Chapter 007 - Roast Fish, Summoning Charm, and the Draught of Living Death

Among the countries of the world, there was no question that Great Britain ranked in the top three when it came to fish lovers. Although the British mostly cooked fish through deep frying or sauteing, this did not affect their love for fish.

One had to realize that to export more fish and to provide for more of its population, the British government mobilized its navy multiple times from 1944 to 1975 in the 'Cod Wars.'

Loch Lomond, which provided the potable water supply for all of Scotland, was the largest lake in Britain.

It was surrounded by several dozen other lakes and fifty rivers. These cold waters contained all sorts of fish, such as salmon, sea trout, rainbow trout, and river trout. Sometimes there would even be brown trout or snakeheads swimming in the waters.

Regretfully, the government had banned fishing boats from the waters, and then after a few 'small accidents' one year ago, had added quite a few strange rules such as 'No Throwing of Any Objects' and 'Do Not Electrify the Lake.'

If one wanted to taste the delicious fish of Loch Lomond, one would have to obediently take up the fishing rod and fish on the lakeshore. Any other method would be considered stealing fish.

But Alina, who boasted of being a veteran foodie, had always been extremely resistant to the idea of fishing.

Normal people would bait the hook, catch a fish, and then reel the fish in.

But before Alina caught a fish, she would have to pray that the fish that had taken her bait was not of the several dozen, or perhaps even several hundred kinds of muscular and robust fish that swam the waters of Loch Lomond. The rather weak silver-haired girl had more than once suffered the humiliation of being dragged into the water by the fish she had caught.

The worst time was when she had been 'fished' into the water four times in a single day, after which she got so angry that she snuck into the town's stone workshop in the middle of the night and used the power of science to get her revenge.

But today was one of her luckier days.

After leaving Benitez's room, she had taken her fishing kit to the lakeshore. In less than an hour, she had already caught three salmon and one river trout. This wasn't much compared to actual fishermen, but it was more than enough for the orphanage.

Ah, no. To be more precise, it was a little too much.

Alina glanced at the plastic bucket next to her, which was truly a little too small for the four large fish inside. Most importantly, she didn't want to go back to the orphanage so soon. If she ran into Benitez and his mood hadn't improved, she wouldn't be able to avoid a scolding.

"This fish is quite pretty."

She squatted by the bucket and lightly poked at a river trout in the ice-cold bucket. It looked slightly different from its fellows, radiating a faint fluorescence and with a green-brown back and a white abdomen.

Its head, back, dorsal fin, and pectoral fin were covered in black dots. However, its sides and tail fin were covered in green, red, and black dots, all of the colors bright and flashy.

"You look so pretty that if I bring you back with the other three, it will start a fight."

Alina tilted her head and thought to herself. Reaching out with both hands, she skillfully grabbed the tail of the fish and threw it to the ground.

Pia~Pia~Pia~

The fish gave a token struggle, flopping around on the ground a few times before growing exhausted and obediently falling to sleep.

River trout, also known as catfish or brown trout, was a common fish consumed in Scotland and Ireland. The meat was delicious, and the bones were few. They were okay to catch throughout the year, and as long as one removed the scales and guts, one could eat it after washing it.

You could deep-fry it, boil it, or saute it and still be able to express its flavor fully.

If there was any flaw, it was that cooking the fish was somewhat troublesome. If one didn't properly clean the glands, one could easily suffer from diarrhea and vomiting.

Of course, this didn't pose much of a problem to Alina. After all, this wasn't the first time that she was 'forced' to cook outside.

Alina found several rocks by the shore and piled them up. She then found a few dry sticks and used an igniter to make a fire. She then took out a kitchen knife that she had accidentally placed in her fishing tool bag and skillfully began to remove the fish's scales and guts.

...

Pop! Hisss~

The flames burned away the twigs, producing a pleasant crackling sound. The juices from the tender fish meat dripped onto the burning stones, letting off a soft hiss.

The tree branches gathered by the lake actually weren't that suitable to be used as a source of fire, as the smoke they produced was much more irritating, and the smoke would inevitably influence the flavor of the fish.

However, Alina, who was attentively turning the fish, clearly did not care about such minor flaws.

"Oh, this really was a pretty one."

Alina licked her lips as her nose twitched, her two eyes brightly shining at the roasted fish as she swallowed her saliva.

The tender white fish flesh had already been cooked to a golden yellow. The ban on commercial fishing in Loch Lomond meant that the river trout in the lake were much fatter than those sold in the market. The gleaming fish oil was already beginning to seep out of the cut-open stomach, and she could barely control her fingers.

"It smells so good! I'm practically drooling. But there's still the last step.

As she carefully examined the golden fish flesh, Alina suppressed her urge to take a bite.

She happily took the salt and pepper cans from next to the stone pile and seasoned the fragrant roast fish, and then she took some oil and spread out across the entire fish so that the taste was evenly distributed.

"Hahaha, it's done! Let's eat!"

Alina contentedly rubbed her hands and then took the roast fish off the fire. Closing her eyes, she took in a mouthful of the fish's aroma, her little head swaying back and forth in ecstasy, and when she opened her mouth and impatiently bit down.

At this moment, Alina faintly heard a rather familiar female voice call out, and then she felt the roasting spit in her right hand suddenly rise into the air.

"Accio roast fish!"

Mmm...MM?! Huh?

After biting down on nothing, Alina opened her eyes in confusion. Her hand was empty, even the metal spit that had been pierced through the fish had vanished. Nearby, standing in front and to the right, was Professor McGonagall in her Scottish overcoat, one hand holding her wand and the other holding the still-hissing roast fish.

"My fish..." The silver-haired girl was struck dumb. Her eyes moved between her hand, and Professor McGonagall several times before she finally realized what had happened.

Professor McGonagall had used the Summoning Charm to take her roast fish.

There were actually people in this world who used the Summoning Charm to steal food! A noble witch used magic to steal a roast fish from a little Muggle girl!

"Thief! Give me back my fish! I caught it with my own hands and wasted more than ten minutes to cook it finally!"

Alina's delicate face immediately turned red with anger, and she lunged to her feet to take back the fruit of her labors from Professor McGonagall.

Pia~

She had barely made it two steps when she felt a numbness in her legs, after which the little girl clumsily stepped on her right foot with her left foot and fell to the ground.

"Ah, that hurts...I was squatting too long and got a leg cramp."

Alina sat up and cautiously prodded her calf. The shock-like ache that immediately came in response almost caused her to shed a tear.

Helpless, Alina could only maintain her current position and not move carelessly. She looked up, tears pouring down her little face, and began to yell at Professor McGonagall indignantly.

"Give me back my fish! You cursed old woman, what are you trying to do?! I said before; I'm not going to study at Hogwarts!"

Old woman?! Forget it...she wouldn't argue with this child.

Professor McGonagall couldn't stop her eyebrow from trembling, but when she looked at Alina, who had managed the feat of tripping on flat ground, she was both angry and amused. This was truly a stubborn girl. Even though she was already crying, she was keeping up her fierce appearance, her mouth unwilling to admit defeat.

"Relax. Only willing students have ever studied at Hogwarts. I came at this time so that we could have a good chat."

Professor McGonagall pointed at Alina's calf and asked in a gentle tone.

"Does it hurt? Why don't I take a look at it?"

Although it seemed a little too much to delight in someone else's suffering, Professor McGonagall truly did feel a little more relaxed after seeing Alina's trip.

No matter how precocious she was, she was still a child that wasn't even eleven years old. While she was at her most childish and arrogant, she was also at her cutest and most easily correctable phase.

As if sensing the laughter in Professor McGonagall's gaze, Alina clenched her teeth, used her hands to pull up her cramping calf, and wrapped her arms around her knees. She hostilely stared at the witch in front of her.

"Give me back my fish! Or else we have nothing to discuss!"

"If you agree to come to tour Hogwarts with me, I will give you back this roast fish."

Professor McGonagall walked over, casually swinging around the roast fish in her hand. With a calm face, she examined the young girl before her.

Her conversation with Benitez had gone surprisingly smooth. After giving a simple explanation of her purpose, Benitez had become incredibly cooperative.

Just as Benitez had said, Alina's weakness was delicious food.

The silver-haired girl's eyes followed the roast fish as it moved right and left.

"Really?"

Alina hesitated upon hearing McGonagall's words. With a suspicious tone, she repeated the request.

"I'm just touring, nothing else?"

"Just a tour. Afterward, I'll send you back."

Professor McGonagall nodded and sincerely replied.

"Deal!"

Alina's eyes slyly turned as she swiftly agreed. At the same time, she reached out with her hand and sternly repeated her demand.

"Give me back my fish!"

"Fine, fine, fine..."

McGonagall shrugged and helplessly put the roast fish back into Alina's hand. She truly didn't understand why such a smart little girl was so obsessed with eating.

After talking with Benitez, she realized that Dumbledore might have been overthinking things. She might have eaten the owls because she was just hungry.

"Okay, can you go with me to Hogwarts now?"

McGonagall warmly asked after Alina had finished eating the fish.

Burp~

The silver-haired girl squinted her eyes and gave a happy belch. Licking her lips, she stood up, patted the grass off her clothes, and smiled. "Apologies, I tricked you."

After all, according to the 'Muggle Protection Act,' as long as Alina didn't attack Professor McGonagall, Professor McGonagall was not allowed to use any magic on her. If the mighty Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts was arrested by the Ministry of Magic for using magic on someone who wasn't even an adult, that would be the true joke.

Alina fearlessly looked at Professor McGonagall, a smug smile on her lips. She waited expectantly for the witch to show either shock and rage or helplessness.

"That's fine. I know."

"Eh? Alina's face froze, and she instantly sensed that something bad was about to happen.

Professor McGonagall smiled, her tone flat. "So, I put a few drops of the Draught of Living Death on the fish."

When it came to persuading Alina to go to Hogwarts, Benitez had emphasized three things.

One, don't try to speak reason with Alina.

Two, you will never persuade Alina.

Three, even if you persuade her, she'll find a way to get out of it.

"Draught of...what?!"

The silver-haired girl's eyes went round as she pointed at Professor McGonagall in disbelief.

Before she could finish, intense drowsiness assaulted her. Her eyelids became heavy, and her body went limp. Swaying, she fell asleep in Professor McGonagall's bosom.

"I'll have to rely on Professor Dumbledore for the rest." McGonagall held the sleeping girl and raised the wand in her right.

There was a crisp crack in the air, and the two vanished from the lakeshore.