Pumpkin

Pumpkin
Species information
Sentience	Non-sentient
Distinction(s)	Deep yellow or orange in colour Smooth, slightly ribbed skin
Usage	Cuisine Decoration
Affiliation	Hallowe'en
Status	Extant

"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 of Rubeus Hagrid's pumpkins

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.

Overview

The Pumpkin-Head Jinx encased the victim's head in a pumpkin; the Pompion Potion also had this effect. Pumpkin juice and Pumpkin Pasties were made from pumpkins. Pumpkin fizz was also a pumpkin-flavoured drink.

The wizarding shop Pumpkins R Us specialised in pumpkins. The owner Dagbert Pips cultivated luminous pumpkins, flying pumpkins, exploding pumpkins and singing pumpkins, which were sold in the shop to wizards at Hallowe'en time. In 1992, Pips wrote to the Daily Prophet in order to express his dismay at proposed British Ministry of Magic restrictions on how wizards could celebrate Hallowe'en, saying that he had spent the last five years cultivating his magical pumpkins for a living.

History

In a 1913 Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry concerning Boggarts, an unidentified student used the Boggart-Banishing Spell to change a Boggart in the form of a Zombie into having the head of a pumpkin.

Talbott Winger's mother grew pumpkins in her garden.

Pumpkin Johnny was supposedly a student at Hogwarts who loved pumpkins, who one Hallowe'en had his head trapped in a pumpkin with the Pumpkin-Head Jinx by another student, who then fled into the Forbidden Forest, never to be seen again. It was said that if his name was said aloud thrice on Hallowe'en, he would return to terrorise the school and students, only going away once people had learnt the lesson that mean-spirited pranks were not okay. During the 1986–1987 school year, Merula Snyde and Ismelda Murk impersonated Pumpkin Johnny to prank other students on Hallowe'en, but were mysteriously not responsible for smashing the school pumpkins, daubing pumpkin graffiti on the walls or giving the students nightmares. Jacob's sibling also met an unidentified individual dressed as Pumpkin Johnny at Rubeus Hagrid's Pumpkin Party.

Pumpkins as candle holders were among the Hallowe'en decorations used at Hogwarts. It was said that "hundreds of carved pumpkins leered from every corner" at Hallowen'en in 1994.

Rubeus Hagrid maintained a pumpkin patch outside his hut, which produced the pumpkins used to decorate the Great Hall for the Hallowe'en Feast. Although the plants are not inherently magical, Hagrid gave 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. The common rooms were also decorated with pumpkins at least once in the 1980s.

Preceding the Hallowe'en Feast in 1988, 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 Wilfred Levi Kidd.

Buckbeak, a Hippogriff, lying amongst some pumpkins

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. Pumpkin tart was served at the Start-of-Term Feast in 1993. 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.

The destroyed pumpkins

Around Hallowe'en 2010, some of Hagrid's pumpkins were destroyed by a Blast-Ended Skrewt. Some students, including Cassandra Vole and an unidentified student, then helped him grow new ones.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play) (Mentioned only)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay (Mentioned only) (Appears in flashback(s))
• Daily Prophet Newsletters (Mentioned only)
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter (website)
• Harry Potter: The Character Vault
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• LEGO Harry Potter
• LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• Wonderbook: Book of Spells
• Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
• Hogwarts Legacy