Gabriel stood in front of the mirror as he adjusted the collar of the white button-down shirt he decided to wear for his appointment. In addition to the shirt, he wore black slacks, thick and comfortable brown combat boots, and a high-quality robe.
Staring at himself properly in the mirror, he smirked at how handsome he looked.
Onyx black hair hung down to his eyes, pushed back and styled; his sky-blue eyes radiated power, complementing a strong jawline, sharp nose, and full lips.
A whole month had passed since he arrived in this new world. During that time, he grasped his surroundings, purchased a new wardrobe, explored his home further, and studied magic to his heart's content.
Throughout the month, Gabriel had truly focused on leveling up his magic, knowledge, combat abilities, and dueling speed.
Thanks to Great Sage and his Adaptive Body, Gabriel's proficiency and power had evolved daily.
With all the accumulated knowledge and experiences, plus his immense power and magical reserves, Gabriel spent all his time integrating knowledge and pushing past his limits, both magically and physically.
Buttoning up the shirt, Gabriel smoothed his clothes, then nodded at his appearance.
"It's finally time," he mumbled, turning and walking to the bedroom door.
"McGonagall finally answered my letter. I wonder if the response was delayed due to the preparations for the Goblet of Fire."
Exiting the bedroom, Gabriel swiftly walked down the manor's winding halls to the main hall, the only location where he could use Floo powder to access Hogwarts.
Taking a pinch, he stepped into the extinguished fireplace, dropping it to the ground and speaking clearly.
"Hogwarts: Professor McGonagall's Office!"
The flash of green flames surrounded his body as he rapidly disappeared into the embers.
Stepping out of the fireplace, Gabriel waved his wand subtly as the soot and ash vanished from his clothes.
Grimacing, he wondered why this was the most popular mode of transportation, given its messy nature.
"Silent casting, impressive work Mr. Thorne." An aged woman's voice, carrying a strong Scottish accent, spoke.
Following the sound, Gabriel turned and looked at the woman in question. Stern frown lines, glasses perched on her nose, graying hair tied in a bun, with dark green and black robes.
'Indeed, that's Professor McGonagall!' he cheered internally, looking at the fictional character come to life before his very eyes.
"Thank you, Professor. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Walking past the fireplace, Gabriel took the empty seat across from McGonagall; a table sat between them, freshly written parchment strewn across it.
"I must say, this is a peculiar situation we find ourselves in. Hogwarts has never had transfer students arriving in their last year. Can you explain your situation a little more?" McGonagall spoke, placing her quill down and folding her hands in attention.
"Of course. I was born in Britain, though unfortunately with the war going on with... that man and his followers, my father decided we needed to move away. I was homeschooled throughout my life, but since my father's passing, I've found being locked indoors mind-numbing, and I was wishing to finish my final year at Hogwarts."
McGonagall nodded, sitting in silence for a couple of moments.
"I've already spoken to the Headmaster, and he is fine with your joining for the final year. Though we have no information on your OWL scores, you may need to visit the Ministry and go through their tests, or if you'd like, the ICW can send someone to test you at home. Their process is much more stringent in comparison to the Ministry, and the scores are valid internationally, unlike the Ministry."
Gabriel considered the options.
While the Ministry was much more biased in favor of their citizens, the degree to which they tested students was lacking compared to the ICW and their international scoring.
'So it's like those fan-fictions—Britain's magical community is insular, meaning that they are actually stifling their own students' and workers' growth potential. I bet the books are seriously controlled by the Ministry as well.'
"I'll contact the ICW. I'd prefer my scoring to be recognized in other countries, in case of job opportunities."
"Perfect, though, we can still enroll you in the final year and select your classes in advance. Sorting will be completed before you join the school on the first day, simply due to some... events happening this year, the school will be quite busy."
Gabriel smiled in understanding; the Goblet of Fire and the tournament surrounding it would create additional workload for the staff.
Pushing a parchment onto the table, McGonagall gestured for Gabriel to pick it up. Taking a look at the information written down, he couldn't help but laugh to himself at the available classes.
'There are some additional ones that weren't mentioned in canon, though it makes sense as we followed Harry around, and Harry never applied himself in classes.'
"That's fine. I'd like to enroll in Charms, Transfiguration, DADA, Potions, Healing, and Warding," Gabriel said.
Though he had complete and essentially master-level knowledge in Charms, Transfiguration, DADA, and Potions, the classes still needed to be chosen. Healing and Warding were something he thought could be interesting, as those specialties weren't prominent in his memories.
Taking a sip of her tea, McGonagall pursed her lips. "Healing and Warding require OWLs in Herbology, Potions, and Ancient Runes. Please ensure you add those to your tests in the following month."
"Of course, Professor. You can bill my year's tuition to the Thorne family at Gringotts. Is there anything else I need to do?"
"No, that should be all," she said, her voice slow and controlled.
"Though, I would be remiss in my curiosity about your knowledge so far; would you be able to show me your highest level of transfiguration?" A small smile played on her lips as she posed the question.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow and subtly nodded in agreement. With a flick of his hand, his hidden wand shot out of the holster and into his palm.
Looking at the Professor for a moment, Gabriel thought about a complex branch of transfiguration.
Flicking his wand, a silhouette began to form from nothingness. Slowly, legs appeared, then a torso, followed by arms and a head. Black and green robes flowed over the plain form, before features began etching themselves onto the skin. Wrinkles, glasses, pursed lips, graying hair.
Grinning, Gabriel appreciated his magical skill as he stared at the conjured replica of Professor McGonagall.
"Oh Merlin," McGonagall's voice whispered from her desk. Then, she shot up from her chair and rushed to the replica.
Touching it softly, she continued murmuring to herself as she looked at every detail, her eyes widening with each pass.
"Dear boy, do you know what you've accomplished?" she spoke, her voice shaking as she turned and faced Gabriel.
"This is conjuration at the level of a Master. I daresay only a handful of wizards could do something like this."
Taking a step back, she stared at Gabriel with an intensity unlike anything before, as if she were truly seeing the teen for the first time.
"So, do I pass?" Gabriel said, a grin spreading on his face.
"Pass? You could be teaching!"
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A/N - Another chapter soon. Please add the story to your collection, comment your thoughts and donate some power stones!