Mundungus Fletcher
Mundungus’ Bio & Life
Early Life
Although little else about Mundungus’s childhood is known, we do know that he was born into the Fletcher family in either the United Kingdom or Ireland before 1962.
He obtained a wand at the age of eleven and spent seven years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For reasons unknown, even the Ministry of Magic does not know what House he got Sorted into.
Wizarding War
Mundungus joined the Order of the Phoenix sometime around 1970 after it was recently formed. He had a terrible reputation as a criminal and was therefore disliked by his fellow members, but he was extremely loyal to Albus Dumbledore, who had bailed him out of some trouble. The Order was able to learn a lot from him by using his connections in the figurative underworld. However, Mundungus insulted Aberforth Dumbledore and he was permanently barred from the Hog’s Head Inn sometime in 1975.
Imprisonment and escape
Mundungus had apparently been removing valuables from the Order’s headquarters and selling them since Sirius’ death in 1996. The entire 12 Grimmauld Place house was given to Harry in Sirius’ will, and Harry caught Fletcher in the act of selling stolen the Black’s family silver to the Hog’s Head bartender. Harry physically confronted Mundungus before he disappeared and went underground. It wasn’t clear where he was, but the Daily Prophet reported later that he had been caught and taken to Azkaban for pretending to be an Inferius. He presumably escaped during the 1997 mass breakout as described by Kingsley Shacklebolt.
Battle of the Seven Potters
After being released from Azkaban, Mundungus was appointed to be a Six Order member who used Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as Harry Potter on the night of his escape from Dursleys’ house, so the Death Eaters would be confused as to which one was the real Harry Potter. Mundungus was hesitant to do so, fearing he would become a target. In the Battle of the Seven Potters, Mundungus was riding a broomstick right behind Alastor Moody when Voldemort pursued them, which left Moody to be struck by the Killing Curse that Voldemort had directed at Mundungus (camouflaged as Harry Potter).
The Locket
Upon arriving at Grimmauld Place and finding out who R.A.B. was, Hermione remembered the locket that not one of them was able to open. The Trio recalled that Kreacher had been taking things they were trying to get rid of, so they looked in Kreacher’s sleeping area. They didn’t find anything, so Harry called Kreacher. Kreacher stated the locket was unresolved business for him because he had been instructed to destroy it but had been unable to. He also claimed Mundungus had taken it from him.
Harry won Kreacher to his side by giving him one of his old master’s lockets and telling him that they were going to eliminate the locket, he then sent him to locate Mundungus. Kreacher came back a few days later with Mundungus and got him to confess that he had taken the locket, however Dolores Umbridge forcefully took it from him.
Personality + Traits
Mundungus was a small-time, deceitful criminal who specialized in small crimes to generate as much money as he could. Everywhere he went he would steal valuable things, like at 12 Grimmauld Place. Mundungus stole many items from Sirius Black after he died, most notably, Salazar Slytherin’s Locket. He was also known to be a coward, having left Alastor Moody in the middle of the Seven Potters Battle which resulted in Moody being killed by Lord Voldemort. Mundungus may also have participated in the War of Hogwarts, and if so, likely persevered and afterward kept working as a shady artifact dealer.
Mundungus seemed to have more courage than people like Peter Pettigrew. Even though he often ran away when things looked bad, he never really turned on the Order of the Phoenix. Also, most of his crimes were theft and robbery. He never hurt or killed anyone directly, which shows he seemed to have some compassion and decency. He could be loyal and pay back debts, even if it was only to Dumbledore.
Magical abilities and skills
Apparition
Mundungus Fletcher, like most competent adult wizards, was adept at successfully apparating at will, but he occasionally made a loud noise while doing so.
Charms
Mundungus was able to construct a non-corporeal Patronus Charm, a very sophisticated piece of magic and a sign of great magical aptitude and talent considering the enormity of the casting difficulties.
Martial magic
While Mundungus was not a very brave guy and therefore prone to avoiding risky confrontations wherever possible, whether by disguising himself to avoid those he would rather not cross or fleeing the Battle of the Seven Potters, he was a decent duellist, albeit not as adept as some. Even though Although he had once been defeated by an enforcer from a dangerous cabal and was not willing to confront Patricia Rakepick, he became one of the Order members on rotation who were entrusted with guarding Harry Potter after Lord Voldemort returned, who spoke for the Order’s confidence in his skill to stand his ground when it counted.
Nonverbal magic
After Harry caught Mundungus red-handed outside the Three Broomsticks Inn in 1996 stealing some of Sirius’ things, Mundungus was able to execute a non-verbal spell (perhaps the Revulsion Jinx) to get away from Harry’s grasp. This suggests that he was a strong and skilled wizard, given the difficulties of casting spells without using words.
Potions
Mundungus had shown some skill in the creation of potions when he made one that caused the drinker to perceive out of tune music to sound better than it really did.
Asset Acquisition
Mundungus was retained in the Order due to his propensity for acquiring material or intellectual resources, which was a capacity he possessed. Mundungus was quite ingenious in his abilities to acquire anything the Order of the Phoenix asked of him, whether it was an enchanted car or just black market information. Mundungus was not one to let something valuable to him or his comrades escape his grasp, whether as a thief or an informant. Consequently, despite his services to his allies, this proclivity gained him a poor reputation.
Music
Mundungus was a somewhat talented novice musician and songwriter and had composed the tune “Solowithmio.” He couldn’t play the guitar very well though, so he employed a potion to persuade a crowd that he was actually a talented player.
Possessions
Wand
Mundungus possessed a wand of unknown length, wood, and core composition. Prior to beginning his first year of magical studies at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he presumably bought his wand from Ollivanders in Diagon Alley. He used his wand as an antiquities merchant as well as a member of the Order of the Phoenix throughout his adult life.
Invisibility cloak
Mundungus Fletcher possessed an Invisibility Cloak that he utilized to conceal himself in dangerous situations. It is unclear how he came to possess such a valuable magical tool.
Relationships
Order of the Phoenix
Mundungus did not get along with the majority of the members of The Order of the Phoenix. They didn’t like him because he was a criminal, but tolerated him because his criminal relationships might provide him with information concerning Lord Voldemort.
Harry Potter
In order to discover more about Salazar Slytherin’s Locket, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley abducted Mundungus in 1997. Mundungus confessed that he gave Dolores Umbridge the locket. This prompted Harry, Hermione and Ron to infiltrate the Ministry so they could retrieve and destroy the locket.
Fred and George Weasley
George and Fred Weasley appeared to get along well with Mundungus. Behind their mother’s back, he smuggled products for their Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes joke store in Diagon Alley, like Venomous Tentacula seed which he charged 10 Galleons for. Fred and George dubbed him “Dung.”
From the Book (Behind the Scenes – Fandom)
- The way Mundungus looks in the seventh movie is very different from how he is described in the books. People say that he has scruffy hair, skinny legs, and bloodshot eyes. In the movie, he is bald, his legs are normal, and his eyes aren’t red.
- Mundungus never makes an appearance in the fifth movie. It’s not clear why J.K. Rowling didn’t tell the filmmakers to include Mundungus as she had advised that Kreacher should be included, since Mundungus, like Kreacher, plays a big role in the adventure by giving the locket to Umbridge. One possible reason is that it was a lot easier to introduce Mundungus’s character later on.
- Elizabeth Tassel, a prominent character in “The Silkworm” by J. K. Rowling, was reported to have had a Doberman called Fletcher who passed away before the novel started.