Gabriel had spent the last week finalizing his admittance into Hogwarts via correspondence with Professor McGonagall.
Upon receiving his scores, she promptly sent a large parchment via owl, praising him for his record-breaking achievements.
He had learned that his private sorting would take place the week before classes resumed, requiring him to Floo to the school to meet the Headmaster and gain a better understanding of Hogwarts.
While not a stereotypical invitation for a transfer student in their final year, McGonagall deemed it a necessity before the new semester.
Having completed his schooling needs, Gabriel contacted the Goblins of Gringotts, utilizing his money and status to procure a World Cup ticket. His seating, specifically, would be in the VIP section alongside the Minister and other foreign dignitaries.
During their conversation, he inquired if the Goblins handled bets regarding sporting events, which fortunately proved to be true. The Goblins gave him an elegant letter detailing their betting rules and rewards for the winners.
Using his canon knowledge, Gabriel placed a bet of 100,000 Galleons on Ireland winning the cup, with a ten-point difference. If everything went according to the original story, he stood to gain almost 5,000,000 Galleons due to the favorable odds and specific score he selected.
This would be a substantial amount of money, placing him firmly in the 1% of wizarding society, at least in Britain.
Time quickly passed by, as the day of the World Cup arrived.
Standing before his mirror, Gabriel subtly flexed his wand, prompting his clothing to iron out wrinkles and shed any accumulated dust. As he surveyed his appearance, he couldn't help but appreciate his form.
His torso was covered by a gray turtleneck sweater, black slacks covering his legs, with brown leather shoes. A crisp and elegant black robe, etched with his family crest on the breast pocket, was worn on top.
Strapping his wand into its holster, Gabriel spied a pen atop his study table—a Portkey provided by the Goblins for teleportation to the World Cup venue.
Picking up the black pen, he addressed Great Sage mentally.
'Great Sage, scan the pen and the magic imbued in it. When I'm using the Portkey, make sure you analyze the spatial fluctuations and add them to the database on magical travel.'
Since his epiphany earlier in the week about utilizing elf and goblin magic, Gabriel had embarked on a quest to understand the intricacies of time and space magic.
His intention was to revolutionize teleportation and time control, with the ultimate hope of learning to manipulate space for off-world travel.
A soft ding sounded in his mind, signifying Great Sage had registered his request.
"Guess it's time to go." Grasping the pen tighter, Gabriel spoke the activation words.
"Ireland For Gold!"
---
In an expansive field, a distinct shifting of space resonated. A black, spherical tear appeared, warping the surroundings as a male body materialized mid-air, landing softly on the grass.
Gabriel blinked rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the change in lighting, his head turning quickly as he assessed his arrival location.
Noticing he was in a field, he released his tight grip on the Portkey, then placed it in his pocket.
'Smoother than I thought,' Gabriel mused at the foreign form of teleportation.
His enhanced ears picked up the sounds of people cheering just past a thick, wooded section of forest. 'Must be where everyone is,' he thought as he turned and slowly walked through the field, towards the source of celebration.
Following the seemingly magical path through the forest, Gabriel moved swiftly, his Adaptive Body making physical fatigue a foreign concept to him.
Pushing past the last tree, Gabriel emerged into a scene of vibrant activity.
Thousands of people were milling around on the open field, reminiscent of his previous life when crowds headed to the Super Bowl. Their clothing was unique, almost outlandish, as they yelled and cheered at one another.
Gabriel noticed the majority of the population were families setting up their tents, though various vendors selling obscure merchandise and even more unusual food options dotted the field.
Speeding up his steps, Gabriel wove through the crowd as he made a beeline for the vendors, his eyes sparkling with interest at his first true outing in magical society.
Walking up to a particular food stall, Gabriel flashed a smile at the vendor before speaking.
"Can I get one serving of salamander thigh?" he asked aloud.
The portly vendor nodded as he handed the 'meat-stick' to Gabriel. "Ya' wan' some sauce?" he asked, a thick accent making his words hard to understand.
"Uh, no, that's all, thank you!" Placing a Galleon down, Gabriel turned and left.
'I should probably get some Galleons changed to lower currency; I think I just paid for four of these meals.' Shaking his head, he moved further through the crowd as he munched on the surprisingly tender and delicious treat.
The sounds of fireworks broke through the sky as they illuminated the evening. Intending to enjoy the event to its full potential, Gabriel found an open area at the edge of the campsite and sat down, basking in the festivities.
'It's a shame such a fun event is going to be ruined tonight,' Gabriel thought as he watched children run around.
'I'll make sure to stick around after the match to catch some Death Eaters. The more the merrier, but I need to make sure Barty Jr. and Malfoy aren't among them. They have use for me later.'
"Kids, this way! I think our campsite is just down this path!" A thick-accented male voice yelled out, snapping Gabriel out of his planning.
Peering at the disturbance, his eyebrows rose high as he watched a ginger, portly man waddle through the field with a group of teenagers right behind him.
'Holy shit, it's Arthur Weasley and his brood!' Gabriel exclaimed, his eyes locking onto the entourage behind the older man.
Two identical teenagers were whispering to one another, subtly nudging each other's shoulders in mischief. Beside them was a young ginger girl who was walking in silence, focused on her steps.
Behind them were three familiar figures.
A gangly, tall teenager with ginger hair was in a deep conversation with another teen his age, with black hair, round fractured glasses, and a lightning bolt-shaped scar upon his forehead.
'It's actually Ron and Harry, and they look identical to their movie counterparts, even in how awkwardly they walk around. It's like I'm watching the movies.'
Even though he knew that he was not in a movie, or even a fictional world, Gabriel couldn't help but subtly gawk at some of the figures that he had only known through the screen, or pages, in his previous life.
Breaking his stare from the two teens, Gabriel's eyes shifted to the last member of the group.
Light complexion, bright brown eyes, freckles dotting her face, and bushy brown hair. She held herself in quiet contemplation as her eyebrows furrowed.
'Hermione Granger, the brains and even the brawn of the Golden Trio.'
As if by some chance, her head turned in Gabriel's direction as their eyes met for the first time.
'Oh.'
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