Hogwarts: My Grandmother is the Queen

Henry sat in the garden, his gaze passing over the carefully arranged refreshments on the table and landing on an owl on the fence not far away.

This is somewhat unusual. While owls occasionally appear around the Buckingham Palace gardens, it is afternoon now, which is clearly not in line with the habits of owls.

Before the owl had even settled down, several corgis came bounding over on their short legs, running around excitedly.

What happened next was even more unusual: the owl kept changing its landing spots, but showed no intention of leaving despite the corgi's pursuit.

"Henry, my dear," Grandmother Elizabeth said softly, placing the bone china teacup on the tray, "your tea is getting cold."

Henry then came to his senses and turned to the tea table covered with an exquisite tablecloth.

The silver three-tiered dessert stand displays mini sandwiches, scones, and a variety of delicate desserts.

"Sorry, Grandma," Henry said with a smile, picking up the round mini sandwich in front of him and taking a bite.

It has a sweet and sour taste and is filled with traditional strawberry jam.

Thanks to his time travel, Henry was truly an authority on precociousness. In addition, due to the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren, Elizabeth doted on him, often inviting him to afternoon tea, making him a quintessential British saintly grandson.

His adoptive father, Charles, was quite envious of this, but ultimately couldn't stop the old man from enjoying the company of his grandchildren.

Because of some butterfly effect, Charles married Diana two years earlier than planned, and he became the eldest son created by the butterfly effect.

Because of his tireless efforts over the years, his parents' relationship has actually become quite good.

The young man is very handsome. Unlike his father, who inherited the worst traits from his parents, this boy has inherited the best features from both. In addition to being handsome, he also looks like his great-grandfather, George VI, which is why his grandmother likes him so much.

How was today's class?

Elizabeth picked up a scones and asked softly.

Although Henry had private tutors, she still cared about her grandson's daily life.

Even though he transmigrated to England and became the eldest son of the Crown Prince for seventy years, Henry still had to learn.

Moreover, it's not just ordinary learning; the courses he faces are no less than those of his peers in his previous life, and may even be more demanding.

"Math class is fun; we're learning geometric proofs." Henry swallowed his sandwich. "In history class, they talked about the Tudor dynasty, and I was thinking about those tapestries in Hampton Court Palace—"

His words came to an abrupt end.

Suddenly, an owl swooped down, gliding precisely over the tea table, and a thick parchment envelope fell like a bomb, landing right next to the pastry stand in front of Henry.

Elizabeth's hand paused slightly. The security personnel in the shadows of the garden reacted swiftly, but were stopped by a gesture from Her Majesty just as they were about to rush forward.

The owl didn't fly far. It circled half a circle and gracefully landed on the edge of the marble fountain in the courtyard, tilting its head to observe the crowd, as if waiting for something.

"Paul?" she called softly.

A handsome servant walked over and nodded to Elizabeth.

Henry recognized him; it was tall Paul, his grandmother's most trusted servant.

Paul stepped forward and examined the envelope with his white-gloved hands.

Henry could see that the deep red wax seal gleamed in the sunlight, and the coat of arms of the shield was clearly visible—a capital "H" surrounded by four animals: a lion, a badger, an eagle, and a snake.

Paul bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the address on the package contains our current detailed address and is addressed to His Highness Henry. The mailing address is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Henry: ?

No?

I'm all ready to be the successor to imperialism, what the hell is this Hogwarts acceptance letter?

He was quite certain that it was 1991 and that J.K. Rowling had not yet written the timeless classic Harry Potter.

Besides, not many people would joke like that with royalty.

I thought a system stuck at 99% of the progress bar was abstract enough, but I didn't expect there were experts out there!

He then looked at his grandmother, expecting her to be surprised, but to his surprise, her reaction was extremely indifferent.

"Grandma?" Henry asked tentatively, "You don't seem surprised at all?"

Elizabeth waved her hand gently, and Paul, understanding, placed the letter on the table and stepped aside, but still maintained a distance where he could be summoned at any time.

"Take a look," she said. "This is also a letter for you."

Henry did as instructed, picked up the letter, opened it, and carefully read it. It read:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(President of the International Wizarding Federation, First-Class Archmage of the Order of Merlin, Chief Wizard of Wizengamo)

Your Highness:

In accordance with the ancient customs of the wizarding world, we are pleased to inform you that you have been admitted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of required books and equipment.

The semester is scheduled to begin on September 1st. We will await your reply by July 31st via owl.

We extend our deepest respect and best wishes to you.

Vice-Chancellor

Sincerely, Minerva McGonagall

Goodness...

The letter's heading and content have changed, haven't they?

Henry calmly folded the letter again and put it back in the envelope.

Elizabeth picked up her teacup, took a sip of black tea, and spoke slowly and elegantly.

"In the month I ascended the throne, a special visitor secretly came to see me." Her gaze drifted into the distance, as if traversing time. "He claimed to be the Minister of Magic—the agency that performs governmental duties in the wizarding world. You can imagine how surprised I was, since no one had ever told me of such a department before."

At this point, she smiled at Henry.

"He explained to me the existence of secrecy laws and the delicate balance that has been maintained between the two worlds for centuries."

Henry's eyes widened.

Elizabeth continued calmly, "According to records circulating within the royal family, there have been wizards within the royal family before, but they were all from collateral branches; you are the first person, as a direct heir, to possess magical aptitude."

She put down her teacup, turned her gaze back to Henry, and became serious and profound.

"The arrival of this letter signifies that you have inherited this ancient bloodline trait. As the heir to the throne, you will face a unique situation."

An owl by the fountain let out a soft hoot at just the right moment, as if politely urging a response.

The surrounding Corgis jumped and frolicked, barking in response to its barking.

"So how should we respond?" Henry asked.

Elizabeth did not answer immediately.

She gazed into the depths of the garden, where the magnificent stone walls of Buckingham Palace appeared solemn and silent in the afternoon sunlight.

After a long silence, she spoke again.

"We will meet with Headmaster Dumbledore. But before that—" she turned to Paul, "please prepare royal letterhead and my personal seal. Also, inform Kensington Palace that there will be a family meeting tonight; both Charles and Diana need to be informed of this."

Paul bowed and accepted the order, and Elizabeth added a sentence.

"Also, please have the kitchen prepare some fresh poultry. Since this messenger of the night has chosen to perform his duties in the sunlight, he should be treated with the respect due to him."

Once Paul's figure disappeared around the bend in the garden path, Elizabeth looked at Henry again.

"Write a reply to Hogwarts, Henry," she said softly. "Tell the Headmaster that Buckingham Palace will be waiting for his visit at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon."

At Elizabeth's prompting, Paul quickly brought Henry paper and pen.

"How should I reply, Grandmother?" Henry turned to the Queen, his pen gleaming like mother-of-pearl in the sunlight.

Elizabeth shook her head slightly, smiling faintly, and said, "This is your letter, Henry. But perhaps it could begin like this—'Dear Headmaster Dumbledore, Buckingham Palace has received your letter and is honored to invite you to tea in the Garden Room at 3 PM tomorrow. We will then discuss the details of your admission. Sincerely, Henry.'"

Henry wrote according to his grandmother's instructions, the pen nib gliding smoothly across the parchment.

"Is this appropriate?" He handed the letter he had written to his grandmother.

As Elizabeth read, her gaze lingered for a moment on the words "Garden Hall".

"Very good, but the royal coat of arms should be added."

She took a small gold seal from the tea table drawer—her personal seal, which she usually used only for informal but important private letters.

Paul quietly retrieved the letter and walked toward the owl by the fountain.

The greyish-brown bird tilted its head, its amber eyes watching the approaching servant.

When Paul handed over a small piece of fresh poultry and the letter together, the owl gracefully swooped down to pick up the food, then stretched out its leg for Paul to tie the letter.

"Does it know the way back to Hogwarts?" Henry couldn't help but ask.

“The messengers of the magical world always find a way.” Elizabeth refilled her tea. “Now, let’s finish our tea. Diana will be bringing William and Harry over this afternoon, and your father…”

She paused for a moment.

"I'll be back from Highgrove tonight."

Henry picked up the sandwich again, but his eyes involuntarily followed the owl taking flight.

It flew across the sky above the gardens, circled once among Buckingham Palace’s iconic flags, and then flew northwest, disappearing in the blink of an eye behind the pale grey clouds of the London afternoon.

The tea party continued, but the atmosphere had subtly changed.

Elizabeth inquired about Henry's recent riding lessons and discussed plans to visit Balmoral Castle in the summer, the topics so ordinary that it was as if the letter from the magic school had never appeared.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, as the tea was about to end, the laughter of children could be heard from the other side of the garden.

Princess Diana walked into the garden in a light blue suit, followed by two young princes.

William's eyes lit up when he saw Henry, and he jogged over.

"Henry! Mom said we're having dinner together tonight!" nine-year-old William exclaimed excitedly.

Five-year-old Harry hid behind his mother, curiously peering at the exquisite pastry stand on the tea table.

Diana gave the Queen a graceful curtsy, then kissed Henry on the cheek.

"Good afternoon, darling. How was your day?"

Henry glanced at his grandmother, and only spoke after the old lady nodded.

"It was a very interesting day, Mom, and quite unexpected."

Diana seemed to understand the deeper meaning behind his words, but she simply smiled gently and turned her attention to Harry, who was trying to reach the nuts on the table.

"No, darling, that's for Grandma."

The family time continued warmly in the garden, and as the sunset began to gild the walls of Buckingham Palace, Paul reappeared and whispered something in Elizabeth's ear.

Elizabeth nodded and turned to the group: "Dinner will be in the Blue Drawing Room. Diana, my dear, please take the children to change. Henry, you should also get ready; Charles's car has entered the palace area."