Barbecue

"Fishing anytime, anywhere, is so convenient for wizards, so convenient..." Wendell said to Hermione, his eyes constantly glancing to the side at the fishing rods in their hands.

Hermione found it amusing and handed the fishing rod to Wendell. "Want to give it a try?"

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

He repeated himself over and over, trying to convince Hermione that he was telling her, "I've only heard of fishing, but I'm not really interested."

"They invited me to go fishing on the River Thames, but I declined."

"I don't fish, and I'm not very interested in fishing."

Hermione shoved the fishing rod into Wendell's hand. "You give it a try. I want to go back to camp and help my mom grill some meat."

She stood up and offered her seat to Wendell.

"This... isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Wendell tried hard to suppress the smile on his face, so as not to ruin his steady image in his daughter's eyes.

"But if you put it that way, I can watch it for you for a while, and I'll give it back to you when you want to fish." He held the fishing rod in his hand, sat down in a serious manner, and stared intently at the spot where the hook would fall.

"Loren, please look after my dad." Hermione waved and skipped away.

Wendell didn't turn his head, his eyes fixed on the fishhook, while he continued to chat politely with Loren, "Hermione's talking strangely, how come you're the one taking care of me?"

Loren suppressed a laugh and said, "Yes, it's not safe for a little kid like me to be by the lake; I need an adult to look after me."

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

Loren saw his float move and quickly called out, "Lift the rod! Lift the rod! The fish has taken the bait!"

Wendell frantically lifted the rod, but it was too late. The hook was empty; the bait was gone, and the fish had already escaped.

A look of regret flashed in his eyes. He paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "It's okay. I'm just here to experience it. I don't care about what I gain."

Loren heard his voice change and coughed in agreement, "That's right, fishing requires this kind of mentality—calmness, not caring about gains or losses. Your mentality is really good."

Wendell nodded silently.

Over the next period of time, Loren taught Wendell how to bait, cast, determine if a fish has taken the bait, and how to fight with the fish.

"... Just lift it up slowly."

After demonstrating the fishing process in this environment, Loren packed up his line, stood up, and threw his gear directly into the lake.

Meeting Wendell's questioning gaze, Loren explained, "They will turn back into stone in time. Mr. Granger, I haven't had much luck all morning and I'd like to go back to roasting meat, so I'll leave this place in your care."

Wendell felt very uncomfortable fishing with him, and considering that he was Hermione's father, Loren felt he should take care of his first fishing experience—let him fish alone in peace.

Before Wendell could react, Loren skipped back.

Watching Loren's departing figure, Wendell shook his head. "Kids will be kids. You have to be patient to fish."

He calmly baited the hook, cast the line, and already displayed the demeanor of a seasoned angler.

When Loren returned, Hermione peeked out to watch Monica busy adding charcoal to the charcoal bin on the barbecue grill.

The fresh meat is set aside to marinate; it will take some time.

The charcoal was provided by the hotel, and the grill was simply made of iron plates and frames. You can't use firewood for grilling; it produces too much smoke and a strong odor, is difficult to manage, and doesn't taste good.

Loren also joined in, not understanding what was so interesting about it, but seeing Hermione looking at it so intently, he also looked at the dark charcoal intently.

The two children stood side by side, craning their necks.

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

Hermione turned her head and asked, "Aren't you going fishing anymore?"

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

Hermione immediately understood: 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 grill and lit the charcoal, the meat was almost marinated.

Wendell jogged back, carefully cradling a palm-sized fish in his arms, not caring at all that his clothes were wet.

Monica said, "You're back just in time, we can start grilling the meat."

Wendell said in a loud voice, "How do you know I caught a fish as thick as an arm on my first fishing trip?"

Monica: "..."

Loren and Hermione, who were standing nearby, covered their mouths and walked away to avoid being heard laughing out loud.

Monica acted as if she hadn't heard him and ignored him. She placed the marinated meat on the iron rack and skillfully turned it over and over.

Soon, the aroma of fat and meat filled the air.

Loren's roasted meat is also very fragrant. He prefers to roast it until it's a bit charred, with the fat and protein forming a hard crust on the outside corners, making it very delicious to chew.

Loren used his fork to pick up a piece of beef and feed it to Hermione, Hermione carefully took it directly with her mouth, her eyes crinkling with joy as she ate.

A sense of pride and satisfaction rose within Loren, and he said, "How was it? Did I bake it well?"

Hermione nodded vigorously, "The charred parts are very fragrant when chewed, and the inside is tender, it's delicious."

Loren was even more satisfied; this kind of diner is exactly what chefs like.

After Hermione tasted a piece, she imitated Loren and flipped the meat over, successfully burning it.

She calmly tossed aside her piece of meat and waited patiently for her mother and Loren to feed her.

Wendell was determined to grill the big fish he caught on his first try, which was said to be as thick as an arm but was actually only the size of a palm and required great care to prepare.

Clearly, Wendell is not lacking in such meticulousness; he would even prepare this fish if he didn't eat roast meat.

Hermione's tongue and stomach enjoyed a blissful time; the roast meat was delicious, but the grilled fish was awful.

After their meal, they rested for a while. Around three o'clock in the afternoon, the group packed up their things and drove to Elizabeth I's Hunting Lodge.

This is the place we had agreed to visit beforehand. Although it is called the Hunting Lodge, it was built to be quite large as it was used by the Queen.

For tourism development, it was expanded and many modern facilities were added, making it more appropriate to call it a temporary palace.

The Hunting Lodge is hidden in the lush forest, surrounded by dense trees. After turning a few corners along the road, you enter another parking lot.

This parking lot is also owned by the hotel group that provides outreach services. As soon as they got out of the car, a waiter helped them with their luggage and led them to a suite with a classic British style.

The room is predominantly dark in color, with rough stone walls covered in heavy fabric. The tables, chairs, and beds are all made of solid wood, and there are antique vases on the tables. The fireplace is filled with black charcoal ash.

Wendell and Monica slumped in their chairs, unwilling to move. Strangely, they had only spent a day in the wild and weren't particularly tired, but once they sat down, they didn't want to move.

Hermione was fascinated by everything in the room and looked around curiously.

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

Loren pointed upwards, "You can tell the answer by looking at the light bulbs above. Edison probably wasn't even born in Elizabeth I's time."

Hermione wasn't disappointed and wandered around looking at things.

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 was a different kind of queen."

Monica agreed with this statement, saying, "As the last Tudor Dynasty queen, the dynasty's economy and culture flourished during her reign, and many literary figures, such as Shakespeare and Bacon, were born in that era."

Monica graduated from medical school during a special era, enduring discrimination against women. She carries feminist ideas deep in her heart.

This mindset had some influence on Hermione, and both women held a special respect for Elizabeth I.

Wendell interjected, "There's a gallery here with things from Elizabeth I; we can visit it in a bit."

He sat up abruptly. "Let's go now, and we can have dinner at the restaurant when we get back."

Hermione and Monica exchanged a glance and agreed to the suggestion. Then they took the bewildered Loren to tour the exhibition hall.

Bright lights, glass enclosures, and occasional security personnel give the exhibition hall a modern feel. Bows and arrows, swords, and shields bearing royal insignia are mostly displayed in the glass cases.

Loren always felt that whether the things here were truly genuine still needed to be questioned.

But Monica and Hermione were very interested, and the two of them held hands and stopped to look at each item one by one, reading the explanatory text next to the glass case with great interest.

Wendell and Loren weren't that interested; they went straight to the glass display case in the center of the exhibition hall, where a set of Elizabeth's hunting attire was on display.

The accompanying text records Elizabeth's life story:

Elizabeth received a good court education in her early years, but was suppressed during the reign of her half-sister Mary I.

After Mary I's death, Elizabeth ascended the throne. With the support of the new nobility and the bourgeoisie, she strengthened her autocratic rule and reinstated the Protestantism Acts. Externally, she focused on countering Spain maritime dominance, vigorously developing maritime trade and colonialism, and establishing the East India Company. Elizabethan reign is known in England history as the "Golden Age."

But Loren was more interested in the latter part, which concerned the hunting grounds:

Elizabeth I did not hunt frequently during her reign, but her sister Mary I was an avid hunter who used living people as prey in bloody hunts.

He organized such hunts many times during his reign, targeting Protestantism, death row inmates, and even innocent farmers.

Loren reached into his pocket, pinched the small mirror, and murmured, "Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, who is the real you?"

"There's a reason why Mary I is called ' Bloody Mary,' isn't there?" Hermione appeared beside Loren at some point and said, looking at the text.

Loren remained noncommittal; he paid little attention to religious struggles and the Tudor Dynasty, and had little opinion on Mary I's behavior.

"The oppression and tragic experiences of childhood will accompany a person throughout their life. Her experiences created a distorted personality, yet she became a queen..." Loren said.

Hermione turned to look at him. "None of these can justify her bloodlust."

Even the next day, on their drive back, Loren was still wondering whether Bloody Mary was really a witch.

If it's just a folk tale, then where did the mirror in his pocket come from?

If Bloody Mary was a real Witch, then which one was the real Bloody Mary: the Earl bathed in blood to maintain her youth, or the bloodthirsty Queen?

Hermione was as joyful as when she arrived.

She sat in the back row, peering out the window with bright eyes, humming a broken melody.

"Hermione, did you enjoy the camping trip?" Wendell obviously knew the answer, but he just wanted to ask.

Hermione answered cooperatively, "Happy!"

Wendell smiled contentedly, feeling as refreshed as if he had drunk ice water on a hot summer day. For him, his wife and daughter were everything.

He turned the steering wheel slightly and said, "We weren't well prepared for this camping trip. We've been to the forest twice already. How about we go somewhere else next time?"

Wendell glanced discreetly at his wife sitting beside him. "What do you think?"

"Okay," Hermione agreed, humming a tune. To her, this was the perfect trip.

The campfire that rises at night, the shyness of sleeping in a tent, the aroma of roasting meat, the family and best friends by my side—all these scenes and feelings of happiness are etched into my memory.

She thought that the practice of the Patronus Charm should be changed.

"Monica, what do you think?" Wendell glanced at Monica again; she was the key person.

Monica didn't even look at Wendell, and asked, "Where do you want to go next time?"

Wendell casually suggested, "How about we go camping on the yacht next time?"

Loren noticed that Wendell's little fingers were trembling slightly as he gripped the steering wheel. Clearly, Mr. Granger was not so nonchalant; he was quite interested in camping on the water.

Hermione made a teasing sound, "Ew~"

Monica smiled. "Should we prepare a fishing rod?"

"Ahem!" Wendell coughed twice, pretending to cough. "If we're camping on the water, fishing is a good activity. We can rent fishing rods later."

Hermione couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

He laughed along with the other three people in the car.

Loren savored the blissful atmosphere inside the car, casting aside all his chaotic thoughts.

Who cares who Bloody Mary really is?

All he needs to do is live his life well, treat Grandpa Bates ' Werewolf Disease, and graduate from Hogwarts successfully after dealing with Voldemort, then make a fortune and enjoy life.

The warm sunlight filtered through the gentle breeze along the road, and the bright, tender green stretched from the wilderness straight into Loren's heart. Loren was filled with anticipation for the days to come.