Gum Wrappers: A Hidden Meaning?

By Nina T.H.

I don't know if anyone has thought about this before, but can such a simple thing as gum wrappers be important to the HP books? Is this even a possibility? It sounds quite impossible, but remember: Talking diary, moving staircases, walking suits of armour, ghosts etc… Those things are quite impossible, so why not gum wrappers? Now you're probably thinking: Why gum wrappers? Here's why: Gum wrappers have this ability to show up in the weirdest places when you barely notice them. If you don't remember noticing any gum wrappers, that just makes my point stronger! What we do not directly notice turns out to be really important in many places!

The first place I can remember "seeing" gum wrappers, is in Order of the Phoenix when Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron meet Neville at St. Mungos. Neville's mom comes up to him and gives him a wrapper of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. His grandmother points out that she gives him this every time. Is Mrs. Longbottom trying to tell her son something? Something important? I found a very interesting anagram: Drooble's Best Blowing Gum=
Gold bribe below St. Mungos! What does that mean? Could it be that there is some kind of hidden treasure beneath the hospital? If so- Why and how? Did the gold "get" there before or after the hospital was built? And why under the hospital. It could be subjective like that, but I think it means something else. Gold bribe below St. Mungos… Is someone bribing someone below St. Mungos? Again, I don't think it is directly subjective. "Below" can mean "under" the standard of the hospital. Bribing is below the standard of St. Mungos. If this is the case, what is this someone bribing someone to do? I have a theory, but I don't have very much evidence to support it yet...

Someone is bribing a healer or nurse to put something in the gum and then give it to the Longbottoms. Because where else does the gum come from? I really don't think the healers allow people in the same stage as Mrs and Mr Longbottom to go to a store. And I don't think they can talk, so someone giving it to them is the only thinkable way. But what good does it do to give some kind of drug to the Longbottoms? Could it be that the drug that's in the gum is the only thing keeping the Longbottoms from coming back to their full sense? Mrs. Longbottom does have some sense left, seeing she is trying to give Neville a sign. Because if they "came back"… Who knows what deep secrets of the Death Eaters the Longbottoms are aware of? It could be top secret information that is very important. Or maybe they know more people who are death eaters, but haven't been "revealed" yet. Or could it even be that the secret information that they hold is for the Ministry? We know that some people in the ministry aren't exactly "clean". Maybe the person bribing the healers is Bagman? He used to be a death eater. Could the Longbottoms have overheard a conversation between Death Eaters where they plan to get Bagman off the hook and into the ministry? And the humming Mrs. Longbottom is doing, is it an attempt to talk? Bagman was seen by Harry and the others before the Death Eaters sent up the dark mark at the quidditch world cup. Did he arrange it? And Bagman was also very keen on helping Harry to win the Triwizard Tournament. Could there be something more behind that than just gambling? It makes a little sense doesn't it?
There could also be some secret message on the wrappers, other than the anagram.

I also think it is with full intention that JK Rowling put hundreds of gum wrappers all over her desk at her site.
With all this, do gum wrappers have a hidden meaning? I am almost positive that it does! It's just such a big coincidence if not. But Mark Evans was a big coincidence… Maybe gum wrappers are too?

I hope you enjoyed this article and that it got you thinking. Remember: It is always the little things!