Ravenclaw Treats Everyone the Same

The Hogwarts library was never short of people.

Whenever it was open, some audacious student could be found lurking near the Restricted Section, hoping Madam Pince would make a mistake while catching someone else and give them a chance to try their luck.

Try was the word. Most books in the Restricted Section could only be viewed by their covers; to read the contents, students had to arrange a loan with Madam Pince. The books that weren't sealed behind that procedure made enough noise when opened for the entire library to hear.

None of that concerned Andrew. Transfiguration alone gave him plenty to study. He hadn't even finished exploring that broad avenue, so why distract himself with anything else?

As he searched for a book, he once again marveled at the size of Hogwarts' collection, then got back to hunting for information.

But today was a little different.

Not long after he sat down, someone took a seat at the next table. That person seemed absorbed in a book, yet Andrew kept feeling their eyes on him.

What?

He paused and checked his clothes, then his schoolbag. Everything was ordinary. Nothing stood out, and his accessories were all commonplace. Not a thing about him suggested anything ancient or mysterious.

What's going on? Who's trying to cause trouble for me?

After confirming that the person was still watching him, Andrew stood, carried a book over to their table, and sat down. "Hello. Can I help you with something?"

"Huh? No... no, wait, yes..."

The person was thoroughly flustered, their face turning red, then pale, then red again. Whatever opening line they had prepared, Andrew had ruined it.

"Well... I noticed you really like reading?"

Their planned opening had probably sounded smoother than that, but now they were stammering.

"Not particularly. I'm just interested in Transfiguration."

"Then have you ever wanted to turn that knowledge into a little pocket money—huh?"

They had launched into their pitch without paying attention and only registered Andrew's answer when they were nearly finished.

"We're really not frauds... It's just that earning this money means searching through history... This is also one of the few—"

"I'm already in a club." Andrew cut them off and fished out the badge he'd received upon becoming an official member. "Recognize it?"

"Right. Sorry to bother you."

The prospect of any further hassle vanished at once. They gathered their things and left almost immediately, as though fleeing a plague.

Were they after money or free labor?

Andrew couldn't tell, but he leaned toward the latter. They promised money in exchange for knowledge, tricked people into searching the library's vast collection for the information they wanted, then paid them a pittance afterward...

It was a slightly more sophisticated scam than simply hiring student workers, aimed at people who enjoyed reading in the library.

The trouble was, the Hogwarts library was enormous and its collection remarkably complete. Students studying established subjects could at least get systematic guidance. But for would-be adventurers and others who needed specialized information, paying a few students a handful of Galleons to search without an index was a bargain.

The pitch wasn't particularly polished; Andrew had spotted the problem at once. As for how he knew so much, he had his club's so-called internal records to thank.

Andrew thought his club was rather like someone who went around measuring everyone else while refusing to measure themselves. Still, he had to admit its internal records were impressively thorough.

Passed down through generations, they covered the gray areas of student life at Hogwarts in considerable detail. They even contained extensive information on scams in the wizarding world, though members couldn't read that part until Fifth Year.

Selling lucky charms, memory potions, and intelligence potions before exams was child's play. The records also documented nearly a hundred fights of all sizes at the school and the methods used in recent years to smuggle prohibited items inside. Anything that might excite Filch had been carefully cataloged and preserved.

Andrew still didn't have permission to read the more detailed records. As always, he had to wait until Fifth Year.

That information had been gathered and organized by students in Fifth Year or above. Without contributing, he had no right to read it. Besides, they hadn't collected it to hand over to the school, but to help decide how the club allocated its internal resources...

And that allocation was another thing he wasn't allowed to hear about until Fifth Year.

In short, it was all absurdly mysterious...

Andrew had no plans to get deeply involved. For now, he would just show up, make use of the club's name, and read whatever became available to him.

"I have to say, some students in our School are far more eager than anyone else to take advantage of new students..."

The newcomers had settled into school life, and anyone with schemes in mind had begun sizing up their personalities and preparing to act. That was a major reason Andrew had just run into a scammer.

"And I can't even call it a scam outright, since they really do pay... It's not as if I can hit someone over that..."

He shook his head helplessly and prepared to lose himself in the books again.

Then he heard a similar pitch from the other side of a bookshelf.

"...earn a little money with your knowledge."

"Could I? I suppose so?"

"It's a decent amount. You get a base wage just for reading carefully—five Knuts an hour. And if you find the information we need, you could earn a reward of up to one Galleon!"

"One Galleon... Oh, never mind..."

What?

Andrew was stunned. The person making the pitch, a girl this time, fell silent too.

So they even use someone of the same gender to make the target less wary of a scam? And sure, no one's actually getting that Galleon—it's just a carrot on a stick. But a new student isn't tempted by one Galleon?

He was an exception. He wasn't boasting, but before enrolling, he'd had more money on hand than many graduates. What ordinary First-Year Student could be so casual about it? Had the girl approached one of those Slytherin kids?

His curiosity piqued, Andrew pretended to look for a book and took a peek. He quickly retreated, feeling guilty.

He knew the girl who hadn't taken the bait. She was famous in Ravenclaw: Miss Granger, the presumed top student.

And the reason he felt guilty was obvious. The would-be scammer was from his own School...

Well, apart from certain members of his club, most Ravenclaws showed no School bias whatsoever. That had plenty of good sides: competitions, card games, and getting together for fun. But it had its bad sides too. This girl, for instance, was trying to scam everyone equally.