A/N:
This is written for reminiscent-afterthought's 'So you think you know your character?' competition. The competition consists of 11 questions about a character of the writers choice. I chose Mundungus Fletcher, and all 11 questions will be answered in the chapters of this fic. Though aspects of his personality are slightly different to fit into the AU of my story 'Harry Potter: Scourge of Knockturn Alley,' most of the base character is the same, so I would imagine that these short stories can be read with or without reading that first.

So, without further ado, on to the challenge!

Question 8: What were your goals for the future and why did they change?

There was a woman who lived in Knockturn Alley who had a very unusual gift. She was, in a way, a seer. Except this woman didn't see futures, she saw souls. She could look at someone and see the very depths of them, their truest, deepest desire. No-one knew of her gift though, save her, and she preferred it that way. She would wander the alleys of magical London watching, noticing individuals and observing their desires developing as they grew.

One such person she watched was a small ginger haired boy called Mundungus. The first time she saw him he was barely walking, stumbling around the streets close to his home getting into things he shouldn't have been, as a toddler is wont to do. All he ever desired at this time was food.

Whe he was older, he was walking around the alley with dreams of books floating through his head. At this point, she began to interact with him more than she usually would with one of her 'subjects' after he approached her one day with a guilty face and some stolen money, and asked her to teach him to read.

So teach him she did. He was a keen learner, and she could see in his heart that he thought this would be his way out. His hopes and dreams followed the books he read. He wanted to ride a broomstick, or go to another country, or get a giant cake for his birthday like the people in the books he read. His dreams were wonderful glowing things full of hope for happiness. But then he made the connections to his own life and his attitude changed. The people in these books had parents who took care of them, something Mundungus would never have. They also had money. Suddenly, Mundungus wanted to be rich.

At first this wasn't a problem, Mundungus was going to go to school, and then get rich, that was his hearts desire and his life plan. However, when he arrived at school that changed. First he ceased to believe it was inevitable, and then he started to think it might be impossible.

For the rest of the time the Seer knew Mundungus, his hearts desire never changed again. Lust for money truly began to consume him, and she watched as he fell into a life he'd never wanted, led on by an increasingly unattainable dream.

The Seer only ever saw Mundungus' descent. She was one of the unnamed losses of the First War. Mundungus quietly mourned her when he found out, but her full name was never known.

The Seer never saw the days after the war, never saw the day Mundungus' hearts desire changed from a glint of money long since dulled, to a new, swirling vortex of hope and love centred on a glowing smile, a happy laugh and a pair of innocent green eyes staring lovingly up at him. Mundungus had a new aim in life, a new desire in his heart. His son. His son had to be happy.

A/N:

So, as I mentioned in the previous chapter, this was originally intended to be cut into two chapters to cover questions 7 and 8, but I'm a scatterbrain so nevermind that! The (*) asterisk marks where I originally split the chapter, for those who are interested (hey there, empty room!). (The second part was a little longer, but it got chopped!).

Thanks for reading!