Lynn looked indifferently at Hermione, who was hugging her. She felt nothing, yet she felt a faint warmth spreading through her heart.
Maranhao took a deep breath, walked over, and crouched down beside Lynn and Hermione, gently patting Hermione's back.
"Hermione, Hermione, Lynn 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 Maranhao's words. She vigorously shook her bushy head and tightened her arms around Lynn, clearly indicating that no one could make her let go.
Maranhao opened her mouth awkwardly, but Marietta Edgecombe had a flash of realization. She stepped forward and spoke softly.
"Hermione, Lynn 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 Lynn, looking up at her with teary eyes.
"I... did I hold you too tightly and make you uncomfortable?"
Lynn 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 Lynn showed any intention of continuing to eat, she would—she would continue to hug her tightly. No matter what, she couldn't let Lynn eat anymore; she would make herself sick!
Lynn 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.
Lynn'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 Lynn 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?"
Lynn 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 Lynn in disbelief. She couldn't believe it, couldn't believe that over such a minor thing—
Lynn 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, Lynn 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 Lynn, 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 Lynn wouldn't have done this.
"I made a mistake, I should be punished, and I need to remember the mistake."
Lynn 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... Lynn 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.
Maranhao and Marietta Edgecombe beside her instantly seized on the key phrase. "What do you mean, 'punishing yourself again'?"
"When did Lynn punish herself before?"
Both of them were Lynn's roommates. She punished herself, yet they hadn't noticed anything?
Looking at Lynn, 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: Lynn hitting her own face until it was red and swollen because of a Potion Class grade.
Lynn 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, Lynn 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, Maranhao and Marietta Edgecombe thoughtfully refrained from asking further questions.
In any case, they now knew about Lynn punishing herself. From now on, they just needed to pay more attention when they were in the Dormitory.
They couldn't give Lynn another chance to punish herself.
The situation finally calmed down, but no one was in the mood to continue eating.
Hermione cupped Lynn'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 Lynn 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. Lynn also stood up and reached out to take the utensils to the kitchen to wash them.
Maranhao and Marietta Edgecombe quickly moved, grabbing the utensils before Lynn could, and took them into their hands.
"Lynn, you must be a little stuffed, right? Why don't you and Hermione go out for a walk?" Maranhao 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 Lynn and Hermione. "Come on, let's go out for a walk together."
"Yeah, it'll be good to get familiar with the neighborhood."
Lynn 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 Lynn's shoulder, moving softly but decisively leading her forward.
Penelope nodded to Maranhao 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.
Maranhao and Marietta Edgecombe watched Lynn 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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