The days at Hogwarts

"Children can't play in the water." Wendell refused bluntly.

Loren clapped his hands, "Don't worry, we are wizards, how can wizards drown!"

"This..." Wendell hesitated.

Hermione knew who could make the decisions here, and she begged Monica, "Mom, please, we won't go into the water."

Monica looked at Hermione's scrawled braids and waved her hand in disgust, "Go, go."

Loren pulled Hermione and ran towards the lake. Before leaving, he took a box of Monica's marinated beef mixed with onions and parsley while she was not paying attention.

The two gradually ran out of the Grangers' sight.

Hermione ran for a distance, slowed down her pace and hummed, "I didn't expose you just now. How come wizards are not afraid of drowning? We haven't learned the Bubble Head Charm yet."

Loren's mind was now on the fish. He dragged Hermione's arm forward and said, "These are all small things. Today I will teach you a sport that is as interesting as magic."

Hermione's clever eyes rolled around and she let Loren pull her towards the river.

Loren used the transformation technique to skillfully conjure fishing rods, small benches, and plastic buckets.

Hang the onion on the fishhook, cast the hook, sit on the stool, and today will be a fruitful day.

Hermione watched Loren's skillful movements, with several veins bulging on his forehead, and said angrily, "This is the sport you said is more interesting than magic? Also, when did you steal a box of beef?"

Loren had a profound and serious look on his face. "You are still too young to understand the joy of fishing. As for beef, a wise fisherman will make use of all the conditions around him."

The expression was so serious and solemn that Hermione actually believed it.

She followed Loren's example and used Transfiguration to turn it into a small stool and a plastic bucket, but encountered difficulties when it came to the fishing rod.

The use of Transfiguration requires a clear understanding of the target object. Hermione was not clear about the shape and structure of the fishing rod in her mind, so the transformation was unsuccessful.

Loren was only too happy to help a newbie, and with a wave of his wand he conjured up a brand new fishing rod from a stone.

He handed the fishing rod to Hermione solemnly and said, "The rod is 3.6 meters long, with a universal sleeve hook, the best choice for beginners."

Hermione was shocked: "You don't even have this attitude when studying for an exam!"

Loren was still very serious and explained in detail the precautions of fishing: how to cast the hook, where to put the bait, the impact of the sun and temperature on fishing, and how to observe aquatic plants and dynamics.

Hermione had never seen Loren so serious. If Hogwarts offered a fishing course, he would definitely be the most hardworking one.

With complicated thoughts, Hermione went fishing for the first time under the guidance of Loren.

The fish in this small lake are not easy to catch. There is no nest and the bait is very random. Loren cast the hook and pulled it four times, but either the bait was eaten but no fish was seen, or there were small fish less than two fingers wide. It was meaningless.

But catching fish is still a very happy thing.

Loren happily put the small white stripers into the bucket and put some bait in the bucket to make the fish swim more happily in the bucket.

Loren pointed at the fish and showed it off to Hermione, "Look, it's wagging its tail with joy."

Hermione looked at the few small fish in the barrel. They were wagging their tails in the narrow barrel, struggling and occasionally splashing water. Then she looked at Loren's serious smiling face, not sure if he really thought so or was joking.

She ended up ignoring Loren.

Looking back, her float also moved. Hermione lifted the hook. The onion on the hook was gone, but there was no fish. Only a piece of water grass was pulled up on the hook.

Hermione turned to look at Loren and asked, "Why did you get caught on the waterweed?"

"Normal," Loren waved his hand. "You can always catch all kinds of things when fishing, just like shopping on Taobao."

He did not cite examples such as snakes, broken limbs, and corpses of various animals, for fear of scaring off Hermione, a novice fisherman.

The fisherman possesses a mysterious power that allows him to catch anything except fish.

Hermione looked at the fishhook and then at the place where she had put the hook. The lake water was very clear and there was obviously not much aquatic plant underneath.

But Hermione didn't take it to heart. She re-baited and re-hooked.

She didn't expect to gain anything. She went to the lake to wash her hands, loosened her tangled hair, and tidied it up facing the lake.

I don’t know how long it took.

During this period, Loren caught fish several times, but they were all small whitebait, so it couldn't be considered a big gain.

But Loren seemed very happy. It turned out that the foreign fish in the Black Lake of Hogwarts were too despicable. The good fish are those that take the bait when I pay the bait.

Hermione has experienced this inefficient way of feeding fish many times.

She just regarded this as a novel experience and was not upset by the gain.

Just like that, I felt the morning breeze in the forest, breathed in the fresh air with the scent of dew and grass leaves, watched Loren throw a finger-sized fish into the bucket from time to time, and listened to his serious nonsense.

Hermione thought this camping experience was pretty good.

"Hermione! Loren!" Wendell's voice came from behind.

The two turned around and saw him jogging towards them.

Wendell stopped next to the two of them and asked in surprise, "Where did you get your fishing rods from?"

"That's right, you are wizards!" Before the two of them could answer, he gave the answer himself, with a somewhat excited tone.

For Wendel, a middle-class dentist with a wife and daughter, fishing is not an unfamiliar form of leisure.

Patients at the dental clinic often talk about their fishing experiences. On weekends, sailing in a small sailboat and having a fishing party on the Thames is a form of entertainment that many people yearn for.

Familiar friends would also invite Wendell to join them, but Wendell has not tried it yet.

Chapter 134 Barbecue

"You can go fishing anytime and anywhere. It's so convenient for wizards. So convenient..." Wendell was talking to Hermione, his eyes constantly glancing to the side to look at the fishing rods in their hands.

Hermione felt a little amused and handed the fishing rod to Wendell, "Do you want to try it?"

Wendell hesitated and waved his hand to refuse: "No, I'm not interested in fishing, I just came to see you."

He repeated over and over again, trying to convince Hermione, "I've only heard of fishing, but I'm not really interested."

"They invited me to go fishing in the Thames, but I didn't agree."

"I can't fish. I'm not very interested in fishing."

Hermione directly put the fishing rod into Wendell's hand and said, "You can try it. I want to go back to the camp to help my mother with the barbecue."

She stood up and gave her seat to Wendell.

"This, isn't too good?" Wendell tried hard to suppress the smile on his face, so as not to destroy his steady image in his daughter's mind.

"But if you say so, I can help you watch for a while, and I'll give it back to you when you want to fish." He sat down in a serious manner with a fishing rod in his hand, staring straight at the place where the fish hook fell.

"Loren, please take care of my dad." Hermione waved her hand and skipped away.

Wendell didn't even turn his head, his eyes fixed on the fishhook, and he was still chatting politely with Loren, "Hermione talks so strangely, why are you taking care of me?"

Loren suppressed his laughter and said, "Yeah, it's not safe for a little kid like me to be by the lake. I need an adult to watch over me."

"Yeah." Wendell nodded, agreeing with this statement.

Loren saw his float move and hurriedly called out, "Pull up the rod, pull up the rod, the fish is on the hook!"

Wendell hurriedly lifted the rod, but he was still a step too slow. The hook was empty, the bait was gone, but the fish had already run away.

A look of regret flashed in his eyes. He was silent for a moment, and then said in a low voice: "It's okay, I just came here to experience it, I don't care about the reward."

Loren heard his voice change, coughed and responded, "That's right, fishing requires this kind of mentality, indifferent, not caring about gains and losses, your mentality is really good."

Wendell nodded silently.

In the following time, Loren taught Wendell how to bait, cast the hook, judge whether the fish has taken the bait, and how to wrestle with the fish.

"…Just bring it up slowly."

After Loren taught the procedure of fishing in this environment, he put away the rod, stood up, and threw the fishing rod directly into the lake.

Facing Wendel's puzzled look, Loren explained, "They will turn back into stone in due time. Mr. Granger, I didn't get much all morning, and I want to go back and grill the meat, so I'll leave this place to you."

Wendell was very uncomfortable fishing with him, and considering that he was Hermione's old father, Loren felt that he should take good care of his first fishing experience - letting him fish alone and comfortably.

Without waiting for Wendell to react, Loren also jumped back.

Watching Loren's departure, Wendell shook his head and said, "Children are children. Fishing requires patience."

He calmly put the bait on and swung the rod, looking like a fisherman.

When Loren returned, Hermione poked her head out to see Monica busying herself as she added charcoal to the charcoal box of the barbecue grill.

It will take some time for the fresh meat to be marinated.

The charcoal was provided by the hotel, and the barbecue grill was simply made of iron plates and iron racks. You can't use firewood for barbecue, as it produces a lot of smoke and odor, is difficult to handle, and the food doesn't taste good.

Loren also came over. He didn't understand what was so good about it, but seeing that Hermione was looking at it seriously, he also looked at the black charcoal seriously.

The two children stood side by side, stretching their heads.

Monica found it funny and waved them away, "I asked Wendell to check on you two, but when you came back, he was sitting there."

Hermione turned and asked, "You don't fish anymore?"

Loren thought for a moment, "He was a little reserved when I was next to him."

Hermione understood immediately: Wendell wanted to fish but pretended not to care, and he cared about the catch but couldn't show it.

By the time Monica had set up the barbecue and lit the charcoal fire, the meat was almost marinated.

Wendel came back jogging, holding a palm-sized fish carefully in his arms, not caring at all that his clothes got wet.

Monica said, "You're back just in time. We can start the barbecue."

Wendell said in a loud voice, "How did you know that I caught a fish as big as my arm on my first fishing trip?"

Monica: "..."

Loren and Hermione next to them covered their mouths and walked away to avoid being heard by others if they laughed out loud.

Monica ignored him as if she hadn't heard him. She placed the marinated steaks on the iron rack and flipped them over skillfully.

After a while, the aroma of fat and meat spread.

The meat that Loren roasts is also very fragrant. He prefers to roast it to a charred brown texture, with the fat and protein burnt into a hard crust on the edges and corners, which tastes very fragrant when chewed.

Loren picked up a piece of beef with a fork and fed it to Hermione. Hermione carefully took it directly with her mouth and ate with a smile on her eyes.

Loren felt a sense of satisfaction and contentment in his heart, and said, "How is it? Is my baking delicious?"

Hermione nodded vigorously, "The charred parts are very chewy, and the inside is tender and delicious."

Loren was even more satisfied, as this kind of diner was the chef's favorite.

After tasting a piece, Hermione imitated Loren's flipping and successfully seared the meat.

She calmly threw away her piece of meat and waited for her mother and Loren to feed her.

Wendell was determined to grill the big fish he caught for the first time. He claimed that it was as thick as his arm, but in fact it was only the size of his palm and required great care to handle.

Apparently, Wendell is not lacking in such meticulousness, as he would prepare the fish even if it wasn’t grilled.

Hermione's tongue and stomach had a happy time; the grilled meat was delicious, but the grilled fish was disgusting.

After the meal, they rested for a while. At about three o'clock in the afternoon, they packed up their things and drove to Elizabeth I's hunting lodge.

This is the place we had agreed to visit before. Although it is called a hunting lodge, it is built very large as it is used by the queen.

For the purpose of tourism development, it was expanded and many modern facilities were added, so it is more appropriate to call it a temporary palace.

The hunting lodge is hidden in the lush woods and surrounded by dense trees. After turning a few corners along the road, you will enter a parking lot.

This parking lot is also owned by the group of the peripheral reception hotel. As soon as they got off the car, waiters helped them with their luggage and took them to a suite with a classic British style.

The room is decorated in dark tones overall. The walls are made of rough stone and covered with heavy fabrics. The tables, chairs and beds in the room are all made of solid wood. There are also classical vases on the table, and the fireplace is filled with black charcoal ash.

Wendell and Monica slumped in their chairs and didn't want to move. It was very strange. They had only been outdoors for a day and were not very tired, but as soon as they sat down, they didn't want to move.

Hermione was curious about everything in the room and looked around.

"Was this place built hundreds of years ago?" she asked, touching the stone wall.

Loren pointed upwards and said, "You'll know the answer by looking at the light bulb above. Edison probably wasn't even born during the time of Elizabeth I."

Hermione was not disappointed and looked around.

Loren said, "If you want to see ancient things, there are plenty in Hogwarts Castle, thousands of years old, older than Elizabeth I."

Hermione retorted, "That's different. Elizabeth I is a different queen."