After lingering at Sandringham House for another half hour, Humphrey kept things brief, sharing some of his insights with Henry and mentioning that he would discuss some practical exercises with Sir Arnold during the remainder of the holiday.
The next morning, when Henry came downstairs, the dining room was already bustling with activity.
William and Harry sat at the children's table with boiled eggs and roasted tomatoes arranged before them. William was poking at a boiled egg with his fork, the egg rolling obstinately around the plate, refusing to settle. Harry, his face covered in tomato sauce, was attempting to lick the corners of his mouth clean.
"Henry!" William immediately put down his fork upon seeing him. "Come on! What are we playing today?"
"Let's eat first." Henry sat down beside him and took the breakfast plate from the waiter.
Diana emerged from the kitchen, carrying a plate of freshly toasted bread. She smiled at Henry as she set it on the table. "How did you sleep last night?"
"Not bad."
"That's good." Diana placed the toast down and sat beside him. "By the way, some things arrived at Kensington Palace."
Henry looked up from his plate. "What are they?"
"They seem to be your Christmas presents," Diana said. "They came from all over the country. Mr. Burrell sent them this morning, saying he was worried you wouldn't receive them here at Sandringham House."
Christmas presents from his classmates, Henry realized immediately.
He put down his knife and fork and stood. "Where are they?"
"In the living room." Diana smiled knowingly. "Don't worry, they won't run away."
After breakfast, Henry brought his two younger brothers to the living room.
More than a dozen packages of various sizes were piled on the coffee table. Some were wrapped in kraft paper and tied with hemp rope; others were wrapped in colorful gift paper with ribbons; still others were simply boxes bearing parchment labels.
The largest package, almost as big as a small coffee table itself, was wrapped in coarse linen with a few straws still protruding from it.
Lucy was already standing beside the pile, her big eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Your Highness," she whispered, "Lucy helped you tidy up."
Henry nodded and walked to the collection of gifts.
The first thing that caught his eye was a small box wrapped in dark green velvet, embroidered with Slytherin's iconic silver serpent.
He picked it up carefully and unwrapped the velvet to reveal a palm-sized silver photo frame containing a moving photograph of the classroom on the second floor, with several small figures seated in chairs.
Henry looked closely and recognized the figures as himself, Draco, Pansy, and Daphne. In the picture, he was drinking tea while occasionally looking up and nodding off-screen. On the back of the frame was an inscription:
"To Henry, Slytherin will always be your home. Merry Christmas. From Draco."
"Wow! This photo moves!" William exclaimed in surprise from behind him.
"Magic, isn't it amazing?" Henry reached out and ruffled his brother's hair before carefully setting the photo frame aside and picking up the second package.
The package was wrapped in silver-green gift paper and tied with a silver ribbon. Upon opening it, Henry found a hand-knitted scarf in dark green with silver-grey trim, the exact colors of his Slytherin robes.
The scarf felt soft and warm to the touch, with a small "S" embroidered along the edge. Tucked inside was a card:
"Your Highness:
This is something my mother taught me to knit. She said that handmade Christmas gifts for friends are the most heartfelt. This is my first time knitting, so it's not very good, but I hope it will keep you warm in the Scottish winter.
Merry Christmas.
—Daphne Greengrass"
He continued unwrapping the remaining gifts. Pansy had given him a comprehensive compilation of Quidditch tactics from various teams in recent years, clearly prepared with considerable care.
Harry had given him a model of the Golden Snitch, suspended in mid-air as though levitating. Ron's gift was a collection of homemade cookies from his mother, which Henry tasted and found quite delicious. Hermione's gift was a book about dueling techniques.
Further on, one package was wrapped in kraft paper and tied with a yellow and black Hufflepuff ribbon.
Upon opening it, Henry discovered a handmade little basket fashioned from a repurposed Honeydukes candy box, stuffed with an assortment of candies: Chocolate Frogs, Spicy Honey Candy, Sour Pop Candy, Super Bubble Gum, and a large bag of Honeydukes' Christmas limited edition specialties. It was a gift from Hannah.
He continued opening more packages. Gifts from Susan, Justin, and basically everyone Henry knew had sent him a present, even Flint and Miss Farley, the prefect.
The largest package bore Hagrid's name. Inside was a cushion that looked somewhat rough at first glance, the weaving distinctly clumsy, but the material itself had a glossy sheen that made it appear quite stylish despite its humble construction.
"This is a cushion?" Diana asked curiously, leaning closer to examine it. "It looks like very good quality. Who gave it to you?"
"Hagrid."
Henry picked up the note with its crooked handwriting and numerous misspellings, though the gist was clear enough: it was a cushion woven from unicorn tail hair he had found in the Forbidden Forest, and he hoped Henry would like it.
He sat down on the cushion, finding it quite comfortable and warm beneath him.
"Look at you," Diana said, reaching out to ruffle Henry's hair. "Feeling good?"
"Yes," Henry smiled. "It's made of unicorn tail hair, after all."
"Unicorn tail hair..." Diana repeated, then suddenly grasped what Henry meant. Her eyes widened with wonder. "Unicorns? Do unicorns really exist?"
"According to Hagrid, they do. After all, there do seem to be unicorns in the Forbidden Forest." Henry chuckled, lifting himself up and handing the cushion to his mother. "They're naturally shy and usually avoid contact with humans. The books say they usually only befriend those with pure hearts. According to Hagrid, they typically trust witches more than wizards."
"From what you've said, this Mr. Hagrid must be a noble person," Diana said, taking the cushion and stroking it with obvious affection.
"You really like this cushion?" Henry asked with a smile.
Diana nodded, unable to conceal her delight. "Hmm... yes. After all, it was made from a unicorn..."
Even the British royal family had never seen such a legendary creature!
"Since you like it, then it's yours, Mother," Henry said simply.
Diana was clearly tempted, but the cushion was, after all, a Christmas present from Hagrid to her son, and she felt a little embarrassed by the generosity of the gesture.
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Early chapters: [email protected]/palevolt100