Apparition: Lesson One

This was an important milestone in the life of a wizard, and Irene Finch knew that many of the students looked at their license as a taste of the freedom they'd earn on their way to becoming fully trained wizards. With the registration list tucked in a folder that was under her arm, the woman stepped into the room. She called attendance, making sure that no one had snuck into the room without paying their galleons. "Good afternoon, sixth years. My name is Irene Finch and I'm here on behalf of the Department of Magical Transportation and Ministry to prepare you for your apparition exam." She said all of this briskly. Irene was not a lady who liked her time wasted and she did not feel the need to mention her relationship to Ioan Finch, former candidate for Minister and current headline in the news. Irene hoped to be able to focus on her job today, grateful for the distraction that work brought these days. Irene paced the front as she spoke, her heels clicking as she moved, her icy blue eyes looking all of them and none of them at once. "The headmistress has been kind enough to lift the enchantment placed on this room so that you will be able to practice apparating within these walls for the duration of our lessons."

Her voice echoed throughout the room. With so few students and the furniture against the walls, her voice carried easily. The woman focused on a student in the front, her blue eyes piercing into the student. "I will warn you from the start that your ability to apparate will have little to do with what house you are in or your blood status. Your ability to apparate will, solely, depend on your ability to focus on the three Ds: Destination.Determination. Deliberation." She enunciated each word. "There are no shortcuts. If you fail to grasp these concepts, you will fail your exam. First, you must choose your destination. Next, you will focus your determination and once you feel you are ready..." With a small step, Irene apparated next to one of the sixth years who had been whispering while she was lecturing and continued, "you must move with deliberation like so." She gave the student a sharp look.

Moving towards the front of the room, Irene continued lecturing the students. She knew that some were probably expecting to apparate today but she also knew that the foundation for apparating started with this information. Soon enough their time was up, and they had done nothing but listen. "Don't forget the 3 Ds. I will see you all next time. A word to the wise: Don't bring anything with you to the next lesson. The less you carry, the easier it will be. As a reminder, the moment you step out of this room, the enchantment will be put back in place until next time we meet. It would be very, very unwise to consider practicing anywhere on the school grounds until then." With that, she dismissed the students though she waited a few moments longer in the event that any of the students had questions.
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Please RP the lesson. Remember that these lessons are so that your student can earn a license. Without it, they can't apparate!

This is just the first of only three lessons before the exam takes place.

((Plot ID for mother's death by splinching: #30623834 ))

A new semester, a new beginning. Odette found it hard to believe she was almost done with her sixth year, but she had to admit that it was a lot better than her fifth year had been. She was, of course, still sad about her mother, but it no longer overshadowed everything else. Maria had been a great help on many levels, and her new relationship with Margo was something wonderful that she cherished. She was still a little shy about telling anyone, but she felt like the relationship was the right step for them both.

It had been a long time since Odette had taken an entirely new subject, and she really wasn't sure if this was the right choice. It had felt like weakness to opt out of apparition class, but now that she was here she felt confronted with her mother's death. She had died by splinching, and that was in the back of her mind from the moment she stepped into the great hall. But Odette wasn't someone who liked to give up on things, and she especially hated to show weakness. She was here now, so she would stick with it and simple toughen up. It was something wizards and witches did all the time. One accident shouldn't stop her from taking the lessons. Right?

The woman from the ministry introduced herself, and told them that the headmistress had lifted the enchantment on the great hall so they would be able to apparate within it. Odette felt herself grow nervous the longer the woman talked, and found herself hoping that this lesson would be a theoretical one. The idea of actually trying to apparate was something that made her stomach clench, though she tried to hide her fear. She tried her best to focus on the information the professor gave them, but found it hard to focus. She was relieved when they were dismissed, and left the great hall quickly. She would have to mentally prepare for the next lesson, as they were almost certainly going to try to apparate then. She wasn't going to give up. She just had to be strong.

Rose had enjoyed her holidays, but she was also happy to be back at Hogwarts. Rose had missed her friends, and she had missed being around so many other students. It was still sad that Charlie wasn't here with her, but she was getting over her heartbreak slowly. The year still had a lot of nice things she could look forward to, like Valentine's day. She also looked forward to apparition, though she was a little worried about not being very good at it.

Apparating seemed like such a grown-up thing to Rose, that it was difficult to imagine the time was really here. She stayed close to Rory, Harley and Hayley as they entered the great hall, and let out a few nervous giggles as they waited for the lesson to begin. The teacher started to speak, and Rose quickly quieted down. The woman was from the Ministry, which meant she now worked under Rose's mother. It wouldn't do for her to act childishly, even if she was nervous. Ms. Finch told them that the enchantment on the great hall had been lifted for these lessons, which made sense. She listened as the teacher taught them about the three D's, trying her best to memorize them. It all sounded very logical when the teacher said it, but Rose knew that it was easy for her to forget things. The lecture went on a while longer, and then the lesson was over. Rose was both relieved and disappointed that they weren't actually apparating today, but she figured it would happen soon enough. Once they were dismissed, Rose left the great hall with her friends.

Harley didn't think she had ever cared about a lesson before in her life. School was just the dull, boring blocks of time between anything interesting happening, and she was usually eager to get through it as quickly as possible, and spend her time doing something more fun. Apparition was a big exception, though. Apparition meant freedom. Harley was an adult now, her parents finally couldn't tell her what to do with her life anymore, and once she was able to apparate, she would be able to go where she wanted, do what she wanted. Freedom.

She crowded into the Great Hall eagerly, standing next to Rose & Hayley, but as the ministry woman began to talk, Harley's thoughts drifted a little. Yeah, Apparition dangerous, important, so on. It was hard to stay focused on such a boring lecture, when a chilling thought was occurring to her. Odette was standing nearby them, and Harley couldn't keep herself from glancing at the other girl. They had barely acknowledged each other since their tumultuous (and, in retrospect, Harley realised overly dramatic) breakup, but their families lived close enough together that Harley had heard what happened to Odette's mother. It was part of the reason she had left the other girl alone since. It was hard to stay mad over past issues when someone was going through something so painful. She had never expected Odette to take apparition, and seeing her here was a definite shock. Part of Harley wanted to say something, wanted to check that Odette was alright, but she didn't know how to even start approaching her. So she forced herself to tear her thoughts away, trying to focus on the lesson. It all seemed to be theory today, and Harley was unable to hold back a giggle as the woman talked about three Ds. She did her best to remember them though, and was relieved when the lesson was over, worries about Odette still in the back of her mind as she left the classroom with Rose & Hayley.

It had been a long time since October had had a new subject to learn about, and she was excited about the potential that learning to apparate brought. It would be nice to be able to go places herself in the holidays without having to worry about figuring out the floo network. She made her way into the classroom, a pencil and notebook clutched in her arms, just in case. October didn't know if they would be taking many notes today, and didn't want to be saddled with quill and ink if they weren't going to be using them, but it seemed better safe than sorry in this particular case.

To October's satisfaction, it quickly proved true that her preparedness hadn't been in vain. She took notes as the woman from the ministry explained what they were doing, a little in awe of the woman's intense aura. She reminded October of the stricter ballet teachers she had had over the years, and it was an air of importance that October hoped to cultivate herself someday. She felt a little transfixed, taking in every word, and found herself disappointed when the lesson ended rather quickly. October made sure to make a note not to bring anything to their next lesson, hoping to prove herself and gain the lady's approval. Already excited to learn more, October thanked the lady before leaving the room, determined not to forget what she had said.

With the new semester, seventh year and the end of her time at Hogwarts loomed ever closer in Hayley's thoughts. She'd be a proper adult soon, no more school, no more rules. The thought was delicious, and terrifying. Hayley never usually paid much attention in lessons, finding them, for the most part, dull and uninteresting. Apparition, though . . . that was a chance at a new freedom. One of the things she'd never gotten used to about the wizarding world was their ability to get places so easily and immediately, despite using floo powder multiple times to get to her friends' houses over the holidays. It was still strange and magical to her, and soon she'd be able to do it for herself.


Hayley stuck close to Harley, Rose and Rory, unwilling to admit that she was actually nervous, but taking comfort in their presence nonetheless. She had started off resolved to pay full attention to the lecture, but it wasn't long before she found her thoughts drifting. Irene Finch . . . was she any relation to the Finch who'd run for Minister? Hayley wasn't really sure what had happened to him - not that she really cared, now Claudia had won. She did approve, on the other hand, of the teacher mentioning that success had nothing to do with blood status, though it rankled that she needed to. Hayley jotted down the 'three Ds', with an amused glance at Harley. She hadn't really expected that they would actually get started today, but it was disappointing to learn so little, when she was actually impatient to do so.

The first semester of the sixth year hadn't been very good for Tristan, but he was determined to turn it around in the second half of the year. He was single now, which meant he could flirt a little more with people in his year or the ones above and below. Of course not too much, as he didn't want any negative attention about it. He had enjoyed his time with Nixon, but was glad to have secured himself a different date for the Valentine's dance. He knew that this semester would be better for him, and he would work hard to ensure it. Next year would be his final year, and he had to do well from now on so he could graduate the way he wanted to.

Apparition had always been this... magical thing to Tristan. Even more than all the other types of magic he had learned in his years at school. The ability to instantly appear somewhere else was difficult to wrap his mind around, but it was also something he really wanted to be able to do. Tristan was excited for this lesson, and that was only increased when he learned that their teacher would be someone from the Ministry. As someone with ambitions of working there, he was interested to see her here, and he was half-tempted to stay behind to ask her about her job. He just didn't know if she would appreciate that or not. Tristan found a space in the great hall and listened to the teacher who informed them that the enchantment on the great hall had been lifted for practice during these lessons. He was happy to hear her include that blood status had nothing to do with your ability to apparate. He pretended not to be relieved about that, and only happy about it because it would shut up bigots. But deep down he had been a little worried he had a disadvantage. Tristan took notes on the lecture, writing down the three Ds. He rolled his eyes as he heard a girl giggle, and shot her an annoyed look. Then he added a little note to himself not to carry much with him for the next lesson. He wanted all the advantages he could get. When the lesson was over, he lingered for a moment to thank the teacher before leaving.

Vivian was a lot of things, but a star student he was not. He very rarely found himself able to focus on a lesson, his mind constantly preoccupied with things to write or things he wished he had said differently, or just daydreams of better times. He felt as though he lived through every lesson in a daydream, and adding one more to the schedule, Vivian didn't think he would fare much differently. Being able to apparate would be nice, and Mum had been firm that it was an important skill for him to learn, but Vivian didn't trust much in his ability to focus on this more than any of his other subjects.

He did his best to listen as the lady from the ministry spoke, at least somewhat more attentive than usual as a result of her somewhat intense air, but it wasn't long before Vivian found his thoughts drifting. It was too easy to get distracted in any class with Tristan. There was a small freckle on the back of his neck, a pinpoint Vivian found himself staring at all too often in lessons. There was something endearing about it, a mark Vivian didn't even know if Tristan realised he had. It was too easy to get distracted thinking of him, and before Vivian knew it, the lesson was over already. He hoped he would be able to glance over Tristan's notes before the next class, head still in the clouds as he left the room.