Highlights
- Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody is introduced in the fourth Harry Potter book/film and plays a crucial role in Harry's success against Voldemort.
- Moody comes from a family of famous Aurors and attended Hogwarts, excelling academically before joining the British Ministry of Magic.
- After retiring, Moody becomes the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts but is kidnapped and impersonated by Barty Crouch Jr. He is later freed, rejoins the Order of the Phoenix, and sacrifices himself in the fight against Voldemort.
Some characters from Harry Potter -- like Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and of course, Harry, Ron, and Hermione -- are in the entire story from start to finish. But some characters are introduced later, or taken away sooner, or maybe even both. But this doesn't take away from the importance of their role in the entirety of the plot.
As is the case with the mysterious Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody. He's first introduced into the Harry Potter franchise in the fourth film/book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Although he's not technically seen until the end of the fourth film, his character goes on to play a crucial role in the Second Wizarding War and Harry's eventual success in defeating Voldemort. As mysterious as Moody is, both during Harry's time at Hogwarts and from long before, he's one of the most skilled wizards of all time, having made a significant impact on the Wizarding world as a whole.
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Mad-Eye Moody's Early Life
Moody was born a pure-blood wizard to a very established family of Aurors. While Aurors have different responsibilities around the world for various magical government bodies, Moody's family was from Britain, meaning they specialized in the investigation of crimes related to the Dark Arts. And not only were Moody's parents famous Aurors, but his ancestry showcased a rich history of very skilled Moody Aurors.
As do most wizards and witches from Britain, Moody attended Hogwarts as a child, reportedly being sorted into the Hufflepuff house. He was extremely studious and earned exceptional grades during his time at the prestigious school, with apparent pressure from his parents to achieve the academic success he did.
Upon graduating, Mad-Eye followed in his family's footsteps and attended the Auror Academy, eventually working for the British Ministry of Magic. It was during his time as an Auror that he fought against the evil forces of Voldemort and his loyal Death Eaters as they began to rise as a diabolical power in what has since been referred to as the (First) Wizarding War. This very war would claim Moody's eye and leg, as well as leave several scars upon his face.
Mad-Eye was also a member of the original Order of the Phoenix, helping both the Ministry and his peers to lock up many, many Death Eaters in Azkaban. According to Ron -- who is Harry's primary source of the pop culture history of the Wizarding world -- "half the cells in Azkaban are full" because of the valiant work from Mad-Eye.
Mad-Eye Moody at Hogwarts
After the First Wizarding War concluded, Mad-Eye retired from being an Auror. In his retirement, he became severely paranoid due to the fact that he imprisoned so many Death Eaters and other criminals involved in the Dark Arts, including Igor Karkaroff, who was eventually set free after providing information on the remaining Death Eaters.
Years later, after Hogwarts had burnt through three Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA) professors in three years, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore reached out to his former Order colleague to take over the position. Initially reluctant, Moody accepted. However, somehow word had gotten out to Voldemort and his followers that Moody was to be the new DADA professor, all the while they were devising a plan to give Voldemort a new body to bring him back to life. Unlucky for Mad-Eye, he ended up being the main component for the plan to work.
Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr then kidnapped Moody and imprisoned him in his own magical trunk. Barty then stole Moody's prosthetic eye and his hair and brewed a Polyjuice Potion that allowed him to disguise himself as Moody, and he stole his identity as DADA professor. As Moody, Barty built a relationship with Harry and sabotaged the Triwizard Tournament so that Harry would make it to the end, unknowingly grabbing the Triwizard Cup that was actually a Portkey, transporting Harry to Voldemort for a Dark Arts ritual, which used Harry's blood to bring the Dark Lord back to life.
Although Voldemort returned, Harry escaped back to Hogwarts where Moody (Crouch Jr) took him away in what Harry thought was a sensible gesture to separate him from the dangerous situation he was in. However, the Polyjuice soon wore off and Crouch inevitably revealed himself to Harry, Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall. They found the real Alastor Moody in the trunk he was held prisoner in and set him free. But he decided to decline the position as DADA professor at Hogwarts in fear it'd put him in greater danger.
What Happens to Mad-Eye Moody After the Second Wizarding War?
After being set free, Moody re-establishes his position in the Order of the Phoenix. Just like old times, he starts to fight off the second coming of the Voldemort and his revived Death Eater following. He still works under Dumbledore, but is one of the top facilitators of the Order as they congregate to both protect Harry and figure out how to defeat Voldemort.
But Dumbledore is eventually killed, leaving Moody to serve as the new leader of the Order. Because of Dumbledore's murder, the Order feels as though they are compromised, and Moody decides it's time they move locations. So, he devises a plan to have several members of the Order take Polyjuice and appear as Harry, so they can fly through the Death Eater ambush to a safer location, the Burrow, to serve as their new headquarters.
While the mission is a success and Harry, along with most of the other members, arrive at the Burrow safely, Mad-Eye was killed by a Death Eater before falling from his broom from above the clouds. The Death Eaters even snatched his corpse before the Order could find him, and gave his magic eye to Dolores Umbridge so that she could spy on her coworkers at the Ministry of Magic. However, Harry eventually finds the stolen eye and takes it back, burying it underground to give Moody a much-deserved proper funeral.
Although Moody had a larger hand in bringing down Voldemort and the Death Eaters during the First Wizarding War, he still played a crucial role in the Second Wizarding War, protecting Harry and doing his part in taking down the enemy's numbers. The conclusion to the story of Harry Potter wouldn't have been possible without the incredibly talented Auror that was and is Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody.