He also speaks with Gleeson's natural Irish accent, although his nationality appears to be Scottish, seeing as his impostor wears a kilt in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire during the Yule Ball. His nationality is never identified in the book, although Moody is a surname common in both Ireland and Scotland, while Alastor (sometimes spelt Alistair) is a Scottish first name. The one thing we've got on our side is that You-Know-Who doesn't know we're moving you tonight. We've leaked a fake trail to the Ministry, they think you're not leaving until the thirtieth. However, this is You-Know-Who we're dealing with so we can't just rely on him getting the date wrong." — Alastor Moody briefing Harry before the battle [src] Working hard and using all of his cunning, Crouch, as Moody, ensured that Harry Potter would get into the Triwizard Tournament and ascend to the Third Task. Upon doing so, Voldemort used Harry Potter to return to life in a body of his own with all its powers once again. When Crouch learned of this upon Harry's return, he tried to murder him, but Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Severus Snape stopped him. Potions: As an Auror, Moody was proficient in potion-making, as he had to have received at least an Exceeds Expectations in his O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. for this subject. [45] Indeed, Moody was capable of brewing the highly complex Polyjuice Potion, making enough of it to disguise all seven of the willing participants of the Battle of the Seven Potters as Harry Potter, to ensure the latter's safety, showing his great talent in this field. [12]

Alastor Moody was tough, brave and a consummate survivor, as well as an excellent fighter. He had a gruff, surly disposition. Having encountered many dangerous experiences throughout his career, he was hyper-paranoid and thought of by many as being delusional. [11] [27]Herbology: As an Auror, Moody was skilled in Herbology, as he had to have received at least an Exceeds Expectations in his O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. for this subject. [45] He was also friendly with Bill, Charlie, and Ginny. After he was killed, the Weasley family was devastated. Bill, along with Remus Lupin, went to search for Moody's dead body. Harry could not quite comprehend it. Mad-Eye dead; it could not be... Mad-Eye, so tough, so brave, the consummate survivor." — Harry Potter's reaction on Moody's death [src] In 1994, he agreed to Albus Dumbledore's request to become the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts; [11] however, he was kidnapped just prior to taking up the position by Barty Crouch Jnr, who subsequently disguised himself as Moody as part of a plan to kidnap Harry Potter on the instructions of Lord Voldemort. [15]

Igor Karkaroff was sent to Azkaban and held there until he offered to give up the names of a number of his fellow Death Eaters in exchange for a lighter sentence. Moody was present at Karkaroff's trial held sometime after Voldermort's fall on 31 October 1981, where he made his dislike of the defector very clear. The former Death Eater offered in vain the names of Antonin Dolohov, Evan Rosier, Travers, Mulciber, and Severus Snape, all of whom seemed to have already either been killed, captured, or defected. Moody bought or inherited his wand at some point before his formal magical education began. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but his house is unrecorded in Ministry records. [4] He was known to be an excellent student however, gaining at least an 'Exceeds Expectations' mark in five N.E.W.T. subjects. [19] He was also friendly with Hermione Granger. Hermione and Moody fought at several battles together, but, when Moody was killed, Hermione was devastated.All the while, Crouch did his part in Voldemort's plan. Moody's life was spared due to Crouch needing his hair to create the Polyjuice Potion, and wanting to question Moody for his behaviour, patterns and such, so Crouch could successfully imitate him, all the while keeping Moody captive under the Imperius Curse. [15] According to his file, Alastor Moody was 6' 2" and weighed 183 lbs. Whether this weight accounted for his prosthetic leg (which, in the films where the file is seen, is made of metal and thus would presumably be significantly heavy) or not is unknown. [4] In the films, Moody is portrayed considerably different from his literary counterpart. Differences between his description in the book and his portrayal on film include his magical eye being held in place by an eye patch-like strap and brass ring, having a less mutilated face, including a full nose instead of a piece of it missing. In the films he has hair that is blonde but greying rather than hair that is completely grey, and is somewhat overweight. His artificial leg in the films is made of metal rather than wood.