Nurcan gives Griet a brief overview of the main do-it-yourself divination methods, and then asks Griet which one she feels best about, between tarot, dream interpretation, crystal gazing and arithmancy, all of which are favorites of DIY wizarding diviners.

  In that case, Griet is made to reconnect with the more divinatory aspect of arithmancy, after having used the more pragmatic one in her daily life as Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions.

  On Friday night, however, Armand gets to work assembling staff after dinner, with the new chef de mission for the Triwizard Tournament, Luc Millefeuille, attending the meeting.

  “Mesdames et messieurs, l’heure est venue de choisir les douze étudiants qui vont être de la partie à Hogwarts à partir du vingt-huit octobre, et ce, pour le reste de l’année!” (Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come to choose the twelve students who will go on to attend Hogwarts starting October 28 for the rest of the year!) Armand then goes over the long list in alphabetical order of last name.

  All I have to do tonight is take notes, and not take an active part in the discussion, Luc ruminates while the teachers start discussing various students, and their likelihood of being selected by the Goblet of Fire once at Hogwarts, or red flags that could make the trip a poor fit for that student. I’m happy that I’m just responsible for keeping the kitchen supplied until October 28, and maybe, once at Hogwarts, cook pastries there, if they will allow it. I wouldn’t envy the jobs of the others in this room.

  But here it’s no longer about grades, as they all know that resourcefulness and courage might not be captured in grades, and the other two criteria of the Goblet of Fire, intelligence and magical ability, aren’t perfectly capturable by grades either.

  In fact, a lot of wizards who attended any of the ICW-accredited schools would know a wizard or two who might excel in the classroom, but struggle using the material in the outside world, Pelléas ruminates on the file of Nacien, a candidate whom he previously had in his class.

  “Je ne pense pas que l’épreuve soit pour lui; il semble avoir de la misère à mettre son savoir en pratique…” (I don’t think the event is for him; he seems to struggle putting his knowledge in practice…) Pelléas comments on the file before the vote is called on Nacien.

  Without surprise, Nacien doesn’t make it to the short list, with that concern showing a complete lack of resourcefulness on his part. Especially since his tendency to ask for aid too quickly was also brought up by the committee’s Charms professor, Sandrine.

  And yet, well into the night, their difficulties are compounded by the quality of those who remain in limbo. With 11 shortlisters already chosen, and a few more files left for another round of review, Luc could feel the heartbreak coming, regardless of who gets the final spot.

  At this point, after much handwringing from the professors, it seems like the two candidates most likely to obtain the final spot are Alejandra and Nurcan.

  “Nurcan a fait preuve de courage et de débrouillardise en allant chercher ce cahier de doléances; même si je trouvais que son obsession pour les états généraux était dangereuse à l’époque…” (Nurcan proved her courage and resourcefulness by getting this cahier de doléances, even though I believed her obsession for the Estates-General to be dangerous back then…) Mélisande, now a History of Magic professor, makes her case for Nurcan.

  “Mais Alejandra semble avoir plus d’aptitude magique que Nurcan, qui a chroniquement manqué de pouvoir!” (But Alejandra seems to have more magical aptitude than Nurcan, who chronically ran out of power!) Ronaldo, the DADA professor on the committee, retorts.

  It's undeniable that Nurcan has a better ability in abstract thinking than Alejandra, but the Triwizard Tournament is very practical, so that makes Nurcan’s intellectual advantage over Alejandra less of a factor, Sandrine, starts thinking about what could set them apart.

  “Et si on les amène toutes les deux?” (What if we brought them both?) Armand, as chair of the committee, suggests to the four professors after hearing about how Alejandra showed both courage and resourcefulness, the former by calling what felt like mountains of fouls under heavy booing, and indiscriminately, as a Quidditch referee, but the latter in a later year.

  “Amener une treizième étudiante à Hogwarts représente un co?t!” (Bringing a thirteenth student to Hogwarts represents a cost!) Luc breaks down what he believes are the costs involved to get both Alejandra and Nurcan to Hogwarts, as opposed to only one of them.

  As the five debate whether one of the first 11 shortlisters should be swapped out, and potentially who, they all get tired, and ponder if the cost of paying for 8 months of tuition for an additional student, among other things, is worthwhile to reduce their heartbreak.

  “Ma principale inquiétude est que Nurcan pourrait être tentée d’utiliser le Tournoi des Trois Sorciers pour pousser la cause révolutionnaire!” (My main concern is that Nurcan could be tempted to use the Triwizard Tournament to push the Revolutionary cause!) Mélisande comments about the other red flag that led to Nurcan fighting for the final spot.

  “Et de même pour Alejandra, mais avec le royalisme!” (And same with Alejandra, but with Royalism!) Pelléas is reminded of Alejandra having hexed Nurcan over a forecast of the Estates-General’s length and effectiveness.

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  Now I have a better idea of why both seemingly fell: the risks of using the Triwizard Tournament for Muggle political purposes! Luc feels like both could have been higher on the short list than fighting for the final spot. About ultra-brilliant but underpowered Nurcan vs someone who might not be as smart, but has more power.

  “Mais bien s?r: le Ministère ottoman de la Magie a payé les frais de scolarité de Nurcan; on pourrait utiliser huit mois de ces frais pour payer pour sa participation!” (But of course: the Ottoman Ministry of Magic paid Nurcan’s tuition; we could use eight months of these fees to pay for her participation!) Sandrine retorts.

  “Très bien, j’autorise l’extension de la liste courte à treize, et qu’on amène Alejandra et Nurcan à Hogwarts!” (Very well, I authorize the extension of the short list to 13, and bring Alejandra and Nurcan to Hogwarts!) Armand decrees, who then asks Luc to revise the logistical plan for the Triwizard Tournament, based on 15 people rather than 14.

  Understandably, Luc yawns as he goes to bed, tired from hours of increasingly difficult decision-making over Triwizard Tournament representation. But not without first posting the short list where the long list once stood. They spent hours splitting hairs over students who, in my opinion, appear to be equally worthy.

  On Saturday morning, Nurcan and her roommates resume their homework after the season opener of the intramural Quidditch season. In which Emmanuelle, now the starting Keeper for this year’s Bains-Marie, named after, and wearing the silver-and-black uniforms of, the Zhanjiang Bain-Maries, recorded a 240-0 shutout over the Factures Impayées.

  As Christine and Nurcan get to the Potions homework, Nurcan starts talking about the previous lecture on the subject.

  “Comment tu trouves Griet comme prof?” (How do you find Griet as a teacher?) Nurcan asks her roommate.

  “Elle fait comme si on avait de la misère à utiliser une balance comme il faut!” (She does as if we struggled to use a scale properly!) Christine answers her.

  “Elle m’a parue un peu trop fixée sur la demi-vie de stockage d’une potion; la demi-vie d’effet détermine la durée des effets de ta potion!” (She appeared a bit too fixated on a potion’s storage half-life; the effect half-life determines how long a potion’s effects last)

  Then again, I can’t exactly blame Griet for focusing on storage half-life: her regular job includes ensuring there’s enough of a given potion to last the school for said potion’s shelf life, and for there to be enough to brew more potions as needed, Nurcan thinks.

  “Vous avez eu Griet en potions?” (You had Griet in Potions?) Femke gasps as she asks the other two, surprised by Griet being a substitute.

  My experience with short-term substitute profs was that they tended to leave us to our own devices, and we could then complete assignments in other classes, Femke’s memories of substitute profs surface as she listens to how Griet differed from other substitutes they had.

  “Je l’ai eu comme suppléante en arithmancie l’année dernière!” (I had her as a substitute in Arithmancy last year!) Victoria exclaims, while doing an Arithmancy problem set.

  “Si tu as besoin d’aide en arithmancie, tu sais à qui demander… moi!” (If you need help in Arithmancy, you know who to ask… me!) Nurcan makes her offer.

  All 4 then resume their assignments for their respective courses, Christine and Nurcan in Potions, Victoria in Arithmancy, and Femke being almost finished with her very own Charms homework.

  That said, it seems like both Christine and Nurcan finish their essay on the Wound-Cleaning Potion, and its peculiar brewing method that involves a special technique known as distillation, and what precautions are necessary when distilling potions.

  They do so well before Victoria finishes her Arithmancy homework, in which she appears stuck at some point in a problem on the weekly problem set. At that point, Victoria seems to be troubled about arithmantic notions more complex than potion half-lives.

  A financial present value problem, whose primary wizarding use appears to be money lending. The principal, the interest rate, the payments and their number. Victoria appears stuck trying to find the minimum term of a loan to take out if they want a loan for a certain amount, is offered a certain interest rate, and can only afford to repay X per month. Or finding n in the annuity formula.

  Yet, because n is tied to a quotient of logarithms, it’s then they feel forced to use a logarithm table. But before then:

  “Assure-toi que le capital fois le taux d’intérêt est plus petit que le versement!” (Make sure that principal times interest rate is smaller than the payment!) Nurcan warns her roommate about the implications of the numerator’s argument.

  “Que se passe-t-il si le capital fois le taux d’intérêt excède le versement?” (What happens if the principal times interest rate is greater than the payment?) Victoria asks her, unsure of what’s going on.

  “Primo, tu prendrais le logarithme d’un nombre négatif, et deuxièmement, tu ne rembourserais pas le capital!” (First, you’d be taking the logarithm of a negative number, and secondly, you wouldn’t repay any of the principal!)

  “Merci!” (Thank you!)

  But when the pair is finished, it’s lunchtime and Nurcan goes to the board where the Triwizard Tournament’s short list is posted.

  Upon arriving at the board next to the headmaster’s office, Nurcan scans the 13 names on the list, hoping to see hers. Which are listed in alphabetical order of last name.

  At the bottom of the list is information about an information session on Sunday night about Hogwarts, as well as the training the shortlisters will undergo prior to their departure on October 28.

  “Woohoo!” Nurcan jumps for joy.

  And yet, one name on this short list causes this joy of making it to the short list of the Triwizard Tournament to become short-lived. Alejandra.

  Nurcan’s inner monologue freezes her in place. Alejandra made it, but I really, really hope that she won’t force me to reveal my being a closeted Revolutionary. Well, technically, I might already be suspected of Revolutionary leanings here, because of The Rise of Miss Irad-I Cedid being available in French, but I’m a largely unknown figure in France; however, for Ottomans, I’m the lead figure associated with the Irad-I Cedid, and the reforms advocated in there would brand me as a Revolutionary had I advocated for their implementation in France, with the only difference that I kept quiet on the topic of the monarchy! And yet, my roommates kept quiet about the First Coalition, and only Christine seemed to have any opinion on the Revolution at all…

  But when her teammates return from Visigny by curfew time, she tries her best to hide her worries about her Muggle political views as she announces the result of the Triwizard Tournament process to them:

  “Qui va passer huit mois à Hogwarts? Qui est sur la liste courte du Tournoi des Trois Sorciers?” (Who will spend eight months at Hogwarts? Who made the Triwizard Tournament’s shortlist?) Nurcan asks her roommates.