Halloween was an important and rather fun holiday—at least in the Muggle world.
In the wizarding world, however, it wasn't that significant. At Hogwarts, there was no holiday for Halloween, only a Halloween-themed feast held on the night before.
And when it came to Halloween decorations, pumpkins were, of course, indispensable.
Their thick rinds could be carved into jack-o'-lanterns to decorate the school, while their sweet flesh could be used to make delicious dishes, desserts, or refreshing pumpkin juice.
The only place on the school grounds where pumpkins were grown was Hagrid's pumpkin patch.
One weekend, about a week before Halloween, Harry brought Neville along to visit Hagrid's hut. Harry had heard Hagrid boasting about his giant pumpkins and wanted to see them for himself.
Harry and Hagrid were on very good terms, thanks to Hagrid's warm personality and the pleasant memories of their first meeting.
Otherwise, Harry couldn't imagine himself befriending someone so tall and intimidating-looking.
Harry often dropped by Hagrid's hut whenever he had the time and had long noticed the pumpkins growing in his patch. But they all looked like ordinary-sized pumpkins, and Harry couldn't figure out why Hagrid kept calling them "giant pumpkins."
"Hagrid, we're here!" Harry called loudly from in front of the hut.
No sooner had he spoken than a loud bark came from inside, making Neville jump in fright.
"Harry, are you sure it's okay for us to be here?" Neville asked nervously.
He glanced toward the shadowy depths of the Forbidden Forest nearby and shivered.
The professors always warned them that the forest was dangerous—home to fierce centaurs, wicked werewolves, and man-eating giant spiders!
That was enough to make Neville constantly worry that some strange creature might come bursting out of the darkness, grab him by the leg, and drag him into the forest for dinner.
But more than the forest, Neville was afraid of the giant man named Hagrid.
Unlike the unseen monsters of the forest, this enormous figure was right in front of him—with his rough features, wild hair and beard, and that shaggy otter-skin coat.
Neville couldn't help worrying that Hagrid might just decide to eat him.
If Harry hadn't assured him again and again that Hagrid was a kind and gentle man, Neville would never have dared to come see any "giant pumpkins."
"Fang, quiet!" a deep voice boomed from inside the hut. Heavy footsteps approached the door, and with a creak, the tall wooden door—over two meters high—swung open.
A huge figure ducked under the doorway and stepped outside.
"Haha! Harry, it's you!" Hagrid said with a hearty laugh. "And this must be your friend. Come to see the pumpkins, have you?"
"Yes. I got your letter—you said you'd grown some giant pumpkins, so we came to take a look." Harry nodded. "This is my friend, Neville. Neville Longbottom."
"H-hello, I'm Neville," he said cautiously.
He was still nervous, half-afraid that if he said the wrong thing, this towering man might drag him inside and stew him together with the pumpkins.
"Hello, Neville. Just call me Hagrid," Hagrid said with a hearty laugh. "Come on, follow me around back and take a look at the giant pumpkins I've grown."
He led Harry and Neville around the hut, picking up a tin bucket that gave off a strong, acrid smell.
"The pumpkins are ripe now, and those nasty pumpkin-eating slugs have started showing up again," Hagrid explained, glancing back at the two. "This is insecticide I got from Professor Sprout—works like a charm."
Before long, they arrived at the pumpkin patch. When Harry and Neville saw the massive pumpkins in the field—each one bigger than their own bodies—their eyes went wide in amazement.
"How did they get so big?" Harry asked in surprise.
"Oh, that's because I used a Growth Potion. It makes the pumpkins grow to extraordinary sizes," Hagrid said proudly, clearly pleased by Harry's astonished reaction. "You can have a look around, or bring your friends over to see them too."
Come see the giant pumpkins?
Harry's eyes suddenly lit up—he immediately thought of Leonard.
Leonard had always been fascinated by magical plants. Lately, whenever he finished his homework on weekends, he'd be talking with that Ravenclaw girl, Patil, while holding a book about magical plants in his hands.
If Hagrid's Growth Potion worked so well on pumpkins, would it work on magical plants too?
Whether it would or not, Harry was certain Leonard would be interested.
"I'll go get Leonard," Harry said quickly, then took off running without another word.
Think and act—that was something Hermione had taught him.
"Huh?" Hagrid, who was in the middle of spraying insecticide on the pumpkins, paused and looked toward the rapidly disappearing Harry. "What's gotten into Harry?"
"I... I don't know," Neville stammered, instinctively taking a step back. He was full of resentment at being suddenly abandoned. Could Harry please stop leaving him behind like that? He was terrified of strangers—and even more afraid of this huge man.
He doesn't eat children, right?
"Really now, running off and leaving your friend alone like that!" Hagrid muttered, setting the metal bucket down. "You're Neville, right? Would you like a snack?"
...
It was the weekend, and Leonard had already finished his homework yesterday. If he didn't have plans with that Patil girl, where would he be?
Harry wondered as he raced toward the castle. Leonard had mentioned he often spent time in the greenhouses or practiced magic somewhere quiet.
After a moment's thought, Harry gave up guessing and ran straight to the Hufflepuff common room.
At the entrance, he happened to run into Leonard's roommate, Ernie Macmillan.
"Hi, I'm looking for Leonard. Is he in the dormitory, or did he go somewhere?" Harry asked. He didn't know Ernie—he'd just stopped the first friendly-looking person he saw.
"Leonard? I think he said he wanted to understand some new charms and went to find Professor Flitwick," Ernie replied, then his eyes widened as recognition hit him.
"You're Harry Potter! A pleasure to meet you—I'm Ernie Macmillan, from the Macmillan family."
"Macmillan?" Harry blinked, looking completely puzzled. He'd never heard the name before.
"Well, it's not surprising you haven't," Ernie said with a grin. "Just know our family's always been on good terms with everyone."
He chuckled. "Sorry, I shouldn't keep you—you must be in a hurry to find Leonard, right?"