Hogwarts: My Grandmother is the Queen

On Wednesday morning, Henry made a decision.

He had Mercury send notes to Hannah, Susan, and Justin, inviting them to a casual tea party that afternoon.

The note was casually worded, simply stating that everyone was an old acquaintance from the train, catching up on each other's lives, and that a house-elf would pick them up at the appointed time.

Hannah was doing her homework in the auditorium when she received the note—Professor Sprout had assigned her some homework to copy down basic concepts of herbalism.

An owl flew in from outside and dropped a note on her open textbook, attracting curious glances from several Hufflepuffs around her.

"What is it?" Susan peeked over from the side.

Hannah blushed slightly after reading the note: "Henry... Henry Wales has invited us for tea this afternoon. You, me, and Justin."

Susan took the note and read it carefully.

"A relaxed tea party?" she read aloud, "to thank you for the pleasant conversation on the train? Sounds quite friendly."

"Should we go?" Hannah hesitated. "I mean, he's Slytherin, and we're Hufflepuffs..."

"Why not?" Susan countered. "He saved Neville, which means he's not a bad person. Besides," she added, "we had a good chat on the train, didn't we?"

Justin's reaction was more direct. After receiving the note in the hallway, he quickly found Hannah and Susan.

"Did you receive it? The tea party invitation?" he said happily. "Great! Perfect, I can ask him how he's doing in Slytherin."

At 3:50 p.m., a house-elf dressed in a neat tea towel appeared near the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room.

It has big ears and round eyes.

"Lucy will lead the way," it said in a small voice, nodding to the three first-year students. "Please follow Lucy."

It led them through several corridors of the castle, eventually arriving at the empty classroom on the second floor.

The door was ajar, and soft music drifted from inside—it was a tune played by Henry on his magic phonograph.

Lucy pushed open the door and gestured for them to come in.

The classroom setup caught the eye of the three Hufflepuff students.

The table was covered with a warm-colored tablecloth, on which were placed tea sets and snacks. The tea sets were made of exquisite porcelain, and the snack stand had small sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, and several delicious little desserts.

Contrary to their expectations of "royal luxury," the place appeared understated and simple, instantly easing their tension.

Henry was already waiting at the table, dressed casually in his usual clothes.

"You've arrived," he said with a smile, rising to sit down. "Please have a seat; I hope you haven't had trouble finding me."

Once everyone was seated, Lucy quietly began to pour tea.

The tea soup was a clear, golden color, steaming hot.

"Try it," Henry said. "I think this tea is perfect for an afternoon drink."

Justin carefully picked up the teacup; the porcelain was lighter than he had expected.

He took a small sip, and his eyebrows relaxed.

"That's wonderful," he said sincerely. "I quite like this tea."

"I'm glad you like it," Henry replied gently. He turned to Hannah and Susan: "Is everything alright in Hufflepuff? I heard your common room is very comfortable."

Hannah relaxed a bit and nodded: "Yes, it's warm and close to the kitchen. Sometimes the house-elves give us extra desserts."

"Hufflepuffs are known for their loyalty and diligence," Henry commented, "which are very admirable qualities. In fact, I think each of the four houses of Hogwarts has its own value, just like..."

He considered a suitable metaphor.

"Like a complete Quidditch team. Gryffindor is the Seeker, brave and adventurous; Ravenclaw is the Chaser, intelligent and strategic; Slytherin is the Beater, shrewd and protective of their team; and Hufflepuff is the Keeper. Steadfast, reliable, and the team's strongest support."

This analogy caught the eye of the three Hufflepuff students, who rarely heard anyone speak so positively about their house—especially from Slytherin students.

"Do you really think so?" Susan asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"Of course," Henry said confidently. "Every society needs courageous pioneers, clever planners, and shrewd executors, but it also needs diligent and loyal people who can lay a solid foundation. Without the latter, the achievements of the former will be like castles in the air."

He took a scone: "I recently noticed while reading the history of magic that many wizards who may not be well-known in history but actually did a lot of important work came from Hufflepuff. Their contributions were actually very significant."

"Similarly, Hufflepuff is not lacking in excellent wizards, such as Newt Scamander, whom I have heard is a Hufflepuff."

These words made the atmosphere more relaxed. Justin started adding sugar to his tea; Hannah picked up a sandwich; and Susan also relaxed and drank her tea.

The conversation gradually shifted from Mr. Scamander's amusing anecdotes at school to school life in general. Henry inquired about their courses and shared some of his own feelings, always in a calm and respectful tone.

When Professor Quirrell was mentioned, he skillfully avoided direct criticism, only praising his unique teaching style and noting his in-depth research in certain areas of Defense Against the Dark Arts, without mentioning the garlic stuffed in his turban.

That's true; Professor Quirrell, or rather Professor Riddle, was indeed accomplished in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Nonsense! As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." Who would be the person who understands Defense Against the Dark Arts the most?

Of course, he's the one who knows black magic best (laughs).

The tea party had a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, and most of the snacks were eaten.

Just as everyone was talking about the sneezing Mibu Mibu that Professor Sprout had shown in Herbalism class, Susan hesitated for a moment before bringing up the unpleasantness of yesterday's Charms class.

"Actually... we had a little argument with Gryffindor yesterday." Her voice was lower than before, tinged with helplessness.

Justin immediately chimed in, his tone tinged with indignation: "They started it! Zacharys—the classmate I accidentally hit with my spell—he didn't do it on purpose, we're still learning! And then some Gryffindor people started saying we Hufflepuffs are all clumsy idiots!"

Hannah added in a low voice, "Ernie... you mean Ernie Macmillan. He couldn't stand it anymore and said something like, 'Gryffindors just watch their classmates get into danger, and in the end, it was the Slytherin classmates who saved Neville.'"

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Henry somewhat uneasily, as if worried that mentioning this matter would make him feel used.