I haven't updated this for a while. But I'm not dead yet. And not out of ideas, either. Anyway, here's another chapter. Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, the paranoid old Auror and some of his many encounters with Death.
II(:
Moody
Junior Auror Alastor Moody looked up. He wasn't sure what was going on. He knew he'd been badly injured and then, he was almost sure, he'd passed out. And now, he was almost sure, the fight was not over yet, but he felt like it was happening somewhere else. And who the hell was standing over him, wearing black robes and what he could only hope was a white mask. Another Dark wizard? Moody reached for his wand, which was lying on the ground near his hand. But the black-robed figure wasn't attacking him or anything. And what's with the scythe?
'Who are you?' It was probably a dumb question, but it was the best Moody could think of at the moment. A moment later it hit him. 'Oh Merlin…'
WRONG.
'I know,' Moody said 'It's just… Am I really dead?'
NOT YET, said the Grim Reaper.
'But I will be, right?'
OF COURSE, Death said, EVERYONE –
'Now?'
POSSIBLY.
'What?! Possibly?! What kind of answer it that?'
IT MEANS THERE IS SUCH A POSSIBILITY, Death explained, BUT IT IS NOT CERTAIN.
'Oh Merlin,' Moody sighed.
NO, Death said, MERLIN IS DEAD. I AM DEATH. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.
'But what're you doing here,' Moody asked 'if you don't even know if I'm dying?'
IT IS CALLED A NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE, Death said.
When Moody woke up some time later, he decided to be very careful all the time for the rest of his life, in order not to have another one.
XXX
'You again?'
This had happened before. It happened a lot when you were an Auror. Not even Constant Vigiliance could prevent it.
I'M AFRAID SO, said Death.
'Is this it then?' Moody asked 'I'm gonna bleed to death?'
POSSIBLY.
'I figured out that much.' The Auror was getting irritated. ' Just tell me already! I haven't got all day!'
THAT IS NOT FOR YOU TO DECIDE, Death said calmly, YOU ARE UNCONSCIOUS RIGHT NOW. THERE ISN'T MUCH YOU CAN DO.
'Well then, don't you have anything else to do? I'm pretty sure I got that Death Eater before he got me.'
He opened his eyes. He was at st. Mungo's. He'd made it again.
XXX
It didn't even hurt. It had hurt for a moment, when the curse hit him and then again, when he hit the ground, but it didn't hurt any more. This was odd. Moody tried to look around with his magical eye, but he seemed to have lost it. Damn. He sat up and realized he shouldn't be able to sit up with all those broken bones. Oh no. Not again.
The Grim Reaper looked down at Moody. Moody looked up at the Grim Reaper.
'You again?'
YES.
'Is this - ' Moody hesitated. They'd had this conversation so many times. 'No!' he said 'I won't fall for that again!'
YOU WON'T, Death agreed, I DARESAY YOU'VE FALLEN ENOUGH ALREADY.
'Very funny,' said Moody, his tone of voice indicating complete lack of sense of humor.
IT ISN'T, Death admitted, UNFORTUNATELY, IT HAPPENS TO BE TRUE.
Moody turned around (He was starting to really miss his magical eye.) to look at his body lying on the ground. It was mostly a bloody mess. He didn't recognize some parts of it. They probably weren't meant to be seen.
'Oh,' he said.
YES. SORRY.