The next day Harry, Ron, and Hermione had there first real Apparation
lesson, in Hogsmeade. Professor McGonagall met them at the turn in the road
past Durvish and Banges, where Harry remembered painfully, was where he had
met Sirius for the first time in his fourth year.
They had the class with the Slytherins, and it gave Harry a moment of happiness to see that Malfoy was not out of the hospital wing yet. Crabbe and Goyle looked more clueless than usual without Malfoy to tell them what to do.
"Our first practical lesson on one of the hardest subjects known to wizards: Apparation." She Disapparated with a crack, and reappeared behind Parvati Patil.
"Apparation requires you to use your imagination." She shot Crabbe and Goyle a sidelong look and continued, "You must picture the place you wish to Apparate to before you begin the procedure itself. However, we shall be learning the procedure first.
"Apparating involves the breaking down of the atoms of a person and reassembling them somewhere else, somewhat like what Muggles call, er, telenporting?"
"Teleporting, Professor," said Hermione.
"Exactly. It is very complex, because the mind must be powerful enough to accomplish this. Most minds are not strong enough, but with training they can be honed to the right power and strength. As I said in our first lesson, a select few people have already powerful enough minds and can, therefore, Apparate with greater ease and distance, because it is harder to Apparate somewhere far away as opposed to somewhere close by, that is to say, about ten miles.
"As you know, undoubtly, it is impossible to Apparate or Disapparate in the Hogwarts grounds."
Hermione shot Harry and Ron a look of what was a mix of triumph and all- knowingness that caused Ron to fake vomit.
"This is because," continued Professor McGonagall, "the grounds have an ancient spell, now unknown, that make the grounds so magically powerful that it is outside the world of Apparation."
"The what of Apparation?" Ron asked Harry under his breath. McGonagall must have heard him because her next statement was, "The world of Apparation is another plane, a plane of magic. Time does not move there, enabling a person to move for an indefinite period in this other realm without having any time lost in this world.
"The Apparation plane has links to the whole world, and by focusing all one's concentration on a certain place, a portal will open up which leads to the exact spot. But if there is no such place, you will not be able to leave the Apparation world, which is why so many wizards choose not to Apparate. There is a new branch of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad that specializes in this area of rescuing trapped people, but it has only been tested a few times.
"Some places, like Hogwarts, were placed under a spell removing them from the other plane, thereby making it impossible to travel to by Apparation, and making it impossible to Disapparate from it because you will not come out onto the other world.
"The most basic part of Apparation is being able to transfer yourself into this other world. This is done simply by concentrating on breaking your body down. It automatically transfers to the other world. This is, however, not the first skill you must learn. That is to concentrate on where you are Apparating to."
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were most certainly not concentrating on McGonagall's speech; they had there backs to the class and were conversing together in low tones.
"For our purposes a special room has been set up to Apparate into. The room is empty, making it very simple for someone to Apparate into. Here is a picture of the room. You must have seen the room in a realistic picture or painting, or have been in it, to be able to Apparate into it."
She showed them the room. She was definitely right — the room was totally blank, with four bare white walls. Harry had fun imagining going there, when —
CRACK!
Harry was pitched forward headfirst into a wall and opened his eyes to see stars spinning 'round his head. He shook it to clear them off, and when they disappeared he realized, amazingly, he had just Apparated into the room with the bare white walls. He had done it! Apparated!
Professor McGonagall suddenly Apparated next to him with a crack, shaking and clutching her heart in shock.
"Explain yourself, Potter! How did you-I mean, how did you just Apparate like that? On your first lesson! Nobody has done that since-since Godric Gryffindor!" she exhaled and clutched again at her chest.
Harry shook his head in amazement. Nobody had done this since Godric Gryffindor? That far back? Thought Harry in amazement.
"I don't know, Professor," he said in a low voice. "One minute I was imagining going here, and the next second I just smashed into this wall. My head still hurts," he added as an afterthought.
"Well," said Professor McGonagall, "if you can Apparate here, I don't see why you just Disapparate back to where we started the lesson?"
Harry nodded and closed his eyes in concentration. He tried remembering every detail of the room and willed his body to break down itself.
CRACK!
With another bang Harry found himself looking into the eyes of the class, most of which were wide with awe and admiration, though most of the Slytherins with shock and jealousy.
He let the thought course through his entire body before letting it out in a whoop of happiness; he had mastered Apparation on his first lesson!
* * *
They had the class with the Slytherins, and it gave Harry a moment of happiness to see that Malfoy was not out of the hospital wing yet. Crabbe and Goyle looked more clueless than usual without Malfoy to tell them what to do.
"Our first practical lesson on one of the hardest subjects known to wizards: Apparation." She Disapparated with a crack, and reappeared behind Parvati Patil.
"Apparation requires you to use your imagination." She shot Crabbe and Goyle a sidelong look and continued, "You must picture the place you wish to Apparate to before you begin the procedure itself. However, we shall be learning the procedure first.
"Apparating involves the breaking down of the atoms of a person and reassembling them somewhere else, somewhat like what Muggles call, er, telenporting?"
"Teleporting, Professor," said Hermione.
"Exactly. It is very complex, because the mind must be powerful enough to accomplish this. Most minds are not strong enough, but with training they can be honed to the right power and strength. As I said in our first lesson, a select few people have already powerful enough minds and can, therefore, Apparate with greater ease and distance, because it is harder to Apparate somewhere far away as opposed to somewhere close by, that is to say, about ten miles.
"As you know, undoubtly, it is impossible to Apparate or Disapparate in the Hogwarts grounds."
Hermione shot Harry and Ron a look of what was a mix of triumph and all- knowingness that caused Ron to fake vomit.
"This is because," continued Professor McGonagall, "the grounds have an ancient spell, now unknown, that make the grounds so magically powerful that it is outside the world of Apparation."
"The what of Apparation?" Ron asked Harry under his breath. McGonagall must have heard him because her next statement was, "The world of Apparation is another plane, a plane of magic. Time does not move there, enabling a person to move for an indefinite period in this other realm without having any time lost in this world.
"The Apparation plane has links to the whole world, and by focusing all one's concentration on a certain place, a portal will open up which leads to the exact spot. But if there is no such place, you will not be able to leave the Apparation world, which is why so many wizards choose not to Apparate. There is a new branch of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad that specializes in this area of rescuing trapped people, but it has only been tested a few times.
"Some places, like Hogwarts, were placed under a spell removing them from the other plane, thereby making it impossible to travel to by Apparation, and making it impossible to Disapparate from it because you will not come out onto the other world.
"The most basic part of Apparation is being able to transfer yourself into this other world. This is done simply by concentrating on breaking your body down. It automatically transfers to the other world. This is, however, not the first skill you must learn. That is to concentrate on where you are Apparating to."
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were most certainly not concentrating on McGonagall's speech; they had there backs to the class and were conversing together in low tones.
"For our purposes a special room has been set up to Apparate into. The room is empty, making it very simple for someone to Apparate into. Here is a picture of the room. You must have seen the room in a realistic picture or painting, or have been in it, to be able to Apparate into it."
She showed them the room. She was definitely right — the room was totally blank, with four bare white walls. Harry had fun imagining going there, when —
CRACK!
Harry was pitched forward headfirst into a wall and opened his eyes to see stars spinning 'round his head. He shook it to clear them off, and when they disappeared he realized, amazingly, he had just Apparated into the room with the bare white walls. He had done it! Apparated!
Professor McGonagall suddenly Apparated next to him with a crack, shaking and clutching her heart in shock.
"Explain yourself, Potter! How did you-I mean, how did you just Apparate like that? On your first lesson! Nobody has done that since-since Godric Gryffindor!" she exhaled and clutched again at her chest.
Harry shook his head in amazement. Nobody had done this since Godric Gryffindor? That far back? Thought Harry in amazement.
"I don't know, Professor," he said in a low voice. "One minute I was imagining going here, and the next second I just smashed into this wall. My head still hurts," he added as an afterthought.
"Well," said Professor McGonagall, "if you can Apparate here, I don't see why you just Disapparate back to where we started the lesson?"
Harry nodded and closed his eyes in concentration. He tried remembering every detail of the room and willed his body to break down itself.
CRACK!
With another bang Harry found himself looking into the eyes of the class, most of which were wide with awe and admiration, though most of the Slytherins with shock and jealousy.
He let the thought course through his entire body before letting it out in a whoop of happiness; he had mastered Apparation on his first lesson!
* * *