The closer one gets to the Ministry of Magic, the more unhinged they become…
This thought suddenly popped into Andrew's mind after leaving the club meeting.
But when he tried to laugh it off, he realized there was actually some truth to it.
Even the Minister for Magic himself seemed to prove this point. If he was still in his right mind, how could he even think of falling out with Dumbledore?
"I won't be getting out of this any time soon… unless they think I'm not good enough and eliminate me."
Andrew didn't even need to ask to understand how this club came to be—Ravenclaws who had made it into the Ministry banded together, and in their desire for fresh blood, began dropping hints to Hogwarts interns. Ambitious upper-years, enticed by these suggestions, naturally gathered together.
From there, it only escalated. Senior students grouped up, pulled in younger ones, and expanded their influence throughout the house, all under the banner of "Ravenclaws should stick together in the Ministry." Over time, this cohesion evolved into tradition.
In short, the Ravenclaws forming factions in the Ministry gave rise to this school club, and each generation of club members going on to the Ministry strengthened the in-group. Not even the Minister could easily sever these ties—this was a tighter interest chain than Slytherin ever managed.
Fortunately, their numbers were small and they weren't aggressive—just from one meeting, Andrew could tell the club was a mess internally.
"Just show up and check the box. Neither enthusiastic nor oppositional."
Andrew had no plans to stir the pot. Giving feedback wouldn't fix the problems—these students would rather get rid of the person giving the feedback.
"No one in my house is outrageously dumb, but worse than that, no one fully respects anyone else. Everyone's determined to follow their own ideas…"
"But that's also why this club is so fanatical—because the leaders are all people with strong convictions."
Shaking his head, Andrew began looking for an empty classroom—he needed to practice Transfiguration to hone his technique and finish his essay for Professor McGonagall.
"We'll get to see Harry Potter tonight—this isn't something easy. It's the only class we first-years share with Gryffindor."
At dinner, Andrew finally got to lean back and relax after a long afternoon of work. But then his roommate, Hal, brought up the topic.
The mention quickly drew everyone's attention.
"True, but I heard Potter's grades aren't that great."
"Yeah, I heard the Potions professor docked him two points already—seems like he's planning to make him this year's punching bag."
"There's always one Gryffindor like that every year. This one's just a little more famous. But have you heard? Gryffindor's got a real standout this year."
"Oh, you mean Miss Granger? I heard about her in the professor's office today. Every teacher who's had her is full of praise."
"Yeah, she went straight to the library on day one and checked out a ton of books. Seems like every subject is a strength for her."
"She sounds amazing… But we'll have to wait and see. If she doesn't slip up by Friday, she's probably locked in as top of the year."
"No way," a second-year joined the conversation. "Your batch is going to steal first place again?"
"Can't say for sure, but it's looking that way."Hal shoveled a spoonful of mashed potatoes onto his plate. "I haven't seen anyone who can outshine Miss Granger."
"Well…"
The second-year shook his head. "We're used to it… We always lose first place."
Though mentally prepared, many first-years still wanted to catch a glimpse of this Granger girl—Harry and his fame were nice and all, but being top of the year was just as alluring to Ravenclaws.
But once they got to the Astronomy Tower, they gave up that idea entirely.
The cool late-summer breeze was refreshing, but there was one thing most hadn't considered beforehand.
To improve visibility for stargazing, the area around the tower had almost no light sources. Even Professor Aurora Sinistra used only a faint glow to indicate her position. Once she confirmed everyone had arrived, even that was turned off.
In short, unless someone was standing right next to you, you could barely see their outline. Any farther, and you couldn't even tell if they were male or female.
Realistically, the only "light" in the area came from the softly glowing astronomical device that simulated the night sky.
The whole evening, Professor Sinistra explained stars, planets, and constellations, guiding the students through telescope observations.
The class was unusually harmonious. Even Gryffindors and Slytherins didn't argue—because no one could see each other.
Though Andrew kept wondering what astronomy had to do with magic, he did manage to relearn and memorize the constellations during class.
Afterwards, though the professor didn't award any house points and no one got to see Harry Potter, she was still quickly voted one of the most popular teachers.
Why?
Because there was almost no homework!
After class, Ravenclaws were among the first to return to their common room and immediately began gossiping—especially those who had been near Gryffindors.
But there were no solid conclusions—there was no chance to show off in that class. Most students couldn't even see their own housemates.
And upperclassmen happily chimed in—Astronomy doesn't take attendance, and if you can memorize the star charts without a professor's help, you can ace the exam, even the OWLs.
"How can something in the wizarding world be so un-magical…"
Andrew had hoped for a cheat sheet from the upperclassmen, but after hearing that, he could only groan. The only way this class would change is if some wizard managed to knock a star out of the sky.
"Might as well have Dum—uh, a Gryffindor blast a star down with magic… Then we can write a dramatic story about it and sell it for enough to buy a star chart. With that, getting top marks would be easy."
Andrew felt a twinge of guilt—but it quickly faded.
T/N: For up to 20 chapters ahead on all my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle
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