In the Goblet of Fire, it was said that he was beaten by Barty Crouch Jr. and Wormtail combined, just because he got rusty in his duelling skills. However, did he manage to defeat any Death Eaters during the Battle of Department of Mysteries? If so, did he manage to restore his magical skills that he possessed when he fought against Death Eaters during the first wizarding war, by the time he fought against the Death Eaters in the Battle of Mysteries?
asked May 10, 2019 at 6:03
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2 Answers
Moody didn’t win in battle at the Ministry.
Though it’s possible Moody was still a skilled duelist despite his defeat by Barty Crouch Jr. and Wormtail, Moody wasn’t seen actually defeating any of the Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries, and from what we do see, he doesn’t seem to have been very successful in that battle. The first time he’s mentioned in the battle is when he and the other Order members arrive through the doors.
“Then, high above them, two more doors burst open and five more people sprinted into the room: Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks and Kingsley.”
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 35 (Beyond the Veil)
The next time Moody is mentioned, he’s been defeated himself by a Death Eater - he’s bleeding from the head and his magical eye came out of its socket and roll away.
“For a moment he thought he had dropped the prophecy, but then he saw Moody’s magical eye spinning away across the floor.
Its owner was lying on his side, bleeding from the head, and his attacker was now bearing down upon Harry and Neville: Dolohov, his long pale face twisted with glee.”
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 35 (Beyond the Veil)
After that, the next time Moody is seen, he’s crawling along the floor to revive Tonks, while Dumbledore immobilized the majority of the Death Eaters who were left.
“Dumbledore had most of the remaining Death Eaters grouped in the middle of the room, seemingly immobilised by invisible ropes; Mad-Eye Moody had crawled across the room to where Tonks lay, and was attempting to revive her; behind the dais there were still flashes of light, grunts and cries – Kingsley had run forward to continue Sirius’s duel with Bellatrix.”
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 36 (The Only One He Ever Feared)
Therefore, it doesn’t seem like Moody defeated any Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries - he seems to have been quickly dispatched and rendered fairly ineffective by Dolohov, as he was unable to get back up and continue fighting.
As Bellatrix mentioned, Moody did not fare so well in the Department of Mysteries. However, that does not mean that he was rusty and hadn't practiced his skills. As I argued in this answer to another of your questions, citing my answer to still another of your questions, Moody was probably subdued by Crouch Jr. and Wormtail because it was a surprise 2-on-1 attack and not because he was rusty. Moreover, as you can see there, I provided examples of virtually all the other Order members also getting defeated at some point, so the fact that Moody lost a duel is not indicative of a significant loss of skills. And finally, as mentioned in both of those answers, even in the beginning of Deathly Hallows Moody was considered the most powerful member:
"You-Know-Who acted exactly as Mad-Eye expected him to," sniffed Tonks. "Mad-Eye said he'd expect the real Harry to be with the toughest, most skilled Aurors. He chased Mad-Eye first, and when Mundungus gave them away he switched to Kingsley...."
