Hogwarts: My Grandmother is the Queen

Chapter 330 Tea Party

In the past few days, discussions about dragons in the corridor have gradually decreased, replaced by speculation about the second project. However, no one knows the specifics, as all four warriors remain tight-lipped.

Henry noticed that Durmstrang's students were starting to appear more frequently in the castle's public areas.

A few days ago, they mainly stayed in the basement guest rooms, like a group of cautious guests who did not want to disturb the host too much.

But after the first project, they started appearing in small groups in the lobby, corridors, and even the library.

This is not surprising in itself; after staying for a few days, guests will naturally begin to explore the surroundings.

But Henry noticed a detail: whenever Durmstrang students passed by the Slytherin common room, they would slow down and glance at the entrance a few more times.

What they are looking at is self-evident.

On Wednesday afternoon, Henry came out of the Potions classroom and walked down the underground corridor toward the stairs.

Theodore walked beside him; the two had just finished discussing the brewing time for the Living Hell Potion—Theodore insisted that the number of times it was stirred would affect the potion's efficacy, while Henry believed that temperature control was the key.

As they walked down a dimly lit corridor, Henry saw two people standing ahead.

They were Durmstrang students. One was a tall, brown-haired boy wearing a thick, dark red robe with a fur collar; the other was slightly shorter, with light blond hair and a long, narrow face. Both were leaning against the wall, seemingly waiting patiently for someone.

Seeing Henry approaching, the tall boy straightened up and took a step forward.

"Your Highness Henry," he said in English with a distinct German accent, "my name is Eric von Stein, a seventh-grade student at Durmstrang. May I have a few minutes of your time?"

Henry stopped and glanced at Theodore.

Theodore nodded slightly, but did not move away. He stood half a step behind Henry, as if he was ready to speak at any moment, or as if he just happened to be standing there.

"Mr. von Stein," Henry said, "what can I do for you?"

The tall boy smiled, a smile that wasn't overly enthusiastic but not stiff either: "We've been at Hogwarts for a week now. In this week, I've noticed a few things."

"for example?"

"For example, your status here," Eric said. "Not only in Slytherin, but throughout Hogwarts, the students treat you differently from everyone else."

Henry didn't respond; he just looked at Eric, waiting for him to continue.

Eric clearly noticed the power of this silence. His smile faded slightly: "I just think—there should be some communication between Durmstrang and Hogwarts. Not just communication during the game, but on other levels as well."

"What other aspects are you referring to?"

"For example, getting to know each other's schools and cultures," Eric said. "Durmstrang students are very interested in the British royal family. Our country used to have a royal family, but it was quite different from Britain's."

Henry paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you want to know?"

“There’s a lot,” Eric said, “but I don’t think it can be covered in a few words in the hallway. If you have time, I’d like to invite you to sit on Durmstrang’s ship.”

Henry didn't answer immediately. He glanced at the boy with light blond hair.

The person didn't say a word the whole time, just stood quietly behind Eric, like some kind of background prop.

"Thank you for the invitation," Henry said, "but I've been quite busy lately, with a lot going on during the Triwizard Tournament."

Eric's expression remained unchanged: "I understand. Then feel free to come anytime if you're free. Durmstrang's ship is anchored on Black Lake; you can find us anytime."

He bowed slightly, then turned and walked down the corridor with the boy with light blond hair toward the underground guest rooms.

After they had walked a distance, Theodore took half a step forward and stood next to Henry.

"Your Highness," Theodore said in a low voice, "they are testing you."

"I know."

"Durmstrang's principal, Karkaroff, is a former Death Eater. His students, especially this Eric von Stein, may not have come to you of their own volition; they may have been sent."

"You think Karkaroff sent him?"

"Most likely," Theodore said. "Durmstrong has very strict discipline; students wouldn't conduct this level of diplomatic probing on their own. Every word Eric said sounded rehearsed, including that smile."

Henry thought for a moment: "When he mentioned the German royal family, his tone was a bit deliberate, as if he was confirming my attitude towards European royalty."

"So what was your answer?"

"I didn't answer," Henry said. "I just said I was busy."

Theodore nodded: "That's the best answer. Neither rejecting nor accepting, let them guess."

The two continued walking forward, through the foyer, and up the marble staircase.

Henry walked along, thinking: Durmstrangers were starting to reach out to him, which meant Karkaroff had taken notice of his position at Hogwarts and his relationship with Dumbledore—an heir to the throne, an organizer of inter-house social events in Slytherin, and close to the headmaster.

Karkarov is a shrewd politician; he wouldn't miss out on such a resource.

But the students he sent were too direct. They blocked people in the corridor, introduced themselves, and invited them onto the ship. Every step was textbook perfect.

Either Karkaroff underestimated Henry's vigilance, or he deliberately had Eric do it to see how Henry would react.

Henry made a mental note of this, but did not rush to conclusions.

For the next two days, Durmstrang did not send anyone to contact Henry.

But Henry noticed that Durmstrang's students were appearing at the castle more frequently.

They started appearing in the corridors near the common room, in the corners of the library, and even once at the entrance of the auditorium, as if observing or waiting for something.

On Friday afternoon, Henry came out of the library, holding a book about magical contracts, and walked down the corridor toward the tea room.

When he reached the corner on the third floor, he saw a figure standing in front of the window at the end of the corridor.

The figure was very tall, wearing a thick, dark red robe, with his back to the corridor, looking out at the black lake.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around.

It's Viktor Krum.

Henry stopped in his tracks; he hadn't expected to run into Krum here.

Durmstrang's warriors spent most of their time training on the ship and rarely appeared alone in the castle.

Krum saw Henry, his expression didn't change much, but he nodded.

The gesture was very slight, like a polite confirmation.

"Your Highness Henry," his voice was deep, "I have been looking for you."

"Looking for me?" Henry was a little surprised. "What's up?"

Krum walked over from the window and stood about three steps away from Henry.

His posture was more relaxed than Henry had imagined, lacking the tension of a professional athlete. Instead, he seemed more like someone accustomed to being watched, knowing how to remain natural when being observed.

"I wanted to ask you about the tea party," Krum said. "I heard that you organize an afternoon tea party at Hogwarts, every Wednesday and Saturday. The attendees come from different houses."

Henry nodded. "Yes."

"Can I participate?"

Henry was genuinely surprised by this question. He had assumed Krum was there to ask about the match or about Durmstrang and Hogwarts, but instead, he was there to inquire about the tea party.

“Of course,” Henry said. “Anyone is welcome. It’s next Wednesday at three o’clock in the abandoned classroom at the end of the second-floor hallway—the one with the fireplace.”

Krum nodded: "I'll come."

He paused, as if hesitating whether to continue.

Then he spoke: "Eric von Stein came to see you?"

"right."

"He's my principal's nephew," Krum said. "He'll do whatever Karkaroff tells him to do, and what he says doesn't necessarily represent himself."

Henry glanced at Krum, his words sounding like a hint, but without explicitly stating anything.

"Thank you for telling me," Henry said.

Krum nodded and turned to walk down the corridor in another direction.

Henry stood there, watching Krum's figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

He turned and continued walking toward the tea room, one thought racing through his mind: Viktor Krum wanted to attend the tea party.

This is a signal.

Krum is Durmstrang's champion and an internationally renowned Quidditch player.

His every move is under scrutiny; his attendance at a tea party organized by Slytherin students itself conveys a certain message.

What is he trying to express?

Henry didn't know the answer yet, but he knew Wednesday's tea party would be interesting.

Henry decided that since Krum was coming, he should make the tea party more formal.

He returned to the tea room, sat down, and wrote a note.

This note is for Harry.

Harry:

I hope all three of you can come to the tea party on Wednesday afternoon.

Also, I want to tell you something: Viktor Krum will be coming too.

He contacted me today and said he wanted to attend the tea party.

I know Ron likes him a lot. If you think Ron would be happy to see him, you can bring him along.

Henry

Henry gave the letter to Lucy and asked her to deliver it to the Gryffindor Tower.

He wrote another letter, this time to Draco, informing him that Durmstrang guests would be attending the tea party on Wednesday and hoping that more Slytherin members would also come to create a more formal atmosphere.

As Henry wrote the letter, he quickly went through Wednesday's personnel arrangements in his mind: Durmstrang had Krum, and possibly others; Gryffindor had Harry, Ron, and Hermione; Slytherin had Draco, Pansy, Daphne, Blaise, and Theodore; and Hufflepuff—perhaps Cedric could be invited.

When Lucy returned after delivering the letter, she told Henry that Gryffindor had received it, and Harry replied that they would come.

"Also, Your Highness," Lucy said, "Young Master Ron was overjoyed when he received the letter. Dobby said he carried the letter around the common room three times."

Henry smiled. "That's right."

On Wednesday afternoon, Henry arrived at the tea room half an hour early.

After setting the tea and snack stand, Lucy quietly retreated to a corner.

At ten minutes to three, the first group of people arrived.

Draco pushed open the door and walked in, followed by Pansy and Daphne.

Draco was wearing a dark gray pullover, looking neat and tidy, but his expression was slightly more tense than usual.

"Your Highness," Draco approached and sat down next to Henry, "Are Durmstrang's men really coming?"

"Krum is coming," Henry said. "He said he'd like to come to the tea party."

Draco paused for a moment. "Why would he want to come?"

"I don't know," Henry said, "but since he's here, we'll entertain him."

Pansy sat down opposite him: "Krum is a celebrity. If my mom knew I'd had tea with him, she'd brag about it at the poker table for a month."

"Then you'd better tell your mother to stop playing cards," Blaise said, the last to walk in and sitting down next to Theodore. "Because your mother might really start showing off."

"That's not so bad," Pansy said. "At least it lets her win a few times."

The door opened again, and Harry poked his head in: "Your Highness, we're here."

He pushed open the door and walked in, followed by Ron and Hermione.

Ron's expression was peculiar; he tried to act nonchalant, but Henry noticed that as soon as he entered, he began scanning everyone in the room, as if looking for someone.

"Ron," Henry called out, "did you run into Krum on your way here?"

Ron blushed slightly. "No. I—I didn't meet anyone on the way."

"Then let's sit down and wait," Henry said. "He should be here soon."

Ron sat down in the chair next to Harry, his movements somewhat stiff.

He straightened the hem of his robe, brushed his hair back, and placed his hands on his knees, as if restraining himself from moving around.

Hermione noticed his movement and lowered her voice, saying, "Ron, what are you so nervous about?"

"I'm not nervous," Ron said.

"You've straightened the hem of your robe three times."

"I—that's—my clothes are wrinkled," Ron said.

Harry suppressed a laugh and didn't call him out.

At exactly three o'clock, there was a knock on the door.

Henry stood up: "Please come in."

The door was pushed open, and Viktor Krum stood in the doorway.

He seemed to put some thought into his appearance—but only a little, because he wasn't the type to spend a lot of time looking in the mirror.

He stood in the doorway, his gaze sweeping over the people in the room before lingering on Henry.

"Your Highness Henry." He walked in and sat down in the empty chair opposite Henry.

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