I think Grace may be the best option for a friend for Henry. Hansel and Gretel are 2 years older than Henry, Grace is around the same age whilst Pinocchio is younger. Older children don’t really want to hang around with younger children if they can help it. Hansel and Gretel would be 13 now, they wouldn’t want to be friends with an 11 year old. The only reason they talked to Henry in True North was because they were trying to use Henry to shop lift.
I think the only plausible explanation they can give for Ruby’s absence was that she was busy with Whale or moving into Whale’s place. The moving into Whale’s place might be the better option because it would explain why Ruby wasn’t there that exact day for Belle without implying that Ruby has just dropped Belle in favour of Whale. Maybe Ruby’s reappearance can have her apologise for not being able to be there for Belle because she was caught up in moving.
All magic comes with a price!
Keeper of Felix