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"In the small vegetable patch behind Hagrid's house were a dozen of the largest pumpkins Harry had ever seen. Each was the size of a large boulder."
— Description[src]

A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash that grows on vines. It is cultivated for its large pulpy round orange fruit with firm orange skin, and numerous seeds.

History

Pumpkins as candle holders were among the Hallowe'en decorations at Hogwarts. Also "hundreds of carved pumpkins leered from every corner" during Hallowen'en.[1]

Hagrid maintains a pumpkin patch outside his hut, which produces the pumpkins used to decorate the Great Hall for the Hallowe'en Feast. Although the plants aren't inherently magical, Hagrid gives them some "help" so that the pumpkins swell to the size of garden sheds by the time the feast rolls around. Though Hagrid did not say so directly, Hermione Granger deduced that he had used an Engorgement Charm upon them.[2] The common rooms were also decorated with pumpkins at least once in the 1980s.[3]

Preceeding the Hallowe'en Feast in 1988[4], some students volunteered to help Albus Dumbledore prepare decorations for the feast, which included carving pumpkins. Five students who carved pumpkins were Jacob's sibling, Rowan Khanna, Penny Haywood, William Weasley and a Gryffindor boy.[5]

In Harry Potter's second year, these pumpkins were carved into lanterns large enough for three men to sit in and displayed during the Hogwarts Hallowe'en festivities.[6]

Pumpkin

Buckbeak, a Hippogriff, lying amongst some pumpkins

Pumpkin tart was served at the Start-of-Term Feast in 1993.[7] Later in school year, Harry, Hermione and Ron hid behind some pumpkins in order to not be seen by Professor Dumbledore, Cornelius Fudge and the Executioner. Later that same night, Harry and Hermione went back to the pumpkin patch to rescue Buckbeak. In frustration, following Buckbeak's rescue, Walden Macnair used his axe to slash one of the pumpkins.

In 1996, following Albus Dumbledore's escape from Hogwarts, Harry Potter heard a second year girl assuring another that Cornelius Fudge was lying in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries with a pumpkin for a head.[8]

The jinx Melofors encases the victim's head in a pumpkin; the Pompion Potion also has this effect.

Pumpkin juice and Pumpkin Pasties are made from pumpkins. Pumpkin fizz is a pumpkin-flavoured sweet.

The shop Pumpkins R Us specialises in pumpkins.

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 16 (The Goblet of Fire)
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 7 (Mudbloods And Murmurs)
  3. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
  4. Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington states that Hallowe'en that year is his four hundred ninety-sixth deathday.
  5. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, "Help Dumbledore with Hallowe'en!" (task available from 5 October to 8 October 2018)
  6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 8 (The Deathday Party)
  7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 5 (The Dementor)
  8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 28 (Snape's Worst Memory)
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