Kursten

Kursten is a witch and a professional Quidditch player. She is known as a Chaser for the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team who competed in the 1994 Quidditch World Cup. Her name appears in certain printings of the novels, though it is widely considered to be a textual error for the character of Dimitrov.

Kursten's only known appearance in the historical record is during the final of the 422nd Quidditch World Cup in August 1994. Playing as a Chaser, she and her team faced the Irish National Quidditch Team. Her teammates included fellow Chasers Ivanova and Levski, Beaters Volkov and Vulchanov, Keeper Zograf, and the world-famous Seeker, Viktor Krum. During the match, the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team demonstrated aggressive and skilled play. Despite their efforts and Viktor Krum's eventual capture of the Golden Snitch, the Bulgarian side lost the match to Ireland with a final score of 170-160.

There is no description of Kursten's physical appearance or personality in the novels.

• Quidditch Prowess: As a Chaser on a team that reached the Quidditch World Cup final, Kursten was an exceptionally talented Quidditch player. This position required excellent flying ability, agility, aim, and strategic cooperation with her teammates.
• Flying: She flew a Firebolt, as did the rest of her team, indicating she was proficient with a top-of-the-line racing broomstick.

• Broomstick: A Firebolt. The entire Bulgarian National Quidditch Team was equipped with these state-of-the-art racing brooms for the Quidditch World Cup final.
• Uniform: Scarlet Quidditch robes bearing the Bulgarian national colours.
• Wand: As a witch, she would have owned a wand, though no details about it are known.

Kursten was a teammate of Viktor Krum, Ivanova, Levski, Zograf, Volkov, and Vulchanov. She played as part of the Chaser trio alongside Ivanova and Levski.

The name “Kursten” is a variant of Kirsten, a Scandinavian and German form of the name Christine. The name is ultimately derived from Greek and means “anointed” or “follower of Christ.” The name is not of Slavic origin, which is unusual for a member of the Bulgarian team and may lend further evidence to the name being a misprint.

The name “Kursten” is a point of canonical contention. It appears in the list of Bulgarian Chasers in some early American editions of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In these versions, her name replaces that of Dimitrov. However, in the original UK edition and later corrected US editions, the three Chasers for Bulgaria are listed as Dimitrov, Ivanova, and Levski. For this reason, Dimitrov is generally accepted by fans and reference works as the canonical name for the third Bulgarian Chaser, and “Kursten” is regarded as a textual error from an early printing.