After Andrew briefly explained what had happened, the student in charge of the newcomers told him to fetch help from the main gathering place, then hurried over himself.
But by the time Andrew returned with the others, it was too late.
The three older students had vanished, and nearly half the students left in the room had been swindled.
"I thought something was wrong too, but they said they didn't want to cause the original owner any more trouble. One gesture of goodwill was enough."
"After selling about half the stuff, they pretended they needed the bathroom and ran off. They didn't even take what was left. I thought they wouldn't abandon it, so I didn't notice."
"Before they left, they even said they weren't worried about us stealing anything, because anyone who took something could expect to be expelled..."
The accounts of those who remained soon pieced together what had happened.
After Andrew left, the swindlers quickly realized something was wrong. They kept everyone calm while preparing their escape, and three unlucky students who couldn't resist the temptation handed over their Galleons.
Others had sensed something was wrong and tried to leave like Andrew, but the swindlers took the opportunity to act as though they were pressuring them to buy. That made the students misread their intentions.
In the brief interval between their excuse to leave and everyone catching on, they used their knowledge of the school corridors to escape.
"We have to find those bastards and report them to the school!"
"On what grounds?"
The older student Andrew had brought over gave a cold snort. "Notebook prices aren't fixed to begin with. If both sides agreed it was a fair trade, the school can't do much over a few Galleons. Besides, do you really think those were the people they appeared to be?"
He inspected the goods they had left behind. "Common stuff, all of it. They probably used Polyjuice Potion too... All to make fools of us and recoup some of their costs. Extravagant, really. Even if they'd swindled everyone, they wouldn't have made enough to pay for the potion."
The older Ravenclaw sounded disgusted as he identified the culprits.
"Those people who worship loopholes and love exploiting them. They thought they'd found a weakness in our setup and decided to pull off something they could brag about.
"But they didn't expect to be found out so quickly. They'd even let someone go who was very likely to see through their plan, so they changed tactics and slipped away."
After giving Andrew an approving look, he turned to those who had paid. "The group will reimburse the Galleons you lost, but you won't attend any further meetings. You'll have an assessment every year until your fifth year. If you still hold to your ideals then, you can try again."
"As for the rest of you, you'll take a second assessment. Andrew," the older student said, holding out his hand, "welcome to the Mutual Aid Group. If you don't mind, we'll have a simple introductory talk now."
As he led Andrew away, he seemed to remember something and called back to the student who had been guiding them. "Thank Andrew, Dan. He kept your guidance session from becoming a complete disaster... Pay a thirty-Galleon fine afterward."
"We were in a rush earlier, so I didn't get to introduce myself. I'm Connie. Connie Bruce, sixth year."
In another deserted Empty Classroom, Andrew sat across from Connie for the so-called introductory talk.
"Very few newcomers pass the assessment and join on their first day. On merit alone, you're probably the first."
Connie's tone was gentle as he sat there. "What do you think of the Ministry of Magic?"
"It's the legitimate and sole governing body."
Andrew gave an answer that couldn't possibly be wrong.
"A very slippery answer..." Connie smiled. "But entirely correct."
"If I had to describe it, I'd call it an institution governing a world made up of the deranged, the mediocre, the dim-witted, and the hot-tempered..."
Why not just say madmen, slackers, fools, and hotheads?
Andrew kept that thought to himself and put on a puzzled look, inviting Connie to continue.
"We're the madmen, of course." Connie pointed at himself and Andrew. "Most Ravenclaws are."
"Intelligence can cause endless harm. Everyone puts their wits to work on whatever interests them, especially those who exploit loopholes in the rules.
"If you ask me, there'd be nothing wrong with sending all of Ravenclaw to Azkaban...
"But the Ministry of Magic obviously won't do that. Do you know which house forms its backbone?"
Andrew thought for a moment. "Hufflepuff?"
"Exactly. Hufflepuff, because they have the most people. But they aren't particularly good at dealing with people from Ravenclaw, so we join the Ministry too."
"And you should know, Andrew, that Hufflepuff doesn't just have the most Ministry staff. It also has the most ordinary wizards. They're the most peaceable. Most Hufflepuffs even come to Hogwarts simply to get through school and find a job."
"As for Gryffindor, they dislike quiet lives. They're brave enough to face change and sometimes try to change things without considering the consequences... They'd never sit quietly and wait for change. They always want to be part of it."
"That leaves Slytherin... They hate change most of all," Connie said, shaking his head. "Because under the current system, they have most of the advantages... Many wizards realize that, to develop, our world needs to welcome Muggle-born wizards. But Slytherins object most strongly, because they can't be sure they'd keep their position once new blood comes in."
"If you ask me, Slytherin is a handful of clever people leading a vast number of fools... And to keep the fools' support, the clever ones have to pretend to be fools most of the time..."
"Sometimes I get the impression," Connie said with a wave of his hand, "that there are very few real fools. Most Slytherins act like fools so they won't be pushed out. They're so rigid that a fool who grows clever can't lead other fools. He has to keep acting like one to avoid being cast aside."
So no matter how you look at it, you see a crowd of fools...
"So, at Hogwarts, we can't offend Hufflepuff, the majority, because of their numbers. We can't offend Gryffindor, because they don't weigh the costs before a fight. And we can't offend Slytherin..."
So you start fighting among yourselves...
Andrew didn't agree with Connie, but he wasn't going to say so to his face. Fanatics like him weren't just quick to blame others; they attacked anyone who disagreed with them.
"It seems we've reached a basic understanding. Welcome aboard, Andrew. Our first regular meeting is this Wednesday afternoon in a second-floor classroom."
"All right. I'll be there on time."
"Then tell me what you think. You're an excellent listener, but I'd like to hear your opinion."
Andrew paused, then offered a mocking summary of the older student's views.
"We Ravenclaws discriminate against every house equally."
"Hah!"
To Andrew's surprise, Connie burst out laughing. "Exactly. We discriminate against every house equally."
Before you continue