Bubbles and Memory: a Staggeringly Long Neville Theory

PART ONE -- THE RUNNING BIT, MEMORY CHARMS, AND ST. MUNGO'S

by Bob Rozak

Long, long, long ...loooong theory warning. I've tried to break it up into sections so that if you'd like to take the necessary time to read it, you don't have to do it all at once. But this covers nearly everything in the Neville storyline... except his pet. Sorry, Trevor fans...


"...I suppose in some ways I sacrificed Dean's voyage of discovery for Neville's, which is more important to the central plot."
--jkrowling.com: Extra Stuff

"Of course, none of this should be taken to mean that Neville does not have a significant part to play in the last two novels, or the fight against Voldemort."
-- jkrowling.com: F.A.Q.

Neville's role in Harry's story is definitely an important one. Since reading HBP, we now know what the "central plot" entails, and what Harry must search for. We can guess, knowing that Neville's story is important, what it might lead to. A long long time ago in a thread long gone, a few of us began dissecting Neville and the "bubble" running bit that goes along with his story.

Let's revisit the theory then, beginning with what has come true so far. It may not seem to have much to do with Neville right away, but we'll get into that later. First though, the basics.

The word "bubble" is a running bit associated with memory throughout the series. It connects certain characters, ideas, and scenarios together. I realize that many people don't know what a running bit is, and that most people who have heard of them don't really know how they work. It's hard to find someone who will explain them satisfactorily; even the authors of the "companion volumes" fail to explain to the reader exactly how they work. However, these "HP Sleuths" have failed to find the most important bit of information in the series: JKR's clue-finding guide. It's in there, written right into the story. Never does JKR use a type of clue without giving the reader a fully explained example in the story. In order to understand the "bubble" running bit, we need to establish the following:

1.) JKR understands how running bits work.
2.) JKR provides an example of a running bit, thus proving she uses them in her writing.
3.) JKR makes a character or characters point out how the running bit works, thus providing a guide for the reader.

This is established much easier than one might think; JKR has intentionally provided a guide for the reader. The running bits are explained in GoF, using Rita Skeeter's story. The running bit provided as an example is "beetle," of course, and is explained by the trio, revealing how the running bit helped them solve the mystery behind Rita. In GoF Chapter 27, the trio reviews each time they saw a beetle buzzing around throughout the previous year. The beetle helps them connect each event in which Rita got her story without being seen.

This is how all running bits work in the series. A single word is used to connect together different ideas by acting as a mark in the text. Not enough evidence to prove the running bits work?

Continue following the "beetle" running bit backward through the series, all the way back to where it starts in PS/SS, and you'll find that the word "beetle" was being used to reveal even more about Rita's story in the beginning. Observe the following from PS/SS:

When Harry meets Hagrid the first time, Hagrid's eyes are described (PS/SS Chapter 4) as "glinting like black beetles," and later "the beetle eyes". The beetle running bit has already marked Hagrid as a target for Rita, and Hagrid's black beetle eyes are continually described this way throughout the series.

We find out from Hagrid when Harry wakes the next morning (PS/SS Chapter 5) the price of the Daily Prophet, when Harry has to pay the owl. This is more important than you might think:


"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.

We follow Harry and Hagrid into the Apothecary in Diagon Alley during this same chapter, where Harry observes many of the potions ingredients. He examines the following:


...and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).

This hints, quite ingeniously, of Hagrid (black beetle eyes) being marked by the "beetle" running bit (Rita) as a target for a "scoop" in the Daily Prophet (five knuts being the price).

This hint comes true in GoF, Chapter 24, Rita Skeeter's Scoop, in which Rita writes an article targeting Hagrid's secret.

From this simplest of the running bits, it is clear that:

1.) JKR understands how running bits work.
2.) JKR provided an example of a running bit, thus proving she uses them in her writing.
3.) JKR made a character or characters point out how the running bit worked, thus providing a guide for the reader.

If you're curious, here is the rest of the "beetle" running bit in its entirety.

On to "bubble." Its connotation with memory is displayed in many, many places in the text. The following are several examples that make it clear:

1.) Neville's Remembrall. It looks like a bubble and is associated with memory.
2.) The prophecy orb. Looks similar to the Remembral; a bubble, but actually contains a memory of a prophecy.
3.) Neville's plant, the Mimbulus Mimbletonia The plant's name is derived from the genus mimulus, plants used in folk remedies to give courage and cure forgetfulness. It is covered in boils (which are bubbles).
4.) A description of Harry remembering something, in which a memory is described as having properties of a bubble: OotP, Chapter 23, pg.492:

...And then a truly terrible thought occurred to him, a memory bobbing to the surface of his mind, one that made his insides writhe and squirm like serpents....

5.) The Bubble-Head Charm -- quite a literal connection between bubbles and one's head.
6.) Numerous memory-related references that appear in the text around the word "bubble," a couple examples:

PS/SS, Chapter 10:
...They reminded Harry of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through...

OotP, Chapter 3:
"...Yeah it does," said Tonks decisively. She screwed up her eyes in a strained expression as though she were struggling to remember something . A second later her hair had turned bubble-gum pink...

Having established the connection between "bubbles" and memory, let us move on to review the part of the "bubble" running bit that proved accurate in HBP.

Between OotP and HBP, I began tracking the "bubble" running bit and wound up noticing that these three separate pieces of information all seemed to be hinting at the exact same thing relating to memory:

1.) Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak
2.) Harry's Pensieve-like experience in the prefect's bathroom in GoF
3.) One of the scavenger hunts on JKR's website




Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak

I became interested in these words (PS/SS Chapter 7) when I found out that the word "blubber" is derived directly from the word "bubble," and that perhaps a closer look at the etymology and definitions of these words was in order.

nitwit:
Etymology: 1922, from nit "nothing," from German dialect or Yiddish, from Middle Low German (also nix) + wit.
1 : a scatterbrained or stupid person

blubber
Etymology: Middle English bluber bubble, foam, probably of imitative origin; blubren to make a bubbling sound; Original notion of "bubbling, foaming" survives in the figurative meaning "to cry"
1 : to swell, distort, or wet with weeping
2 : to utter while weeping or to weep noisily, the action of blubbering
3 a : the fat of whales and other large marine mammals b : excessive fat on the body

oddment
Etymology: a hybrid with a Latin suffix on a Germanic word, from odd on model of fragments.
1 : something left over : a remnant, oddity, or fragment

tweak
Etymology: alteration of Middle English twikken to pull sharply, from Old English twiccian to pluck
1 : to pinch and pull with a sudden jerk and twist : twitch
2 : to pinch (a person or a body part) lightly or playfully
3 : to make small adjustments in or to ; especially : fine-tune
intransitive senses: pull, pluck


It's a lot to take in at once, but the fact that the word "blubber" makes this a part of the "bubble" running bit begins to make the meaning of these words clear. What we are looking for is a scatterbrained person, someone who's crying, a fragment of something, something that's been altered. (Or must be "plucked" from one's head.) Add to it that this has to do with memory and you can begin to see what JKR hinted at by making Dumbledore use these words as a joke. (I am definitely not implying that Dumbledore was trying to hint at the future.)



Harry's Pensieve-like experience in the prefect's bathroom in GoF

This scene is a clever symbolic foreshadowing of the same event hinted at by Dumbledore's playful words. Here in the prefect's bathroom JKR paints us a picture of a Pensieve.

The bathtub is a large marble pool: think of the pensieve, a stone basin. Around its edges are different taps, each marked with a different jewel: think of the runic symbols around the edge of the Pensieve. Harry fills the pool with bubbles: bubbles represent memories, which go into a Pensieve.

And often we will see silvery figures hovering above the Pensieve; this scene has one to: Myrtle appears above the Pensieve-like pool, a ghost, a memory from the past.

Harry's actions in this scene are reminiscent of a Pensieve as well. Think back to Dumbledore explaining how the Pensieve works: Makes it easier to spot patterns and such, helps to give you clarity. This is exactly what Harry is doing. Which brings us to the interesting part: the golden egg.

The egg, much like a bubble, represents a broken memory. When it is "cracked open," it makes no sense. Only when Harry takes it into the Pensieve-like bath do the pieces fit.

Another interesting point about the egg is that the song that emerges is prophetic -- it is a prophecy of sorts about the second task, and for those who look deeper into the riddle, foretells the climax in OotP.

Also in this scene, Myrtle makes numerous references to memory, while Harry immerses himself in the bath just as one would enter a Pensieve. This scene, overflowing with bubbles and memory, hints at Harry taking a fragmented memory (or an oddment) into the Pensieve, a memory that has to do with the prophecy.



One of the scavenger hunts on JKR's website

The main page of Rowling's website has a gum wrapper portkey to the Rubbish Bin page, where we find more gum wrappers and a pen we can break. The ink leaks onto a piece of paper to reveal one of the scavenger hunts in which we need to find three things: Something that looks like hairs, some scrubbing-bubble looking things, and some open eggshells. Each of these represent something.

The "hairs" are the silvery-things found on the Extra's page bulletin board. They are thoughts, the silvery-string form we see Dumbledore, Snape, and Slughorn pull from their heads with their wands. Harry, in fact, mistakes the thoughts for strands of hair the first time Dumbledore demonstrates removing a thought from his head.

The "scrubbing bubble" things turn out to be blue bubbles, found on the "Links" page. Bubbles represent memories. (Incidentally they are blue, the same color as the bubbles created when one chews Droobles.)

The "open egg shells" are found right there on the Rubbish Bin page. These represent a broken memory.

The scavenger hunt shows all these things need to be put into a cauldron, which may be important later. When one adds together thoughts and memories into the Pensieve, one is in essence, creating a potion of thoughts, and that's just what the Pensieve is: A cauldron for thoughts! Think back to almost any Potions class; every cauldron is put over a fire which makes the potion bubble.

This scavenger hunt depicts the same scene: a broken memory in the Pensieve.

Before HBP, I used these three telling clues to guess that Harry would be given a fragment of memory that had to do with the prophecy, which would have to be fixed, however I guessed that the "nitwit" who would give the memory to Harry would be Neville. It turned out to be Slughorn who gave Harry the most important memory in the series: He was the nitwit who blubbered, who gave the "oddment" of memory that had been tweaked.

This is all of the information from the "bubble" running bit that has been revealed in the story to be true so far, and so, to quote Dumbledore, "From this point forth, we shall be leaving the firm foundation of fact and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into thickets of wildest guesswork."

We've still to determine why the "bubble" running bit and so many references to memory-related things seem to revolve around Neville.

It has long been suspected that Neville's had a memory charm done on him, which accounts for his "abysmal memory." I feel that the best place to start is to study what we know about memory charms from the people who have actually had them done to them.



What we know about Memory Charms

There is a great deal of information given to the reader about Memory charms in bits and pieces. More than half a dozen people have been Obliviated in the story so far, including Professor Lockhart, Aunt Marge, Mr. Roberts (the muggle campsite-owner at the Quidditch World Cup), Bertha Jorkins, Marietta Edgecomb, Tom Riddle Sr., and Morfin Gaunt.

When used properly, Memory Charms have little to no side effects and are perfectly safe. Aunt Marge, Marietta Edgecomb, and Tom Riddle Sr. were all given properly done memory charms by Ministry officials with no apparent long-lasting side effects. The short-term side effect is shown to us in the cases of both Mr. Roberts and Marietta, both appeared dazed immediately.

There is more that we can learn from Mr. Roberts, though. He is given proper memory charms "ten times a day to keep him happy..." (GoF Chapter 7), and then given a much more powerful memory charm later to make him forget what happened to he and his family that night. He becomes so dazed he wishes Harry and the Weasley's a "Merry Christmas" as they leave. Mr. Weasley comments:

"He'll be all right...Sometimes when a person's memory is modified, it makes him a bit disoriented for a while.... and that was a big thing they made him forget."

This tells us that the larger the memory charm, the more disoriented a person will be and the longer the side effects last.

Morfin had a memory charm put on him to erase the visit from young Tom Riddle, after Riddle attacked him, then framed him for the murder of the Riddle family. (HBP Chapter 17) We don't really know if this memory charm had any side-effects, but we do find out that there is "a bit of complex magic" that can implant false memories: very useful if one wants to cover up a memory charm. Three more bits of information, very crucial, come from Morfin:

1.) Memory charms do not erase memories, only make the recipient forget them.

2.) Dumbledore explains how one can extract a memory from another person: Legilimency. Certainly if a person who has a wand and knows how to extract memories, like Slughorn, can do it themselves, that would be the preferred method. But then there are those people like Morphin, who was wandless in Azkaban, and the house-elf Hokey (HBP Chapter 20), who was also convicted of Hepzibah's murder and as a house-elf, never allowed a wand anyway. Dumbledore used Legilimency to retrieve their memories and then pulled them from his own mind.

3.) Legilimency can be used to break through a Memory Charm. Dumbledore found the memory Morfin had been made to forget. It "took a great deal of skilled Legilimency to coax it out of him," and he did it "with difficulty."

This last bit of information leads us into what we know from Bertha. First, during Barty Crouch Jr.'s confession (GoF Chapter) we learn that Crouch Sr. put a memory charm on Bertha, and that it was "too powerful," and that "it damaged her memory permanently." From then on, Bertha "had a memory like a leaky cauldron and no sense of direction." (GoF Chapter 7)

More importantly we learn what happened to Bertha when Voldemort broke through the memory charm, and what the after effects can be: "...but the means I used to break the Memory Charm upon her were powerful, and when I had extracted all useful information from her, her mind and body were both damaged beyond repair." (GoF Chapter 33)

Does Bertha's final state of being remind you of anyone?

What did Voldemort do to her? At this point he couldn't hold a wand, it's very clear he used Legilimency. As we knew from Harry's "Remedial Potions" lessons, Legilimency can be very draining, physically and mentally, and occasionally end up in physical injury. One should note that the more tired and hurt Harry became, the easier it was for Snape to break into his mind. Therefore one can conclude that if one didn't care about hurting someone, a shortcut to extracting memories from a person is to add the Cruciatus Curse to weaken them. Wormtail would have had Bertha's wand [Thanks Homeriana for the correction], so no doubt Voldemort had him put Bertha in some excruciating pain to speed things up. It's no wonder Bertha's mind and body were damaged beyond repair.

Did that make you think about the Longbottoms again?

We also learned a great deal about Memory Charms from Lockhart. He may not be good at much, and perhaps he's a horrible teacher, but he's a pro at Obliviating and did manage to teach us a few valuable things. The most important lesson Lockhart ever taught us: Memory Charms can be used, very effectively, to make someone literally lose their mind. (CoS Chapter 16) This is the only thing Lockhart's ever been good at.

We also learn that one's condition can improve with the right treatment after a Memory Charm. Lockhart, after only two and a half years, is starting to remember who he is: He's signing autographs, hanging pictures of himself everywhere, and going on about his good looks. This again shows that memories are not lost forever once a Memory Charm has been performed.

To summarize, this is what we know about Memory Charms:
1.) Any Memory Charm will make the recipient dazed.
2.) The bigger the charm, the bigger and longer lasting the disorientating effects will be.
3.) Memory Charms do not destroy memories, they only make people forget about them. ("Obliviate" does not mean "obliterate." It comes from the Latin oblivio; forgetfulness. Obliviate makes you oblivious.)
4.) Legilimency can be used to break through a Memory Charm.
5.) A memory charm that is too powerful can damage a person's memory permanently.
6.) A Memory Charm can be used to induce insanity.
7.) One can make some recovery from a Memory Charm.

We'll keep those things in mind. Onto other parts of the bit.



Bubbles and the "unable to speak" theme

A very crucial part of the bubble running bit is the "unable to speak" theme often attached to it. For example (GoF Chapter 25):


Harry had swallowed a considerable amount of bubbles in shock. He stood up, sputtering...

Another instance connecting the bubble running bit and the "unable to speak" theme is when Harry takes the Polyjuice Potion in CoS, Chapter 12:


...next, bringing him gasping to all fours, came a horrible melting feeling, as the skin all over his body bubbled like hot wax...

This theme is at its strongest during the second task in GoF. Incidentally enough, the aim in the task is to rescue hostages and bubbles are everywhere. Why "hostages" is important will be made clearer once we discuss the closed ward, and what they have to do with the "unable to speak" theme. But the fact that the task has to do with hostages makes this the perfect place for JKR to really drive this point home. And she does, almost to an irritating degree!

The trick here is to exploit the running bit to convey an idea. The idea here, of course, is to connect bubbles, which have to do with memory, to the "unable to speak" idea. You'll notice that JKR repeats the idea that when Harry tries to talk, only bubbles come out, and he is unable. Though it's unnecessary for her to repeatedly tell us over and over that this is what happens when Harry speaks, she makes it a point to do so- every time, over and over (GoF, Chapter 26):



Once you've noticed this, you might feel like screaming, "I get it already! Harry can't speak for the bubbles!"

The most important clue in the "unable to speak" theme comes from Snape in OotP, Chapter 28, Snape's Worst Memory:

"Wash out your mouth," said James coldly. "Scourgify!"

Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once, the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him-

The running bit is showing us a couple things. Once again it indicates bubbles preventing someone from speaking, but it also paints an intriguing picture, because these soap bubbles are pink; it makes it look as though Snape is chewing bubble gum. Think about the gum connection in the closed ward, also remember when Tonks changed her hair to "bubble gum pink" when she "screwed up her face as though struggling to remember something." The soapsuds are a big clue that will eventually tie together the "unable to speak" part of the bubble running bit, and we'll get to that.

The last clue to keep in mind here are the Department of Mystery workers- their title alone pulls them into this: the Unspeakables. Think about this part of the bubble running bit and how it relates to the fate of one of these men.



The very first Potions lesson

Potions class is an obvious part of the bubble running bit; potions are constantly bubbling and that's a signal. It's no coincidence that JKR decided to make Snape the Potions Master because he has a big part in Neville's storyline; the boiling cauldrons tie him into the bit easily.

This is Neville's worst class, no surprise their either. Because his memory is terrible, it makes sense that all the "bubbling" going on in this class isn't going to go well for him.

The very first potions class in PS/SS is very revealing and starts off the bubble/memory bit with a bang. Snape has the class brew up a simple cure for boils- what a coincidence. Boils are bubbles. An even bigger coincidence is that Neville melts the cauldron and douses himself with the potion- which makes him break out in boils. The boy we suspect of having a Memory Charm on him has just been covered with the symbol of memory.

It might also be notable that Snape treats Neville just as harshly as Harry throughout the entire series. We know he's got a lot to do with Harry's past. The way he treats Neville suggests that Snape's had something to do with him, too.



A connection between Potions and Memory

In GoF, Chapter 7, Ludo Bagman clues the reader into a representation that's been going on all around us when he describes Bertha Jorkin's memory:

"Poor old Bertha... memory like a leaky cauldron and no sense of direction."

JKR's pointing out a relationship here between cauldrons (which bubble when its contents are heated) and memory; specifically leaky cauldrons and poor memory. As we know Bertha's had a Memory Charm done on her that makes her this way, we should pay attention to the symbolism of the leaky cauldron. JKR's been trying to get our attention with this clue, showing that it's very important. Think about all the "leaky cauldron" references we've seen, including the Leaky Cauldron inn, Percy's report on cauldron bottom thickness (leakages have been increasing at a rate of almost three percent a year), the countless cauldrons Neville's destroyed, Dumbledore's reference to "Humphrey Belcher, who thought the time was right for a cheese cauldron..."

We can add this memory/cauldron clue to the representation of the Pensieve as a "cauldron for thoughts."

Right now it's time to follow this mystery elsewhere, to the place where Neville's parents stay, because it's where the "unable to speak" theme concludes by showing us that not everything is as it seems at St. Mungo's.



The Janus Thickey long term resident ward, for permanent spell damage, "you know."
(coughcough*ahem!*cough)

Janus was a Roman god with two faces facing opposite directions. (One for the sun, one for the moon.) He was the god of gates, doors, and doorways, beginnings and endings, which is why the month of January is named for him.

Janus Thickey ("thickey" is British slang for idiot) was also "two-faced." In Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Janus Thickey is mentioned in a footnote to the Lethifold entry, citing a recent instance of "duplicity." Thickey faked his death, making it look to his wife like he was killed by a Lethifold, but was found later living five miles away with another woman. No doubt his wife caused him permanent spell damage when she found out, thus the reason the ward was named for him.

However, let's put it all together; JKR is painting a bigger picture with this clue. Janus, the god of doorways, is drawing our attention to the door of the closed ward. This ward was named for a two-faced god and a deceitful wizard. No doubt the room inside is full of deception! Let's go in...


The Healer lets us in, but before we even look around let's take a good long look at her. She seems so nice, doesn't she? Her name, as it turns out, is Miriam Strout. We found that out from the article on Bode's death. (OotP, Chapter 25)



Examining Miriam Strout

The name Miriam is a biblical name which means "bitter." It is another form of the name "Mariam," which means "wished for child." Both Miriam and Mariam are derivative of Mary, which means "bitterly wanted child."

Something we should note is that this Healer may be bitter about not having any children of her own, she is even described as "motherly looking." However, she has found a way to compensate: the closed ward. Her surname, "Strout," is an out-of-date English word, "strout," which means "strut," as in a very proud walk. She enjoys being in charge of this ward. Why? Because she can treat these patients like children. And she does:

"Gilderoy, you naughty boy, where have you wandered off to..."

"Listen to him," said the Healer, taking Lockhart's arm and beaming fondly at him as though he were a precious two year old...

Healer Strout talks to all her patients as if they were children. Granted, these people probably don't know the difference, but Strout takes a little too much joy from their condition. That makes her the perfect candidate for the job if some of these people were supposed to be kept in this condition.



Incompetence and/or deception in the closed ward

The first thing one might note is that Healer Strout was lying about how Lockhart got out.

"He's in a closed ward, you know, he must have slipped out while I was bringing in the Christmas presents, the door's usually kept locked..."

What makes it clear that she's lying? First, there's her tell-tale "you know" again. Second, there's no chance she missed Lockhart while handing out the presents. Here's why:

There are only five people staying in the closed ward: The Longbottoms, Lockhart, Bode, and Agnes.

Agnes and Bode received their presents after she returned with Lockhart, as they had not yet had visitors that day.

The Longbottoms had their family there to bring their presents personally.

Which leaves only Lockhart himself to bring presents to. One must wonder how the Healer didn't notice Lockhart slipping away- while she was handing him his presents.

Also, it's suspicious that the door to the ward was locked on their way back in. It suggests, though not definitively, of course, that Lockhart's escape from the room was not only not an accident, but that he was locked out.

What was the Healer really doing? It's uncertain, but she was definitely not handing out presents. I suggest that whatever she was doing was something that Lockhart was not meant to see, and as he is the only person in the room who is able to speak, and not in his right mind, he holds a danger of repeating what he has seen.

One could, however, narrow done one's suspicions. Once again, remember that the Longbottoms were the only ones to receive visitors that morning, therefore whatever it was that she was doing was most likely in preparation for Gran and Neville's visit. Remember, Neville and Gran hadn't even been there very long when Lockhart was brought back in- Strout asks Gran, "...are you leaving already?"


Broderick Bode

Still think Healer Strout is as nice as she acts? (For some reason, I'm reminded of Umbridge...) There's even more she's doing in plain sight that's just not very Healer-like.

Consider one of Bode's gifts, the potted plant that turned out to be Devil's Snare. First and foremost Healer Strout, apparently, did not recognize the plant.

That in itself is suspicious, because we know from PS/SS that Devil's Snare is one of the first things one learns about in Herbology, it is studied by first years. Also, we know from OotP Chapter 29 that Healers are required to have an E at N.E.W.T. level Herbology. So show me a Healer who says they can't recognize something as elementary as Devil's Snare and I'll show you a liar.

As further proof that Healer Strout did in fact recognized the plant- and the effect it would have on Bode- is that the article states that Strout encouraged Bode to take care of the plant on his own as his speech and mobility improved. Now, forget that it looks like she's trying to kill him, that much is obvious. The proof lies in the fact that Devil's Snare is, to quote Hermione in OotP, a plant that "tries to kill whoever touches it," and one thing is clear: Strout never touched it. If she had, it would have attempted to strangle her. As she was the Healer in charge of the ward, and Bode could not yet care for the plant, it would have been up to her to care for it. Yet somehow she knew enough to avoid its touch.

Add to that the fact that for her "accidental" oversight, Healer Strout was suspended- with full pay. She got a paid vacation for her actions, casting suspicions on the hospital administration, too.

A final note about the Devil's Snare gives us a glimpse at the atmosphere in this room. Devil's Snare does not do well in sunlight. This ward, however, is capable of sustaining it. Mr. Weasley points out that St. Mungo's was built above ground because having it underground would be unhealthy, but we find not a single reference to the closed ward having windows. This explains how the cutting of Devil's Snare survived long enough (and indeed remained strong enough) to strangle a man to death: There isn't any sunlight in the closed ward. This gives the sense that the hospital doesn't mind if this room is unhealthy, and makes the closed ward seem even more prison-like.

Agnes

Looking around the room, we find something out about poor Agnes, the woman with the fur covered face who barks, gives us a bit more insight into the hidden nature of this particular ward. It's only a few small things in the text, but it implants an idea: "Harry remembered something similar happening to Hermione during their second year, although fortunately the damage, in her case, had not been permanent."

We are meant to compare the two instances and wonder exactly what the difference was that made Agnes' situation permanent. I think a small clue came from Strout, speaking to Agnes about her presents and her son's approaching visit:

"See, not forgotten, are you?"

This tells us that Agnes' son rarely ever visits, sends presents or even writes to her. Even on Christmas, the gifts she receives seem meager; the Healer hands her "a small pile of Christmas presents." Also, her son sends an owl to the hospital- but not to Agnes- to forewarn them of his visit.

Let's see if her name holds any clues. The name Agnes is derived from the Latin agnus, which means sheep or lamb. Interestingly, St. Agnes was the Patron of the Children of Mary. She is depicted holding a lamb and a palm leaf. The flower of St. Agnes is the Christmas Rose.

Coincidence we meet Agnes on Christmas day?

St. Agnes is a symbol of innocence and purity, and no doubt we need to take her name, meaning "lamb," into account.

Everyone has heard the expression "a wolf in sheep's clothing," which basically means a rather nasty person concealed by a nice appearance. Consider that our Agnes is a sheep in wolf's clothing. She's covered in fur and barks. Someone's done this to Agnes to make her look "barking mad," but looking past her appearance, there's nothing really wrong with this lamb.

Next consider the Healer's name, Miriam, from Mary, "bitterly wanted child," with St. Agnes, the Patron of the Children of Mary. That a clear connection to the Healer's motives.

Given that Agnes' situation does not seem severe, other than her appearance (she seems quite capable of listening and communicating through barking), one wonders why her family does not take care of her. Clearly, Agnes is unwanted in her son's life. Surely a permanent stay at St. Mungo's is not free, therefore, Agnes' son is paying St. Mungo's to keep her there. What kind of hospital finds this situation acceptable?


Lastly, we come to the Longbottoms. The main thing wrong here is quite obvious: the gum wrappers. What kind of hospital would ever allow mental patients to chew gum? Clearly the potted plants aren't the only thing the less-than-top-notch Healer is overlooking.



The correlation of the patients in the closed ward

As it becomes clear that everything is not as it seems at St. Mungo's, particularly in this ward, with its doorway marked with deception, we need to step out of the story and take a look at the scenario the author has created to make some connections.

Something is not right about the closed ward, but what is the connection? I believe there is one, and that JKR put these particular patients in the same room so that we might make that connection.

The closed ward is used mainly as a place for people who need to be kept quiet. Look closely: Lockhart is the only one who is able to speak, who is making great improvement, and, most importantly, the only one who may not be holding a dangerous secret.

We do not know why Agnes is being kept quiet, (and it is probably not important) but the evidence that this is the case is strong.

We know for sure that Bode had information that the Death Eaters didn't want to get out. As soon as he showed improvement he was murdered.

The Longbottoms weren't much help at the trial that sent Bellatrix -N- Friends to Azkaban, clearly they could have told the court a great deal about why they were attacked after the fall of Voldemort had they been able.

There still remains the question of why Lockhart is being kept in this dark ward with this bunch. That answer may hold the key to what is going on behind the closed door of the ward.

Lockhart is suffering from a memory charm. Could it be that this is the connection? Surely Lockhart could have been put in a different ward. Though it seems implied that this is the only long-term residence ward, it simply cannot be. Consider all the magical mishaps we've seen and how incredibly careless and bumbling much of the wizarding population seems. Surely, there must be more than a mere handful of long-term patients? What happens when this ward is full?

Perhaps Lockhart was put into this ward (by both JKR and the Healers) because he shares a common ailment with the other residents. Remember, the most important thing Professor Lockhart ever taught us is that one can use a memory charm to make someone lose their mind. This ward is full of these types!

We may never know about Agnes, however we might not be far off if we ventured a guess to say that Agnes, unwanted by her son, did not get that way by accident. Perhaps she is in this ward so that she will not remember how- or who- was involved in her furry transformation.

Bode. Let's examine how he got here. We assume that under the Imperius curse, he touched the prophecy and ended up a vegetable. That seems right, at first glance, it does seem implied, however certain facts show that it can't be true. Lucius reveals in OotP Chapter 35: "Because the only people who are permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, Potter, are those about whom it was made, as the Dark Lord discovered when he attempted to use others to steal it for him."

Bode and Sturgis Podmore are the only ones we know of whom Voldemort tried to use to get the prophecy, but Podmore never even made it through the first door. It seems that Voldemort found out no one could touch the prophecy because Bode touched it; why then did Rookwood have to tell him the same information later? Because Bode never did touch the prophecy, he fought the Imperius curse, as Rookwood mentions, and Rookwood had to explain why Bode fought so hard. Bode knew he couldn't touch it.

That left Bode as a big liability to the Death Eaters: he knew to much and was fighting the Imperius curse. While Sturgis Podmore was safely sent to Azkaban to be kept in check by Voldemort's dementor friends, Bode, as an Unspeakable, had every right to be in the Department of Mysteries, and wouldn't be.

How to deal with him? Killing him would raise suspicions, and Voldemort still wanted everything kept quiet. So the easiest thing to do was slap a big memory charm on him and make him look like he'd lost his mind.

It's a little ironic: Bode, the Unspeakable from beyond the locked door in the Ministry winds up unable to speak behind another locked door. This is a big clue, too, it brings up the "unable to speak" part of the bubble running bit and leads us to the right room. After all, Bode and the other Unspeakables work in a place that holds thousands of glass bubbles containing memories of prophecies (and brains for studying thoughts: think Legilimency), and regardless of whether or not Bode actually touched the prophecy, it was the prophecy that landed him in the closed ward.


Now comes the most important part: the Longbottoms, and while we're on the verge of wrapping up the "unable to speak" part of the bubble running bit, we need to take a second look at this next "bubble" clue, because it strongly relates to what happens in the ward on Christmas.



Remember all the lighting?

A few days before Christmas, Harry visits St. Mungo's for the first time (OotP Chapter 22). Take another look at the light fixtures:


They followed through the double-doors and along the narrow corridor beyond, which was lined with more portraits of famous Healers and lit by crystal bubbles full of candles that floated up on the ceiling, looking like giant soapsuds.

First, the bubble running bit is tying in those soapsuds again, (think Snape) so we know it's trying to hint at the "unable to speak" bit. Next look at the image depicted by the "crystal bubbles" (which is reinforced when mentioned again in Mr. Weasley's ward): Should we be thinking about Neville's crystal orb, perhaps? The Remembrall.

The image the hospital lights hold has changed a bit when Harry goes back just days later, Christmas day. Keep thinking about the Remembrall, and try to remember what is happening upstairs in the closed ward at the moment Harry observes these lights again. (For some reason, Lockhart is being let out...) OotP Chapter 23:


The crystal orbs that illuminated St. Mungo's had been turned red and gold so that they became gigantic, glowing Christmas baubles...

Note that the lights went from being described as "bubbles" to "orbs." Next think about the Remembrall, which turns red when you've forgotten something. Things to consider here: Agnes' son sent word ahead of time that he was coming; Gran surely did too. Gran is on her way to the hospital just as Harry notices the crystal orbs have turned red, around the same time Lockhart is let out of the ward.

Judging by the symbolic Remembralls on the ceiling, I'd bet someone in the hospital's just forgotten something. I believe Healer Strout would probably call it a "booster shot," and just in time for Gran's visit.

The "soapsuds" from that clue are reminding us that the "unable to speak" theme has something to do with it, and that it's about to reveal exactly what.



Yes, we are still going to examine the gum wrappers

Frank and Alice offer even more clues to what's happening up in the ward, and help wrap up the "unable to speak" theme. While Healer Strout claims quite rightly that even people with permanent spell damage can make improvements, Frank and Alice seem no closer to their old selves than the day they were tortured. In fact, if one takes into account Dumbledore's claim that they even gave some kind of testimony about what happened, however unreliable, they might have even gotten a bit worse. I'm reminded of all the memory charms poor Mr. Roberts had to endure: "Merry Christmas..." Make a note again of what day it is.

Other than the fact that they have lost their minds, which Gilderoy tried to do to Harry and Ron with a Memory Charm, the only other clue the Longbottoms can give us is the gum wrappers. Now, before anyone starts objecting about what JKR said, let's look at what she did say.



"The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling: Part Three," July 16, 2005:

MA: Our next winner question is from Delaney Monaghan, who is 6 years old, via her mother, Vanessa Monaghan. They're from Canberra, Australia. "What is the significance, if any of the gum wrappers that Mrs. Longbottom keeps giving Neville?"

ES: Quick, go on the record [with what you think] before she answers --

MA: I think they're a sad mark of an insane woman.

JKR: That was also asked of me this morning. That idea was one of the very few that was inspired by a real event. I was told what, to me, was a very sad story by someone I know about their elderly mother who had Alzheimer's, and the elderly mother was in a closed ward. She was very severely demented and no longer recognized her son, but he went faithfully to visit her twice a week, and he used to take her sweets. That was their point of connection; she had a sweet tooth, she recognized him as the sweet-giver. That was very poignant to me. So I embroidered the story. Neville gives his mother what she wants, and (it makes me sad to think of it) she wants to give something back to him, but what she gives back to him is essentially worthless. But he still takes it as worth something because she's trying to give, so it does mean something, in emotional terms.

But, the theories on the sweet wrappers, are really out there.

ES: You can't blame them.

JKR: I mean she's not trying to pass him secret messages.

MA: She's not really sane --

JKR: No. You're right. But that's a classic example of, "Let's just shut that one down," because it doesn't really lead anywhere very interesting even if they're wrong.



Does this mean we completely disregard the gum? She did, after all, just clearly state that they have no significance, right?

...didn't she?

What she did was show us which direction to go in by cutting out the other options. She also gave us new information on how the gum got there, and that's even more important.

Most clearly, we now know decisively which "out there" theories were way off: Alice is not passing secret information to Neville, she's not faking her condition, she's not trying to give Neville a warning, nor is she trying to communicate with him in anyway. Story-wise, they're just a Christmas present from a boy to his mother, who tries to give him something back.

Story-wise. JKR added a quick statement to what she was trying to say before anyone could get the wrong idea: I mean she's not trying to pass him secret messages.

This doesn't mean there aren't any subtext clues to be found.

Which leads us in the right direction. There's a few things we can now put together.

First, from this new information, we find out that it's Neville who's bringing the gum in to his mother (not some mysterious gum-chewing stranger in a trench coat who we've yet to meet), and so she must be chewing the gum (again, what kind of hospital... mental patients...).

Neville's mother chewing the gum closes a circle in part of the bubble running bit: the "unable to speak" part. All those references to bubbles and the inability to speak, Lockhart trying to use a Memory Charm on Harry and Ron so they couldn't talk about what really happened, combined with Snape and his pink soapsuds coming from his mouth points to this: the bubble gum represents the memory bit, which, in Alice's mouth, is preventing her from speaking.

Because locked somewhere in the Longbottom's minds is some crucial information.

To add to this symbolism, lets look around the ward again and see what's strangely missing while Alice is chewing the gum. Here's a hint: It's Droobles Best Blowing Gum. Let's review the effect of Droobles (PoA Chapter 10):

...along yet another wall were "Special Effects" sweets: Droobles Best Blowing Gum (which filled a room with bluebell colored bubbles that refused to pop for days)...

If the "Special Effect" of chewing Droobles is that it fills a room full of bluebell colored bubbles... it's funny we didn't see any in the ward, since Alice gave Neville back an empty wrapper. But of course there were no bubbles- Alice has no memories.

Now the last clue, very well known. Since now we know we've seen the "Memory Charm making one unable to speak" bit closed, we need a hint at how it's happening, and of course it's found right where this part of the bit ended- the gum wrapper, the ol' anagram: Droobles Best Blowing Gum = Gold Bribe Below St. Mungo's.

Many will protest, of course, still feeling that this is much to obvious a clue and that JKR's statement that Alice is not passing secret messages to Neville falls much to close to this. I do not believe, however, that anyone ever expected Neville, or Harry, or even Hermione, for that matter, to glance at a Droobles wrapper and say, "Hey... waaaait a second!"

The fact that there is a clue on the wrapper has no effect on the story itself. It is meant for us to find, not the characters. JKR did employ some tactics to try and hide it, too. In the ward, she refers to the wrapper as a "Droobles Blowing Gum" wrapper, instead of the full Droobles Best Blowing Gum, perhaps warding off those who would forget the gum's full name.

On the other hand, she did remind us it was Droobles... or made sure she pointed it out. Remember, she could've just said it was a plain old "gum wrapper."

Speaking of the gum's full name, there's another oddity that give evidence toward the anagram. Read again the description of the "Special Effects" of Droobles. The magic effect certainly isn't done by having to tediously blow enough bubbles to fill a room- it's magic. Just chewing the gum fills a room with bluebell colored bubbles.

Why then is it called a "blowing" gum?

Consider also the alternate names JKR could have used: Droobles Best Chewing Gum or Droobles Best Bubble Gum. The latter seems like the best choice to fit the description. In fact, has anyone ever heard of "Blowing Gum?" Do an internet search for "blowing gum," the only pages you'll get have to do with Harry Potter and Droobles. "Blowing Gum" isn't only an uncommon thing to call bubble gum, it's non-existent except for Droobles.

So why didn't she just call it "Droobles Bubble Gum?" Because you can't spell "Gold bribe below St. Mungo's" with those letters.

One must also add, in argument for the anagram, that JKR used the same technique in showing the running bits to the reader that she did to show the use of anagrams in her work by providing an example to the reader, when Tom Marvolo Riddle spelled out "I am Lord Voldemort" for us.

So, now that we know where the "unable to speak" theme in the running bit led, there's one more "bubble" mention that ties it all together (OotP, Chapter 35):


...as though it was nothing but a soap bubble and he came to rest, sprawled on his back on the table, with his head lying inside the jar full of glittering wind...

What happens to this Death Eater while his head is in the bell jar is very telling, as far as the bubble running bit goes. First note the mention of "soap bubble," tying in the "unable to speak" theme. The Death Eater ends up on his back, like the patients in the closed ward, or like a baby.

Then, because of the effect of the "bubble," his head shrinks into that of a baby. As this is a jar of time- this Death Eater just lost all his memories.

Then his head- and mind- come back to normal, when the effect of the "bubble" happens again. Again he loses his memories and becomes a baby.

This is exactly what is going on in the closed ward. Healer Strout uses memory charms to keep certain patients from recovering at all- and gets to have the children she's always wanted. The only question that remains is, "Who's paying for this?"



The gold bribe below St. Mungo's

Whether or not one agrees with the anagram clue, the fact remains that there is something not right at St. Mungo's. With all the shady dealings going on in the background, someone must be behind it.

Of course, a smart person wouldn't outright pay directly for these malevolent things to be done. An even smarter person covers up their misdeeds by turning it around so they look good.

So we're probably looking for someone rich and powerful, and someone fairly cunning, someone evil but who tries to maintain a respected status in the magical community.

Of course it's Lucius. Who else would it be?

His bribe to the hospital was made perfectly clear to us in GoF, Chapter 8:

Fudge, who wasn't listening, said, "Lucius has just given a very generous contribution to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur. He's here as my guest."

Well, there it is. Lucius sending large amounts of gold to St. Mungo's right in front of everyone, and receiving praise and a reward for it. But has Lucius ever done anything when it would not benefit him?

Surely he didn't know Fudge would bring him along to the Quidditch World Cup for his actions, besides, he could easily afford his own tickets. So what's he getting out of donating to St. Mungo's? I'd bet my pants the Longbottoms would have made some progress if this Death Eater wasn't so "generous."

Who is taking the bribe, then? Obviously, if the bribes come in the form of donations to the hospital, it's not the Healers themselves. It must be the Hospital administration. So where are the bigwigs who run the place?

Luckily, JKR left us a floor guide in the St. Mungo's lobby. The administrative offices, however, are not listed. Luckily we can still determine where they are. There are six floors listed; from the ground floor to the fourth floor are used for medical purposes, and the fifth floor is for visitors, with a tearoom and a gift shop.

The ground floor is the same floor as the lobby, of course, because Harry and the Weasleys go up a flight of stairs to get to Mr. Weasley's ward on the first floor. That means there is still one place left for the administrative offices to be.

They're below the ground floor.

The hospital itself was built above ground for health reasons, as Mr. Weasley informed us, but just like the offices at the Ministry, the St. Mungo's administration prefers to have offices underground. If Lucius were to make a "donation" to the hospital, this is where he would bring his sack of galleons. Gold bribe below St. Mungo's.

But how to retrieve whatever it is in the minds of the Longbottoms that is valuable enough that Lucius is willing to pay to keep them in their current state? More importantly, what might be hidden in the maimed minds of the Longbottoms that make them so valuable?

One can make an easy guess. Neville's storyline is "important to the central plot," and now that we've read HBP and reviewed Slughorn's part in the "bubble" running bit, which gave us the revelation about Horcruxes, it becomes clear what secret lies in the minds of the Longbottoms. That's where Bellatrix comes in.


continue with
Bubbles & Memory part two



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