Disclaimer: I am not J. K. Rowling. I do not own Harry Potter.
Note: The following is a piece of supporting material, set some time towards the end of July, 1976, in the alternate universe of Alternate Scene by the Lake 4. Chronologically speaking, it occurs between the chapters 'Not According to Plan' and 'On the Brink'.
Mundungus Fletcher looked up into the unbelievably clear sky of an African night, scarcely able to believe his luck. Twelve hours earlier he'd been fleeing wizarding Britain in a panic, and had stopped by a rather seedy magical inn in Dover – the last stop before the continent in his intended flight – and by an outrageous stroke of good fortune he'd come across none other than the reclusive head of an old (and well-off) magical family holding interviews for agents in this unlikely venue. Mundungus had managed to wangle his way onto the interview list – he'd vaguely known a couple of the other people there after jobs – and somehow he'd ended up with a job that required 'an open-minded and flexible business approach' in Timbuktu, travel by portkey to the location and monthly salary included!
There had been a slightly sticky point in the interview when Mundungus had been asked just why he wanted to leave his homeland behind and something in the gaze of his prospective employer, Gnaeus Octavian Prince, had told Mundungus that lying was not a good idea; so Mundungus had mumbled something about a crazy experience involving firewhiskey and the centaurs and the Forbidden Forest, and the headmaster of Hogwarts playing some cruel and unusual prank on him which had scared him out of his wits, and the Prince patriarch had nodded understandingly, his eyes boring into Mundungus' all the time as if he could read the very secrets of his soul, and said that he quite understood.
And he'd dismissed Mundungus to wait, and Mundungus had been torn between waiting around for a verdict and hopping on board the next muggle ferry, and just about when he'd made his mind up to scoot, a Prince house-elf had summoned Mundungus back into the room in which the head of the Prince family had been conducting business, and Mundungus' first thought upon being offered a commission to Timbuktu was how not to appear over-eager and possibly wreck this miraculous opportunity. He'd hedged around a bit over the terms of employment – pushed the man as far as he'd judged it safe to go, as regards 'reasonable expenses' and 'profit margins' – but managed to close the deal in the end.
Mundungus was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, and if he suspected that he might have been subjected to legilimency by the head of the Prince family during his conversations, he couldn't fault the man for it, given he was acting in the capacity of an employer. And anyway, it wasn't like Mundungus knew anything of world-shaking importance, or which could get him into serious trouble, was it?
Author Notes:
Just a short piece featuring Mundungus Fletcher it didn't feel right to tack on to 'On the Brink', given that Mundungus is only a marginal figure in Alternate Scene by the Lake 4.
Mundungus has been avoiding using the floo since he's paranoid about the Ministry monitoring it, and he's got a number of things on his conscience at present which make him chary of possible Ministry notice.
Apparition or making his own portkey to leave the country are out since he's never been abroad before, so he doesn't know his destination, hence his (intended) recourse to muggle ferry.
Whilst he might have apparated from Scotland down to at least London (and Diagon Alley), I have a notion (since it amuses me) that Mundungus has probably hitch-hiked most of the way with a series of rather bemused muggles...