Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody

Well, it’s official, it’s finally here, at last! And also, Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

To refresh your memory, as you are about to read this topic, did you recall that I announced that I was working on a drawing of another Harry Potter character for the first time from last Friday’s post? The one that I shared a full fan artwork of Professor Lupin in his office with the Marauder’s Map in the final scene from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban? And guess what? I did!

The next Harry Potter character that I got to draw is….Alastor Moody! Well, he’s simply known him as ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody.

The first picture you have just seen above the writing is my very first drawing of Mad-Eye Moody, hand-drawn on paper done in black-ink pen and coloring pencils. Of course there is a second Moody drawing I did from last Saturday, and like the first drawing it was drawn with pencil on paper.

Mad-Eye Moody – auror, member of the Order of the Phoenix, and ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. We first meet Professor Moody in J.K. Rowling’s 4th Harry Potter novel titled Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Later on, we get to see him again in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, as well as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In the films, Moody was played by Brenden Gleeson. I guess you can tell that the first drawing is highly a animated caricature of Gleeson as Moody, and you’re probably right. My drawing of Moody kinda does look like the actor in the 2005 film version of The Goblet of Fire, simply because of the costume, but when it comes to do your own drawing versions for each of the Harry Potter character, it’s still important to draw these characters the way they are described in the books, written by Rowling herself. The jacket that I drew for Moody as a costume does kind of strongly resembling to Brenden Gleeson’s costume in the 4th film, but there is quite a bit of difference. The jacket in both drawing and film are in the same color, but there are two different kinds of dark-green: the one that Gleeson wore in the film is extremely light and dark, army-green, while my fan art drawing of Moody is wearing an olive-green jacket. Of course, in the drawing, he is also wearing a black sweater and dark-brown vest with belt buckles on him. And yes, his big eye has the same element as in the film, and his hair is supposedly gray in the novel, but I colored his hair in the mix of dusty brown and gray.

So, Mad-Eye first appeared in the middle of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, introduced by Professor Dumbledore as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in Harry’s 4th year in Hogwarts in Chapter 12: The Trialwizard Tournament. Moody was the new selected teacher, right after Professor Lupin in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I remember seeing the film version of The Goblet of Fire in theaters, it came out in 2005, so I was 11 years old. I think we I first saw Moody on screen, he was very superstitious and creepy, and I think you would agree with me, if you’re one of those kids who grew up watching the Potter movies, when they first came out. Eventually, we see Moody drinking a little bottle of something that this really did made Harry Potter very superstitious.

“What’s that he’s drinking, do you suppose?” Asks Seamus Finnigan, Gryffindor.

“I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s pumpkin juice.” admitted Harry.

Harry, I think you’re right.

During Moody’s first day on teaching at Defense Against the Dark Arts, he begins to teach the students on Three Unforgivable Curses. These are the main three dark spells that many Death Eaters can use to attack on their opponents. What are the Three Unforgivable Curses?

1. Imperio – the controlling curse, known as the Imperius Curse
2. Crucio – the torture curse, known as the Cruciatus Curse
3. Avada Kedabra – the killing curse

He did actually used the Killing Curse right at the creepy bug, in front of the students, and poor Hermione did not wanted to see it. She does make a good point that there is a reason on why these curses are unforgivable. And poor Neville Longbottom, the way he saw Moody performing the Torture Curse at the bug, torturing it as if the bug was having a seizure, this really brought Neville a really painful memory. It was because that Neville’s parents Frank and Alice Longbottom, who were members of the Order of the Phoenix, were tortured by lead female Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange, and they were admitted to the hospital at St. Mungo’s. It’s so sad, and we can totally understand Neville’s pain. As for this autistic blogger, to share of my own point of view, I think that many people with autism can understand on how the Torturing Curse feels. Like when an autistic child or adult suffers a panic attack by covering his ears to avoid sounds whenever things get scary, it does feel like as if we were suffering with the Torture Curse. It’s scary, it is scary.

However, if there is one funny thing I find during Moody’s class session, and that is when he puts the bug right in front of Draco Malfoy’s face in the film, just to scare out of his pants to make Harry, Ron, and Hermione laugh. And that really made me laugh, because it’s just…you can’t help it but laughing yourself. It’s just as funny as seeing Boggart Snape in Neville’s grandmother’s dress and hat, when Lupin was there teaching, and it’s still a classic scene. Another thing that makes me laugh about Moody in Goblet of Fire is also when he turns Malfoy into a ferret. You get him, Moody! You get him! Teach that ferret a lesson! 😀

As we moved on during the story, and this is right after Harry duels with Lord Voldemort and bringing Cedric Diggory’s body back to Hogwarts, we come to realize that Moody isn’t who we thought he is. Spoil alert! Moody is not the real Moody, and instead, it is actually Barty Crouch, Jr. disguising himself as Moody with the help of Polyjuice Potion. Barty Crouch, Jr. is the son of Barty Crouch, Sr. who works at the Ministry of Magic, and was one of the people to set with the Triawizard Tournament to Hogwarts, along with Ludo Bagman. Crouch, Jr. is also a Death Eater who was accused of using the Cruciatus Curse at the Longbottoms by Durmstrang’s Igor Karkaroff, and was assigned by the Dark Lord to find Harry and kill him. Luckily, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape arrived on time to save Harry. As I would be watching the film, in the scene where Moody is turned back into Barty Crouch, Jr., the way it was animated, it looks absolutely amazing! Great enough to frighten the audience. And then we found out that the real Moody has been trapped inside of the magical trunk by Crouch, Jr.

After The Goblet of Fire, we get to see the real Mad-Eye Moody in The Order of the Phoenix. Not only is he a member, as we as an auror, but he was also Nymphadora Tonks’ mentor.

Then, as we get to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Moody proposes an idea on using the Polyjuice Potion to let Ron, Hermione, Fred and George, Mundugus Fletcher, and Fleur Delacour (who was engaged to Bill Weasley) disguised themselves as the Seven Harrys to fool the Death Eaters. Sadly, as Harry and the others made it safely, we later find out that Mad-Eye Moody died during the fight against the Death Eater.

RIP Moody – Gone, but never forgotten.

And there you have it! That is my review on the character of Mad-Eye Moody, created by the great J.K. Rowling, and having to share of my own Moody fan art drawings. I hope you guys enjoy the drawings, as well as reading the topic. Of course, I would like to leave you guys a question: Do you really think the first drawing of Moody is the real Moody? Or is that actually Barty Crouch, Jr. in disguised? What do you think? Please share your comments down below, and take a guess.

Have a great Monday, and enjoy your Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! 🙂