Drooble's Best Blowing Gum.
Neville Longbottom both loved and hated it.
For the exact same reasons.
Nearly every time he saw his mother, she gave him one of the wrappers.
Just a crinkled little rectangle of cellophane.
But it meant so much.
Whenever he saw one, emotion surged through him.
For the exact same reason – his mother gave him each one.
He hated that his contact with his mother was limited to an exchange of candy wrappers.
That she could give nothing else, communicate nothing else to him.
But, he loved every wrapper.
Each was a gift from his mother; the only kind he ever received.
Each one had been touched by her, and now was his.
Each one fueled the flickering flame of hope that deep down, where she still may have sanity, she loved him.
Those little rectangles formed his lifeline to his mother.
But, that flame constantly flickered against a gale of worries. A gale of hatred against those stupid wrappers.
For every time she handed him one with that beatific smile, Neville could see, resulting in encouragement and dread, that she remembered.
She remembered her like of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum from her younger days.
She wasn't completely gone.
But, as encouraging as that was, it was always dashed by the looming taunts.
She remembered the gum, but not him. She retained her love for sweets, but not for her son.
And every time he thought that, his heart broke.
But, the reasons he loved and hated Drooble's Best Blowing Gum most of all branched from his speculations.
Two possibilities came to mind, both shrouded in uncertainty. Both considered the reason for the gum wrapper gifts.
The first? That she considered him nothing more than a disposal of her wrappers. That she didn't care a smidge about him; only about her Drooble's.
If Neville ever found that to be actually true, he knew he'd probably collapse of the heartache.
But the second reason? The reason he loved the little wrappers most of all?
That she did know.
That deep down, her sanity was there, but caged.
That she recognized him; that she still loved him, but couldn't express her love except through a Drooble's Best Blowing Gum wrapper.
But she still loved him.
However, even that thought was terribly melancholy, and partially served as a reason for his hatred.
Even in his best case scenario, the wrappers only served as a reminder for her terrible captivity.
It seemed like he just couldn't win.
So, there were many more reasons for him to hate.
But his love was still stronger than the hate.
Love often is.