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape. Having neglected to take his hourly dose of potion, Crouch returned to his own appearance and, under the influence of Veritaserum, he admitted everything, and Dumbledore rescued the real Moody who was locked in his own magical trunk. A dementor takes Crouch's soul before he can repeat his story to Cornelius Fudge.

[edit] After teaching at Hogwarts

Harry first meets the genuine Moody just prior to his fifth year at Hogwarts, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In that book, Moody has joined the newly re-formed Order of the Phoenix, and is usually accompanied by fellow Order members Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin, especially while protecting Harry. He appears at the climax of that book, along with Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Sirius Black. He also appears with Lupin and Tonks at the very end, when they give the Dursleys a severe talking-to.

His only appearance in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is at the end, when he attends Albus Dumbledore's funeral.