I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
Note: Thank you for the Birthday wishes. It made my day very nice and I appreciate your kindness. I hope all are doing well and wish you the best.
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Extended Family
Chapter 93 – Not So Mad
Takes place slightly after chapter 54.
Pomfrey stepped out of the Floo, shaking ash from her robes. The grate she stood on sucked up the ash and debris greedily, cleansing her in moments and she was soon soot free. As she walked onto the floor proper, she waved at someone approaching her. "Samantha, hello!"
Samantha smiled back. "Hello Poppy. Good to see you."
Pomfrey returned the fond embrace. "So, what seems to be the problem?"
"A delicate situation that you're the best to handle," Samantha said and she led Pomfrey deeper into St Mungo's.
"Hmm, I'm having trouble thinking of what I would be needed for that the Pediatric team here could not handle."
"Well, strictly speaking, it's not a pediatric issue."
Pomfrey groaned when she saw the name inscribed on the placard beside the door. "Ah, I see." She thrust the door open without knocking first and walked into the exam room without care.
"Oh that's just what I need," Moody sighed, seeing her walk in. "I thought hospitals were a place for healing. What did you bring this sawbones in for?"
"Oh give it a rest you crazy old bastard," Tonks said severely.
"Tonks, I can kick your arse even with my arse in a hospital bed," he growled dangerously.
"Yeah? With what foot?" Tonks waggled his prosthetic leg at him.
"I still got one right here!"
"Go on then! Give it a shot!"
"Dora, I don't think that's helping," Samantha sighed.
"I know the usual procedure is to be kind to the patient but trust me on this one Samantha, this one responds better to brusqueness bordering rudeness," Pomfrey said as she began reading Moody's chart. "And call me sawbones again and I certainly will saw your bones, without anesthesia."
"Promises promises," he grunted.
"Would someone kindly explain how this happened?" Pomfrey sighed, still reading the chart. "Was there a prison riot at Azkaban and this idiot fought everyone himself?"
"Close to that," Tonks muttered. "He decided to take on all the trainees at once in a grand exercise."
"I was winning too," Moody said proudly.
"Until you were Cursed in the back!"
"'Bout time some of those turnips learned," Moody said. "Once I get back out there, I'll get them back."
"I don't know if that's the best thing right now," Samantha said gently, "getting back out there I mean. You took a lot of damage Sir and your health is a bit tenuous right now."
"Don't Sir me," Moody said, waving his hand irritably. "And I'm sure you're a fine Healer and I have a great deal of respect for you and your daughter, but I know what I can take and what I can't."
"If you did, you wouldn't be here!" Tonks shouted.
"If you didn't drag me here, I wouldn't be here!" Moody retorted.
"I was the only one willing! Everyone else was too worried about how you'd react and was going to let you lie there until you somehow recovered from pure stubbornness and spite!"
"How did you become responsible for him?" Pomfrey asked Samantha.
"I was originally told that the incoming patient was stubborn much like a child," Samantha said sheepishly, making Tonks flush and Moody laugh out loud. "Also it seemed like the majority of the other healers at the time are rather frightened of Mister Moody and Andromeda is off today."
"I already deal with one Tonks on the regular, I don't need another," Moody grunted.
"I'm telling her you said that."
"I'm not scared of her and I'm not scared of you," Moody said, glaring at Tonks. He snorted when Tonks made one of her eyes bright blue and glared back at him. "Anyways, I'm not likely to listen to her much either," he said, hiking a thumb at Pomfrey.
"You know that if you ignore me, I will stun you unconscious and keep you like that until I do what has to be done," Pomfrey said. Her tone was light but none could miss the utter conviction in her voice.
"How do you get that permission?" Samantha asked. "I can think of a few patients I'd love to have that kind of liberty."
"I have done it before and we go back a long time," Pomfrey said. "I have to agree with Samantha. Alastor, you took a nasty amount of spell damage. Layering that on top of the damage you already have, you are in for a long heal time and you may have even more limitations."
"I wonder what it's like to be limited," Moody scoffed. "And stop messing with my leg Dora, I see you doing that."
"Alastor, get this through your thick skull. If you do not take this seriously, do not work hard on healing and recovery, you will go into a more permanent retirement," Pomfrey warned.
Moody fell silent. "Well, I've retired before," he said gruffly.
"Not like this or from this," Pomfrey said.
Moody fell back into the bed. "Fine, do what you need," he said at last.
After Pomfrey and Samantha did their initial healing work, they left the room with Tonks and Moody fell into an exhausted sleep. Samantha looked admiringly at Pomfrey. "You really can handle him."
"Like I said, I am well used to him and he knows I will follow through on what I say to him." Pomfrey rubbed her eyes. "This will be a difficult convalescence."
"He'll be okay, right?" Tonks asked, worried.
"More or less. You know as well as I that he is a tough old bastard but in this case, being old means he will heal more slowly and less well. He will have to want to."
"Why wouldn't he want to heal?" Samantha asked.
"Among his many character flaws, Alastor is a terrible patient," Pomfrey sighed. "Always has been, always will be."
"I'll force him," Tonks said firmly. "I'll drag his one-legged arse where he needs to be and he can kick and bitch all he wants." She nodded to the two Medi-witches and quietly went back into Moody's room.
"She's very fond of him," Samantha observed.
"She is. He was her mentor when she went to the Auror Academy," Pomfrey said. "She admired him before becoming an Auror, most anyone has heard of him and his achievements after all. He also was one of the first to treat her like a plain recruit. Never calling attention to her being a metamorphagus or treating her any special. If anything, he was very hard on her. Trained her very strictly. She adores him for it and is quite close with him."
Pomfrey shook her head. "She's also rather attached to him for another reason."
"What reason?"
Pomfrey's sigh was deep and sad. "It is not my place to say quite yet."
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"Well, color me surprised that you are more or less accepting the treatment," Pomfrey said.
It was a few days later and she was back at St Mungo's again to help with Moody. He had not left the hospital, staying in a longer care room.
"Not much else to do around here," Moody said sullenly. "Can't drink because it's not allowed here for some reason."
"It is a hospital," Pomfrey said dryly.
"Wasn't much of a reader," he continued. "So all I can do is sit here and let you lot poke and prod me and cast your spells." He looked off into the distance. "Dora visits, tell her not to waste too much of her time. Good of her to, though. Albus visited the other day."
Pomfrey nodded. "He mentioned it the other day. Did you two argue who had the bigger pain in their lower back?"
Moody smiled a little. "At least my pain is actual pain and his is from the school Governors."
"Oh the pain from the Governors is actual pain too. Well I am done for the day so I can waste some time poking at your old wounds too. Let me go over a few things with Samantha." She looked at him severely. "You have been polite with Healer Bell I trust?"
"Yeah," he said indignantly. "Like I said, I respect her and her girl."
"Good." Pomfrey left the room and closed the door behind her. "Has he been polite?"
"Yes he has. He's been oddly…compliant to a degree after that day when he was admitted. He won't do absolutely everything, refuses some of the rehab things, but he doesn't fight back aside from grumbling though he saves it for you and Dora." Samantha frowned a little. "I don't know him very well of course but he's somewhat subdued."
Pomfrey sighed. "It happened faster this time."
"What has?"
"He sinks into this state of general malaise and it is difficult to shift when he is in it."
"Most people become withdrawn and even depressed when healing from significant injury," Samantha said slowly. "That's normal."
"Yes it is, but his is even more so. Has he had any other visitors?"
"Amelia has stopped by, as has Sirius briefly. But aside from them, you, Dora, and Dumbledore, he has not." She noticed the look of displeasure on Pomfrey's face. "Should he have more?"
"I had hoped but obviously it was a vain hope." Pomfrey looked equal parts upset and resigned. "We will need to try and lift his spirits somehow but aside from alcohol and fighting, it is difficult to do that with him."
Samantha chewed on her quill tip for a moment before she looked at it and brightened. "I have an idea."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, and it helped Dora."
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Moody looked at the door with confusion. "Stop your knocking and come in," he said gruffly, utterly unsure of who it could be. His confusion grew when the door opened and Harry poked his head in.
"Hello Alastor, may I come in?"
"If you want," Moody said, still confused. He watched Harry close the door behind him and walk over to the bed. "Take a seat. What're you doing here lad?"
"I've been co-opted to help with your healing."
"Have you now?" He snorted. "And just how are you going to do that?"
"Taking you out on a field trip of sorts. You've been stuck here for a while. Let's get some fresh air, some place new."
Moody blinked at him. "Really?"
Harry smiled. "Really. I'm also to tell you that if you refuse, either Dora will help me drag you out or Madame Pomfrey will stun you and we will revive you when we get there."
Moody barked a laugh. "Alright, guess I've no choice. Where're we going?"
"Some place nice."
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Moody leaned on his staff and waved his hand at Harry. "I'll be fine, gimmie a minute." He winced and coughed. "Bloody hell, I'm weaker than I thought. Never thought a Floo would do me in like this."
"Dora said you took some bad spells. She also said you're old so you heal slower." He held his hands up at Moody's glare. "Her words, not mine."
"She ain't wrong. Cheeky, but not wrong." He finally straightened. "Alright, I can get around now." He followed Harry out of the Floo room and into the sitting room. "Your place? It's nice."
"Thanks! Katie and Luna have an eye for decoration." He led Moody out of the home and out the back garden, heading towards the creek that ran around the edge of the neighborhood. He conjured a few chairs and Moody sat down heavily in one of them, grateful for the rest.
"This is a good place," Moody said, looking around. "Peaceful."
"Yeah it is," Harry said proudly. "I did do a privacy ward and some protections around the entire neighborhood, but kept it mostly natural for the outskirts."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while. "So, sawbones and Dora think you can help me then?" Moody asked.
"Well, returning the favor I suppose. I still remember our duel and talk at Firefalls. When I heard that you got hurt, I was worried."
"You were?" Moody asked, surprised.
"Yeah. You helped me a lot during the Horcrux affair and after. I really appreciated all you said to me." Harry looked down at his hand and flexed it slowly. "I'll be honest and say I don't know how to help exactly, but I'm here and game."
"That's good of you," Moody grunted.
"Dora was really worried," Harry said after a while. "I could tell. She's been a bit off the last few days."
"She should be worrying about herself and others," Moody said shortly. "No need to waste it on me."
"I wouldn't say it's a waste," Harry said. "She cares about you."
"I know that," Moody huffed. "Just don't want her wasting time and energy on me."
"Why's that?" Harry asked, a bit surprised at his own boldness.
Moody looked at him appraisingly. "'Cause I'm a broken old relic of a man," he said at last. "I'm getting useless, outdated."
"Rubbish," Harry said. He colored slightly at the glare that Moody gave him. "I meant that respectfully, Sir."
"Don't call me Sir," Moody grunted.
"Alright. Rubbish, Alastor. Dora says the last few Auror classes are actually decent because of you. And if you were useless, we might still be having trouble finding the Horcruxes."
Moody waved a hand to dispel the praise. "Others can train. I'm getting unnecessary, lad. Being old and broken, people shouldn't waste time and energy on people like that."
"What about young and broken?" Harry asked quietly.
"Don't you do that to me," Moody said, pointing a gnarled finger at him. "You are not like me."
"True, but people still saw past how broken I was, multiple times," Harry argued back. "Besides, you said you and I were a lot alike. Survivors."
"Don't go throwing people's words back at them lad," Moody snorted.
"Is it working?" Harry asked with a small smile.
Moody snorted again. "I don't know."
They sat again in silence. The creek bubbled and burbled as it flowed past them. The breeze blew over them, smelling of sunlight and flowers.
"May I ask you something?" Harry asked.
"Can't stop you," Moody said.
"I'm fairly sure you could," Harry said and continued at Moody's lip twitch, "Do you really don't want Dora to be worried about you simply because you're old?"
Moody sighed. "Yeah. Mostly." He sighed and rubbed his natural eye. "I'm pathetic, whinging to a boy a fraction of my age."
"You don't look a day over, well actually I have no idea how old you are," Harry said sheepishly.
Moody grunted. "One of the perks of looking like a mess. Really makes it hard for people to guess how old you are." He looked at Harry for a long time. "Guess I can tell you this one, you might get it." Moody sighed and the sound was deep and heavy, borne from years of hard living and harder experiences. "Since being admitted to St Mungo's, I've had five visitors not counting you: Albus, Dora, Sirius, Amelia, and Poppy. Not sure if Poppy even counts since she was healing my arse too."
He leaned back in his chair heavily. "Sure I've gotten those wastes of parchment cards. 'Get well soon' and all that junk. Though not from the blaggard that Cursed me in the back. Which means I'm not so conflicted when I get back to make him suffer," Moody smiled grimly.
His smile faded. "Don't really got much other friends, none that care enough to visit. And no one from my family cares to either." His smile returned, sour and bitter at Harry's shocked look. "Yeah, I got family members still living. Pretty decent amount of them."
"They didn't come see you? Did they not know you were injured?" Harry asked softly.
"Don't know, and don't care. Not anymore." Moody looked and sounded even older. "I was raised to serve. Serve the family, serve the Wizarding World. So I did what I was raised to. Then this happened." He pointed to his face. "Then I was serving the World and not the Family. I was told to choose and I said I chose to do what I was raised to. They chose to cut me loose."
Harry sat back. "I'm so sorry."
Moody sat back. "I was too."
"Do you know about my past?" Harry asked after a while.
Moody nodded, looking at Harry sadly. "Some of it, what Dora told me."
"That's what you meant back then too, when you said you and I were a lot alike."
"Yeah. We've both had the short end of the wand in lots of ways," Moody whispered. After a moment of silence, he coughed and shook his head. "It does me good to hear that you've gotten a good life now. You deserve it lad."
"Thanks to you," Harry said. He pushed past Moody's dismissive grunt. "You helped during the Horcrux hunt and that night we broke them. You've helped me a lot. I can credit you too."
"Can't stop you," Moody said softly.
"That's why Dora's so worried, isn't she?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, she's got a good heart," Moody said sadly and proudly. "She met some of them and got very upset at them for cutting me out like that. Told her not to bother but she gave them an earful in Diagon once." His smile was whole and genuine. "Now that was a fine day."
"No one scolds quite like her," Harry said. "Learned it from MumAndi."
"Yeah, she's got a sharp tongue too."
"Don't you think you deserve a good life?" Harry asked.
"What do you think," Moody snorted darkly.
"I think you do," Harry said baldly. "As one broken individual to another. You've sacrificed so much so others can have one. You came out of retirement for me to train up the next generations. Not anyone can do that. Or would for that matter."
"It's all I'm good for," Moody mumbled. "Fighting and training and being a cautionary tale."
"It's never too late to change, so I'm told. You have to be younger than Dumbledore, right?"
Moody laughed heartily. "Yeah, he's got years on me, the old coot."
"There you go then," Harry said with spread arms. "Means you got time to do other things. Not saying to stop being an Auror or anything, but you can do other things. Find a family."
"Find a family," Moody repeated quietly. "Just like that?"
"Just like that," Harry repeated quietly.
Birdsong and the breeze filled the silence between them. Moody looked around and took a deep breath, breathing in the sunshine and the scent of the grass and the trees. He took another. Then another.
"You know," Moody said, his voice warm, "there was a time I'd Hex someone who'd come to me with trite sayings like that. For presuming."
"I believe it," Harry smiled. "Just so you know though, there might be some people who'd take Hexing me as an act of aggression and respond accordingly."
Moody laughed. "I do know that. Dora'd be the first."
"You're always welcome to visit. Captain, Oliver I mean, and Tracy and I like to fish. We got lots of nice fishing spots around the village."
"Can I drink?"
"As soon as SamaMum and Madame Pomfrey say you can." Harry grinned at Moody's disgusted snort. They turned when they heard happy shrieking, at the sounds of laughter rapidly approaching.
Dahlia, Hailey, and Hadley came pounding up to them, eyes bright when they saw Harry. When they saw Moody however, Dahlia stopped immediately, causing Hailey to bump her and Hadley to knock them all over into a pile. They scrambled up and clustered around Harry, looking at the grizzled Auror with large eyes.
Harry's heart thumped when he saw Moody looking incredibly soft for a moment. "Girls, this is a good friend of mine. This is Alastor Moody, he helped me a lot when I was younger." They relaxed when Harry said that, no longer hiding behind him but still shy. "Alastor, meet the girls. This is Dahlia, my daughter, and this is Hailey and this is Hadley, my goddaughters."
"Pleasure," Moody said softly.
"Hi. What happened to your face?" Hailey asked.
"Hailey! Don't be rude!" Hadley said and smacked her.
Moody's chuckles were deep and rich as he saw Hailey smack Hadley back. "I'm an Auror," he said kindly. "Did a bit of scrapping and work."
"Oh like Auntie Tonks," Hadley said.
"That's right, I taught her," Moody said proudly.
"Is she going to look like you?" Hailey asked.
"Hailey," Harry sighed and the girl flushed.
Moody laughed harder. "I hope not. I trained her hard so she wouldn't." He noticed the girls alternating their attention between his eye and his leg. "They're fake," he said. "Replacements from when I lost mine from doing my job."
"Mummy says she thinks Daddy and Papa Harry might have to get replacement heads from their jobs," Hadley said, making Moody laugh and Harry huff.
"Do they hurt?" Dahlia asked.
"Sometimes," Moody said quietly. "Not all the time though."
"That's good. Thank you for helping Daddy," she said sincerely.
"You're welcome," Moody said softly. "Was a pleasure to." He coughed. "Say, not all these scars are from bad things. Let me tell you how I got this one."
Katie came up soon, bouncing Iris in her arms. "Sorry love," she said to Harry. "Took my eyes off them for a minute and realized they went looking for you. Didn't mean to interrupt you and Mister Moody."
"It's okay," Harry said comfortably. He smiled as the three little girls shrieked with laughter at Moody describing how a very persistent transfigured chicken had latched onto his chin and left the scar there. "It was a good talk and the girls are having fun, after an awkward question or two."
"Mrs. Potter," Moody greeted her when he finished the story.
"Katie's fine," she said brightly. She noticed Iris looking at Moody curiously and him looking back at her with wonder. "Iris, meet Mister Moody."
"Alastor is fine," he said. He smiled and the expression made his features soften at Iris gurgling happily. "You got a good family, lad."
"I really do," Harry beamed.
"Would you like to hold her?" Katie asked.
"Not…not right now. I'm still a bit shaky from healing," Moody said cautiously.
"Another time then, next you visit," Katie said encouragingly.
"Yeah, that'll be nice," Moody said sincerely.
"Come on girls. Let's let Daddy and Alastor finish their visit. We can get things ready for Daddy to cook dinner later," Katie said.
"Will you stay for dinner?" Dahlia asked Moody.
"Not this time, I need to get back to the hospital but I will next time," he replied.
"Promise?" the girls asked.
"I promise." He looked astonished when the girls hugged him without prompting and the look never left his face when they trooped away, following Katie and Iris in a line. "Those are some good girls," he said at last.
"They sure are," Harry said proudly.
Moody rose slowly but steadily to his feet. "Better haul my arse back to St Mungo's."
Harry walked with him. "Gotta get your strength back before we go fishing. The other day Tracy got pulled into the creek. Granted she was standing on one foot on a slick rock but still."
Moody chuckled. "Always catch something?"
"Most of the time. Occasionally we have to go to Skye Market and bring a fish back and pretend we caught it." Harry joined Moody in his laughter.
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"How did you do it?" Pomfrey gasped, ignoring the irritated look Moody shot at her.
"He wanted to do it himself," Samantha smiled. "Jumped into the rehab exercises without a complaint. Though he started complaining as we were doing them."
"It's tiring," Moody complained.
"There's supposed to be, to help you bring your strength and flexibility up." Pomfrey waved a wand. "No compulsion charms or any other mental magics."
Moody snorted. "None of that. I just need to get back up to snuff. Got to make sure future recruits are proper Aurors and I have a promise or two to keep. I'm an old bastard with lots of problems but I keep my promises."
"Oh speaking of, I have something for you." Samantha gave him a card. Pomfrey's jaw dropped wide when Moody genuinely smiled at the drawing within.
"You got a good daughter and granddaughters," Moody said, tucking the card away carefully.
"And a good son," Samantha said proudly.
"Aye, him too."
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mouzzzik - Thank you so much. My best to you.
Ghostwriter - He's at his best when he does that.
GeniusReader - Thank you very much.
Urgwaew - Thank you so much. I appreciate your kindness. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Iw as happy with how it came out and how soft and fuzzy it was. Speaking of, I did a one shot in the setting, if you did not see it. All my best to you, hope you are doing well.
alix33 - Hedwig patting Harry condescendingly was my favorite part.
odonnellzoo99 - Thank you so much. That part made me laugh outright. It was my favorite too.
Rhys898 - Thank you. Glad you enjoyed.
poka - He used regular garlic. I was trying to suggest that mundane ingredients could be transformed in the right circumstance and that his intent could create a potion of sorts as well as tying in some real world things to the magical.
kaya - I'm glad you think so and are enjoying it.
