deathtocapslock | GOF Chapter 13: Mad-Eye Moody

First day of classes, where we get reintroduced to the teachers we missed since last book (or didn't).

Hermione thinks Arithmancy is sensible. Last year she thought it was hard. Whatever her opinion, we never see her doing anything with it. Other than learning it is a required subject for curse breakers we never learn what it is about. (And even then, it never comes in handy when dealing with the locket or the goblins' curses at Gringotts.)

Hermione realized a quiet hunger-strike of one isn't the best way to take a political stand. It leaves one hungry and unheard. Since it is Ron who notices her eating this adds to their Soulmates count, on Ron's side.

The Malfoys send their son treats by eagle owl. Is that because there were so many treats they need a large owl? (I bet if peacocks could fly his package would have been delivered by one of those.) How come Harry knows so much about the different species of owls? He isn't knowledgeable about any other type of animal.

Undiluted bubotuber pus does funny things to the skin. Hermione will discover just how funny. Diluted it cures the more stubborn forms of acne. Except Eloise's - she is still pimply next year. Hermione files all this away, ready to invent bubotuber-resistant pimples.

Hagrid introduces the kids to the creatures he will menace them with this year - newly hatched blast-ended-skrewts.

Hagrid has no idea what to feed the things - are they herbivores? Insectivores? Carnivores? Do they feed on Dark magical energies? No idea. Because he just bred them himself. He isn't even sure which ones are the males and which are the females. To remind you, last year they had one lesson about how to approach hippogriffs and then many about flobberworms. I can see how finding out for oneself how an unknown creature should be taken care of might be a suitable advanced project for NEWT-level students who have a lot of experience with a variety of familiar animals, but for students who have practically zero hand-on knowledge (thanks to the excellent teaching they got the previous year) this is completely inappropriate.

Draco describes the situation succinctly: "Well, I can certainly see why we're trying to keep them alive. Who wouldn't want pets that can burn, sting and bite all at once?"

Hermione counters him just to suck up to Hagrid.

Now Ron notices Hermione is eating unusually fast. A keen eye he has for his true love!

Trelawney is, in a way, the Neville Longbottom of Divination. She is much more powerful than she believes or knows. If she only had the confidence to be herself she'd have made a real name for herself in her field, without the extra posturing. Here she is correct in predicting difficult times for Harry, sooner than he may think. The only reason Harry wasn't dreading anything at the moment was because he forgot he had a vision of Tom and Peter plotting his death. And while she gets Harry's birthday wrong, it is the accurate birth date for Tom, a fragment of whom is in Harry's head. And her horoscope is accurate for Tom.

"when two Neptunes appear in the sky, it is a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born" - supporters of Seer!Ron saw this as the description of the creation of BabyMort.

So did Ron get to see Lavender's Uranus? Maybe two years from now.

Rita Skeeter published an unflattering article about Arthur that was entirely correct, except for his name. Draco takes the opportunity to provoke Ron, but gets provoked by Harry instead. This is an unusual occurrence in the series, usually the Gryffindors are the first to escalate from words to wands (or fists, as the case may be).

Draco is cowardly and scumming for attacking Harry from behind, as opposed to the twins at the end of this book who are gallant to attack Draco et al like that. 'Moody' transforms Draco into a pure white ferret. Even as an animal Draco looks good. (Would Weasleys be ginger weasels? Whatever mammal Harry and Hermione would be forced to transform to would certainly have the messy or bushy coat.) Crabbe tries to pick ferret!Draco up. This is the book where Crabbe and Goyle start having somewhat distinct personalities. 'Moody' bounces ferret!Draco on the stone floor until he is squealing with pain. And when back in human form he is brilliantly pink and winces when he stands back up. Which means the experience was not only humiliating and scary but also outright painful. Nor do we know how long 'Moody' would have continued if it weren't for Minerva's intervention.

Obviously 'Moody' did it to ingratiate himself with Harry, as well as to get back at Lucius, whom Barty resents for living in freedom and comfort with his Imperius defense, playing at Muggle torture for fun and popularity but abandoning the Dark Lord. But how does he come across to the adults? This stunt took place in the entrance hall - there were many witnesses, including Minerva. Anyone else could have shown up. There would be gossip among students. I'm sure that by the end of the day Albus heard of the incident. Is he thinking this fits right with his friend's paranoid attitude over the recent years, the reason he is no longer in the field - first shunted off to teaching recruits, then to retirement? Or is he beginning to suspect he is dealing with an impostor?

One hint can be found in what he says to Draco in the aftermath: "Well, I know your father of old, boy ... You tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son ..." Was Alastor Moody involved in Lucius' interrogation? I doubt he was inclined to accept the Imperio plea. Did he use hurtful and humiliating magic that fell just short of Unforgivables in attempt to get Lucius to confess that his claim to having been forced to act for the Dark Lord was false? If so 'Moody' was being completely in character here. And of course being overzealous with a son because his father was even worse is the thing to do in Albus' circle. (BTW 'Moody's statement about knowing Lucius is of course also true for Barty.)

Severus Snape is another old acquaintance of Moody's (and of Barty's, of course, though possibly more from school than from DE activities, based on their ages). And not because he was ever caught raiding, but because he confessed. I'm pretty sure Moody himself was involved in his interrogation, because there was risk he'd expose things Albus wanted kept secret.

Ron's enjoyment of Draco's predicament is gallant. Draco's enjoyment of Harry or Ron's reactions to his taunts (direct or by proxy) is mean.

Hermione realizes 'Moody' was going too far, which means she has yet to lose her conscience completely (though in the previous book she hit Draco for insulting Hagrid and her only concern when she and her friends knocked Severus out was that they might get in trouble).

Moody is so cool! He really knows what it's like to fight the Dark Arts. Or perhaps to practice them... I wonder what he demonstrated in the twins' class.