Hogwarts: My Grandmother is the Queen

Henry looked at her, but he didn't answer immediately.

After a long pause, he asked, "So what do you want to do?"

Daphne bit her lip.

"I...I don't know, but I don't want this to happen."

Pansy whispered from the side, "But... but what can we do? We're just students, and we can't interfere in our family affairs."

Draco didn't speak, but he looked at Henry with the same question in his eyes.

"You've asked the wrong question," Henry said, shaking his head.

The three people were stunned.

"Did you ask the wrong question?"

“Yes,” Henry said. “You’re asking what can be done, that’s a problem in itself, but that’s not the real problem. The real problem is—what do you want?”

The three men looked at each other, clearly not understanding what Henry was saying.

"What do you want?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Henry said, "What do you want? What do you desire? What are your goals?"

He looked at Daphne: "You don't want that to happen, that's what you want to avoid, not what you want to achieve. Avoiding and achieving are two different things."

He then looked at Pansy: "You said you can't control family affairs, that's your current situation, not your goal."

Finally, he looked at Draco: "You want to be a qualified head of the family, is that your goal?"

Draco thought for a moment and nodded.

"I guess so."

"Alright," Henry said, "then let's start with the goal."

He leaned back on the sofa, relaxed in posture, but his words were anything but relaxed.

"Your goal is to be good heads of your families in the future, right?"

The three exchanged a glance and all nodded.

"Then tell me, what does it take to be the head of the family?" Henry asked.

"It requires ability, connections, and family support," Draco said.

"Anything else?" Henry pressed.

Pansy said, "I need prestige."

Daphne said softly, "We need to know how to make a decision."

“That’s all right, but you’ve missed the most important thing,” Henry said, holding up one finger. “That is, you need someone willing to come with you.”

"Is someone willing to come with us?" Pansy's expression shifted; she felt as if she had grasped something.

“Yes,” Henry said. “The head of the family isn’t a lone wolf. You need people who listen to you in that position. You need allies, supporters, people willing to stand up for you when you need them. Where do these people come from?”

Draco frowned. "From the family?"

“The people in the family are your father’s people, not yours,” Henry said. “When your father was alive, they listened to him. Now that he’s gone, they’ll watch and see if you’re worth following. If you don’t have your own people, you’re just a figurehead.”

Pansy's expression changed.

Daphne said softly, "My father said something similar. He said that every head of the Greengrass family would train his own people."

"Have you ever thought about where your people come from?" Henry asked.

He continued, "You are in school now, surrounded by your peers. Among them are those who will become officials in the Ministry of Magic, those who will have influence in various industries, and those who will become heads of families. These people are your future resources."

"But resources don't fall from the sky; you have to learn how to invest first."

"Investment?" Draco asked.

“Yes,” Henry said. “If you’re kind to someone now and help them out, ten years later, they might repay that favor in some position. That’s investment.”

He looked at them and said, "Then think about it, who should you invest in the most?"

Without a second thought, the three of them simultaneously turned their gaze to Henry.

Henry smiled.

"It wasn't me," he said. "I am one, but not the only one."

"Who is that?"

Henry didn't answer directly, but smiled and said, "That touches on a core principle of political science: make as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible."

At this point, he stood up and said, "Alright, it's getting late. What I just said is what I'm leaving you to think about today. Go back and think carefully about what you should do."

He then left the common room, leaving the three of them sitting there, pondering his words.

……

The next morning, the auditorium was filled with students at the four long tables of the college.

The owls flew around, delivering letters, packages, and newspapers, keeping themselves extremely busy.

Henry sat at the middle of the Slytherin table, with a copy of the Daily Prophet in front of him, along with his usual simple breakfast—a glass of milk, a few slices of toast, two boiled eggs, and roasted tomatoes.

Draco and his two henchmen sat opposite him, their expressions more serious than usual.

Pansy and Daphne sat next to Henry, both looking preoccupied.

Theodore ate his breakfast quietly in the corner, occasionally glancing around.

"Your Highness," Draco suddenly spoke, "I've been thinking about what you said last night."

Henry looked at him.

"What have you figured out?"

Draco carefully considered his words: "I understand some of what you're saying, but I'm still a little unsure how to do it specifically."

"No rush, take your time," Henry said with a smile. "You're only twelve this year, you have plenty of time."

As things gradually returned to normal after the start of the school term, Marcus reorganized Quidditch training, becoming increasingly strict with his demands. Even the continuous rain following the heavy snow couldn't dampen his passion for Quidditch.

Finally, during a practice match when the weather cleared up, Marcus announced some good news: Professor Snape would become the referee for Quidditch matches.

"That's a good thing," Marcus said, puffing out his chest. "Professor Snape is the fairest and most impartial professor in Hogwarts. I really can't think of anyone more qualified than him."

Henry thought Marcus was definitely qualified to run for minister, given his ability to lie so blatantly without batting an eye...

Does Professor Snape have anything to do with the words "fairness" and "justice"?

Even Snape himself couldn't stop Gryffindor from defeating Hufflepuff in the Quidditch match; less than five minutes into the game, Harry caught the Golden Snitch.

At the afternoon tea party the following day, Henry invited the Gryffindor trio and congratulated Harry on his victory in the competition.

But the trio looked preoccupied, their faces clearly showing that "something was on their minds."

Henry didn't press further, but instead smiled and poured them more tea.

Finally, Harry couldn't hold back any longer. He glanced at Ron, then at Hermione, and after they both nodded, he tentatively asked, "Your Highness, I mean... uh, I mean, if you found out a professor was trying to steal something valuable from the school, what would you do?"