I shifted about on a worn stool, neck a bit sore from having to lean back to watch the game, but I ignored it. Watching every moment was too important for a bit of discomfort to matter. I wasn't the only person watching the TV in the tiny pub at the edge of town, but I was the one most invested in the outcome.
It was the afternoon of June 26th, and today was the final match of the 1992 European Football Cup. Denmark versus Germany. Victory would determine if I truly knew the future, and could control it for my benefit.
Nervously, I stared at the screen as the game played out. I had bet all of my winnings from the first bet on Denmark, which had originally been the money my mother had given me on my sixteenth birthday this year. I'd gone from five thousand pounds to a hundred and fifty thousand thanks to the long odds.
If my gamble failed, it would suck. And badly. Sure, I hadn't bet any of my own hard-earned wealth, but losing over a hundred grand would cause anyone to spit up blood in despair. I mean, I'd never had that much money in my first life. Yet the outcome was worth it if my gamble succeeded. Still, I couldn't help but nervously tap a finger against my leg, watching and waiting.
It also didn't help that Harry was supposed to return later today as well. The Hogwarts Express was a long ride, taking eight-ish hours to get back to London, but he would finally be home for the hols.
I wanted to meet him at the station when he arrived, but that would have been a bad idea. Too crowded, and I didn't want everyone in the magical world to know about my close connection with him.
'Besides, I threatened the Dursleys into going to pick him up. They'll be there for him,' I thought to myself. I'd also told the Dursleys I'd be taking Harry with me after two weeks. Just long enough for the Blood Wards to replenish. He'd be out of their hair, and spending the rest of summer break with me, including two weeks in France.
An excited shout rang out from the other patrons in the bar, and I snapped my attention back to the game.
"Another goal! WOO! Go Denmark!" I cheered along with some others.
'If everything I know goes right… then that was the last goal of the game!' I thought excitedly. In my timeline, Germany failed to get a single goal, ending the game 2-0 in Denmark's favor, netting them the cup. All that remained was to wait and see what would happen.
And then several minutes later I watched, mouth open in shock, as the ball made it into the net mere moments before the final buzzer rang out.
"No way!" I hissed out, uncaring if anyone heard me. Germany scored?! How?!
They still didn't have enough to win, and Denmark was still the overall victor, but Germany wasn't supposed to score a goal!
'This… is not the future I thought I knew,' I thought to myself nervously. I still won on my bet, because I'd bet on Denmark to win and nothing else, but still, this was surprising.
'I know what this means,' I decided after a moment of deep thought. 'This is… a warning. My knowledge of the events of the future isn't perfect. I cannot act like things will come to pass exactly as I know them.'
This was a wake-up call for me, one I hadn't realized I'd needed until it slapped me right in the face.
Why had I expected everything to play out as it did in my old world? There were similarities, but magic didn't exist in my previous life, or if it did, it didn't take the form of JK Rowling's version of it.
The very fact that things had similarities to my old life were pure coincidence. I had to understand that I couldn't rely on my old experiences. They were a decent guide, nothing more.
'But that sort of thinking can be put to the side for the moment,' I decided, letting the glee I'd been holding back trickle in.
Three million Pounds Sterling! That was the amount of money I'd just won after betting on Denmark winning the 1992 Football World Cup!
I licked my lips as I stared at the scoreboard on the TV in front of me. This was more money than I'd ever had, in both this life or the last! Combined!
'I can afford that other storefront now! I'll be able to ramp up my business and really hit the ground running with this money!' I thought giddily, unable to hide my glee with Occlumency fully.
I wasn't alone, thankfully. Plenty of patrons had been cheering on both sides, though they seemed to favor Denmark as the underdog, which made sense. Nobody was expecting Denmark to do as well as it did, hence the crazy odds I'd taken advantage of.
So I whooped and hollered along with the rest of the crowd as an impromptu party broke out.
'This is fine. I don't have to be all-knowing about the future to take advantage of things,' I thought to myself. I wasn't sure if I was trying to convince myself or not.
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