A potion that could make plants swell—Leonard couldn't help wondering if it might have some effect on magical plants as well.
Size, in a sense, meant strength. The larger the body, the greater the power, and the more terrifying the force in battle. That was something Leonard had learned firsthand—after being brutally pummeled by that knight statue in the ancient ruins.
Before that, influenced by novels and movies, he'd always thought large creatures were just big, slow targets—easy to burn down with a few spells.
But that kind of thinking ignored one thing: the cost of the fight.
An enemy so massive that even its corpse could crush dozens of people—would you still call it weak?
Before dismissing them as easy targets, maybe consider how many hits you could actually take from something like that.
You could leap around, dodge attacks, and pull off graceful, flashy maneuvers—only to realize your efforts barely scratched the surface.
Then it would hit back once, and the sheer shockwave from its strike would flatten you on the spot.
How were you supposed to fight something like that?
Of course, Leonard didn't really think Hagrid's Growth Potion would make plants that powerful. Still, even a small increase in size meant a small increase in strength—and he wasn't about to turn down something that could make magical plants more formidable.
So, unable to resist the temptation, he decided to go with Harry to see Hagrid's pumpkin patch for himself.
Come to think of it, Leonard often passed Hagrid's hut on his way to the Forbidden Forest, yet he'd never actually visited the man before.
...
Soon, he and Harry arrived at Hagrid's hut. The sound of barking greeted them as they knocked on the door.
Hagrid ducked through the doorway, smiling when he saw them. "Welcome! You must be Leonard, right? I've heard a lot about you from the other professors."
A huge black dog stood beside Hagrid, its small eyes fixed on Leonard, full of suspicion.
"Hello, Mr. Hagrid," Leonard said politely. Noticing the dog's wary stare, he calmly met its gaze.
Fang whimpered softly and hid behind Hagrid's legs.
"This lad's Fang—my hound," Hagrid said cheerfully. "Don't let his size fool you. He looks fierce, but he's a real coward."
Hagrid spoke warmly, then turned and stepped back into the hut.
"Come in, both of you! I've just made some snacks—Neville's already having some." Hagrid ushered them inside and shot Harry a mild look of reproach.
"Harry, that wasn't very nice of you. How could you leave your friend behind? Neville and I don't know each other well—he's been a bit nervous. He hasn't eaten much."
"Ah—sorry, I suddenly thought of asking Leonard to come along," Harry said, sounding apologetic but not especially concerned. It wasn't as if leaving Neville alone with Hagrid for a bit was a big deal.
In fact, he thought it might be good for Neville. Hagrid might look intimidating, but he was kind-hearted. Spending time with him could help Neville build some courage.
He was a Gryffindor, after all—he couldn't keep being scared of everything!
But when Harry saw Neville sitting in a chair, clutching a biscuit the size of his face—gray, metallic, and shimmering faintly—with tears in his eyes, he fell silent.
Something felt… wrong.
"Here, try one of my biscuits!" Hagrid said enthusiastically, handing each of them one identical to Neville's and beaming with pride.
"Go on, don't be shy!" Hagrid said cheerfully. "Don't be like Neville, sitting there nibbling for ages. I've got plenty more!"
As he spoke, he picked up a biscuit—small in his massive hand—and popped it into his mouth. The sound that followed was like rocks grinding in a crusher as he chewed and swallowed with ease.
Harry and Leonard stared down at their own biscuits, then back at Hagrid—still crunching happily—and fell silent.
Are these even meant to be eaten by humans?
Leonard squeezed his biscuit experimentally. The texture felt exactly like stone.
He glanced at Neville again. The biscuit in Neville's trembling hands looked completely untouched—the only difference was a faint indentation where he'd tried to bite it.
It was obvious he'd been struggling with it for a long time.
And indeed, that was true.
Neville met Leonard's eyes, tears welling up as if he'd just found a kindred spirit.
It had been nearly an hour. Harry had gone to fetch Leonard, and for that entire hour, Neville had been trapped in biscuit hell.
The biscuit was unbreakable, but he hadn't dared refuse it, terrified that Hagrid might take offense—and in a fit of anger, stew him instead. So he'd gnawed with all his might.
But no amount of effort could overcome the impossible hardness of those biscuits. They defied reason—and human teeth. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even scrape a crumb off.
Leonard couldn't imagine how Hagrid managed to bake biscuits this hard.
He tried snapping one in half, but after failing miserably, he gave up and set it aside.
Couldn't break it, couldn't bite it—forget it.
Well, at least Hagrid was good-natured; not eating his biscuit shouldn't cause any trouble.
Hagrid frowned slightly as he watched Leonard put the biscuit down. "What's the matter? Don't my rock biscuits suit your taste?"
His tone was perfectly calm, but it still made Neville's face turn pale.
Rock biscuits. That name really couldn't have been more fitting.
Leonard sighed. "No, thank you. I just don't think it's for me."
"Yeah, Hagrid," Harry added, knocking his biscuit lightly against the table. The sharp clack it made sounded more like stone than food. "It's way too hard. I think I could use this to hammer nails."
"Ah, that's a pity," Hagrid said with a hint of regret. "Well then, have some tea instead."
Seeing his friend refuse so casually—and Hagrid not getting angry—Neville immediately set his own biscuit down too.
My teeth... they hurt so much... If I'd known he'd take it this well, I wouldn't have even tried to chew it…
Hagrid happily munched down the rest of the rock biscuits himself, washing them down with two enormous mugs of tea.
Then Harry spoke up. "Hagrid, could we take another look at your pumpkins?"
"Of course! Go ahead," Hagrid said proudly, getting to his feet. "No one at Hogwarts grows pumpkins better than I do."
When they reached the pumpkin patch, Leonard stared at the massive gourds and asked, "Mind if I take a closer look?"
"Go right ahead—just don't damage the vines," Hagrid said with a good-natured wave.
"Thank you," Leonard nodded, stepping carefully into the patch to examine them.
As he looked over the enormous pumpkins, something from his previous life came to mind.
Overgrown pumpkins tended to have coarse, fibrous flesh on the inside, making them inedible.
Leonard wanted to check whether Hagrid's giant pumpkins had the same issue.
..
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