Hogwarts: My Grandmother is the Queen

Chapter 343 Miss Farley's Gift

“Both,” Henry said. “She wouldn’t waste time asking this kind of question to unimportant people. But the fact that she asked means she’s already considering you.”

Miss Farley paused for a moment, then asked, "So, do you think she's satisfied with me?"

"She invited you to take a walk in the garden instead of keeping you in the living room to continue answering questions," Henry said. "That in itself is a signal."

"What signal?"

"She doesn't need any further confirmation," Henry said with a smile.

A cool evening breeze swept through the garden, filtering through the holly branches, carrying a dry, wintery scent. In the distance, the shadow of a tree swayed in the deepening twilight—it was the old oak, its branches gently moving in the wind. Miss Farley stood on the path, pulling her coat collar tighter. "So, I passed the test?"

"Not yet," Henry said, "but you've passed the second test."

Miss Farley glanced at him: "So what's the first round?"

"My mother was the strictest hurdle. She was even stricter than my grandmother."

"I think she's quite nice," Miss Farley said. "She didn't make me feel nervous at all."

"Because she likes you," Henry said. "If she likes you, you won't feel any tension. But if she doesn't like you, she won't even acknowledge you. My mother is someone who particularly dislikes formalities."

Miss Farley stood there, as if pondering these words.

"So, when I met your father, which round of hurdles did he face?"

“His opinion doesn’t really count,” Henry said. “In my house, his opinion doesn’t really matter; he just asks if you’re cold.”

Miss Farley couldn't help but laugh: "Well, he did ask me that question as soon as I walked into the hall."

"He does that to everyone," Henry said. "That's how he shows concern."

They walked around the path, and it gradually got dark.

"Your Highness," Miss Farley said, "will your grandmother attend the Christmas lunch tomorrow?"

"How could I not?" Henry said with a smile. "You're really nervous, Gemma. My grandmother always does this: Christmas Eve dinner is a small family gathering, Christmas lunch is a formal family meal, and more people will be coming tomorrow."

"What do I need to prepare?"

"No special preparation is needed," Henry said. "You've already met her. Tomorrow's occasion is bigger, but she won't pay you any more attention than she did today."

Miss Farley nodded. "That's good."

She turned and walked back, then stopped after a couple of steps: "You just said she doesn't need any further confirmation, so will she ask me questions again tonight?"

"Possibly," Henry said, "but there won't be the same depth of questions as this afternoon. She's got the information she needs; the next issue is confirming that you're consistent with what you just said."

Miss Farley didn't say anything, but she continued walking.

When they returned to the living room, there were a few more people there.

William and Harry were sitting in armchairs by the window, talking quietly.

Charles sat next to Diana, holding a cup of tea.

The Queen remained seated in the armchair by the window, but a book had appeared on the coffee table in front of her. Miss Farley moved to the sofa next to Diana and sat down.

Dinner was held in the dining room next to the living room. The dining room was small, with only eight sets of tableware on the long table.

The Queen sat at one end of the long table, and Prince Philip sat to her right.

Charles and Diana sat on either side, William and Harry sat near the door, and Henry sat next to Miss Farley.

Western dining etiquette is also quite elaborate, not much different from the drinking culture of Saudi Arabia.

There are strict rules about where to sit, what kind of tableware to use, and what to say.

Unfortunately, in the eyes of some people who kneel, this is "table manners"; and in their eyes, drinking culture has become "feudal dross".

It's utterly ridiculous, to say the least.

But in fact, drinking culture is not feudal dross. After all, the practice of drinking strong liquor is an imported concept, learned from the Big Brother.

Dinner was a simple roast turkey with cranberry sauce, along with roasted potatoes and winter vegetables.

The conversation at the table ranged from garden trimming to William's recent school activities, from spring travel plans to a relative's new hobby.

Miss Farley listened quietly, occasionally chiming in with a word or two when someone turned to her.

She didn't initiate any new topics, but she answered every question that was presented to her seriously.

Prince Philip put down his knife and fork midway through dinner and turned his gaze toward Miss Farley: "Miss Farley, I heard you are studying public policy at Oxford."

"Yes, Your Highness." Miss Farley put down her knife and fork. "I am mainly studying the evolution of the British civil service."

"Do you know how Prime Minister Jim Hack dealt with the Cabinet Secretary?"

Miss Farley paused slightly, "I know a little. Prime Minister Harker's civil service reforms were one of his major achievements during his term. He pushed through several important administrative reforms that made the distribution of power in the Cabinet Office more balanced."

Prince Philip nodded. "Do you think his methods can be applied to the magical world?"

"I don't think we can use it directly," Miss Farley said, "but we can use similar logic to reform it."

"Then do you dare to ask a question?"

Miss Farley looked into Prince Philip's eyes: "If it's a question that needs to be asked, I will ask it."

Prince Philip smiled and nodded, picked up his knife and fork again, cut off a piece of turkey, and put it in his mouth.

Miss Farley did not get up immediately after dinner.

The chair still held the warmth of her footsteps. She leaned against it, watching the others leave one by one. William and Harry stood up first, whispered "Goodnight," and headed for the stairs. They walked quickly, one after the other, as if they were in a hurry to get somewhere. Charles, carrying the last half-glass of wine, went to the window and whispered a few words to Diana. Their voices were too low to hear clearly. Diana smiled, seemingly genuinely amused. Prince Philip put down his napkin and walked towards the living room, his steps still brisk, as if the pace of the night wasn't too late for him. The Queen stood up from the table, glanced at Miss Farley as she passed by, a faint smile playing on her lips, like a confirmation that didn't need to be spoken, before looking away.

Henry stood up as well. Seeing Miss Farley still sitting in her chair, he slowed his pace, as if waiting for her to catch up. "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about it," Miss Farley said. "I brought you gifts, but I'm not sure if tonight is the right time."

"What gift is it?"

"Just some small things," she said. "I know the royal rule—don't give expensive gifts. So what I brought isn't very valuable. But I chose them carefully."

Henry looked at her for a moment: "So when do you plan to deliver it?"

"Tomorrow morning?" Miss Farley said. "Christmas morning would be more appropriate."

"That's fine," Henry said. "My mother will be very happy that you prepared a gift."

Miss Farley stood up and followed Henry out of the restaurant.

The lights in the hallway were dimmer than in the living room. She walked slowly, as if she were checking tomorrow's schedule in her mind as she walked, trying to make sure that she hadn't missed any steps.

"Your Highness," she began, "your mother mentioned that the Christmas lunch is a formal family gathering. How many people will be coming?"

"About twenty," Henry said. "Not many, mostly immediate family members and some older relatives. There won't be any reporters, no outsiders."

"So, is the Christmas morning gift-opening activity also a group activity where everyone opens the gifts together?"

“Yes,” Henry said. “It usually happens after breakfast, with everyone sitting in the living room, taking them apart one by one.”

Miss Farley thought for a moment, then slowed her pace slightly. "Shall I put the gift on the mantelpiece in the living room tomorrow morning?"

"Sure," Henry said. "Or you can give it to everyone first, if you don't want to open it in front of everyone."

"I have no problem," Miss Farley said. "Gifts are meant to be given to everyone."

That evening, Miss Farley squatted next to her suitcase in the guest room and took out the contents one by one—a few changes of clothes, toiletries, and several small packages wrapped in brown paper.

Each package was tied with a different string; some were tied twice, and some had different knots, as if she had taken the time to distinguish them.

She placed the packages one by one at the foot of the bed, made sure the labels were still on, then put them away again, closed the suitcase, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

The night outside the window was deep, and the garden lights shone among the holly trees, like small pieces of amber embedded in the night, warm and serene.

She watched for a while, then stood up and drew the curtains.

The next morning, Miss Farley was awakened by the light coming through the window.

After washing up, she changed into a light gray sweater and dark trousers, picked up the several brown paper packages, and went downstairs.

The hallway was quiet; everyone else probably hadn't all gotten up yet.

She walked to the living room door, pushed it open, and found it empty.

The fire in the fireplace was burning, as if someone had just added wood—perhaps the butler had been there earlier.

The tea set was already prepared on the coffee table, and there was also a plate of freshly baked biscuits next to it. It didn't look like it was prepared by the housekeeper, but rather like someone had casually put it there after getting up early.

Miss Farley walked to the mantel, placed several packages side by side on the table, stepped back half a step to examine them, as if to make sure they were arranged neatly enough.

Then she sat down on the sofa and waited for everyone else to arrive.

Diana was the first to arrive; she was wearing a light pink sweater and looked more relaxed than yesterday.

When she entered the living room, she first saw Miss Farley, then her gaze lingered on the packages on the mantel.

"Is that a gift you brought?" Diana walked over and sat down next to Miss Farley.

"Yes," Miss Farley said. "Not too expensive, but it would be more appropriate to have some gifts prepared for Christmas."

Diana turned her gaze from the gift to Miss Farley: "You've been very thoughtful."

"It's what I should do," Miss Farley said somewhat reservedly. "Besides, the process of choosing gifts for everyone is interesting in itself. It took me several nights to decide what I wanted to give."

Diana nodded and sat there quietly, as if waiting for the morning to unfold.

After a while, Charles came in, wearing a light-colored shirt and no tie.

He looked slightly surprised when he saw the packages on the mantel, but he didn't ask anything and just sat down on the sofa next to Diana.

William and Harry walked in one after the other. William was wearing a dark gray sweater and looked quite well; Harry was wearing a light-colored pullover, and his hair wasn't completely dry, as if he had just come out of the bathroom.

When the two of them saw the packages on the mantel, their eyes lingered on them for quite a while.

The Queen was the last to enter the living room. She was wearing a light blue sweater and a dark gray shawl draped over her shoulders, and her pace was neither fast nor slow.

As she entered the living room, Zi Guang first glanced at the neatly arranged packages on the mantel, then looked at Miss Farley with a light look, but with a certain certainty in it, as if she had already guessed the origin of the packages and was waiting for what would happen next to unfold naturally.

She sat down in the armchair by the window, picked up the cup of tea that had already been poured in front of her, and took a sip. "Henry said he won't be down for a few more minutes. We can start now."

Miss Farley stood up, walked to the mantel, and took down the top package.

It was smaller than the other packages, wrapped in light gray kraft paper, and tied with a thin dark blue string.

She picked it up and walked over to Diana: "This is for you."

Diana took the package, glanced at the label, then untied the string and peeled off the kraft paper.

Inside was a small bottle of amber-colored liquid, sealed with a cork. A handwritten label was affixed to the bottle, the handwriting neat and tidy, without any fancy strokes, just written stroke by stroke.

"What is this?" Diana asked.

"It's honey," Miss Farley said. "It's from the Hogwarts apiary, where the bees are kept near the greenhouse. This honey tastes different from the ones in the supermarket—it has a wonderful floral scent, from magical plants unique to the wizarding world."

Diana held the bottle up to the light streaming through the window; the amber liquid shimmered warmly in the morning light. "Can honey still be harvested this season?"

"Hogwarts' greenhouses have plants that bloom year-round, so the bees don't stop producing honey in winter," Miss Farley said. "I specifically asked Professor Sprout, and she said this honey is perfect for tea."

Diana held the bottle in her palm, looked down at it for a moment, and said, "Thank you, Gemma."

Miss Farley returned to the mantel and took down the second package.

This one is slightly larger, wrapped in dark green kraft paper, and tied with a light-colored string.

She walked up to Charles: "This is for you."