"Useless! Idiot!" A pair of chopsticks was fiercely thrown at the girl's face. Five seconds later, the girl expressionlessly raised her head, looking blankly at the man who had thrown the chopsticks—her father.
"What did I tell you to make?" The man glared viciously at the girl, as if she had committed some unforgivable crime.
"Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes." The girl answered calmly.
"And what did you make?" The man slammed his hand heavily on the table.
"Chive and Egg Stir-fry."
Analysis rapidly ran through the girl's mind: The family had run out of tomatoes. Her parents hadn't bought them in time, and she had no money, so she couldn't buy them.
But dinner should still be eaten on time; failing to do so would negatively affect her body.
After comprehensive consideration, she chose to use chives to scramble the eggs, as this was the choice that resulted in the least loss.
The man's chest rose and fell rapidly, like an enraged bull. "Since you were so keen on making Chive and Egg Stir-fry, you must really like eating it, right?"
The girl looked at him indifferently and spoke in a monotone voice, "I have no preferences or dislikes."
"Hmph," the man sneered, pointing at the Chive and Egg Stir-fry on the table and a large basin of rice that was almost untouched. "Since you like eating it, finish it all. Remember, finish all of it."
After the man finished speaking, he stood up and left with his wife. The bonus from their daughter's year-end exams had arrived a few days ago, so they could afford a luxurious meal out without worrying about the cost.
A slamming sound—"Bang"—followed as the door closed. The girl sat down at the dining table and mechanically pulled the basin of rice toward herself, along with the plate of Chive and Egg Stir-fry.
Mouthfuls of food mixed with saliva were swallowed. The girl ate quickly. A little less than half a basin of rice and the entire plate of Chive and Egg Stir-fry had already been consumed.
"Cough, cough, cough, ugh..." With no expression on her face, she turned her head away. The excessive amount of food was already surging up her throat.
This is my punishment. I cannot stop halfway. This is to make me remember the mistake, and I must not fail to do it.
Raising her head, the girl continued to shovel the rice from the basin into her mouth. She didn't touch the other dishes on the table, as they were not part of the punishment.
The flavorless white rice was consumed by the girl mouthful after mouthful. The sensation of choking, the feeling of food surging upward, and the distending pain in her stomach.
After swallowing one more mouthful of rice, the girl finally couldn't hold it in, turned her head, and violently coughed everything she had eaten out.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..." Even though she was coughing earth-shatteringly, not a single trace of pain appeared on the girl's face.
Before the coughing even finished, the girl raised her head again, picked up her chopsticks, and continued to face the remaining half basin of rice.
The stomach that had just convulsed and "expelled" food quickly received new food. Under this fresh stimulation, the girl threw up again after barely two bites.
After struggling through this process more than a dozen times, the girl finally managed to finish the entire basin of "rice."
The girl, sweating profusely from vomiting, gasped for breath and shifted her gaze to the mess on the floor beside her.
The punishment her father had given her was to finish this entire basin of rice and the Chive and Egg Stir-fry, but... she hadn't finished it yet.
"Amanda! Amanda! What are you doing? Stop eating!"
In a daze, Amanda detached herself from the memory in her mind, her gaze fixed blankly ahead.
Harry and Ron, the two stronger boys, were each holding one of her hands, preventing her from reaching for the ribs in the pot.
Hermione was also holding her waist, trying to press her down into the chair to keep her from moving.
Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe, and Senior Penelope had taken the pot of ribs far away and were watching her anxiously.
A sharp pain shot through her stomach. Amanda lowered her head and realized that a considerable stack of rib bones had somehow appeared next to her hand.
"Merlin's ravenous gut! Even if you were starving, you shouldn't eat like this!"
Seeing that Amanda had regained her senses and her hands were no longer struggling, Harry finally released his grip with relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Merlin knew how strong Amanda had been; the two boys, each holding one hand, had barely managed to restrain her.
Hermione, meanwhile, had needed to use almost her entire body weight just to barely confine Amanda to the chair.
Ron also released his hands, breathing heavily, and nodded in agreement. "You... you weren't eating, it felt like you were trying to gorge yourself to death!"
Amanda withdrew her hands. Only now did she feel that her arms were aching from the excessive force she had used moments ago.
Seeing her retract her hands, the three girls standing nearby cautiously stepped forward and placed the pot back onto the dining table.
They remained vigilant, ready to immediately snatch the pot away if Amanda showed any sign of reaching out again. They absolutely could not leave this pot of ribs with her.
Of those present, only Hermione still clung tightly to Amanda, seemingly too shaken to let go.
It had only been a short while; they had talked for less than five minutes at most, and Amanda had already eaten more than half of that large pot of ribs.
Her father, Mr. Granger, a strong adult male, couldn't eat that much!
In less than five minutes, when Hermione looked at Amanda again, it was clear she was on the verge of throwing up, yet she was still frantically stuffing ribs into her mouth.
Hermione screamed in horror on the spot. Harry and Ron, who had been "working hard with their heads down," looked up and witnessed this "terrifying" scene.
Without the slightest hesitation, they reached out, snatched the rib out of Amanda's hand, and firmly held down her hands, which still wanted to grab more ribs.
Seeing that she wanted to stand up, Hermione immediately hugged her.
Cho Chang and the other two girls worked together to lift the pot directly off the dining table.
Amanda's appearance, as if she were trying to gorge herself to death, was truly frightening. Even Harry and the others felt quite shaken.
How much more so for Hermione? That's why she was still clinging tightly to Amanda, refusing to let go.
"Hermione..." Because she had eaten too fast and too much, Amanda's voice was slightly hoarse. Also, to prevent the ribs that were already lodged in her throat from being thrown up, she couldn't speak loudly.
So the name she called out was small and muffled. "Hermione, I'm sorry for causing trouble for you all."
Amanda felt no emotion in her heart; she simply apologized because she felt her actions had caused trouble for Hermione and the others.
Hermione shook her head while hugging Amanda, saying nothing, but tightening the strength in her arms.
Amanda looked indifferently at Hermione, who was hugging her. She felt nothing, yet she felt a faint warmth spreading through her heart.
Cho Chang took a deep breath, walked over, and crouched down beside Amanda and Hermione, gently patting Hermione's back.
"Hermione, Hermione, Amanda isn't eating anymore. It's alright. Can you please let go of her? If you keep hugging her so tightly, your arms will get tired."
Hermione didn't say anything after hearing Cho Chang's words. She vigorously shook her bushy head and tightened her arms around Amanda, clearly indicating that no one could make her let go.
Cho Chang opened her mouth awkwardly, but Marietta Edgecombe had a flash of realization. She stepped forward and spoke softly.
"Hermione, Amanda was already stuffed just now. If you hold her so tightly now, she'll be very uncomfortable, and she might even throw up. Maybe you should loosen..."
Before the last word "her" could be finished, Hermione abruptly let go of Amanda, looking up at her with teary eyes.
"I... did I hold you too tightly and make you uncomfortable?"
Amanda shook her head, her expression unchanged. "No."
"Then, you won't eat anymore, right?" Hermione sniffled, her arms trembling slightly from having held on too tightly moments before.
However, she was still ready. If Amanda showed any intention of continuing to eat, she would—she would continue to hug her tightly. No matter what, she couldn't let Amanda eat anymore; she would make herself sick!
Amanda turned her head to look at the small amount of ribs left in the pot. She hadn't finished eating... According to her previous standards of punishment, she hadn't properly punished herself yet.
She might not remember the mistake. No, even when the punishment was adequate before, she still didn't remember the mistake.
This time, she still failed to make the dish Hermione wanted and substituted it with something else... In that case, maybe she should increase the severity of her self-punishment.
Amanda's silence caused the nerves of all six children present to tighten simultaneously. Everyone was "ready to move," prepared for immediate action.
"No! Stop eating!" To everyone's surprise, Hermione, who had just been teary-eyed and sniffing, suddenly yelled out fiercely.
She took two deep breaths to suppress her temper, trying to look at Amanda as gently as possible.
"You are not eating; you are torturing yourself."
Upon saying "torturing yourself," Hermione froze. Her face gradually paled as something occurred to her.
"Are you... torturing, punishing yourself?"
Amanda nodded mechanically and stated matter-of-factly, "Yes."
"Why?! Just because you said you were going to make me Braised Pork Ribs, but you ended up stewing them?"
Hermione gritted her teeth and stared at Amanda in disbelief. She couldn't believe it, couldn't believe that over such a minor thing—
Amanda had actually almost stuffed herself until she vomited! If there had been a few more ribs, would she have tried to gorge herself to death?
Nodding again with dead eyes, Amanda looked at Hermione and answered her question, "Yes, I made a mistake. I didn't make the dish you expected."
"Didn't I say I wasn't mad at you?" Hermione wiped her eyes and looked at Amanda, her red eyes filled with self-reproach and heartache.
It was all her fault. If only she had been clearer and more precise when she spoke... perhaps, perhaps Amanda wouldn't have done this.
"I made a mistake, I should be punished, and I need to remember the mistake."
Amanda spoke in a flat tone. To her, making a mistake and accepting punishment was a matter of course.
"Merlin..." Ron muttered to himself. He had thought his mother was strict enough with them.
But now... Amanda was stricter with herself than his mother was with them.
Even Harry started to feel... maybe his usual life at the Dursley family wasn't so bad after all?
"Punishing yourself again?!" Penelope suddenly raised her voice. This Ravenclaw girl Prefect, known for her friendly demeanor, was starting to lose control of herself.
Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe beside her instantly seized on the key phrase. "What do you mean, 'punishing yourself again'?"
"When did Amanda punish herself before?"
Both of them were Amanda's roommates. She punished herself, yet they hadn't noticed anything?
Looking at Amanda, whose abdomen was visibly distended from being stuffed, the two Senior girls' eyes were filled with self-reproach.
Hearing the question, Penelope clearly paused. She pursed her lips, instinctively not wanting to mention what she had seen before: Amanda hitting her own face until it was red and swollen because of a Potion Class grade.
Amanda was a girl, just like them... A girl's pride was so fragile, even if everyone here was her closest classmate.
If others found out about this, Amanda would surely feel uncomfortable and embarrassed.
More importantly... if everyone looked at her with pity because they felt sorry for her, how awful would that make her feel?
Sensing that Penelope did not want to speak, Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe thoughtfully refrained from asking further questions.
In any case, they now knew about Amanda punishing herself. From now on, they just needed to pay more attention when they were in the Dormitory.
They couldn't give Amanda another chance to punish herself.
The situation finally calmed down, but no one was in the mood to continue eating.
Hermione cupped Amanda's face in her hands, looking at her seriously. "This matter is over. Don't, don't punish yourself in any way. You don't need to be punished, okay?"
Making a mistake and not needing punishment? Although Amanda felt Hermione's statement went against the rules in her mind, a voice from deep within her brain still prompted her to nod.
"Okay, I understand."
Hermione finally relaxed and smiled. Amanda also stood up and reached out to take the utensils to the kitchen to wash them.
Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe quickly moved, grabbing the utensils before Amanda could, and took them into their hands.
"Amanda, you must be a little stuffed, right? Why don't you and Hermione go out for a walk?" Cho Chang smiled gently while holding the plates and bowls.
Marietta Edgecombe, holding the knife and fork, nodded in agreement, simultaneously winking at Hermione. "Yes, yes, go out for a stroll while it's still light. Have Harry and Ron go with you two."
Harry and Ron immediately understood, walking up to Amanda and Hermione. "Come on, let's go out for a walk together."
"Yeah, it'll be good to get familiar with the neighborhood."
Amanda watched them with calm eyes, then stiffly turned her head toward Hermione.
Go for a walk? But her chores weren't finished yet. She shouldn't be allowed to go out.
"Come on, let's go out for a walk." Hermione gently put her arm around Amanda's shoulder, moving softly but decisively leading her forward.
Penelope nodded to Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe and followed them, walking behind Harry and Ron. She was the oldest one there.
Her younger schoolmates were going out for a walk, and she wouldn't feel comfortable if she didn't go along, so she decided to join them.
Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe watched Amanda for two seconds, and only after she agreed to Hermione's suggestion of going for a walk did they finally relax, taking the utensils into the kitchen to wash the dishes.
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