Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
In Moody's Mind
By: ChoCedric
Mad-Eye Moody has always prided himself on being a vigilant Auror. In all the time he has worked at the Ministry, he's always tried to stop disasters from happening. After a tragedy in his own family, he's forever been hell-bent on stopping any more devastation from occurring.
This is why he mentally kicks himself forevermore when he is hoodwinked by Barty Crouch, Jr. There is absolutely nothing he can do as he is severely weakened by starvation and no water, and is subjected to the Cruciatus and Imperius Curses. He is made to reveal information about himself, information about his mannerisms and habits, information about things very important to him. He wants to fight it terribly, but is not strong enough, for the malnutrition is seriously ailing him.
He didn't think he would make it out of that ordeal alive. He feels agonizingly guilty as he wakes up in the hospital wing and learns of the Diggory boy's death and Harry Potter's unlucky outing to the graveyard, and Voldemort's resurrection. He knows deep down that it's not his fault, but cannot help feeling that he somehow played a part in it because he didn't have the strength to fight Barty Crouch. This is why he tries extra hard the following year when the Order is reformed to be more vigilant and wary than ever. He's heard the comments muttered about him every which way about how he is a paranoid old man who doesn't know the difference between a handshake and attempted murder, but he feels that it is better to be constantly on your guard than to let it down for one single minute, for that could result in an innocent's death like poor seventeen-year-old Cedric Diggory.
The next year goes by, and then Lord Voldemort gets himself out in the open. Then there are skirmishes to be had, and Alastor Moody fights the hardest he possibly can. He is getting rusty in his old age, but tries not to forget anything he has been taught. When his mentor Albus dies, it is a shock to his system, but he knows the battle has to go on. With Albus gone, resistance against Voldemort must absolutely continue otherwise this whole world will go to hell.
Then comes the mission of rescuing Harry from Privet Drive the summer of 1997. He had a funny feeling when he woke up that morning that something big would happen to him this day, and by Merlin, is he right. As the green light of a killing curse zooms towards him, he sees his entire life flash before his eyes. He sees battles from every war he was ever involved in, faces of loved ones lost, and faces of friends still living. He hopes that the war will someday end, that something will be done about the prejudice that is so rampant in the wizarding world today. He curses his slow reflexes for not being able to do more as the curse gets nearer and nearer him. The last thing he hears is the sound of speeding death as it collides into him, and then Alastor Mad-Eye Moody knows no more.