Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody is first introduced to us during Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, both film and book version. He was an accomplished Auror and extremely skilled at capturing dark wizards. According to the text, half the cells in Azkaban were filled because of Moody’s actions. Unfortunately, we don’t get to spend a lot of time with him as he was kidnapped by Barty Crouch Jr.
The version of Moody we meet in book four is actually Crouch in disguise by using Polyjuice Potion. By the time Moody is rescued, he has become increasingly paranoid, and who could blame him? Sadly, he meets his maker in book seven and is one of the first major casualties of the newly reformed Order. Still, Moody is a fascinating character. Here are ten things you might not know about him.
He can see through Invisibility cloaks
One of Moody’s most notable character trademarks is his giant, golfball-sized, electric blue eye. It bulges from its socket. In the movie, it is kept to his face with a restraint. His eyeball might not be the most attractive feature but it is extremely useful.
Moody is able to see things that others can’t. Namely, he can see through the invisibility cloaks. He can even see through Harry’s cloak, despite the fact it is supposedly the one “true” cloak. This makes him a valuable asset to any team as invisibility won’t be a factor for him.
He has fully mastered multiple magical disciplines
We don’t get to see Moody’s magical prowess much in the books. This is mainly due to the fact he is captured and not actually introduced until book five. But even when we do meet the real Moody, he’s not often in battle.
It takes a great deal of expertise to become as accomplished an Auror as Moody is. He excelled at his academic work while in school and received multiple N.E.W.T.S. on his exams. He has mastered multiple magical disciplines including Transfiguration, Charms, and more.
The film version is missing some key defects in his appearance
The film version of Moody is much more attractive and put together than the book version if you can believe it. One of the biggest differences is Moody’s nose. In the books, Moody’s nose is described as having a large chunk of it missing. That’s not the case in the film.
Moody’s eye is also different in appearance in the movie, with it being smaller in size and constrained with a belt-like contraption wrapped around his head. He also has deep scars and his face is often described as appearing disfigured in the books, it is heavily toned down in the movies.
He lost one of his legs
You’ll notice that Alastor Moody walks with a limp. This is because he lost one of his legs. That much is obvious but you might not know that it is believed he lost it in the First Wizarding War.
All of Moody’s many defects and scars are indicative of his combative and vigilant nature. It’s no wonder his catchphrase is “constant vigilance,” he knows what it is like to be on guard at all times. When one is surrounded by dark wizards and prides themselves on bringing them to justice, you will inevitably take some damage in the process.
He was born into a family of pure-bloods
Not much is known about Moody’s heritage and how he grew up. But we do know he is pure-blood and that his parents were both Aurors. It’s no wonder Moody wound up pursuing this career choice, it was in his blood.
Despite being pure-blood, his Muggle sympathies made him a target for Death Eaters and the Ministry in book five when it was overrun by Dolores Umbridge and more decidedly evil ilk.
Moody could be the only person who knows a Boggarts true form
Boggarts are magical creatures that take on the shape of whatever you fear the most. They like to inhabit small, dark, and cramped spaces like wardrobes and desks. They can be a pain to get rid of as you’ll need to face off against the things you’re terrified of and then recite the charm over and over until they’re reduced to vapor.
Lupin first introduces Boggarts in the third book when he has his class learn how to defeat them. But there is an incident where Moody is asked to recognize a Boggart while at Grimmauld Place. That means Moody knows what a Boggart looks like in its natural form, which is something no other wizard knows. It would have been interesting for him to describe the appearance.
He hates battles on uneven footing
There is no faster way to upset Moody then to witness someone getting attacked from behind. Moody may be a fierce Auror, but he doesn’t appreciate it when people use underhanded methods to get a leg up on their enemies.
He has been shown to get extremely irritated when people sneak up on others or when the wizards he knows don’t ensure to become prepared. Moody is also known to yell at anyone who is dumb enough to keep their wand in their back pocket in case it “blows their butt cheeks off.”
Moody never trusted Snape
Despite the fact Snape defected from the Death Eaters and pledged his loyalty to Dumbledore, Moody never trusted him entirely. That said, Moody never trusted anyone in their entirety, especially not someone with former affiliations to Voldemort.
According to Moody, no one who was once a Death Eater can ever completely go back to the “good” side. He also had his misgivings about Karkaroff and others, and he wasn’t necessarily wrong about them. Some would say he wasn’t wrong about Snape either, regardless of how his story ended.
Umbridge kept his eye as an alarm system
If you only watched the movies and didn’t read the books, you might not realize that Umbridge took Moody’s eye off of his corpse. Well, not her specifically but she got her hands on it one way or another.
In the books, it’s a plot point that Umbridge uses his eye as an alarm system on her door. Harry eventually takes the eye and gives it a proper burial. But in the movie you just see a quick image of it on the door, it’s easy to miss if you aren’t aware of what it is or its purpose.
Moody was killed by Voldemort himself
Sadly, Moody met his fate during the seventh book when the Order was picking up Harry to take him to the safe place at Grimmauld Place. Unfortunately, during the travels, Moody was paired with Mundungus.
Mundungus got scared and apparated, leaving Moody alone and possibly out of control on a broomstick. He was murdered by Voldemort himself, proving that he truly was a skilled wizard. The fact he couldn’t be killed by a Death Eater but the Dark Lord himself thought him enough of a threat to take him out is indicative of his reputation.
Next: Harry Potter: 10 Things About Mad-Eye Moody The Movies Leave Out
