Alastor Moody

Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody is an ex-Auror working for the Order of the Phoenix.

As an experienced Auror, who has lost an eye, leg, and part of his nose while fighting the Dark Arts, Moody is cautious&mdash;some might say paranoid&mdash;and refuses to eat or drink anything which he himself has not prepared. He has a wooden leg that ends with a claw-like foot. He is particularly conspicuous because of his peculiar magical eye which can see through walls, doors, Invisibility Cloaks, and the back of his own head (hence the nickname "Mad-Eye").

In Harry's fourth year, Moody was appointed as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. Some time before the first day of term, however, he was imprisoned in a magical trunk by Barty Crouch Jr, a Death Eater, who used a Polyjuice Potion to take his form in order to replace him, apparently fooling staff and pupils alike. Moody owes his life to the fact that one ingredient of the Polyjuice Potion is a part of the person whose form is to be assumed, such as a tuft of hair. Moody's habit of drinking from his own hipflask allowed Crouch to take the Potion regularly without raising suspicion.

On the night of the final task of the Triwizard Tournament, Crouch attempted to kill Harry, but was stopped by Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape. Having neglected to take his hourly dose of potion, Crouch returned to his own appearance and, under the influence of Veritaserum, he admitted everything.

Harry first meets the genuine Moody just prior to his fifth year at Hogwarts. Moody has joined the newly reformed Order of the Phoenix, and is usually accompanied by fellow Order members Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin, especially while protecting Harry. Moody was part of the Advance Guard that took Harry from Privet Drive to Grimmauld Place. Moody was one of the many people who attended Dumbledore’s funeral.In the seventh HP book he is killed by Voldemort when the Order of the Phoenix are ambushed while moving Harry Potter from Privet Drive to the Burrow. Since Moody was considered the best Auror by the Death Eaters, they assumed that he would be the one protecting the "real" Harry Potter.

Dark Detectors and other items
Along with his magical eye, wooden leg, and wand Moody has many useful items in his possession. He had two Invisibility Cloaks, though he lent one to Sturgis Podmore, which was never returned. He also possesses a magical trunk with seven compartments (one in which Barty Couch Jr hid the real Moody during his year at Hogwarts), along with the keys for each compartment. He had many items known as Dark Detectors; among these detectors were a Foe-Glass, a large Sneakoscope, and a Secrecy Sensor. He also had a black traveling cloak, a long staff, and a silver drinking flask. In the films, Moody has a modified eye patch to help hold his magical eye in place. Also as shown in the Order of the Phoenix film, Moody has a specialised broom.

Death?
When the Order of the Phoenix is removing Harry from number 4, they are ambushed by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Some members have taken Polyjuice Potion to create 6 decoy Harrys. Mundungus is with Moody and Voldemort attacks them first, believing Harry will have the best protection, Mad-Eye being the obvious choice. Mundungus disapparates and Moody is hit full on in the face by a curse of Voldemort's. After he apparently dies, his eye is taken by Dolores Umbridge and placed in her door so she can spy on people. During their visit to the Ministry, Harry manages to steal back the eye. He later gives the eye a burial. It is unclear whether Mad Eye was actually killed or not. There was no body discovered, and there was a man "with a bandage over one eye" in the chapter Gringotts.

Brendan Gleeson plays Moody on screen in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. "Moody" means "temperamental" or "sulky."