Chapter Eleven: Moody's Mission:

Alastor "Mad-eyed" Moody was not a man, a wizard to mess with. He was as tough as a dragon and had as many lives as a cat it seemed. Yet to those he gave his trust which were few and far between he was as good an loyal a friend any could have. Even his enemies, many who sat in Azkaban could not curse the man as he had never used his Auror power to torture and torment as many of his office had. He was better than the Aurors he had started out with, many who were dead now, many who were little better than those dark witches and wizards they captured. In fact he had changed the Auror office as much as he could bringing in decent people, people who believed in justice and not revenge. Talented witches and wizards now filled the posts and very few of the old violent and cruel crowd were left.

Moody was a very private man, so much so very few knew of the wonderful wife and three amazing children he had had so many years ago. His children had gone to Hogwarts and after, all had moved away from England. His daughter to Romania to work with dragons, his sons to America as they liked the free society and the fact that witches and wizards lived much closer to the muggle community than any of the European witches and wizards. Moody knew that it was really to get away from the pureblood mania in Europe as they, though pureblood themselves had been disgusted with the whole affair. His wife had died of dragon pox thirty years before and now a widower he had created a wall around himself that he did not let any penetrate.

Yet the young boy he watched with his friend talking and laughing about the last task tugged at his heartstrings. The child was younger than his youngest grandson in America but not by much. There was a light about him he could see and he wanted to protect this young boy from the harm that he knew was coming. In fact he acted like any grandfather would, he dotted on the boy as much as he could and felt he had to take him under his wing. Oh yes Moody loved the boy Harry Potter as if he was his part of his own family, not because he was the boy who lived but because of what Moody knew he would become. It was that reason he slumped up the stairs to the headmaster's office to speak to him about something that was worrying him.

"Alastor what brings you here?" Dumbledore said smiling as he came in. Severus was there and he bowed to Moody and left.

"The boy Potter." Moody said.

"Ah yes, has he done something he should not have?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, no he is a quiet good boy in my classes he takes them very seriously." Moody replied. "It's his mind, its unprotected."

"Yes I know, but what can we do?" Dumbledore asked.

"Occulumency, I will teach the boy." Moody replied. "We need to do so now, before Voldemort comes back, the newest prophecy by Trelawney troubles me."

"As it does me Alastor." Dumbledore said. "It will be hard to teach him, it will hurt him far worse than most who learn it, his connection."

"Well what of his two closest friends?" Moody said leaning on his staff. "I will teach them all, that young Granger girl will make sure he learns."

"Very well, but this must be kept secret what you teach him." Dumbledore said.

"Snape will find out." Moody said. "You trust him?"

"You ask this after you used Vertaserum on him?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well when Voldemort comes back will he go back?" Moody asked.

"No, not in soul or mind." Dumbledore said. "To spy for us I do think he would."

"It's never black and white, this war of good and evil." Moody said looking thoughtful. "Evil can be clever, to take such a gullible young man and turn him to the wrong path."

"Yes, but he turned back, he is Slytherin through and through, bravery does not come just in Gryffindor you know." Dumbledore said thoughtfully.

"That sounds more like something a Hufflepuff would say." Moody growled good naturally.

"I think Hufflepuff is the wisest of all houses, we tend to look down on them but maybe just maybe it's time we start following their example." Dumbledore said.

"Hmm, you know you could be right Albus, you are the wisest headmaster in a long time." Moody said.

"I don't know, I don't know about that." Dumbledore said looking thoughtful. "I have made mistakes."

"I know, but I don't fault you for them, we all make mistakes." Moody said as he was one of the very few that knew all about Dumbledore and his past. "Ye have done so much good for so many years."

"I want to do right by Harry, he needs a good life, I am very glad he is not with his aunt and uncle anymore." Dumbledore said. "I was wrong to put him there, his aunt and uncle are not the kind of people he should have been raised by."

"Well ye did right when ye let Minerva take him in along with young Black." Moody said, "now if we could get him and Severus to try to get along."

"I fear that would take a miracle." Dumbledore said.
"Aye, well Harry is alive is he not?" Moody said getting up to leave. "I better get to grading my papers."

It was a few days later Moody had the three young students in his office in the evening. All three had been given a scroll that told them they were to meet with Moody and could tell no-one of this meeting. The scrolls were signed by Dumbledore and so Harry, Ron and Hermione came down to his office wondering what was going on. They sat and looked up at him filled with dread and wondered what was going to happen. When he locked the classroom door and put muffling charms around the doors they really got scared.

"Sir why are we here?" Hermione asked as bravely as she could.

"Well the signs being what they are its time Mr. Potter learned Occulumency." Moody said.

"What is that?" Harry asked.

"It's where you can block your mind from a Legulimans, someone who can read your mind." Ron said surprising Harry and Hermione. "My mum and dad know Occulumency."

"So why are we here professor Moody?" Hermione said.

"Well it's hard to learn alone, best for friends to learn together." Moody said. "It can be painful, more so for some than others."

"Meaning it is going to hurt me more than them?" Harry asked.

"Yes boy it will, but you have to learn it, it's for your own good, you know why don't you?" Moody said.

"Because I can see what Voldemort wants to do?" Harry said and he looked up at Moody fear in his green eyes, "and that means he can see what is in my mind!"

"Yea boy he can." Moody said. "We will start easy tonight, just give you a taste, you will clear your minds and I will attempt to break into your minds, I warn you now it will hurt."

He did not hit Harry first with the Legulimans but Hermione. She felt him probe her mind and thoughts flashed through her mind, being sorted, Draco Malfoy calling her a mudblood, Ron defending her and her punching Draco Malfoy in the nose. She gasped and found herself on all fours on the floor of the classroom. Ron was by her side and helped her to her chair and he looked scared but as he was next he cleared his mind the best he could. Moody was impressed with him, he did get into the boy's mind but not far, Ron was able to push him out and Moody looked at him impressed.

"Well that was impressive." He said to Ron. "You are strong minded boy, for the first time you did very well."

"T-thank you sir, my head hurts though sir." Ron replied.

"So does mine!" Hermione said glaring at him.

"Harry you are next." Moody said.

"Yes sir." Harry said looking very pale.

Moody hit Harry with Legulimans and images began to flash in the boys mind. Five he was envious because his cousin got a new bike and he did not. Seven being chased up into a tree by his aunt Marge's dog and left there until midnight. The high cold laugh of Voldemort and a flash of green light, no, no, no not that! Harry felt a pang in his head and found himself on all fours feeling very sick and he was trembling and very weak. Someone was kneeling by his side and he looked up to see the scarred face of Moody over him.

"You okay Harry?" He asked.

"No, that, that was horrible." Harry replied.

"It's what Voldemort does to his followers mostly, to see if they are loyal, I gave you a taste, it's not pleasant it's not nice but you have to learn to block him out and you know why." Moody said.

"He is gaining power." Harry said.

"Aye boy he is, now that is enough for tonight." Moody said. "I want you to practice all of you clearing your minds, we will meet in a few days. I will send a scroll when we meet."

"Yes sir." Harry said still feeling sick and weak.

"Here, this will help." Moody said gruffly handing each of them chocolate. "It's dead useful for lots of things."

Harry ate his chocolate and found it did help, the pain did not go away but it did lesson and the nausea left him at once. Once he was no longer so pale or shaking he left Moody's office and went back to the common room. He slumped into a chair by the fire and stared at it moodily. If that was a taste then he really did not want to go though more. But if Hermione had her way he would have to go through it more and more. At least Moody had warned him it would hurt, he doubted someone like say Snape would warn him and just hit him with. Harry looked up startled, he now knew what Snape was doing when he caught his eye and he was going to learn to block at least him out.

"Snape!" He said sitting up straight getting a look from Hermione.

"What about professor Snape?" She said.

"He knows, the thing Moody spoke to us about!" Harry said.

"So he can use it on us?" Ron said looking pale.

"No he would not use it on you, he has used it on me!" Harry said. "I will learn this, I will and he will be in for a surprise!"

Ron and Hermione exchanged a look, if this got Harry to learn Occulumency well all the better. Harry was determined to learn so much so at the next meeting with Moody he had progressed to the point Ron was the first time Moody had used the spell on him. Moody only increased the Legulimans enough so that Harry was forced to work harder and harder on it. Finally Moody thought they were ready for the next step weeks and weeks later.

"You have progressed far and I am very proud of you, witches and wizards of your age able to do what you are doing is very rare." Moody said. "But you are now ready for a new task, you are to try to get into each other's minds and push each other out."

"Bloody hell." Ron said looking over at Hermione. "We are dead Harry, dead I tell you!"

"Well don't worry Ron I am sure there is not much in your head for you to worry about." Hermione shot back.

"What are you saying I am not smart?" Ron said.

"Well for a boy you have some brains but not much." Hermione said.

"Enough of this!" Moody growled. "Spend your energy in learning this not fighting!"

"Yes sir." All three said.

As they left the room Harry knew he was in for more pain but really it was worth it. He was sure he could block Snape and that was what he wanted to do the most now. It would be fun to see the look of shock on his face (if he had such a look) when he tried to read Harry and found he could not. Oh yes Harry was actually looking forward to potions for once and the look he hoped to get from one least favorite professor of his. What he was not fully aware of was the fact that Severus would not probe his mind without permission from his legal guardian and McGonagall was more likely to hand out sweets than ever allow that.

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Ah yes Moody knows Harry has to block his mind for all their sakes. As he did not spend almost a year in his trunk in this fiction his mind is not as addled as I think it was in cannon. If he had been thinking clear he would have demanded Harry learn this as soon as possible.

So as always please review!