This was written for the Moonlight Forgotten Year 7 THC/ The House Competition 2021

Round 2

House: Gryffindor

Class: Muggle Studies

Category: Standard

Prompt(s) chosen: [Pairing] Mad-Eye Moody and Nymphadora Tonks

Word Count: 1117

Moody looked at his watch for the umpteenth time as he tapped his foot. This was what he hated about training new Aurors. They were always young, flighty, tardy and irresponsible. He wished he didn't have to be saddled with newcomers, but had no choice so that his paycheck would reach his empty pocket each month. But he wasn't being paid enough for this, he would internally complain.

He sighed exasperatedly when he saw his new trainee finally show up. She was the definition of the type of people he thought unfit to be an Auror. She was dressed unprofessionally in an outfit fit for a sixteen-year-old girl, her hair was pink and her nails were painted a different colour each.

"You're an hour late," he said gruffly.

"My apologies, Mr. Moody," said Tonks.

"You will address me as sir and ensure you are not to be late again or I'll have to report your tardiness," he warned.

"Yes sir".


"How was your first day of training, Dora?" asked Ted.

Tonks scowled "I got the grumpiest prude as a trainer."

"Who?" asked Andromeda.

"Mad-Eye Moody," she said distastefully. "He's harsh, unpleasant and wants to do everything by the book. All he does is make me feel tense and fear."

"Sweetheart, he's probably just strict out of fear that Aurors deal with the most dangerous wizards and can get killed with the smallest misstep. You'll get used to it and he'll probably relax once you prove yourself," said Andromeda.

"I could prove myself better if I wasn't constantly feeling tense and he wasn't waiting with a watchful eye to pick on me,"Tonks said indignantly.

"Dora, your mother and I do sympathize, but unfortunately, a harsh boss is something a lot of us have to deal with before we achieve our dreams," said Ted. "You just hang in there and do the best that you can and things will work out for the best."

"Your father's right, sweetheart. Be patient with Moody. He's been through a lot of traumatizing incidents. Try to be on time and follow his instructions. If you must disagree, tell him in a reasonable manner while making sure to show respect for his seniority and experience," Andromeda advised.

"Alright," Tonks reluctantly agreed.


"You wouldn't be as energetic and joyful at your age if you chose my profession, Albus." Moody crossed his arms and pressed his lips together.

They were both seated at the Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Who did you get this time, Alastor?"

"Some girl who thinks she's still sixteen. She dresses like one and has pink hair," he sneered.

"Certainly we mustn't judge a book by it's cover, Alastor," said Dumbledore reasonably.

"She's tardy and doesn't like abiding by rules. Too impulsive," he said.

"I'm sure she'll learn if shown some guidance," said Dumbledore.

Moody shook his head. "I've tried guiding her but nothing I say enters that girl's head. She's in a world of her own."

"You must guide patiently, Alastor. Youngsters are more likely to respond if they are shown the way with calamity and patience."

"I can't help that I lose my patience when I have to deal with her type." Moody frowned. "But I'll try".

"Thank you, Alastor. But if this profession is too wearing, my offer for you to continue teaching at Hogwarts still stands."

"I'm afraid I can't, Albus. I was reluctant to teach a bunch of students when I had no patience for young adults new Aurors. I still took the position for you, but after what happened last year with Crouch Jr., that's a sign for me."

"Very well, Alastor. I just hope I can find a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor before the school year starts or the Ministry would get to plant one of their own at Hogwarts." Dumbledore's wrinkles looked more prominent and his eyes didn't have it's usual shine as he said this.

Moody felt guilty for not being able to help Albus, but he really couldn't bring himself to take the Hogwarts teaching job again, especially since what happened last year only condoned the rumor of the position being cursed.


Moody was surprised and pleased to see Tonks already waiting for him when he showed up to train her the next day. Her outfit was semi-normal and her hair was a normal looking brown.

"Good morning, sir," she greeted him.

"Good morning," he grunted his response. "Start running your five laps, then stand upside down."

"Sir, my apologies. It's not that I'm against this, but may I please ask the purpose of running five laps and standing upside down for half an hour each day?" asked Tonks. "I trust you know what you're doing. But I'd just personally like to learn and understand for my own knowledge," she added quickly.

Normally, Moody would have responded by telling her how she should know the answer to such an obvious question, but taking into consideration Dumbledore's advice and the fact that she showed some regard for his expertise and a desire to learn, he responded with "It's to build your resistance. You never know what could happen when trying to catch dark wizards. We could be captured and tortured and need to be resilient to it. These are quite minor to the torture an Auror could face in the hands of dark wizards."

"Certainly sir," Tonks agreed. "I'll begin running my laps."

Thus began the understanding between Moody and Tonks. It wasn't all smooth sailing but gradually got better to the point Tonks was ready to join Moody on her first mission.

"Sir, can we use brooms?"

Moody inhaled. He wanted to be patient but it wasn't easy. "Tonks, what use would there be when we can Apparate? Aurors always Apparate."

"I figured it would be helpful to also have the option of using brooms, especially when we can't Apparate for one reason or another."

Moody had to appreciate that she had a good point and was resourceful. He didn't appreciate her out of the box thinking for the most part, but had to admit that it was sometimes beneficial. "You certainly have a good point about brooms being a handy alternative, Tonks. We can certainly look into using them when the situation calls for it, but in the mission we're going on, brooms would only be a hindrance," he explained.

"I understand, sir," she nodded in agreement.

Instances like those popped up quite a bit in the time they worked together, but Moody and Tonks had gradually learned to appreciate and respect each other's differences which made it easier for them to be open to each other's input and reach a compromise when they disagreed.