The two girls played all morning, and it was now time for lunch.
The variety of food in the Amusement Park was not large, and for convenience, it was mostly fast food.
They each ordered a meal set. Taking advantage of her parents' absence, Hermione specifically ordered two cups of cola for herself and Amanda to fully indulge.
Having parents who were both Dentists was inconvenient in this regard; she rarely had the chance to drink soda because it was too sweet and bad for her teeth.
Even the pastries frequently made at the Granger Residence were sugar-free.
Therefore, even now, what Hermione looked forward to most was every Christmas, when she could drink soda without restriction.
But since her parents weren't here today, she could drink soda without restriction!
Looking at the two large cups of cola placed in front of her, Amanda remained calm, but honestly, she didn't recognize what the gurgling, bubbling black liquid was.
The "drinks" she had consumed were limited to boiled tap water and the pumpkin juice she had after arriving at Hogwarts.
As for drinks like cola, Orange Juice, and so on, she only knew their history and general concept.
But if a cup of soda was placed right in front of her, she still wouldn't recognize it.
Turning to look at Hermione, Hermione was eagerly picking up the cup of cola in front of her and immediately took a large gulp.
Her expression was momentarily contorted, then relaxed, and a look of contentment bloomed on her face.
Amanda tilted her head and asked in a flat tone, "Hermione, what is this?"
Hermione, who was about to take a second sip, paused. She looked at the cola in her hand and gestured uncertainly.
"Are you asking about... this?"
"Mhm." Amanda nodded affirmatively.
"This is cola," Hermione replied. "It's a carbonated drink. It tastes great, but it's not very healthy."
"Oh." Amanda nodded. When Hermione said it was cola, Amanda was able to match the drink with the concept in her mind.
Hermione pursed her lips, put down the cup of cola in her hand, and raised her hand to gently pat Amanda's back.
She had overthought it... Amanda's parents wouldn't even let her eat properly, so how could they possibly let her drink soda?
"Try it. It tastes really good, and it cools you down after drinking it."
Amanda nodded blankly, reached for the cola in front of her, brought it to her mouth, and began gulping it down her throat.
Hermione's eyes widened instantly upon seeing this. She quickly patted Amanda's arm to stop her. "Stop, stop! Merlin's beard! This cola is iced, and the carbonation is very harsh. Drinking it like that will hurt your throat!"
Hearing this, Amanda stopped drinking and put down the cup. The stinging sensation of the carbonation exploded wildly in her mouth and throat.
But not a single trace of discomfort could be seen on her face. Hermione watched her nervously, constantly scrutinizing her. "Are you... feeling alright in your throat?"
Amanda felt the stinging sensation gradually dissipate inside her throat and shook her head. "No."
"That's good..." Hermione sighed in relief, gently patting her chest. "You scared me to death. Don't drink soda like that."
"No, you shouldn't even drink water that fast. If the water was a bit hot or a bit cold, wouldn't your throat be ruined?!"
"No," Amanda shook her head affirmatively. "It will only hurt for about a week, and my voice will be very hoarse."
Hermione's brow twitched violently, and her other hand, resting on the table, subconsciously gripped the tray holding her burger and fries.
"What do you mean? Don't tell me... you've always drunk water like that before?" Please no! Hermione's grip on the tray tightened.
Unfortunately, things were contrary to her wishes. Amanda's calm face even showed a hint of matter-of-factness. "Yes. Drinking as much as possible at once, and drinking quickly, saves more time for studying."
"I..." Hermione looked at Amanda in front of her and forcibly swallowed the words she had been about to say.
"Fine," Hermione took a deep breath and placed both hands on Amanda's shoulders. "Listen up. Starting today, you must eat and drink slowly, okay?"
"Put your body first. As for that damn important studying, you put that second."
Listening to Hermione's words, a clash between two sets of ideas occurred in Amanda's mind once again.
Body first? But studying should be the priority, the ingrained knowledge in Amanda's mind told her.
Yet, deep within her mind, another voice was shouting alongside Hermione, "No! That's not right! Your body should be ranked first! Health is the capital of revolution!"
The two thoughts clashed, and Amanda fell into a slight "lag," but then she saw Hermione's earnest face.
Amanda heard her own voice tremble slightly as she spoke, "Okay, I've noted that."
Hermione smiled, relieved, and ruffled Amanda's hair. "Hurry up and eat."
"Mhm." Amanda nodded, reached for her burger, and took a large bite.
Taking a sip of the cola beside her, Hermione looked at Amanda with complex emotions. The more she understood, the more tragedies she realized lay behind Amanda.
It was a continuous chain where one tragedy linked to the next, forming a string of misfortunes that trapped Amanda inside.
She could feel herself slowly cutting the links and gently pulling Amanda out.
Gently putting down the cola and taking a large bite of her burger, Hermione chewed fiercely. Amanda, don't worry, I will definitely pull you out completely!
After finishing lunch, both girls slumped in their seats, constantly burping.
Without Mr. and Mrs. Granger supervising, after downing two cups of cola and a large meal set each, both Hermione and Amanda were bloated.
They were so full that they were paralyzed for half an hour before they could stand up and leave.
"Hic," Hermione covered her mouth and let out a little burp. "I don't think I'll want to drink cola again for at least a month."
Amanda, next to her, showed no change in expression, though she also let out small burps occasionally.
After walking around the Amusement Park for a while to aid digestion, and once the excessive food in their stomachs had settled, Hermione turned to look at Amanda.
"Amanda, want to go to the Haunted House?" Hermione was still focused on her plan to use the atmosphere of the Haunted House to stir Amanda's emotions. Of course... having Amanda scared enough to jump into her arms would also be great~
Amanda had absolutely no opinion on such matters; whatever Hermione said went. So, she immediately agreed and allowed Hermione to pull her toward the Haunted House.
Arriving outside the Haunted House, the Staff Member looked at the two little girls and hesitated. He then bent down to look at the seemingly more outgoing Hermione.
"Little sisters, are just the two of you going in?"
"Mhm. We should be able to go in, right?" Hermione nodded, gesturing toward the Haunted House behind him.
"You can... but it's quite dark inside," the Staff Member scratched his head. "And there are employees responsible for scaring people. Would you like us to find a Staff Member to accompany you inside?"
Hermione immediately shook her head at his suggestion. Are you kidding? One of her goals for bringing Amanda in was to wait for Amanda to get scared and jump into her arms.
If they brought a Staff Member, Amanda might not get scared, or worse, what if Amanda jumped into the wrong person's arms?
"Thank you, big brother, but no need. The two of us can manage on our own."
"Alright," the Staff Member smiled kindly. "Two brave little sisters, please go in."
As he spoke, he took the money Hermione handed him, gave them two tickets, and guided them to the entrance of the Haunted House.
Looking at the pitch-black opening of the Haunted House, Hermione, who had experienced the Hogwarts Trapdoor, felt nothing.
After thanking the Staff Member with Amanda, she pulled Amanda inside.
Stepping into the Haunted House, Amanda's vision was completely dominated by blackness. It was pitch-black all around, and only after her eyes gradually adjusted could Amanda faintly make out her surroundings.
Various scary props were placed along both sides of the path. Ahead, there was a model of a hanging skeleton, with something resembling shredded meat hanging from it.
These things were indeed scary enough for ordinary children and even adults.
But Amanda lacked emotions. Even though the surrounding atmosphere was dark and frightening, she felt no fear whatsoever. Looking at the props, she merely subconsciously pondered the possible materials used to make them.
Hermione, next to her, also looked bored. Having spent an entire year in a school full of magic, gotten used to school Ghosts, moving portraits, and even gone through the Troll incident and the end-of-year adventures.
Now, seeing a Haunted House like this, Hermione only had one thought: Seriously? That's it?
They walked into a small, isolated room and saw a Staff Member dressed as a Wicked Witch who was brewing a Potion.
Amanda subconsciously looked at the large pot in front of the Witch. Her nose twitched slightly, and the smell of mung beans instantly filled her nostrils: Mung Bean Soup.
Her brain quickly made a judgment, and Amanda classified the large pot of soup.
Hermione secretly shook her head at the Staff Member's movements. The actions were completely wrong; there was no way that could brew a Potion. But what was in her pot? Why did it actually look faintly green?
The Evil Witch, who was "brewing a Potion," had just looked up, ready to scare them, when she saw Amanda's East Asian face and instantly lost her momentum.
Someone from the East, huh? I won't be able to scare her... After all, she had learned how to make this soup from her East Asian Roommate.
Because the finished product was a faint green, it could be disguised as a Potion brewed by an Evil Witch, and drinking it could also reduce internal heat. So, in the middle of summer, the Boss arranged for her to pretend to be an Evil Witch brewing Potions here, and they could even offer it to visitors.
Thinking that she couldn't scare the East Asian girl, but she might be able to scare the local girl next to her, the Evil Witch scooped out two bowls of Mung Bean Soup and presented them.
"Come... two lovely girls, drink this bowl of my Potion. Only one of you will leave here~"
She tried hard to lower her voice to make it sound hoarser and more wicked.
However, it was completely useless. Neither Hermione nor Amanda was scared. Hermione just pointed at the Mung Bean Soup in front of her with some uncertainty.
"What is this? Is it really safe to drink?"
Amanda was the first to reach out and take a serving of Mung Bean Soup from the Evil Witch's hand. She took a sip without hesitation, confirmed that it was properly brewed, and then turned to Hermione.
"It's Mung Bean Soup. It's fine. It can reduce internal heat in the summer, and it's well-brewed; the time was long enough."
The Evil Witch's mouth couldn't help but twitch. Two little girls... and they were both so calm. She hadn't managed to scare either of them.
And wasn't the brewing time long enough! She had been brewing it since the morning!
Hearing this, Hermione also took the other bowl of Mung Bean Soup, lowered her head, and took a small sip. She immediately nodded; the taste was indeed unique, and it felt good to drink.
Because they weren't scared, Amanda and Hermione weren't in a hurry to leave. They simply drank Mung Bean Soup while touring the Haunted House, essentially turning the Haunted House into a Park.
Various NPCs were deployed in turn, and various mechanisms were constantly triggered, but none of them could scare the girls. The Haunted House Manager, watching the scene on the monitor, was almost in tears.
This was too demoralizing. God knew he specifically came to watch the monitor because he was afraid the two little girls would be too scared, cry, and refuse to move halfway through. But now, not only were they not scared, they seemed to feel nothing at all.
It was this very situation that solidified the Manager's resolve in his heart: the Haunted House must be updated. It absolutely needed an update; how could it fail to scare even two little girls?
By now, Hermione no longer expected the Haunted House's atmosphere to influence Amanda or teach her to be afraid, much less expect her to be scared enough to jump into her arms.
If she wasn't scared herself, how could Amanda possibly be scared?
But thinking about it... she had taken it for granted. Amanda dared to fight Voldemort face-to-face; why would she be afraid of a Haunted House full of fakes?
Exiting the Haunted House, just as Amanda and Hermione adjusted to the light, they were met by the Haunted House Manager, who walked over with a solemn expression.
With a serious look, he told Amanda and Hermione that their Haunted House would be updated, and they would strive to make it much scarier. He hoped to invite them back to play once the updates were complete.
After listening, Hermione turned to glance at Amanda. Although she couldn't make Amanda jump into her arms, simply touring the Haunted House with Amanda... she was very happy to do that!
"Amanda, what do you think?" Hermione blinked, looking at Amanda expectantly.
Amanda turned her head, nodded expressionlessly. "I'm fine with anything. You decide."
Hermione smiled and turned to the Haunted House Manager. "Okay, we will definitely come again next time."
After speaking, the Haunted House Manager asked Hermione to leave her home phone number so he could call her when the Haunted House was updated.
After leaving the phone number, Hermione pulled Amanda away. They had played most of what the Amusement Park had to offer, and they were both a little tired. It was time to go home.
Walking out of the Amusement Park, Hermione turned to Amanda and gently brushed the stray hairs from her face. "How was today? Did you have fun? Did you... feel your heart beating fast, like your whole body was bubbling?"
Amanda paused. Heart beating fast? Whole body bubbling?
Seeing Hermione raise her hand and calmly touch her chest, Amanda concentrated and felt her own chest, then nodded. Yes, her heart was indeed beating fast.
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