Chapter Thirty Three
Harry sat, rather disheartened at the breakfast table one Saturday morning as February had melted the snow, replacing it with never ending dribbly rain.
It, however, was not just the weather that had Harry's spirits down. The search for more details on Horcruxes had proved a waste of time. The letters to some of the biggest families in the wizarding world had either come up with no new information or had been left unanswered.
Harry still hadn't actually looked at the memory that Slughorn had given him, nor had he informed Dumbledore that he'd managed to get the memory. Dumbledore was missing from the teachers' table once again. Harry had no idea where Dumbledore kept disappearing to and felt very much like he had no choice but to sit, and wait, for Dumbledore to make his next move.
"Everyone hurry up!" Severus's voice drawled across the Slytherin table.
"Why?" spat Gemini.
Severus glared at her for a moment, "The sixth years have their first apparation lessons today and the halls need to be cleared. Come along all of you, breakfast should have been finished ten minutes ago."
Gemini rose from her seat, flicking her wild hair over her shoulder. Her group of followers rose with her, almost afraid to be caught sitting while she wasn't.
Harry couldn't help but admire the way she could step over the bench so elegantly, it was something that Pansy and Daphne could also do but Hermione and even Cho had never quite gotten the hang of.
Harry and Gemini's eyes met as she walked past, Harry shivered as a spark of pure rage flamed in her dark eyes. She did nothing though, just walked proudly from the hall without giving Harry and his friends a second look.
"You lot as well." Severus smirked.
Harry grinned, stuffing a last bit of bacon into his mouth before he and his friends left the hall. Hermione and Neville were waiting on the sets to the large front doors and waved them over.
"Do you think we could get some DA lessons working on apparation?" Daphne asked, sitting down neatly.
Harry shook his head, "Not a chance! They'd say it was too dangerous, both to lower the wards and to practice without 'proper' supervision."
Hermione sighed, "It was worth a thought. It's all right for you lot, Daphne and I have already turned seventeen so we really should do our test as soon as possible."
"Where as we lucky people have ages!" Neville smirked.
"We need to learn though." Draco said seriously, "There is no way we'll get though finding all the… 'you know whats', if we can't apparate."
Harry sighed and lent his head against the cold, damp stone, "You're right there."
Cho and William wondered over, smiling. Harry spotted Cho and stood up, giving her a quick kiss. William went straight to Pansy, wrapping his arm around her waist.
"We came to wish you all good luck." William smiled, "So good luck!"
"It's not too bad, you'll do fine." Cho smiled, "You're brilliant."
Harry grinned, feeling his face flush from the compliment.
"All sixth years who have signed up for Apparition lessons please enter the Great Hall now." Professor McGonagall called out.
William and Cho waved them into the hall. Harry looked around, the four heads of house were standing in a neat row along the top of the hall along with a strange looking man, almost someone who wasn't quite there.
He was completely colourless with transparent eyelashes and only the slightest wispy hair that looked like it, and he, would be blown away with nothing but a puff of wind.
"Do you think he was born like that, or it's from all the vanishing and reappearing?" Draco whispered to Harry.
Harry shrugged, it was an interesting question.
"Good luck." Neville smiled, walking with Hermione to stand with Professor McGonagall.
Harry walked with the others to the group of Slytherins. It was unsurprising that every student in their year had signed up for the lessons; apparition was needed for nearly every job in the wizarding world.
Tracy and Millicent were chatting quietly, although Tracy seemed rather cooler towards Millicent than she had been in the past, clearly unhappy with the fact Millicent was still hanging out with Gemini and Rodolphus most of the time.
The heads of house called for quiet and all eyes turned to the strange instructor man.
"Good Morning. My name is Wilkie Twycross and I shall be your Ministry Apparition Instructor for the next twelve weeks. I hope to be able to prepare you for your Apparition test in this time. If you are not ready to take the test, or you are too young, there will be another test scheduled for June."
Harry raised his hand slowly, "Mr Twycross, what happens if you still won't be seventeen in June?"
Mr Twycross looked down his small nose at Harry, "You are Mr Potter, are you not?"
Harry nodded, squirming inside; he would never get used to be so instantly recognisable.
"Well Mr Potter, as long as you have permission from your parent or guardian you will be allowed to take your test in June. You will, however, not be able to use it until you do turn seventeen." Mr Twycross said, giving Harry a small nod.
"As you may know," Mr Twycross continued, "it is usually impossible to apparate or disapparate within Hogwarts. The headmaster has lifted this enchantment, purely within the Great Hall, for one hour, so as to enable you to practise. May I put a little extra emphasise on the fact you will not be able to apparate outside the walls of this Hall and that you would be unwise to try."
A mumble went around the students which was quickly silenced by the teachers.
"So, I would like you to place yourselves so that you have five feet of space around you in all directions." Mr Twycross instructed them.
Harry spread out so he was between his friends. The Ravenclaws had all pushed themselves to the front so Harry and his friends moved to the left hand side back.
"Bet you two galleons that I can apparate before you can, Granger." Draco smirked.
Hermione smiled sweetly at him, "I'll take that bet, but not for two galleons…"
"What then?" Draco asked.
"I bet you, that I will be able to apparate before you… that whoever wins gets to pick what the loser wears for the next DA lesson. Deal?" Hermione grinned.
"Oh, you are on!" Draco said matching her grin.
"Quiet!" snapped the heads of house and the room fell silent again.
Twycross thanked them and flicked his wand. Two old fashioned wooden hoops appeared in front of every student, one at their feet and the other at the end of the five feet.
"The important things to remember when apparating are the three Ds!" Twycross said cheerfully, "Destination, Determination, Deliberation!"
Harry looked worried and confused at Twycross. He was seriously hoping that they were going to get more instruction than, 'try' and 'focus'.
"Now, all step into the first hoop, that's it… yes well done," Twycross nodded, "Right now, step one is to fix your mind firmly on your desired destination. In the case, the inside of your other hoop. Step two, focus all of your determination to occupy that space, picture yourself there fully. Think of nothing else!"
Harry tried to focus on the hoop but there was just far to much other stuff flying randomly around in his head. Unsurprisingly Hermione and Draco were staring fixedly at the hoop.
"When I give the command, and only when I give the command, step three, turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with deliberation." Twycross said, looking the class up and down, "Right, on my command. One… two… THREE!"
Harry spun on the spot, as did all of the other students and then… nothing. Ernie Macmillan managed to do some sort of leap into his second hoop and looked very pleased with himself for a moment until he spotted several other students laughing at him.
"Never mind, never mind…" Twycross said, he didn't seem to expect anything other than what had happened, "Move your hoops slightly and try again."
Once more nothing happened, the third attempt was no better. Harry was starting to get slightly dizzy with the constant spinning and getting no where.
Harry wasn't expecting anything the fourth time either when his spinning was interrupted by a scream of pain. Harry turned to face it, his eyes searching, filled with panic, for whoever was hurt.
Susan Bones had been split in half.
The heads of house rushed over, trying to shield her from the stares and gasps from the other students.
She was standing, wobbling, in her second hoop while her left leg was still in the first hoop where she'd started. There was a loud bang and puff of purple smoke which slowly cleared, leaving Susan sobbing but in one piece.
"Splinching, or the separation of random body parts." Twycross said without even an ounce of feeling, "It occurs when the mind is insufficiently determined."
"It's not her fault!" Harry said quickly, "She's the only one who managed to move at all!"
Twycross looked at him with an air of confusion.
"I just don't think you should be blaming her." Harry said, feeling very awkward with everyone in the Hall staring at him. Susan flashed him a small thank you smile and wiped her eyes.
"You must concentrate continually upon your destination, and move, without haste, but with deliberation… as you will see." Twycross stepped forward, turning gracefully on the spot with his arm out stretched like a dancers and vanished in a swirl of robes, appearing on the other side of the Hall with a pop, "Remember the three Ds."
Harry and his friends sighed and focused once again on their second hoops.
"Try again… one, two, three… one, two, three… one, two three…" Twycross said, repeatedly.
An hour later, as the big clock in the Hall chimed, the only thing to have happened was Susan's Splinching. Hermione and Draco both seemed very disappointed that neither of them had managed to move an inch let alone into their hoops.
Twycross however didn't seem to have expected any different. He fastened his clock securely around his neck and said a few words to the teachers before turning to face the students again.
"I shall see you all next Saturday. Remember the three Ds; Destination, Determination and Deliberation." Twycross told them blankly, Harry was starting to wonder if the man every really showed any feeling.
Twycross flicked his wand and the hoops vanished, he walked through the Hall and left the students without another word.
"How did you do?" Harry asked.
"I think I felt something those last few times but nothing much." Draco sighed.
Hermione sniffed, "I didn't feel anything. What sort of instruction was that anyway?"
"I'm certainly not sure it was twelve galleons worth." Neville sighed.
"At least we've actually apparated before, even if it was only side along." Pansy pointed out, "We've got a chance but most of the students don't have a clue what they're meant to be feeling for!"
William and Cho were waiting just outside the hall as the Sixth years filed from the Hall.
"How did it go?" William asked.
"No one managed a thing." Draco said simply.
"Well, Susan Bones got splinched." Pansy said with a shudder.
"We thought someone must of." Cho said, "We heard the screaming."
Harry walked over to the steps again, it wasn't the most comfortable place to sit but no one would bother them there and it was cool after spinning round for the last hour in the Hall.
"Are you all right Harry?" Cho asked, sitting down next to him, his friends also sitting around them.
Harry shrugged, "Everything just feels a little impossible right now."
William waved his hand dismissively, "I wouldn't worry, really, about the apparition lessons. It took ages for our year, and no one managed anything during the first few lessons. It's just a lot harder than it looks."
"Now you tell us!" Harry said, rolling his eyes, "Why didn't you say anything?"
Cho looked sadly at him, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles, "We're not allowed. Don't look at me like that, I'm being serious. Apparently it could put you off."
"Did you get any actual instruction at least?" Hermione huffed.
"No!" William said, snorting a laugh.
"We had this weird guy." Cho said, thinking back, "He was so pale and just kept saying 'the three Ds people! Destination, Determination and Deliberation' it was so little help."
"Sounds like we got the same guy." Daphne sighed, "Please tell me you got there in the end?"
"Oh yeah." William said brightly, "We all passed before the summer."
"Well that's something at least." Harry said, trying to hold onto the thought.
But much to his, and his friends, disappointment, four weeks later the only apparition that had happened was still Susan's splinching; and even that had only happened that once.