After Andrew quickly explained what had happened, the upperclassman in charge of the first-years instructed him to go to the main gathering area to call others over, while he himself rushed off in a hurry.
However, by the time Andrew had gathered people and returned, it was too late.
The three upperclassmen had long since disappeared, and nearly half the students left in the room had been swindled.
"I also felt something was off, but they said not to bring more trouble to the original owner, and that one act of goodwill was enough."
"They sold off half the items and then pretended they needed the bathroom and ran off. They didn't even take the rest of the stuff — I figured they wouldn't leave goods behind, so I didn't suspect anything."
"When they left, they even said they weren't worried about theft, because anyone who dared take anything could prepare to be expelled…"
From the accounts of those who remained, the truth quickly came together.
After Andrew had left, the scammers clearly sensed something was wrong and began stalling while preparing to flee. Three unlucky students, unable to resist temptation, handed over their Galleons.
Some others also grew suspicious and tried to leave like Andrew, only for the scammers to seize the opportunity to act threatening and pressure them into buying, misleading them into thinking something worse might happen.
And in the short time it took for people to catch on or find excuses to leave, the scammers — far more familiar with the school's layout — simply ran for it.
"We have to report these bastards to the school!"
"On what grounds?"
The upperclassman Andrew had brought over snorted, "The prices of those notebooks were never transparent. They said it was a fair trade, and honestly, this small amount of Galleons can't be addressed. Besides—do you really think it was just those three?"
He checked the remaining goods. "All generic junk. They probably used Polyjuice Potion… just to make a fool of us and recoup a little money. Pretty extravagant— even if they scammed everyone, it wouldn't cover the potion costs."
With a mix of disdain and understanding, this upperclassman pinpointed the real culprits.
"That group who worship loopholes and love gaming the system — they thought they found a gap in ours and planned a showy little event to brag about later.
"What they didn't expect was to be found out so quickly — and worse, they let someone into the meeting who was likely to see through them. So, they pivoted and got out fast."
He gave a nod of approval to the one who had seen through the scam, then addressed the scammed students with some regret.
"Your lost Galleons will be reimbursed by our group. But you won't be joining future meetings. You'll have to retake the qualifying test each year until fifth year. If you still want to join then, you can try again."
"As for the rest of you, you'll be doing a second assessment. Andrew, on the other hand—"He extended a hand."Welcome to our support group. If you don't mind, let's proceed with your initiation interview."
As he led Andrew away, he shouted back toward the earlier guide:
"Thank Andrew, Dan. You didn't totally screw up this time. But still, thirty Galleon fine."
"I was in a rush earlier and didn't introduce myself properly. I'm Connie — Connie Bruce, sixth year."
In an empty classroom, Andrew and Connie sat face-to-face for what was being called the "initiation interview."
"It's rare for a first-year to pass the entry test on the first day — and based on merit alone, you might be the first."
He spoke with a gentle tone.
"What's your view of the Ministry of Magic?"
"The only legitimate and sole authority," Andrew replied — a totally safe answer.
"Very sly answer…" Connie chuckled. "But completely correct."
"If I were to put it bluntly, it's an organization ruling a world run by madmen, slackers, idiots, and hotheads…"
'Why don't you just say: lunatics, slackers, brutes, and fools?'Andrew kept the sarcasm to himself, instead putting on a confused expression to invite more explanation.
"The lunatics are us," Connie gestured to himself and Andrew."Most of Ravenclaw."
"Intelligence can be poisonous. Everyone's using their wits for their own interests, especially those who exploit loopholes.
"Honestly, you could toss all of Ravenclaw into Azkaban and no one would bat an eye…
"But the Ministry doesn't do that. Do you know who forms the backbone of the Ministry?"
Andrew thought for a moment.
"Hufflepuff?"
"Exactly. Hufflepuff — because there are more of them than anyone else. But they're not great at dealing with Ravenclaws, which is why we joined them."
"Also, you should know, Andrew — Hufflepuffs don't just make up most of the Ministry. They're also the majority of average wizards. They're peaceful — most just come to Hogwarts to get through school and find a job."
"As for Gryffindors, they hate peace the most. They'll always choose to confront change, sometimes recklessly. They never wait quietly — they want to be involved."
"Then there's Slytherin… who hate change the most," Connie shook his head.
"They represent the majority in terms of status. Many wizards agree that growth requires taking in Muggle-borns. But Slytherin is most resistant — they can't guarantee they'll still be on top once new blood comes in."
"To me, Slytherin is a bunch of smart people leading a horde of fools — and to keep that support, the smart ones have to act like fools most of the time…"
"Sometimes I feel like most Slytherins aren't really dumb — they just pretend to be, so they don't get kicked out of their own group. Because they're so rigid. A fool can't become smart and lead the rest — he can only act the fool so he doesn't get excluded."
'So no matter what, you're going to find a bunch of idiots in every house, huh…'
"So, at Hogwarts, we can't offend the majority — Hufflepuff, because of their numbers. Can't offend Gryffindor — they'll fight without thinking. Can't offend Slytherin…"
'So we just turn on each other.'
Andrew disagreed with Connie, but he wasn't going to say it aloud. Paranoids like Connie were excellent at blaming others — and relentless in attacking dissenters.
"Seems like we've reached an understanding. Welcome aboard, Andrew. First group meeting is Wednesday afternoon in a second-floor classroom."
"Got it. I'll be there."
"One last thing — I've heard your thoughts, now I want to hear your opinion."
Andrew paused briefly, then offered a mocking summary of Connie's view.
"We Ravenclaws equally discriminate against every other house."
"Hah!"
To his surprise, Connie burst into laughter.
"Exactly — we equally discriminate against every house."