The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

Alastor Moody

Alastor Moody

The man had his back to the doorway as Lily ran into the Defense Against the Dark Arts room, but the moment she'd crossed the threshold of the door, he flicked his wand over his shoulder and the class door banged shut and the sound of clicking locks filled the air. "Have a seat Miss Evans," growled the professor, never turning his head.

Lily practically ran to take the empty seat beside Remus, tugging her book from her bag as she put it down at her feet.

The man had been breaking the chalk that lined the lip of the blackboard, snapping the pieces into little nubs and making a pile of them at one end. Now that they were all in and seated, he cleared his throat, dusted off his hands and turned around, looking them over, a frown on his face. His uncovered eye roved over them quickly, then zeroed in on Remus. "You're Lyall Lupin's kid," he said. It wasn't really a question, but Remus nodded. The man's eye swiveled then to Sirius. "And you. You're one of the Black boys."

"Yes, sir," Sirius answered.

The man licked his lower lip slowly, studying him. "I remember you. And your father. Orion Black, a regular patron of Knockturn Alley, I recall. Interesting. So you're in Gryffindor, are you?"

"Yes, sir," Sirius said.

"Well then. Your parents must be... very proud, I'm sure," he mused. Then, with a nod, and not another word on the topic of their identities, he turned away, walking across the room to the open windows. He seemed lost in a day dream as he stood there for several long moments, his arms folded across his chest, fingers rapping against his elbow. The students looked at one another uncomfortably as he seemed to have forgotten they were there at all. Then, suddenly, still staring outside, he quietly muttered, "Constant vigilance."

Lily could tell the boys were just as confused as she was by the expressions on their faces.

The man took another long moment of staring out at the grounds before turning back to face them. "Write that down," he said. He magicked the shutters closed on the window and with a click a little brass hook held them fast. "CONSTANT vigilance." He'd roared the first word.

There was a hurried scratching of quills on parchment. Lily underlined the phrase twice to remind herself of the emphasis the man had put into the words.

"What's the best way to deflect Dark Magic? By expecting it. Always. Knowing at any moment you could fall prey to it. These are dark times, dark arts are being practiced all around. Your defenses are useless unless you are prepared and ready to face them. Keep your eyes shut – you're dead." The man walked swiftly back across the room to the chalk board, snatched the chalk from where it hovered in front of the board and scrawled messily CONSTANT VIGILANCE across the slate. He circled it. "Everyone asks me how I have done it, staying alive in a job like I've got, and this -" he rapped the board with his knuckles, "- is the only difference between myself and any other wizard. Anyone who does not stay constantly upon his toes is apt to fall prey to the wizard that calls himself the Dark Lord and his followers. You're likely to be killed. Cursed! Fed poison! Blasted to bits! Plenty of ways to end up dead."

Lily was leaning back in her chair, eyes wide. His roughness was startling and attitude terrifying. The way he was making out, there were dangers all around, lurking in the very corridors of Hogwarts... But surely Hogwarts was safe, Lily thought, wasn't it?

Remus timidly raised his hand.

"What?" the man asked gruffly.

Remus looked like he'd swallowed a toad. "It's just, um, please sir – who exactly are you?"