"Did you see that?" McCabbert hissed as they walked away from the Duelling Arena.

They had yet to progress past the targets, something Dora was starting to think that they were never going to get a chance to do before they got their mentors. Tonks was just happy she managed to stay on her feet for longer now. Sure, any sharp twists she had to make meant that she ended up on the ground but it was an improvement. Anything that gave her less bruises was an improvement.

"See what?" Tonks asked.

Her target machine had her facing the middle of the arena, not the seating area around it - her view being blocked by another target machine.

"Auror Moody was watching!"

Now that made Tonks come to a sudden stop.

"Mad-Eye Moody?"

She knew it was wrong to refer to the man by a nickname, especially since it was one that was never said to his face but that's what people called him.

"Don't say that out loud!" The normally restrained girl scolded her frantically, looking around to make sure no one overheard them.

Thankfully they were alone, everyone wanting to get in the showers as quickly as possible after working the target machines so hard. The third-year students that had come in for their scheduled time paid them no attention.

"Are you sure it was him?" Tonks asked.

Come on, everyone knew that the grizzled, old Auror had no time for Trainees. Thought of them as bugs he needed to squash and only taught them proper duelling technique because je said he didn't want anyone else to teach them rubbish habits. He was also the reason that the Trainees hardly got to actually duel other people in the first six months. They certainly hadn't yet and they were now four and a half months in. He claimed that there was no point if they didn't know how to aim or dodge.

"Like you could mistake him for anyone else," McCabbert scoffed.

That was a fair point. He was a very, unique individual.

"What's he doing watching us? I thought he hated Trainees?" Tonks wondered.

She'd heard the grumbles of the man when he had unwillingly tramped down the corridors of the Academy. Apparently, they all got stupider every year. Tonks didn't know whether or not she should take offense to that or not.

"Apparently he checks out the third years but I think that's more to do with seeing who's joining the Auror Force. You know, to be prepared. He doesn't seem to like interacting with them."

"I don't think he likes interacting with anybody."

She didn't think she'd ever seen the man chat casually with someone. Just kind of grumbled and growled at people and did his work and gave orders. It would be weird if it was anyone except for Auror Moody. He just didn't seem to be the type of person to do anything casually.

"He's odd," McCabbert declared after thinking for a moment.

"I think the man has a right to be odd," Tonks pointed out. "What with everything he's done."

He was the Auror with the highest capture rate - capture alive at that. Which was impressive considering the war. He also had the highest conviction rate though when all your bad guys were Death Eaters did that really count? Though, he'd racked up the highest number of convictions in peacetime as well. If you were a criminal, you definitely didn't want Alastor Moody on your trail. You were probably just better off turning yourself in.

"And done to him, I suppose," McCabbert agreed. "I'd be suspicious too if I'd made a lot of enemies and had pieces of me taken out due to said enemies."

An extremely gory thought but it was true. He was missing an eye, a leg, a chunk out of his nose and not to mention the scars that littered his visible skin.

"Think we'll end up with loads of enemies when we're Aurors?" Tonks asked out of morbid curiosity.

McCabbert shrugged. "We aren't in this to make friends."

Well, no, they weren't. Obviously, you couldn't be friends with Dark Witches and Wizards that you had to track down but surely that didn't automatically mean enemies? Tonks didn't know. How did that even work? Maybe Auror Moody had enemies because he went after the worst of the worst? He had been dealing with mostly Death Eaters after all.

"I guess not," Tonks agreed.

"I just hope we don't get as paranoid as him." McCabbert said with a shudder. "I don't want to go around the rest of my life on my tiptoes."

Tonks tried to imagine McCabbert doing that and almost laughed at the funny image.

"Well, technically he's still alive," she pointed out. "So, something must be working for him."

"But being jumpy is hardly living! Would you really wanting to be scared of everything?"

"I don't think he's scared exactly," Tonks mused - the idea of the infamous Alastor Moody being scared of anything was laughable. "But no, I wouldn't."

She would quite like to enjoy herself, thank you very much.

"Told you."

"Yeah, yeah," whatever she said, rolling her eyes.

McCabbert could be too smug sometimes. It was annoying. The two of them continued through the Academy building, just wondering around. They had about a half an hour until their next class and they weren't hungry or anything so wandering about it was. Even after nearly six months here they still hadn't seen a good but of the building.

"Anyway, back to my main point," McCabbert said. "Moody was watching us. Remember?"

"Allegedly."

"He was!"

"He doesn't like Trainees. Everyone knows that. Why on earth would he be watching us?"

"That's why it shocked me!"

The two of them rounded the corner and collided with someone which sent them sprawling to their feet.

Tonks could have sworn that they got pushed back by a something and not an actual person but that thought went completely out of her mind when she realised who they had bumped into.

"Auror Moody, Sir!" McCabbert spluttered out, scrambling to her feet and hauling Tonks up with her.

Which was just as well because she had just been sitting there like a dazed idiot.

"Sir!" She managed to get out.

"Don't call me sir, I work for a living," he growled out, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Uh, well, sure, uh-"

"Do you want to be an Auror, Tonks?" He demanded.

She blinked at him, amazed that he actually knew her name. Then McCabbert nudged her and she realised that she probably should respond.

"Yes, s- I mean, Auror Moody."

"Aurors don't stutter, Trainee. If you want to be an Auror, earn how to talk like one."

And with that, he stomped off, his wooden leg thumping heavily on the ground, saying nothing else.

The two of them remained frozen in place as they tried to process what had just happened and make sure that he wasn't in haring distance. Though, you could never be too sure with Moody they had heard. Some people swore he had magical ears as well as that magical eye of his. Which, by the way? Was very disturbing when it was pinned on you.

"What just happened?" McCabbert spluttered out.