Man of Archives

The auditorium 202 greeted me with silence and near emptiness. Only a few referees were making final preparations. The incident at the opening ceremony had put me in the spotlight before all the participants and their escorts. I had to slip away by creating an exit through the wall with a transfiguration spell. Once I was through, I restored the wall to its original state with a Finite spell.

 

“You can take your seat,” one of the referees said.

 

“Can I choose any desk?” I asked. “Or are we already assigned?”

 

“Any free table, boy,” he replied, returning to his task with his wand.

 

I didn’t need to be told twice, so I chose a good spot in the far-left corner and relaxed a bit. There was still some time left, so I could search for more interesting books or pamphlets to load onto my device.

 

Searching through the institute’s informational space was a fascinating activity. There was an enormous number of books on various subjects, ranging from cookbooks to those on dark magic. Dark magic didn’t particularly interest me at the moment, but I made a mental note that I could gain some knowledge in this area if needed. What really caught my attention was a book on Mental Magic. The difference from what I had already studied was its size—it was at least five times larger than the one I had previously analyzed.

 

I set it to download and waited for the Olympiad to begin. Soon, participants began entering the classroom, all of them gazing at me with incredible surprise. The most surprised of all was a black man wearing a mask, whose astonishment was almost tangible.

 

“Take your seats,” announced the head referee, standing in front of the desks.

 

The students quietly took their seats. I could feel the gaze of the blond guy I had so successfully brought to the ground earlier. Besides him, Mari was also looking at me, evaluating me as if searching for a way to eliminate me. I wouldn’t turn my back on her—she might become a real thorn in my side.

 

“So,” began a tall witch with large, square glasses perched on her nose. On her head was a strange hat with a dead swan’s head, although the head occasionally woke up and looked around with interest. “The first part of the first, theoretical stage of the Olympiad is about to begin. You already know the rules, so I won’t repeat them. Now you will receive answer sheets along with question sheets. You must answer everything here. Understood?”

 

“Mm-hmm,” the audience hummed in various languages. I wondered if she was speaking English, or if some artifact was being used, allowing me to understand her with ease.

 

“You will have four hours to answer all the questions,” the woman said, waving her wand. Behind her, a large clock with three hands appeared. “When time runs out, the sheets will disappear immediately. You won’t be able to hold onto them even for a few moments.”

 

The witch paced back and forth, carefully observing us. It seemed she was eager to see how we would react to all this. There was no special reaction, so she exhaled in disappointment. Everyone here was prepared for the Olympiad. That’s why they had come.

 

“Well then, are there any questions?”

 

An Asian student raised his hand.

 

“Yes?” she nodded.

 

“Can we go to the restroom?” he asked.

 

“No,” she shook her head firmly. “Any more intelligent questions?”

 

No one else asked any questions, and the Asian student returned to his seat with a slight blush on his face. It seemed he hadn’t expected such an answer. Honestly, no one did. But it didn’t matter anymore.

 

“So, there are no questions,” she said. “I’ll repeat once more. You cannot leave your seats, you cannot ask questions, and you can use magic within the rules of the Olympiad.”

 

She gave us a careful once-over again. At that moment, the swan’s head on her hat woke up, spinning around in all directions. It opened its mouth for a few moments and then returned to being part of the hat.

 

“Then you may begin.”

 

With another wave of her wand, question sheets and answer sheets appeared in front of each participant. The second hand began moving first, and a minute later, the minute hand followed.

 

The rules stated that we couldn’t bring anything except our clothes and wands. This meant no one had any quills or ink. An ordinary person might wonder... how do we answer then? A wizard would answer—with magic. And yes, I pulled out my wand and transfigured a container, then transfigured black ink into it, and finally a quill.

 

The other students, noticing my actions, quickly followed suit, as their confused glances showed. Within a minute, everyone had transfigured their own writing supplies.

 

I sat down with the question sheet and began skimming through it. I decided to start with the easiest questions, which were theory-based and had multiple-choice answers. Using my Archive Magic, I easily tackled these since there could only be one correct answer. After marking the right answers, I moved on.

 

At this point, I was no longer concerned with anything else, especially not the other participants. I observed how they struggled with their answers—some wrote quickly, while others took their time—but all were making an effort.

 

Once I completed the multiple-choice questions, I reviewed the tasks again. This time, I selected the medium-difficulty ones that required brief answers. After a few moments of thought, I began answering. It wasn’t challenging, as the information flowed naturally from me.

 

At one point, I felt the chair beneath me shift slightly. I tensed my legs and lifted myself just in time—the chair had transfigured into sand.

 

Who’s trying to be clever here? I had my suspicions, but no concrete proof. A wave of my wand reversed the transfiguration, and the chair returned to its original form. I refocused on the questions, only to feel the stone beginning to encase my legs. Another wave of the wand, and everything was back to normal. This was starting to get annoying. When I find the prankster, they won’t get off easily.

 

Feigning concentration, I kept writing answers while my mind and peripheral vision carefully monitored the room. Sure enough, I spotted a wand aimed at me—the blond guy I had knocked down earlier. Well... he was asking for it.

 

Canceling the transfiguration he had cast, I continued to pretend to write an answer. When another transfiguration was cast, I decided to respond. A slight wave of my wand, and a very complex transfiguration occurred. It was invisible to the eye because the particles were almost microscopic. Surrounding the guy, they began to stick to him. The more there were, the deeper they penetrated. First, he started itching. Then came the sneezing and red, watery eyes. Soon, he realized that a transfiguration had been cast on him and dispelled it.

 

But it was enough to make him lose more than half an hour without being able to concentrate or even answer. During that half-hour, I finished almost all the medium-difficulty questions. The clock showed that there were still two and a half hours left.

 

The next questions I tackled were the difficult ones. And they really were difficult, requiring more detailed answers, as well as some drawings and formulas.

 

I decided to punish the blond even more. This time, the spell was cast on his desk. As soon as he pressed down hard, it turned into red paint that quickly splattered on the ground, staining him, his answer sheet, and the floor.

 

“Bastard,” I heard him hiss. He already knew who was responsible. Although... I didn’t start it. He spent about twenty minutes getting back in the game and starting to answer the questions.

 

But I wasn’t going to let him off so easily. While I continued answering questions, moving step by step toward the final difficult ones, I occasionally used the Archive to get more accurate answers.

 

When I needed a little break, I cast intricate transfiguration spells on the blond. For example, ink that tried to escape, or an icy chair. Or dust that tried to suffocate him. Time kept ticking, and the blond kept bravely fighting my transfigurations, unable to answer any questions.

 

“You have five minutes left,” the woman announced.

 

Almost instantly, the sound of hurried writing filled the room. I wasn’t concerned, as I had already answered all the questions and was simply double-checking my work, correcting any mistakes. The blond, however, continued to struggle, barely managing to focus on the answers.

 

“Time’s up.”

 

In the next moment, all the question and answer sheets vanished.

 

“Congratulations on completing the first part of the first stage,” announced the witch. “The second part will take place tomorrow at nine in the morning. I hope you all show up... If not, that’s your problem. You’re free to go.”

 

As the participants began to rise, I noticed the blond wasn’t just angry—he was fuming. The moment I stood up, his wand was already aimed at me. I quickly stepped aside, moving out of the probable line of attack, and a transfigured icicle shot past where I had been standing. It seemed I had really pushed him to the edge. And why wouldn’t I?

 

He was already preparing to act further, but I was quicker. In an instant, his body was bound by a transfigured chain, preventing him from moving even an inch. His wand fell and rolled off somewhere.

 

The guy stared at me, but there was nothing he could do. Another wave of my wand, and I transfigured a gag over his mouth. He started mumbling but couldn’t do anything more. The other Olympiad participants were watching with great interest, as were the referees.

 

I approached him and patted his cheek, further insulting him and provoking the escalation of the conflict.

 

“Well, don’t worry, boy,” I said quietly. “You won’t stand like this for long. And you know... you shouldn’t have messed with me at the ceremony and especially not tried to get at me with your clumsy transfiguration.”

 

“Mmm!” he mumbled, his eyes darting around. “Mmm!”

 

Finally, I transfigured a helmet over his head, cutting off his hearing and vision. Let him sit in silence and think. It’s useful. This must be really humiliating for him. If I were in such a situation, I’d definitely try to get revenge... but later.

 

Leaving the classroom, I walked into the corridor. There, the escorts of all the Olympiad participants were already waiting. I saw Moody and immediately headed toward him. He placed his hand on my shoulder, then stopped for a few seconds. His eye almost stopped spinning, focusing solely on the classroom. Nodding, he let me go. Only then did we leave the corridor and head toward the hotel to rest. The wizard didn’t say anything to me, though it was clear he wanted to know something. I think a light interrogation awaits me when we’re in the room.

 

And so it happened. Moody brewed tea and began questioning me about how the first part went. He was particularly interested in the encounter with the blond guy. I told him the whole story. The wizard listened carefully and only then gave his verdict.

 

“In general, you did the right thing, in my opinion,” the wizard said, exhaling as he detached his prosthetic leg. “With some wizards, that’s the only way to handle them. But I still think we should stay in the room and avoid drawing too much attention.”

 

“Okay,” I nodded. “I’ll focus on reviewing the material for tomorrow.”

 

“Right.”

 

I returned to my room and pulled out a book and notes for review. However, I soon became absorbed in searching for more intriguing knowledge for myself. And I found some—perhaps a small treatise analyzing a particular spell, a volume on runes with interesting sequences, or something else entirely.

 

After downloading, I began analyzing and mentally rereading everything I could get my hands on.

 

For dinner, we decided to go down to a small restaurant belonging to the hotel. There weren’t too many wizards there, as many preferred dining at some restaurant or being at the bar.

 

“What would you like to order?” the waiter asked us with a heavy accent.

 

“Something light,” Moody replied. “What do you recommend?”

 

“I recommend the Catalan-style meat, baked in red, sweet, young wine, with our signature potatoes,” the waiter said. You could tell he was a wizard. After all, the quill and notepad were hovering just off to the side, recording everything that was said. Probably, the prices here are steep too. “Among the drinks, I suggest trying the hotel’s signature beer.”

 

“Bring it,” Moody said. “Two portions.”

 

“Understood.”

 

The wizard-waiter immediately left and disappeared behind silver doors that blended nicely with the wall. That’s probably where the kitchen is. I wonder if house-elves or other wizards cook there?

 

At that moment, a dark-haired girl left. She was accompanied by several witches of various ages and a few wizards who carefully scanned the room. Only after that did they head towards the farthest table. Our eyes met. She didn’t show any emotions, which made me a bit uneasy. I wouldn’t want to make another enemy.

 

“Lucia de Mendoza,” Moody said quietly. “A student of a private girls’ magical school in Aragon.”

 

“Where is that?” I asked. The name didn’t sound French or German.

 

“Northern Spain, bordering France,” the wizard replied. “By the way, Beauxbatons is nearby, almost on the neighboring mountain.”

 

“I think I can now guess why she and Mari Charmacken aren’t on good terms,” I said.

 

“Do you even need to ask?” Moody chuckled. “I looked up some information yesterday and I can tell you they’re competing in beauty contests and always take either first or second place. Moreover, their family territories border each other. They also say there was a war between their families for more than two hundred years.”

 

“Over what?” I asked in surprise.

 

“How would I know,” Moody shrugged. “Maybe they couldn’t share some vineyard. Or something else.”

 

At that moment, the waiter brought a tray with two plates of interesting and delicious-looking food. He placed two beer mugs, about a pint in size, in front of us and then, with a light gesture, opened the dark, glassy liquid. A moment later, the liquid was in the mugs with a small, light-white foam on top.

 

“Enjoy your meal,” said the waiter. “If you need any help, just raise your hand. I’ll come immediately.”

 

“Thank you,” Moody nodded.

 

“Thank you,” I also thanked the waiter.

 

During dinner, we were silent, which allowed me to process the information I had received. I know that the wizarding community is more close-knit than the non-wizarding one. It was the same in Fiore. I think very soon they’ll be talking about the encounter with that blond in other places if they aren’t already. And the participants will surely report even more information when they return home. In general, I’ve already gained some notoriety. It’s neither good nor bad... for now.

 

As for the food... it was really delicious. As was the beer. The hall slowly filled with other wizards. Most were either alone or in large groups. The number of waiters increased. They were all taking orders and delivering food incredibly quickly.

 

After some more time, musicians appeared on a small stage and began playing some light music. I don’t even know what style to call it, but the wizards liked it.

 

“They play well,” Moody said.

 

It was clear that the wizard had relaxed a bit. Though that didn’t mean he had stopped watching the surroundings. His magical eye was spinning in all directions, tracking almost everything. His wand was within reach, as was mine. The wizarding world is dangerous.

 

At one point, a small piece of paper shaped like a butterfly landed on my table. In a moment, it spread its wings. Inside the paper was a short text that read:

 

“I invite you to the far table to discuss the birds. LdeM.”

 

“Oh,” Moody chuckled, having apparently already managed to read what was written there. “Is she in love? Ha-ha.”

 

“I don’t think so,” I replied seriously, pretending not to understand his joke. Alastor rubbed his nose, then was silent for a moment.

 

“Alright, kid,” he began. “I’m no advisor in such matters. This is your Olympiad. But remember... stay constantly vigilant. Especially in situations like this.”

 

“Thanks for the advice,” I nodded. The advice was actually good. I have no idea what this girl wants to do. “I’ll see what this is about. Maybe something interesting will come of it.”

 

Moody just nodded. Meanwhile, I slowly stood up. The paper immediately folded back into a butterfly and flew to a certain table. Following it, I found myself in a small semi-closed space with a good view of the stage and the main hall. Two soft chairs, and between them a small table with some cookies and a pitcher of water.

 

After some time, Lucia de Mendoza arrived. She paused for a moment, gave me a questioning look, and then cautiously sat down in the chair opposite me. Why do I feel like I was supposed to do something just now? But whatever, it doesn’t matter.

 

“Good evening, Mr. Jody,” she greeted me, her accent barely noticeable. “Isn’t it a lovely evening?”

 

“Yes, it’s not bad,” I replied. “Though the cold is setting in. It’s probably different in Spain?”

 

“Warmer,” she said. “Definitely warmer.”

 

“It’s getting cold at Hogwarts too,” I added. “But it feels different.”

 

“I’ve heard it’s damp there...” she commented.

 

“That’s true,” I nodded. “Life by a large, deep lake that is never dry. But let’s move past small talk... Why did you invite me to this conversation?”

 

The transition was quick, perhaps catching her off guard.

 

“Ahem,” she cleared her throat. “I want to propose an alliance for the duration of the Olympiad.”

 

“Oh,” I responded with mild surprise. “Tell me more... What kind of alliance are you suggesting?”

 

“I’m proposing that we present a united front against the other Olympiad participants,” she explained. “I know others will be forming similar alliances.”

 

“Alright,” I said, agreeing. “Why me?”

 

The answer was pretty clear to me, I think. What I showed during the first part of the first stage was already impressive. But I’m curious to hear her thoughts. Maybe there’s something there that I haven’t considered or known about...

 

“Why you?” she repeated.

 

“Why do you think teaming up with me is a great idea?” I asked, leaning forward slightly, showing that I really wanted to hear the answer.

 

“You’ve already made an enemy of Miloneg,” she replied, shrugging. “And he’ll definitely be in an alliance with Mari.”

 

“Miloneg is the blond guy?” I asked her.

 

“Yes, Miloneg Bolshanov,” she said. “It’s been a long time since anyone insulted and humiliated him like that. Especially in front of everyone.”

 

I remained silent.

 

“Why am I sure that Bolshanov and Charmacken will form an alliance?” she voiced the question herself. “It’s very simple. They have a close history of relations between their families, dating back to ancient times. No one else will join their alliance... they won’t take anyone in. Except perhaps as a ‘fetch-carry-don’t-get-in-the-way’.”

 

“Okay, I understand what you gain,” I nodded. “But what do I get? You haven’t made your own proposal yet. What’s your goal anyway?”

 

“First of all, Mari mustn’t win the Olympiad,” she said. “I want to win, but Transfiguration isn’t my top priority, so I won’t mind taking second or even third place. I won’t hinder you from taking first place, and you help make sure Mari doesn’t win. Miloneg is too stupid to take a prize place.”

 

“Well, he somehow made it here,” I countered.

 

“Best among the worst,” she brushed off.

 

“Let’s say I agree,” I nodded. “How do you plan to ensure Charmacken loses?”

 

“It’s simple,” she smirked. “Just do what you did to Bolshanov today. It was effective and spectacular.”

 

“And that’s it?” I asked. “Well, we could meet her in some passageway and knock her out, but that would be dangerous. She has bodyguards.”

 

“Got it,” I nodded. “Can we expand our alliance? For example, by adding a few more participants?”

 

“It won’t work,” she shook her head. “Nikol Grakhr from Durmstrang is a loner by principle. The Asians will band together against everyone else, only to deal with each other later. Others will simply remain neutral.”

 

“Understood,” I exhaled. “Then I’m in.”

 

She shook hands with me and was the first to leave the chair. I followed and headed back to Moody, who was reading some newspaper. I don’t know where he got it from, but whatever.

 

“How did it go?” he asked when I returned.

 

“We agreed on an alliance against Bolshanov and Charmacken,” I replied simply. “De Mendoza is willing to let me take first place.”

 

“I would’ve done the same,” the wizard said, putting the newspaper aside. It was The Daily Prophet. On the front page was Minister Fudge and the headline: “Scandalous Education Law Under Review. Article 3.” “You’re a long shot.”

 

“They’re betting on Olympiad participants?” I asked.

 

“What did you think,” Moody chuckled. “Everyone loves a bit of gambling. You went from being a dark horse to the main contender for first place.”

 

“And how exactly did that happen?” I didn’t quite understand.

 

“I’ll let you in on a little well-known secret,” Moody said. “The referees can sell their memories of what happened during the Olympiad for a small fee. And you can be sure that ‘no one’... ‘ever’... buys memories. Then it’s just a matter of technique.”

 

“I didn’t expect information to spread so quickly, to be honest,” I said.

 

“When needed, wizards can spread it faster than Muggles,” Moody exhaled. “So what does your ‘alliance’ look like?”

 

I told him that there weren’t really any agreements. Moody nodded to this and agreed that although the benefit to me was small, it was still there. In general, the wizard approved.

 

We returned to the room and locked it with all possible keys. Alastor Moody even cast a few additional protective spells, as well as a few sealing spells. If I wanted to do something, I’d have to mess around with Transfiguration, which would be quite a task.

 

The night passed peacefully, without incident. This was very good. Afterward, I quickly got myself together, had breakfast, and, along with Moody, headed back to the institute to complete the next part of the first stage of the Olympiad.

 

I greeted Lucia with a nod and sat in my place. The girl ended up on the other side of the classroom. This was done to place Mari and Miloneg somewhere in the middle, where they’d be easy to reach.

 

When the clock struck nine in the morning, the entrance door closed, cutting us off from our escorts. The first thing I noticed was that the masked black student wasn’t there. I wonder what happened to him... Besides that, another Asian with a long braid was missing. They were probably knocked out.

 

“So,” the familiar woman began. “Welcome to the second part of the first stage. After it, the first three students who will leave our competition will be announced. For now, let’s get to the main thing, I want to note and say that Wen Zhao Jia was expelled for a serious violation of the Olympiad rules. Besides him, Abidemi Hefren has left us.”

 

She paused for a few seconds, allowing our minds to fully process the information.

 

“And now, let’s move on to the Olympiad itself,” she clapped her hands. “The overall picture is the same as yesterday. You will receive answer sheets and question sheets. The only difference is that you will have five hours to answer all the questions. The rules are the same. Begin!”

 

A clap of her hands and in front of each student appeared an answer sheet and a question sheet. Glancing at them, I realized that the questions here were not just difficult... no, they were extremely difficult. I think there won’t be time to confront other students. A quick glance at the others, and I saw shock on everyone’s faces.

 

I met Lucia’s gaze. She shook her head, indicating that we should call off the planned actions. I couldn’t agree more. The questions were hellish. Time to remember how I passed OWLs.

 

I transfigured myself some writing supplies and began reviewing the questions. Slowly, I began to focus, allowing the world around me to disappear. In a combat situation, this is not something you should do, but during a theoretical exam, you can.

 

The first question required a detailed answer with proof of theory, transformations of formulas, and diagrams for a complete response. Only after that could I proceed to describe all the consequences of this spell and approximately how much power would be needed to maintain such a transfiguration. The next question was even more difficult, and for this, I had to delve into my Archive.

 

In general, the answers slowly appeared on the sheet. For all the questions, except the first, I had to refer to the Archive. The last ones were on the intersection of several other branches of magic, like Charms, or Runes, or Astronomy. For the question on the intersection with Astronomy, I had to look into the Archive to recall the correct positions of celestial bodies for a particular type of transfiguration. I even broke a sweat from the effort.

 

But at one point, I suddenly lost the ability to move my body. Frowning, I tried to move. My clothes wouldn’t let me move my arm, becoming as hard as stone. Well, this isn’t good... I wonder who’s smart enough to think I can’t get out of this trap. Being a bit of a paranoid and following the philosophy of “Constant Vigilance,” I had been holding my wand in my hand, hidden under my clothes the whole time. And the wand was touching the clothes, and it hadn’t been turned to stone. So what does that mean? Right. Finite!

 

In the next moment, my body regained its ability to move. Dust scattered in all directions, slowly settling on the floor. I quickly scanned the classroom and saw Lucia nodding toward Mari.

 

Question... did Mari really do this, or is Lucia using this dirty trick to get rid of her rival? Just because we agreed on an alliance doesn’t mean I completely trust her. No, I understand that all the information she told me could be nonsense and manipulation. So, I won’t act for now. Nodding to her, I returned to answering the questions, but kept a close eye on the surroundings to avoid the next transfiguration and catch the culprit.

 

No one else tried to cast a spell on me or use any magic. So I returned to answering, expanding and supplementing them. This was necessary to fully reveal the essence of the question. When there was nothing more to add, I just moved on to the next question, and the brain-draining process repeated itself.

 

“Time’s up!” the referee’s voice boomed like thunder. The woman clapped her hands, and the sheets disappeared.

 

“Phew,” exhaled the turbaned guy, leaning back in his chair.

 

“Excellent work,” the referee nodded. “The second stage will take place the day after tomorrow. You have the whole next day off. I advise you to take a walk around the city, visit the shops, and stop by some small cafes. But now, more details about the second stage. As you already know, it will be practical. Each of you will receive various tasks and must complete them. You will be given a time slot when the referees will evaluate you and your skills. What the tasks will be, I don’t know... But be sure, they’ll squeeze everything out of you. You’re dismissed.”

 

Only after this phrase did we get up and start leaving the classroom. After such a tough test, no one had the desire to talk at all. The other Olympiad participants looked no better. Exhausted, they wanted nothing more than to get far away from here and collapse on a bed to rest.

 

Moody met me in the corridor, just like the previous day. He grabbed my arm and pulled me along. A few unfriendly glances brought me back to my senses, and I began moving forward on my own. The adrenaline rush got me in order and prepared me for a possible fight. But there was no fight. As soon as we reached the room, I immediately headed for the shower and then collapsed on the bed. The next moment, I just blacked out.

 

***

 

In a large office, about ten wizards were sitting, checking papers and making notes in their notebooks. The large window was closed with wooden shutters and additionally sealed with magic so that no curious eyes could see what was happening inside. Besides that, a sharp eye would have been drawn to the board with the list of names. Knowing some of the names, this sharp eye would have realized that the Olympiad participants’ answers were being reviewed here.

 

“All done,” an elderly wizard exhaled. His regalia indicated that he was a Master of Transfiguration. And all the others were of the same rank. “What do you think, friends?”

 

“Hmm,” said another man with magnificent mustaches. He had a badge with the name “Otto.” “We’ve got a gem here.”

 

“An Englishman?” asked a young woman. Though her youth was due to magic and various potions. In reality, she was older than everyone else in the room and the closest to the rank of Grandmaster.

 

“Yes, Timothy Jody,” said “Otto.” “His answers to the second part are worthy of a Bachelor.”

 

“A high assessment,” commented another wizard. He waved his hand, and the answers floated toward him. He read them for a while and then said: “Indeed.”

 

“Hogwarts is always like that,” said an incredibly old wizard. He wasn’t a strong master, but everything was decided by his vast experience. “Either it produces even worse than mediocrity, or it churns out geniuses. Dumbledore, Riddle are perfect examples. By the way, did you see how deftly he used Transfiguration on that Bolshanov?”

 

“It looked beautiful,” said a dark-skinned man. “To be honest, I hoped Bolshanov would show himself better.”

 

“You’re expecting too much from him,” “Otto” chuckled. “I had no hopes for him from the start. In general, on my list, he’s the first to go.”

 

“Agreed,” the woman said. “What do you say? A complete failure on the first part with barely a quarter of the questions answered, and only one question answered in the second... That’s the lowest score.”

 

“I agree,” the old man said.

 

“So do I,” the woman with the swan hat nodded. She had been silent the whole time.

 

“I’m for it,” said the young witch.

 

“So am I.”

 

In the next moment, Bolshanov’s name moved to the bottom of the board. Next to it, points appeared. You could call them fair because he really didn’t meet the required score.

 

“Next, we have Lucia de Mendoza,” said the young witch. “In general, a solid middle-ground. In theory, she barely reaches the level of an apprentice. But still. I think she should go further.”

 

“Agreed,” was the response. And indeed, there was no need to discuss her further as this witch didn’t interest them much.

 

“And now to our Mari Charmacken,” the woman said. “I’m disappointed, to be honest. I thought she could answer on the level of Jody, but... I didn’t see anything of what I was promised.”

 

“She’s not a very pleasant person,” said the man in the turban. “To start a conflict at the opening ceremony. And with whom... with the dark horse? It was foolish.”

 

“Not even that,” the woman nodded. “Her answers in the second part don’t match the level at all. She failed the second part.”

 

“What do you propose?”

 

“I think she should be sent home,” the woman exhaled after some thought. “She needs to study more, and only then try for the rank.”

 

“Her father won’t like that,” the old man said.

 

“And what’s he going to do?” the woman chuckled. “Send a howler? My decision will be supported by Delacour. And behind him are the Veela Coven and a few other powerful wizards from the French Ministry. And let’s not forget my brothers. So, I’m not afraid of him.”

 

“You can stop there,” the dark-skinned man exhaled. “The Alpine highland clans sometimes scare me.”

 

“So is Charmacken the second to go?” Otto asked.

 

“Yes,” the witch nodded. “But if she passes by the points, then fine.”

 

The conversation then became quicker and calmer. All the other Olympiad participants showed entirely expected results. Since it was decided that Timothy Jody would definitely not be eliminated, but Miloneg Bolshanov would be sent home, they needed to find two more wizards. And as it turned out, the points lined up in a way that pleased everyone. The second to leave was the only Asian girl, and the third... to everyone’s surprise, Mari Charmacken. After her was Lucia de Mendoza, followed by Nikol Grakhr. After them, in third place was Batuhan Kaya. In second, Chen Wu, and in first, Timothy Jody.

 

It was a well-arranged list, with which everyone on the committee agreed. Now they just had to make the announcement.