Lemon Drops are a type of hard, boiled Muggle sweet with a distinct lemon flavour. In the original British editions of the novels, they are referred to as Sherbet Lemons, which typically feature a solid, translucent yellow candy shell containing a fizzy sherbet powder centre. The American editions use the term Lemon Drops, which generally refers to a solid hard candy without the powder filling. Their primary appeal lies in their simple, sharp citrus taste.
As a Muggle item, Lemon Drops possess no inherent magical properties. Their significance in the Wizarding World stems entirely from their association with Albus Dumbledore. Their most notable “magical” use was serving as the password to the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. A witch or wizard simply had to state the name of the sweet—“Sherbet Lemon“—for the gargoyle to spring to life and reveal the spiral staircase behind it. Beyond their use as a password, Dumbledore frequently carried and offered the sweets to others. He used them as an icebreaker or a simple gesture of goodwill, demonstrating his unassuming nature and fondness for simple Muggle pleasures.
The sweets appear at several key moments throughout the series, almost always in connection with Albus Dumbledore.
Lemon Drops serve primarily as a powerful and recurring symbol of Albus Dumbledore's character. His affection for a simple Muggle candy highlights his humility, his connection to the non-magical world, and his ability to find joy in small things, which contrasts sharply with his immense magical power and the heavy burdens he carries. The sweets also function as a minor but important plot device. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the password allows Harry to enter the Headmaster's office unsupervised, leading to his discovery of Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, both of which would prove crucial to his survival in the Chamber of Secrets and his battle with Tom Riddle's memory and the Basilisk.