The Hogwarts are at an indoor market hall selling Hester's pumpkins.
As they wait for the first customers to arrive, Henry uses a green pumpkin as a broom. "Look, Dada!" he exclaims, "A flyin' punkin!"
"That's very creative, my little bacon roll!" Mr Hogwart says.
Hattie, who is sitting on the table top is staring at a pumpkin that's a little different than the others. It has eyes and a laaarge mouth and pointy teeth. Hattie is wondering whether the pumpkin might bite her...
Hope is the first to see a bunch of customers arrive. It's the Mouskewitz's and they are new in town!
Hester jumps off her chair to greet them. "A pleasure to meet you! My name is Hester! How are you settling in?"
She finds out that mother Mouskewitz is called Olga, the father Danilo and the children are Inna and Andrej.
Hamish is happy to greet the newcomers also. "Welcome to Riverside, Mr Mouskewitz!" he says.
"Please call me Danilo!" Mr Mouskewitz offers.
The children smile at each other curiously.
When Olga Mouskewitz says she would like to buy a pumpkin, Hester starts a lengthy monologue about the pros and cons of each variety.
"This one makes the creamiest soups and pies," she explains, "and that one is best if you would like to make toffee or marmalade."
Finally Olga chooses one of the dark orange variety. The family is very pleased with their purchase and they all smile and wave goodbye to the Hogwarts - except Andrej who is too busy pinching his sister's tail.
"Such a lovely family," Hester says to Ham as they smile and wave goodbye. "I agree, my dear. Oh, look who's coming now!" says Hamish.
It's Fudge, Riverside's very own Biwubear! He is carrying a dark brown basket over one paw and a packet of toffees in the other. Pickles, his pet dragon, is sitting on his arm.
"So good to see you, Fudge, my dear!!" gushes Hester, but before anyone can say anything else, Pickles jumps from Fudge's arm onto the market table and the magic pumpkin starts barking at him in an aggressive manner. Pickles growls and yaps defensively.
Fortunately, Hamish intervenes. At first he feels like scolding the pumpkin, but then he has an idea...
Meanwhile, Fudge is getting important information from Hester. I am sure he needs a pumpkin for baking pie, or maybe he wants to restock his jar of pumpkin toffee.
Since the magic pumpkin did such a good job of protecting their produce, Hamish has decided to put him in charge of guarding his wallet.
Fudge has selected a pumpkin and has agreed to a cup of sweet tea. Henry and Hope watch as Pickles sniffs the outside of the pumpkin, imagining all the toffees or pies it will make...
After Fudge has payed with his packet of toffees and left (he has an entire stack of them at home), the Hogwarts start to restock the table top with pumpkins that were lying underneath.
The next visitor is Sidney Sylverson who is shopping alone today, because his wife and two daughters are in bed with the flu!
"I need two large pumpkins, please, so I can make a nourishing soup for my ladies, as well as pumpkin casserole for myself" says Sidney.
"There you go," says Hester after putting the green variety in his basket for the casserole and one of the round orange ones for soup.
Sidney says thank you to the Hogwarts and goes home right away to start cooking.
The next customers are the Woodchucks. Hester greets Chelsea with a kiss on the cheek and says hi to Charles and the children. Little Chutney is looking adorable as always, in his pink shirt and tie.
The Woodchucks are very quick with their purchase, as they already knew what they were looking for. "Bye bye!" says Chelsea to little Hattie and Hope.
Who is this...??
Remember that Fudge took in two forest creatures last winter? One of them was a pumpkin head called Wendelbert Wolperting.
"Heeellooo, effry one!" he says, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Just looking - allrrready got ze pumpkin!" he says as he walks by and everyone laughs and waves at him.
The last customers today are Lance Schaefer with his wheelbarrow and son Danny on his bobbycar.
They have a very big family, so they buy the rest of the pumpkins (except for the one with eyes and a mouth).
"I think we better take you back home with us!" says Hester to the pumpkin. "You'll fit in with us just fine!"
THE END
P.S.: Wendelbert Wolperting and the magic pumpkin were made by Irina.
