Mad-Eye Moody

"Sirius, what happened? There was a sudden burst of magic here, so I rushed over with a team." The man at the head of the group leaned on a cane. His face was hideously scarred, and he wore an eyepatch over one eye. The magical eye beneath it darted wildly in every direction as he looked at the tall and short figures before him. "What's going on?"

Watching the people who had suddenly appeared, Anduin figured they were probably Aurors. Took you long enough. What a bunch of— he grumbled inwardly.

As soon as the group appeared, Sirius led Anduin over to meet them.

"There are two Death Eaters. I recognized them—they were Snape and Avery. Unfortunately, they were both wearing masks, so we probably can't press charges. Those bastards targeted me, and I ended up being chased all the way into Knockturn Alley. Luckily, Anduin stepped in to help me in time. Otherwise, I might not have held out until you got here."

After explaining what had happened, Sirius introduced everyone.

"This is Mad-Eye Moody, a Senior Auror and Hit Wizard with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. And this is Anduin Wilson, a young friend I just met. He's pretty handy—he gave that bastard Avery a real beating. By the way, he's a young wizard who's about to start at Hogwarts this year." Sirius introduced them and then filled Moody in on what had happened.

After hearing the story, Moody fixed his mismatched eyes on Anduin. "Listen, kid. What you did was brave, but this isn't the sort of thing a young wizard like you should be getting involved in. If something like this happens again, don't be so reckless. Your family would be heartbroken if you got hurt."

"Mr. Moody, it won't happen again."

If you lot had gotten here sooner, I wouldn't have had to get involved. Anduin was speechless, but he dutifully admitted his mistake to Moody. He had no desire to argue with someone who looked like Zhong Kui.

"All right, I'll let you off for casting spells outside school this time. I'll get the details and follow up with Sirius. Go home now. Frank, take him back." Moody was no stickler for procedure and didn't give Anduin any more trouble. He called over Frank Longbottom and asked him to escort Anduin home.

"Mr. Moody, I'm an orphan. I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron right now, so I can get back on my own."

"What? Well, Frank should still take you." Moody gave Anduin another look, finally understanding why an Underage Wizard was here. He was staying in Diagon Alley.

Anduin didn't mind and followed Frank out of the alley. What a rotten day. So many things had gone wrong.

"Anduin, thank you! I'll come visit when I can!" Sirius shouted to Anduin as he walked away.

It's the middle of the night. Does he really have to shout like that? What if he wakes someone up? Anduin turned and waved at Sirius, speechless.

Back at the Leaky Cauldron, Anduin thanked Frank Longbottom for bringing him home, then returned to his room.

The events of the day kept flashing through Anduin's mind.

"Death Eaters are far too dangerous. What spell did that Snape fellow cast? It pierced right through—two Obstacle Charms couldn't even stop it. I clearly haven't practiced enough. I need to increase the Magic Power Density of my Obstacle Charm."

Anduin resolved to be even harder on himself. He wouldn't leave the Leaky Cauldron again before school started. He would stay here and train.

After thinking it over, Anduin took out the amulet again. Looking at the Copper Piece that had saved him, he decided to write to Lily tomorrow and give her his heartfelt thanks.

In the days that followed, Anduin remained highly disciplined, sticking to his study plan. He had learned almost all the spells in Beginner Spells and Guide to Self-Defense Against the Dark Arts, and had started reading his Transfiguration, Herbology, and Potions textbooks.

The day after that night, Sirius came to visit Anduin. He told him a lot about his history with the Death Eaters and talked about the Order of the Phoenix, too. It seemed plenty of people in the Wizarding World had heard of the Order, though few knew who belonged to it. Sirius, however, was one of its better-known members.

No wonder someone had targeted him. To Anduin, Sirius was a boastful, loyal, outgoing guy who liked to show off a little. Still, Anduin had a good impression of him.

Before long, Anduin and Sirius became friends, and they started writing to each other.

Anduin also kept up his correspondence with Lily.

After Anduin explained what had happened and thanked her in his letter, Lily was delighted that her Alchemical Gadget had helped him. She thanked him in turn, since Sirius Black was a good friend of hers, and explained that the amulet had been an experimental creation. She was thrilled that it had worked.

Anduin didn't know what to make of that. Who gave someone an experimental amulet without knowing whether it worked? After that, he and Lily discussed how the amulet functioned. He was fascinated by the fact that its spell had stopped a spell powerful enough to slice through two Obstacle Charms. His curiosity drove him to probe its secrets.

Lily was happy to explain the principles behind it, though Anduin couldn't fully follow. He gathered that the amulet had two main components: a Reactive Charm that activated automatically when its wearer was in danger, and a Protective Charm based on Lily's own unique interpretation.

Lily said she had learned the technique from an old book at school. It contained many methods of casting spells by drawing on emotions. Anduin asked her for the book's title, intending to look into it once he got to school.

His correspondence with Sirius was less frequent. It began when Anduin received a package from him one day. Inside were 200 Galleons, which Sirius said were a thank-you gift. In his letter, he wrote that he could have dealt with the two Death Eaters himself, but still wanted to thank Anduin for stepping in.

Anduin had thought Sirius was a decent fellow, but the moment he saw the money, his opinion of the show-off soared. This guy was loaded—who just throws money at someone like that?

Anduin hadn't really planned on keeping in touch with him, but then he thought better of it. He couldn't neglect a big shot like Sirius. Maybe he'd get a few more Galleons out of him someday.

So Anduin still wrote to him now and then, flattering the narcissist, even if it meant enduring Sirius's boastful, exaggerated replies.