Apparition 1

[Irene Finch]

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, her heels announcing her presence. She called attendance, making sure that no one had snuck into the room without paying their galleons. Tucking the folder away, Irene began. "Good afternoon, sixth years. My name is Irene Finch and I'm Head of the Department of Magical Transportation. I'm here on behalf of the Ministry of Magic to prepare you for your apparition exam." She said all of this briskly. Irene was not a lady who liked her time wasted. In truth, she enjoyed teaching apparition to much of the dull paperwork she was often stuck doing as the head of a department. Walking around as she spoke, Irene's icy blue eyes looked at 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. But do not attempt to do so in your free time. It would be...unwise to attempt practicing here or elsewhere outside of these lessons" she stated in a very firm tone.

With so few students and the furniture against the walls as she'd requested, her voice carried easily around the large room. The woman focused on a student who'd been fidgeting, 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." She'd made a quick scan and found the perfect landing point. " 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 on the concept of apparating. She knew that some were probably expecting to apparate today but she also knew that the foundation for apparating started with this very important 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." 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 make sure to register for the course! 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.

 

[Indira Khatri]

When Indi had heard the sign ups for apparition lessons had gone up she hadn’t wasted a second. She had grown up knowing magic was real but it was always a bit abstract to her as a child. But she had never forgotten the first time her mother and apparated with her. She had seen teleportation in scifi movies but to actually do it in real life had been exhilarating. Indi had been waiting for the days she would get to learn it for herself ever since. She sat up straight as the instructor arrived and started the lesson. She listened closely as Ms. Finch taught them the three D’s and she made sure to write down everything that seemed important. Indi smiled to herself as the instructor disappeared and reappeared on the opposite side of the hall. The lesson felt far too short but she was already looking forward to next time when they’d hopefully get to try it for themselves.

 

[Branson Archer]

Branson had had a good break. He was finding himself looking forward, in a way, to graduation. He knew that it was still a whole year and a half away, but working and being almost an adult was quite fun, tiring but different from the way school could be tiring. There was no real stress of exams and that would be fun. But of course, Bran was back at school and had a little while to go before he graduated, including the most difficult year of his school, those NEWTs too. But this semester, this wouldn’t be too hard, he wouldn’t have to worry about much with it. The teen was getting all of the different things he would need for the day, all the books and notes he would need before he headed out of the door and to the first class he had that day.

Branson was nervous. He didn’t know what to expect from this and really wanted to manage to do it. It was something both his parents and all the magical adults in his life could do but he felt like he might just be the one who couldn’t do it. Which was of course rubbish, he knew he just needed to try it and get some practice in it. The Ravenclaw followed the rest of the year into the great hall and he glanced towards the ministry employee who got started. Branson nodded along with what was being said and trying to absorb each piece of information. He was glad the ability to do this had nothing to do with blood status, not that his was that poor but he still knew that it would feel rough if some more pure students got an advantage. They didn’t get to do it in this first lesson and bran was relieved, he could write up some notes of this and then be able to do some more reading ahead of the next one. With that he headed out of the great hall and to the library.​

 

[Jordan Harris]

After an eventful holiday, Jordie was pleased to be back at school. He almost felt guilty relaxing... almost. But now he was refreshed and ready to go. He got ready that morning, paying careful attention to his hair and uniform, before hurrying out.

He arrived at the Great Hall, eager for class. He was excited to learn how to apparate; that meant he could visit whoever he wanted when he wanted, without waiting for his brother to come get him. He smiled, finding a spot by Branson. He smiled at his friend before turning his attention to the woman.

He listened to her speak, unsurprised that the lesson that day was mainly theory. He knew how serious of a task this was, how dangerous it could be. He focused on her, paying close attention to every word. When she finally dismissed them, he headed out of the room, thinking over the lesson.

 

[Natalia Novak]

Natalia was worried about her sister. This Christmas break had been rough, even more filled with arguments than normal. It seemed like they had expected Isadora’s wild site to be a childish thing she would grow out of, which didn’t seem to be the case. Truthfully, Natalia felt like they were being unfair to her sister. Not that she would say that out loud. It wasn’t like Isadora did anything that bad. Lately, she cringed every time she was used as an example for her sister, though she knew better than to say anything that seemed to disagree with her parents. She just hoped Isadora would learn to smile and nod soon, for everyone’s sake.

She tried to put all thoughts of her break from her mind as she headed to the Great Hall for the first apparition lesson. These were some of the most important lessons in the sixth year, as her parents had reminded her. Being able to apparate was the sign of a decent witch or wizard, and failing the exam or having to retake it would be a sign of weakness and shame. She had pulled her hair back in a tight ponytail and headed to the great hall early. The teacher from the Ministry joined them, then introduced herself. She gave them a lot of information bout apparition, and Natalia listened attentively. She liked this woman, she was straight to the point and didn’t bother trying to make the students like her. Natalia listened closely to her information about the three Ds. The lesson wrapped up soon after and Natalia made a mental note not to wear anything extra to the next lesson. She would have to leave her jewelry in the dormitory for that lesson, it seemed.

 

[Rune Sanderson]

Rune did not know why he had to learn to appariate. It was terrifying. He wasn't ready. He had heard so many horror stories about the form of travel. He would much rather do portkeys the rest of his life, but his mother had convinced him kindly to give this class a try. He would find it useful in the future. If he could actually do it that was. Rune did not have much hope for himself. But he wanted to make his mother proud. With such mixed feelings and butterflies fluttering around in his stomach, the Hufflepuff boy entered the Great Hall. It looked completely different than it had this morning, which gave him a little pause. He apologized to the students behind him that bumped into him when he did so. Rune blushed as he found a spot among his classmates.

Rune felt his hands shaking a bit as the 'lesson' started. He felt exposed standing here instead of blending in into a middle of a classroom. He felt like no matter how badly he did or how good, everyone would be staring at him. He tried to pay attention to the Ministry worker's words though. Focusing on them and blending everyone else out. They learned about the three Destination.Determination. Deliberation. Determination would be the most difficult for Rune. He knew it. But at least he would not have to give it a go today. It was just an introduction. He breathed a sigh of relief as they were dismissed. Next week would be extremely difficult, but at least he managed his first class. He hoped he could do the same next week. He would like to keep all his body parts if it was up to him.

 

[River Hopkins-Vance]

River knew that her older sister could appariate, it was a skill she was rather jealous of to be honest. River wanted to see the world. Wanted to write about everything that she saw. Being able to just pop in and out of wherever she wanted to go would make that so much easier. This was something she had to learn, which made it one of the most important classes of the semester, not that the rest of the classes weren't important still. The rainbow haired girl entered the Great Hall. It was definitely decorated differently if you could call them decorations. The tables were set aside and the space looked like more roomy.

River joined her fellow classmates, standing in a line in front of a woman that she had not seen before. The woman introduced herself as Irene Finch. She was rather strict it seemed, right to the point. Appariation was important so maybe that was why. River listened as the woman spoke about how the hall had been changed not only in appearance but in lifting the spell about appariation inside of Hogwarts. That made a lot more sense as to why they were able to practice.

Yet practicing didn't seem to be a thing today. Instead it was the theory portion. River understood that theory was important. She had learned so much transfiguration theory that her held would explode, but it made her better at the subject. River wondered if this too would make her more proficient at this skill as well. She wished she had a notebook to take notes, but River made mental notes about the three D's, Destination, Determination and Deliberation. They seemed to be the most important part. Easy enough to remember.

The rainbow haired girl watched as the professor demonstrated appariation as well as interrupted some students that weren't paying attention. River stifled a laugh as the lesson went on. That was all that they were covering today, but the hopes of attempting it next week gave her enough excitement. River grabbed her things and left the Great Hall, thoughts of far away places swimming in her head.

 

[Ryder Sanderson]

Finally, Ryder was going to learn a useful skill, Appariation. He had seen his parents do this multiple times even his older sister. Now it was finally his turn. He entered the Great Hall ready to see a wonderful obstacle course or something set up. Yet there was nothing there. Just a ministry worker and his classmates. This couldn't possibly be a boring lesson. But he was wrong. He joined his classmates and waited for the lesson to begin.

The ministry worker seemed like a bore. Ryder could barely pay attention as she spoke. It wasn't as serious as she made it out to be. This was something that anyone that meant anything could learn. He barely listened as the worker continued to speak and speak. It was so boring. He had hoped for something much more. She went into detail about the three D's. This was easy stuff. Why couldn't they just try already.

The instructor demonstrated and Ryder was hopeful that soon it would be his turn. That wasn't the case. It was just a lecture today. Ryder rolled his eyes. He had wasted precious time. At least next week they were promised they could try. Ryder huffed as he left the Great Hall. Next week better be more exciting. They only had three of these classes before the exam after all.

 

[Weston Stirling]

Weston had been waiting for this moment all year. It didn't matter that he didn't like sidealong apparition much (it always made him nauseous). He couldn't wait to learn how to apparate by himself. Then he could go anywhere. Weston wanted to see the entire world, and apparition was by far one of the easiest modes of travel. He'd already created a mental list of all the places he wanted to see once he got his license.

For the first time that year, Weston made it to class early. He waited impatiently as the ministry worker called attendance. She looked so official, and he straightened a little when she said his name. The woman, Ms. Finch, warned them not to practice apparating in their free time, which only made Weston intensely curious. What would happen if someone tried to apparate while the enchantment was still in place? Ms. Finch then reviewed the three Ds. It sounded simple enough. After all, there were only three of them. Weston watched with awe as she demonstrated apparating, exchanging a grin with one of his friends. He couldn't wait to get started so that he could do the same.

Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that they wouldn't be doing any practice today. As Ms. Finch lectured, Weston tried to pay close attention. He was mostly successful. Generally, he struggled to stay focused during long lectures, but the subject of this one was enough to keep his attention for the most part. By the time the lesson was over, his head was swimming with facts about the three Ds. He could only hope he would remembered everything by the time the next lesson rolled around.

 

[Jenna Irons]

Jenna was so ready to learn to apparate. It was such a major pain having to floo everywhere, and the sooner she was done with it, the better. She had places to be and things to do, and getting ash and soot all over her clothes was not cute. So it was with a spring in her step that she entered the Great Hall with her classmates, arms folded confidently. She settled into place next to Natalia and listened as the woman from the Ministry spoke, quietly admiring the elegance of her fashion sense. The lesson itself was boring though, and Jenna found herself half zoning out. She tuned back in with a quick snicker at one of the teacher's comments though, leaning over to whisper to Natalia. "I bet some girls here can focus on more than thr-" She cut off with a loud shriek as the teacher apparated behind her out of nowhere. "RUDE!" Jenna yelped, crossing her arms defiantly at the woman. She kept up her glare as the woman returned to her lecture, unable to help a groan when she revealed that they wouldn't even be apparating today. "What a waste of time..." She muttered to Natalia as they left.

 

[Lucie Vernier]

For some reason, Lucie felt a little more reluctant this semester to be going back to Hogwarts than previously. One thing that she was looking forward to however was learning how to apparate. Being one of the youngest in the family definitely made her jealous of her siblings who could do it and did it everyday. She was looking forward to being able to do it herself. The teen gathered around with her classmates as the lady from the Ministry started the lesson. She had a lot of things to say, particularly about The Three D's, and so Lucie made sure to take out her writing equipment so she could take some notes and not forget. Soon enough, the lecture came to an end. It didn't surprise her that they hadn't actually apparated just yet, despite how annoyed some people were about it. It was obviously a hard and dangerous thing to do and she didn't think the teacher would want to throw the students into the deep end like that. Lucie neatly packed everything away before heading out.

 

[Louis Vernier]

Louis had to admit he was quite nervous for the Apparition lessons, but when was he ever not nervous for anything new? The Hufflepuff kept among the crowd as he entered the Great Hall and gathered around with them. An important looking lady stood at the front of the room and began talking to them about The Three D's. They seemed like very important things to know, as the lady kept repeating them, so Louis kept repeating them in his head. The last thing he wanted was to forget these and then potentially either fail the course or have something bad happen to him. He was satisfied with the lesson however, and left the Great Hall still going over The Three D's in his head.

 

[Salem Lee]

Salem didn't usually care much about her lessons which she usually found mildly interesting at best, but she was practically vibrating as they gathered for their first Apparition lesson. If she could master this, it opened the whole world up for and Salem could finally get back to travelling whenever she wanted to, no floo, no side along apparition, no brooms required.

She tried to listen patiently as the rather stern lady from the ministry introduced herself, sure that what she was saying was important, especially when she started going on about destinations and determination, but it was hard to focus on what was apparently purely a lecture when Salem was expecting to be teleporting around the room today. She shifted from foot to foot, trying to internalize what the instructor was saying despite her impatience, something that was helped on when the instructor finished the lesson with the promise of actual apparition beginning tomorrow. Salem practically bounced out of the room, deciding she'd just have to ask Indi or Elara before their next lesson if they'd caught everything in case she'd missed something important.

 

[Alice Traynor]

Alice had always been afraid of apparitions, because just the thought of having to learn them made small tingles run over her whole body. Of course she knew that it was necessary and that they had to be learned. Alice, with trembling hands and feet, went to learn how to properly appariton and finally get a license. She went to the Great Hall to be present at the first lesson and understand how to do everything correctly, and of course to overcome her fears.

Upon entering the Great Hall. She joined the others then waited for class to start and it all started. They were welcomed and addressed by a lady from the ministry who stood like Irene Finch and listened intently to what she was saying, and so she taught them to focus on their goal to achieve their ultimate goal. The girl tried to keep it all in her mind and there was no doubt that she would remember them all in the next lesson that he did not miss and she would have overcome her fear and it would make her make a mistake next time. When they were dismissed, Alice went out of the halls thinking about everything, because she really didn't know if she would be able to overcome her fear.