Mundungus and the Locket

[hickengruendler]

No: HPFGUIDX 147708

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Jennifer Nielsen <Jen at ...> wrote:
>
> I'm sure this is obvious to everyone out there but me, but in a re- 
> read of HBP, when Harry catches Mundungus with the things he had  
> "nicked" from Grimmauld Place, he sees him with a silver locket.  I  
> don't read that he ever saw Mundungus with the locket.  Why is it  
> suspected that he has that?  Also, any chance he could have seen  
> Hufflepuff's cup there?
> 
> Jen
>

Hickengruendler:

I don't think it was ever directly mentioned that Mundungus had a 
locket. So you didn't miss anything. But Mundungus being (or having 
been) in the possession of the locket is nonetheless a very good guess. 
If R.A.B. is Regulus (and in my opinion, there is hardly any doubt 
left) than it seems logical, that the locket Harry and his friends saw 
in Grimmauld Place while cleaning up (which incidentily nobody could 
open) is indeed the Slytherin one. First of all, it has a "S" written 
on it, and most of all, it would finally explain, why JKR wrote that 
lengthy scene at all instead of cutting directly to the family tree. 

And if the locket was there, then either of the following could have 
happened to it.

1) It simply stayed there, which a) would be boring, because it would 
be too easy and b) seems higly unlikely, since all the other garbage 
and dark stuff was thrown out, and I see no reason for why they should 
have kept that locket which could have any possible curses on it. 

2) It went out with all the other garbage. Which is of course possible, 
but I do not think so, since it would mean that they practically have 
to start at zero with their search, and the R.A.B. clue seems to be 
totally in vain.

3) Kreacher nicked it. It was among the stuff he brought back into the 
house.

4) And then it could have been stolen by Mundungus when he broke into 
GP12 to steal and sell Sirius' stuff (*hiss* I absolutely hate 
Mundungus Fletcher. And not in a good way. I hate reading about him.) 
This of course is possible in combination with either possibility 1 or 
possibility 3. My guess is that three and four happened. And then it 
could have been among the stuff Mundungus sold to Aberforth.

Hickengruendler