Musing About Mundungus

[ftah3]

No: HPFGUIDX 34307

> Tabouli wrote:
> > Mundungus Fletcher is mentioned at the end of GoF as one of 
> the "old 
> > crowd" that presumably will be helping Dumbledore fight 
Voldemort.  
> > Several people have pointed out hints that Mundungus is not to be 
> > trusted:  his name itself (Mundungus means trash or something), 
and 
> > the fact that Percy Weasley believes he put in a false claim for 
> tent 
> > damage at the QWC. 
> > 
> > I found another strike against Mundungus. Towards the beginning 
of 
> > CoS, Arthur Weasley complains about a hard night at work: "Nine 
> raids! 
> > Nine! And old Mundungus Fletcher tried to put a hex on me when I 
> had 
> > my my back turned."  Hmmm, and Dumbledore considers this guy an 
> ally?

When I first read that bit, where Dumbledore includes Mundungus 
Fletcher in the "old crowd," I thought it was a scream.  Let's see, 
Dumby's got on his side (not just in terms of the "old crowd"):

- normal, respectable, level-headed, if slightly uptight, McGonnagal
- normal, respectable Mr. & Mrs. Weasley
- nasty, ill-tempered, probable-ex-DE Snape
- hot-headed, possibly suffering from PTSD due to incarcaration in 
Azkaban Black
- secretive werewolf but otherwise normal and very dependable Lupin
- off his rocker and also possibly PTSD afflicted due to 
incarceration in a travel trunk Moody
- whiney, spastic, goofy, loyal to an often serious fault Hagrid
- crotchety, sneaky, wierd Mundungus Fletcher
- three talented but admittedly young and barely-trained students
- a phoenix
and
- Arabella Figg, about whom all we know is that she was obsessed with 
cats until she supposedly tripped over one and broke her leg, and 
possibly kept an eye on Harry

Strangely, I now have great faith in the future success of the Good 
Guys.  With colorful rabble like that inspiring loads of 
underestimation while probably hiding a great deal of potential and 
latent talent, Go Dumby & Co!

But then, I am rather partial to the underdogs....  :-P

cindysphinx wrote:
> I have a hunch that I know who Mundungus will turn out to be.  Rita 
> Skeeter is based on the worst stereotypes of journalists.  
Misquoting 
> people.  Ruining reputations.  Printing private information.  Fudge 
> is the stereotypical politician. Waffling.  Possibly untrustworthy.
> 
> Based on that, Mundungus ought to be the stereotypical lawyer.  
> Filing frivolous claims.  Sneaky.  Dishonest.  

Hm, I can see the dots connected, there.  But you have a very good 
point when you say:
 
> What I can't figure out, though, is why the wizarding world would 
> suddenly have lawyers.  Heaven knows, the wizarding world could 
> certainly use a few decent defense lawyers, and a few competent 
> prosecutors wouldn't go amiss.  But we are poised for a war with 
> Voldemort, and I don't understand why Dumbledore's team would 
> suddenly need legal counsel.  

I don't think a lawyer would be of great use.  And I think that 
Fletcher's M.O. to date seems more like the type of person who 
constantly *needs* a lawyer (to get off on lesser charges for 
attempting to hex people behind their backs, and for the filing of 
frivolous lawsuits).  He sounds like the typical on-in-years fellow 
who has little else to do with his time than bug the heck out of 
people.  

He reminds me of...the guy that runs the bait shop, or the old guy 
who works at the gas station.  The one who drives everybody nuts, but 
if you sit down and talk to him, you find out that he's a war veteren 
with fascinating and terrible stories to tell, and who knows more 
about how to kill a man with one bullet at a hundred yards in a 
hurricane than you think it's good for a sane man to know.  The kind 
who is wierd because if he wasn't wierd he'd be really dangerous, and 
he rather knows it.

Uh.  Rrrrright.  I think I just had an attack of "somebody I know 
gets together with slim text evidence and is birthed into a character 
who doesn't actually exist in the book in question," and is far more 
hypothetical than belongs on a list which is not a fanfic list, I'm 
thinking.  But it's a possibility...maybe...probably not.

Moving along,
Mahoney