Harry Potter: 10 Character Names You Didn't Realise Were Huge Clues

For years, some readers thought that JK had just lost her touch with this obviously disparaging name. He’s thick and pius… whatever that means, they thought as he was introduced towards the end of the series as Voldemort’s Minister for Magic of choice. But, again, there’s more to it.

‘Pius’ with this spelling is closer to the original meaning of the word – that he is someone with respect for rules, the law and the order of things. ‘Nesse,’ apparently, refers to a tongue. So this corrupt politician responsible for allowing Dolores Umbridge’s propaganda of discrimination against Muggle-born wizards and witches is known as ‘thick-tongued.’

Even without his dastardly deeds, ‘thick-tongued’ could be the last name of just about any politician, surely?