11.29.05
Is Mundungus Really A Thief?
Ok, so I was over at the MuggleNet forums and somebody mentioned in passing that Aberforth Dumbledore was present when Harry caught Mundungus “selling” Sirius’ stuff in Half-Blood Prince. I must have missed this the first time through, so I went back and read the passage. A few things about the passage struck me as quite odd, and I’m wondering if anybody agrees with me.
First there’s Aberforth. The beginning of the passage states: (bold emphasis mine)
The exceptions were two men a little ahead of them, standing just outside the Three Broomsticks. One was very tall and thin; squinting through his rain-washed glasses Harry recognized the barman who worked in the other Hogsmeade pub, the Hog’s Head. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione drew closer, the barman drew his cloak more tightly around his neck and walked away, leaving the shorter man to fumble with something in his arms.
We know that the Hog’s Head barman is Aberforth. He’s obviously meeting Mundungus and when he sees Harry, he immediately takes his leave. What’s more, he draws his cloak around his neck as he does. To hide something? It was cold that day, but it appears that he is trying to hide his neck from Harry and co. Hmm, what could someone have on their neck that they’d try to hide? A locket perhaps? Ok, now skip ahead a few lines. Harry realizes that the stuff falling out of Mundungus’ case is from the Black mansion, and in a rage he pins him to the wall, choking him: (again bold italics mine)
“Harry, you mustn’t!” shrieked Hermione, as Mundungus started to turn blue.
There was a bang, and Harry felt his hands fly off Mundungus’s throat. Gasping and spluttering, Mundungus seized his fallen case, then — CRACK— he Disapparated.
Harry swore at the top of his voice, spinning on the spot to see where Mundungus had gone.
“COME BACK, YOU THIEVING — !”
“There’s no point, Harry.” Tonks had appeared out of nowhere, her mousy hair wet with sleet.
“Mundungus will probably be in London by now. There’s no point yelling.”
“He’s nicked Sirius’s stuff! Nicked it!”
“Yes, but still,” said Tonks, who seemed perfectly untroubled by this piece of information. “You should get out of the cold.”
Ok, first of all, why did Harry’s hands fly off Mundungus’ throat with a bang? It doesn’t appear that Mundungus has his wand out to do anything about Harry choking him, and it seems if he did he would have stopped Harry choking him before it got to the point where he’s turning blue. It must have been Tonks. Okay, but why? Why would she have allowed Mundungus to get away? I can see her stopping Harry from doing something drastic, but she could have at least gotten close enough to Mundungus to prevent his escape before she did it. And then her exchange with Harry is even more peculiar. She tells Harry that Mundungus will be in London by now and not to yell. How does she know where Mundungus is going? I realize the Order is in London, but there’s no particular reason for him to go there, so why does Tonks say that’s where he’s going when it would’ve made much more sense for her to just say “It’s too late, he’s gone”? She also seems to be pretty keen to get Harry to stop yelling and attracting attention. And then there’s her complete lack of concern that Mundungus is apparently stealing Black family heirlooms (which are her heirlooms too) and selling them to whoever. I realize that she is depressed about her situation with Lupin at this time, but shouldn’t she be just a little upset or angry? I mean, I’ve been depressed before and if anything it sets me on edge and makes my temper a little sharper.
So what, if anything, is going on here? Is it possible that Mundungus is on some mission for the Order? That he’s transferring Black artifacts to others for a reason? Maybe Aberforth is a spy for the Order? Maybe Dumbledore arranged for him to take certain items into safekeeping? But then, Dumbledore seemed to believe that the locket was in the cave. So if it was the locket on Aberforth’s neck, that would indicate that both Mundungus and Aberforth are doing things behind Dumbledore’s back. Could Aberforth be a Death Eater? Or is he just a greedy opportunist like Mundungus? As you can tell, I don’t really have a theory here, it’s just that this passage raises so many questions. I’d like to know what others think of it.
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weenie said,
November 29, 2005 at 8:25 am
Nice blog, which I came across on the Blog Rocket!
Not had time to see the latest HP film yet but unlike you, Goblet of Fire is my favourite book of the series. Order of the Phoenix I found tedious, HB Prince was better but did drag on a bit.
Am looking forward to how it all ends for Harry - yeah, I reckon Rowling is going to kill him off!
euniice_`` said,
November 30, 2005 at 12:21 am
Hey…juz read ur post and i didn’t really notice about Aberforth and Mundungus that incident. Mayb ur right. But when you said that how did Tonks know where Mundungus heading to..well, she DID say probably, so maybe she’s juz guessing. Aberforth could be the one holding the locket. Maybe he’s the one who destroyed one of Voldemort’s horcrux. Since in a note enclosed with it was signed the initials of R.A.B unless i’m much mistaken. But, yeah. Good observation on that one.=)
RavenclawWit said,
November 30, 2005 at 2:11 am
How would R.A.B. relate to Aberforth Dumbledore? Most are of the opinion that R.A.B refers to Regulus Black, Sirius’ brother.
Michael said,
December 4, 2005 at 11:06 pm
Interesting…
It could be that, but just as equally…
Given the rain and cold, he could have bundled up even more into his jacket. I have done this many times in the snow or rain.
Tonks saving mundungus and not stopping him could be due to the fact Mundungus is a OOTP member and I could also see that they are probably used to his petty theiving and need his talents. She may also not have known he had robbed sirius until Harry said something and given her depression and the greater issues of the day, she probably didn’t care all that much. Remember different people handle depression differently.
At this point Keeping Harry alive is the MOST important task of the OOTP.
As far as london, it is probably the best place to fence things. He is probably heading to knockturn alley or something else. I have a feeling Dung is either in London or Hogsmeades. Seems the type.
I thought Aberforth is a squib but I could be wrong. I think he is going to play a nice part in Book 7 though.
RavenclawWit said,
December 5, 2005 at 5:51 am
Yeah, like I said, I don’t really have a theory about this passage, but I do definitely think there’s more than meets the eye going on. And I definitely agree and will actually say with 100% certainty that Aberforth will have a larger role in book 7. As for him being a squib, I don’t think so. I believe Albus said that his wand was snapped in two for practising “inappropriate charms on a goat”. Who knows whether he was kidding or not.
Michael said,
December 14, 2005 at 6:53 pm
I thought the squib thing came from a JK interview, but I don’t remember. Yeah… 100% he has a bigger role.. I think she mentioned that in the mugglenet interview that was awesome (even if they missed a few obvious questions… LIKE HOW IS A FREAKIN HORCRUX MADE!!!)
jane said,
February 13, 2006 at 3:53 pm
That’s a great posting RcW. Maybe he did not steal anything in the proper sense but only took hold of the things Sirius sorted away as garbage in the OOTP book? Besides, we do not know what was the thing Aberforth got from him - presuming there was something to get. Since I do not want to believe either of them bad, and they would not be doing good things behind Dumbledore’s back, as you rightly say, it was something other than the locket - but maybe something pointing to the cave as the locket’s whereabouts. Or it was the locket, but masked as something more innocent, so that Dumbledore thought that the real one was still in the cave… Unless of course Dumbledore knew the cave was a fake and only needed to stage his own death - and took Harry along as he needed a witness for him drinking a poison.
Anyway, as always, I have no clear theory, but in any case you are making a very good point.
RavenclawWit said,
February 13, 2006 at 4:51 pm
I too, don’t have any particular theory on this, but I’m pretty sure this scene will become important in the next book. By the way, Jane, I wanted to say how much I appreciate all of your comments on the blog recently. It’s fun to have people read and comment so we can have interesting discussions!
jane said,
February 13, 2006 at 5:35 pm
Thank you RcW (I am a Hufflepuff according to the sorting test by the way
) It is fun discussing - maybe in a way more fun than reading, and it is a pity that in somewhat over a year there will be nothing more left to play guessing games about 
By the way was just thinking that Dumbledore did not think very high of Aberforth, thinking of him as a black sheep in the family (i think that was the context, when they were discussing “bad” relatives), so it could be, still, that Aberforth does something behind Dumbledore’s back, but not because he is evil, but rather because he wants to prove his brother that he is worth more than everyone thinks. How about this?
RavenclawWit said,
February 13, 2006 at 7:10 pm
Oh yes, as excited as I am to find out what happens in book 7, I dread it as well. All of our theory making will be over.
Interesting speculation about Aberforth. Dumbledore’s relationship with him has always puzzled me. He never talks about him, besides that one comment about having his wand snapped in half for “practising innappropriate charms on a goat”. I’ve always wondered how much truth there is in that statement. It seems rather a silly thing to have your wand snapped in half for. Is it possible that Aberforth did have his wand snapped in half, but perhaps for something a bit more serious? But we know that Albus must have contact with him, right? He tells Harry in book 6 that he sometimes gives his custom to the Hog’s Head. One wonders if it isn’t simply a change of scenery that makes him visit the Hog’s Head occasionally.
jane said,
February 14, 2006 at 8:51 am
a wild speculation: aberforth was the one who accompanied regulus in the cave. the fact that he had his wand broken in half = his wizard status ruined allowed him on the boat without the cave noticing two persons. then he would have known all along, and dumbledore two, that the locket had been replaced, and would have asked mundungus to fetch it from the black house garbage. why did dumbledore go to the cave with harry then? that’s another question
RavenclawWit said,
February 14, 2006 at 12:10 pm
Interesting theory! But I think it would only hold up if Aberforth didn’t tell Albus about it. Otherwise, Dumbledore certainly wouldn’t have gone to the cave, especially with Harry, putting him in danger. Most people speculate that Regulus took Kreacher to the cave.
jane said,
February 15, 2006 at 11:39 am
If one takes up the line that Dumbledore prepared his own death, for whatever reason (I am still in D-is-dead Snape-is-good camp, and do presume D was prepared and ready to die, moreover, had to die for the others to succeed) it could still be plausible that he would go to the cave with Harry (there was no real danger for Harry there, was there?)…
Kreacher is very possible, I have been thinking about that, too. And recently even Wikipedia listed him as RAB’s companion. In any case must have been someone who either died very soon afterwards or been unable to speak about it, like a house elf. Or of course kept very very low profile…
RavenclawWit said,
February 15, 2006 at 5:34 pm
On the contrary, there was real danger for Harry. Even if you believe Dumbledore was prepared to die, that doesn’t mean he wanted to die. And his behavior in the cave indicates that he didn’t fully know what to expect once he got there. And as it happens, the inferi very nearly got Harry. I think confusion has arisen because Rowling indicated in interviews after the book that Dumbledore “had” to die. But I believe she meant from a literary and symbolic standpoint rather than a literal standpoint. Dumbledore had to die because in this genre of literature, the young hero must lose his teacher, so that he can grow up and make his own destiny rather than having it made for him. But I don’t think that Dumbledore had to die in a literal sense. I’m not sure if my meaning is clear, but I don’t think there was any specific purpose to Dumbledore’s death other than a literary device. In other words, Dumbledore’s death will not suddenly magically allow Harry or others to do anything. It simply allows Harry to grow up and become fully a man, in charge of his own life and fate.
Natalie said,
May 17, 2006 at 6:11 pm
So, I think that you are right in that Mundungus probably took the horcrux from Grimmauld Place. There are hints in OP that suggest a locket was already in Sirius’s house — likely the horcux — the “kids” ran across it when they were decontaminating the house toward the beginning of the book. If I recall correctly, the wording went something like “a locket that nobody could open” were among the contents that were to be thrown out. Further, my guess is that R.A.B. is Sirius’s brother, Regulus. Regulus’s uncle’s name started with an “A” and I would suppose that it would be plausible for Regulus to be named after him. In addition, since the note inside the fake horcux found in the cave was addressed to the “Dark Lord” — the name for which it has been repeatedly stated that only Death Eaters (former or current) use to refer to Voldemort.
Anyways, I digress. I don’t doubt that Mundungud may indeed run with the “wrong” crowd, but I think he is definitely working on the “good” side.
Mark said,
July 7, 2006 at 2:09 pm
i agree with jane, RcW, and natalie, however, didnt sirius say that regulus was a death eater? or did he change to good? i also think that regulus took aberforth into the cave because he had his wand snapped in half, which would take away his status of the wizard. as for whoh drank the liquid, well aberforth must of and then regulus would have healed him once he got out
then i think aberforth killed regulus because i have a feeling that aberforth is evil.
by the way, how did the liuid refill after R.A.B finished with it the first time?