Apparition Exam

[Irene Finch]

Irene Finch had specifically asked for the tables to be left in place for the exam. If the sixth years were going to be licensed, then they would need to possess the ability to work with their surroundings. Apparating across an empty room was convenient for beginners to practice, but the chances of apparating to a truly empty space were going to be slim to none in the real world. There'd be tree filled forests, garbage strewn alleys, and perhaps, when they were lucky, the occasional field or valley. This would be an especially important test for those students who were interested in careers in the Ministry as apparating was a requirement for many of the positions. It was an important skill, allowing independence of movement.

Irene arrived at the castle just in time to greet the students who were waiting just outside the Great Hall. The students were seated on the benches that had been provided to await their turn. "Good afternoon" she greeted, her icy blue eyes taking them in one by one. "In a moment, I'll begin calling you in alphabetically by your last name. Once I do, I'll ask you to apparate to a spot in the room. You will only get one shot. I will not pass you if even a hair, button, or shoelace remains where you once stood." Irene's gaze drifted by several students. Irene let them sit with that for a moment, wanting it to be clear because she hated the annoying begging for another chance that came when a student failed. She looked at their faces, wondering which ones she would be seeing in the courses that were provided by the Ministry throughout the year. Many people failed the exam on their first try, but the woman did nothing to reassure the students of this fact.

Stepping back into the room, where her clipboard was already charmed to take notes, Irene looked to be sure all was in order and then glanced at the list and called the first student forward. Once the student was inside, Irene shut the door tightly and began the exam.

Out of Character:

Roleplay your character's attempt to apparate to a point in the room. Don't forget that the Great Hall would look as it would on a regular day minus the students.

You will get an exam grade of A or T depending on whether you roleplay your character succeeding or failing. Extra credit will be given for the level of detail in your roleplay regardless of passing or failing. Feel free to godmod Irene if it is necessary to your roleplay. If you have any questions, PM me. No replies will be accepted beyond Wednesday, the end of exam period!

 

[Jerara Tapsell]

Jerara had been looking forward to the apparition exam since he’d found out in the first year transfiguration that it was a class they would get to do and was something they could achieve. He had watched others use it, older wizards use it, and heard the stories that went along with it. How much easier it was to travel than any other wizarding method. It would finally class him as a full wizard, fully integrated into this magical world. Turning seventeen was the first step and this was the second step of it was this. He would be to go where ever he want, and there were plenty of places that he wanted to visit. Maybe he could go home? His father’s last letter had talked of his mother’s most recent pregnancy, he could go see the siblings that he’d never met..maybe. The boy was just waiting outside the great hall, they were to do the exam one by one in order of surname which Jerara thought was a bit annoying he was much further down the alphabet than others and he could watch as others went into the room and then left knowing whether they had passed or failed. He couldn’t yet do that.​

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Finally, after waiting quite a while, Jerara was finally called into the great hall, the boy was pretty pleased and eager to get started. He noted the room didn’t look how it had in the practice sessions, in fact it looked just like it did on the normal every day. He looked to the woman as she gave him the instructions of where he needed to go. The boy took the time to look at it and think about the things in his way. Almost think of his best method of getting there if he was crossing the room directly. He took a deep breath, remembering everything that the teacher had told them in the last lessons and imagined himself where he needed to be. It took a few attempts of concentrating before anything happened and with a pop jerara was across the room in the exact spot that he needed to be in. Jerara looked himself over, waiting for any pains to start if he had splinched, but it appeared that he had managed it just fine, which jerara was very happy with. He was almost certain that this meant he had passed.​

 

[Signy Forstrom]

Signy felt pretty nervous, she wanted to pass this class a lot, but knew that if she didn’t that wouldn’t be the end of the world. There would be other opportunities for her to sit the class and hopefully pass it. This was the only attempt in school that she might get but it wouldn’t be her only chance. She wanted to be able to do it, and she wanted to pass it now. She preferred to pass it now. The teen was waiting outside the great hall as the exam was about to start. She listened to the teacher’s instructions on how this was going to happen, how they would go in when called and that they would need to be successful on their first attempt. The girl was nervous, she knew that this was important. She stood in amongst the rest of the class as they were called forward one by one and made to do the exam. With her name she didn’t have to wait particularly long and was soon in the great hall.​

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Signy brushed her hands against her school skirt, feeling the nerves and the sweat building. She was so nervous about this, and the fact the great hall was a little different from how she’d expected it to be, well different from every other lesson of apparition. She wasn’t sure what different this made to the apparition. She looked to the teacher as the woman told her where she was to apparate to. Signy looked at it nodding slightly at the professor. She had her wand in her hand and then let herself think about getting to the area that she need to be. It took a little while, she had to think and concentrate hard. She felt the pull and leaned into it. She felt the sensation of it pulling her, dragging her to the location she needed to be at and then it stopped with a pop. She smiled when she realised where she had ended up where she needed to be and every part of her appeared to have managed it! She was so happy with herself.​

 

[Corrine Lagos]

Corrine kept brushing down her uniform skirt, picking at lint that seemed to appear every time she moved and glancing up every time she spotted another sixth year join. Before long, the Ministry Official joined them, giving them some final instructions. Corrine thought the woman could use a lesson in being a bit more gentle with her words, but it wasn't like she intended to say so aloud. She was afraid to open her mouth, scared of what might come out. Her blue eyes watched as her classmates entered the Great Hall one by one for their exam. Finally, it was her turn and Corrine entered the Great Hall, surprised to see it looking as it did for meals. She'd grown used to seeing it bare for Apparition lessons.

Hearing her destination, Corrine glanced at the professor's table which was very, very far away. So far, she hadn't been able to consistently apparate so she knew she would need a lot of luck with her. It was too bad she didn't have any Felix Felicis handy. But Corrine took a minute to think about all the trips she and Cullen could take if they both passed and hoped that was enough motivation. Taking a slow deep breath, Corrine stared at her destination as she narrowed her eyes to focus on it. She wanted to be there badly, wanted to arrive whole and be over and done with this. Then she gave a little spin and felt that familiar suffocation. She tried to stay as still as she could and then the feeling was gone and she could see she was by the professor's table. The teenager looked down at herself, not seeing anything out of place and then broke into a huge grin. She let out a small squeal and bounced in her spot for a moment before jogging out of the room, full of relief and excitement wanting to see who else had passed.

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose had barely slept last night, and had considered not going to the exam at all. She was sitting far away from Harley and Hayley, and glanced at Corrine for some comfort. The lady from the ministry showed up, and she was as intimidating as ever. Rose cringed at the sight of her icy blue eyes, shrinking back slightly. She sounded very strict, as usual, and Rose wished she didn't scare her so much. It was even worse to know they would only get one shot, and Rose started biting her nails. The woman stepped into the Great Hall, and Rose was left waiting anxiously for her name to be called. A few others went before her, and Rose pointedly looked away when it was Hayley's turn. Then Signy went, and then before long it was her turn.

Rose entered the great hall, pale and shaky. The teacher pointed out a point in the room where Rose had to apparate to, and she started to focus. Rose tried, she really did, but even with her eyes closed she couldn't ignore the gaze of Ms. Finch on her as she waited for Rose to do something she hadn't managed to do yet. Rose clenched her fists and tried to focus more, to concentrate harder, but it was impossible not to be reminded of how important this moment was. That was all she could think of, how she could not fail this. But the thought was pressing into her mind so much that it was impossible to focus on anything else. Eventually, Rose really pushed herself. She focused on the three D's, and tried to block everything out. She felt a strange sensation, and her heart lifted. Had she done it? But when she opened her eyes, she saw that while she had apparated, she had only gone a few feet to the right, nowhere near the point she had been supposed to go to. Not only that, but her bracelets were left in an untidy pile on the floor where she had been standing before. She had done more than she had so far, but she had still failed. Rose's eyes filled with tears, and she quickly grabbed her bracelets before making her way out of the hall.

 

[Tristan Collins]

Tristan had managed to apparate perfectly in the final lesson, so he wasn't too worried about this exam. Any nerves he did feel, he hid well. He waited patiently, and gave the teacher a slight smile as she approached and told them what would happen. He was pleased to hear they would be going in alphabetical order by last name, as that meant he would be one of the first to try. He wasn't surprised they only got one shot, and was eager to prove himself and to become a real wizard. Apparating had an almost mythical quality to him. Being able to just appear somewhere without any means of transportation was true freedom, and true magic. He couldn't wait.

When hs name was called, Tristan strode confidently into the Great Hall. He listened to the instructions the teacher gave. He had to apparate over to a spot near the Slytherin table. He nodded to indicate he understood, then focused on his task He took a deep breath, thinking back to their lessons. Then, he apparated with a pop to the spot he had needed to go. He glanced subtly at his feet to ensure he still had his shoelaces, but was mostly convinced he had passed. He thanked the teacher, then left the hall with a confident smile on his face.

 

[Hayley Elridge]

Hayley had never been more nervous about an exam in her life. Most exams she did okay with, scraped a pass, but she didn't really care and she didn't truly try. Even in a magic school, she hated schoolwork, and as long as she could do the spells, the exams themselves seemed pretty irrelevant to her life and her future. This one was different. This one would determine whether she could do something that would be extremely useful for the rest of her life, and she didn't get another chance. Waiting in the corridor outside, Hayley squeezed Harley's hand, dreaming of apparating to see her girlfriend over the holidays they would have to spend apart.

Hayley hated that her name came so early in the alphabet, but at least she would be able to get it over with. One chance. She'd apparated successfully during the lessons, but not very often, and could she do it under this much pressure? Her mind flashed back to the splinching in their second lesson, and how Odette's mum had died. But she mustn't think about that now, and she absolutely mustn't think about the way that Rose was pointedly ignoring her. Hayley was surprised to walk into the Great hall and find it laid out as normal, rather than empty like it had been for their apparition lessons, but she didn't suppose it made any difference. She knew it was possible to apparate over enormous distances, and therefore obviously past obstacles; presumably the process wouldn't be any different. If it was, surely even this cold and unhelpful teacher would have mentioned it. She told Hayley to apparate to a spot at the head of the Gryffindor table, and Hayley nodded, and concentrated. She could do this. She focused as hard as she could on that spot, staring at it intensely, willing this to work. And after a tense moment, she felt that now-familiar pull, leaned into it, and apparated. She was there, she was on the spot! Hayley looked down at herself, and didn't see anything obviously out of place. She'd done it! She hoped. Ms Finch's face didn't give anything away, but surely she must have passed.

 

[October Alcott]

October always felt a mixture of confidence and nerves before her exams, but today nervous was winning out. Unlike other exams, there was no real way to prepare for Apparition. October liked the ministry woman who had taught them a lot and desperately wanted to impress her, and although she had gotten as much practice out of their lessons as possible, October was terrified that she wouldn't be able to succeed when it mattered most.

Her name falling as early in the alphabet as it did though, meant October barely had any time to dwell on those worries. When she was called into the room she followed the woman, trying to keep her thoughts calm. It was a strange recursive kind of stress, where worrying made her more likely to make a mistake, which made her more worried in turn, and October needed to clamp down on that, fast. She forced herself to calm down, watching Ms. Finch for instructions. When she was given a target October nodded quickly, and closed her eyes, taking a couple of quick breaths to calm her nerves. The butterflies in her stomach eased as she thought of the wings of a stage, the moments before going on, and she was able to relax and focus her mind. This was a performance like any other. Three D-s. When she felt centered October focused her mind, and it took almost no time before she felt the tug at her stomach, letting her worries all go as she followed the sensation. When October opened her eyes she was standing directly on her destination, right behind the Headmistress's chair. Grinning with pride, October was relieved to have succeeded, feeling a huge weight lifted from her shoulders as she left the Great Hall.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley didn't think she had ever actually cared about an exam before in her life. But this exam mattered. This exam meant freedom. Being able to travel where she wanted on her own terms was important to Harley, and she was ready for that to become her reality. She had to resist the urge to groan when the Ministry woman said they would be going by surname - everyone Harley knew would be going before her. She settled in for the long wait, watching her friends enter and exit the room themselves as she waited. She was relieved again that Odette hadn't joined them, though she tried hard not to dwell on thoughts of the Slytherin. If she thought about her mother for too long, that would definitely psych her out, and Harley didn't need that. It was a relief that the guy who had splinched himself went well before Harley, and seemed to come out of the Great Hall in one piece.

The group dwindled and dwindled, and finally, Harley's name was called. She pushed away from the wall she had been leaning against, following the ministry woman into the room. Easy. Nothing to do but focus. Harley tried to tell herself as she listened to the woman give her instructions on where to apparate, nodding as she listened. Focus. That was all. She had been given a corner of the room to apparate into, and Harley focused all her attention on that corner, trying to remember how it had felt when she had succeeded last week. No fear, no worries, just moving. As she talked herself into self-confidence Harley felt the tugging at her stomach, and gave in to the sensation, a small laugh escaping her as she apparated. When Harley looked around, she was pleased to find herself standing in the corner she had targeted, not a hair out of place. Pleased and relieved by her success, Harley was glad to be done with this exam, and ready to spend the holidays going where she wanted, when she wanted.

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

If Vivian thought about how nervous today's exam made him, he knew he would be sick. Though he had had substantially more luck in the final lesson, the scar hiding under his sleeve was a constant reminder that mistakes could have very real consequences when it came to lessons like these. His name came early enough in the alphabet that he would have almost no time to wait, and though he didn't feel prepared for this exam by any measure, Vivian was relieved that at least he didn't have a long time to stew in his own thoughts. Hopefully, he could get in and out before he had even really begun to think about it.

And it wasn't long at all before Vivian was called, steeling himself as he walked into the room. Having no classmates around to distract him was more soothing than he had anticipated, though it came at the price of the examiner's full, undivided attention. Vivian knew she would likely be watching him more closely than the others after his accident, and he knew that if he focused too much on that thought, it would only frighten him more. He listened carefully as she directed him to a point on the far side of the room, directly below a particular candle, and Vivian nodded seriously. One chance. One attempt. He only needed to manage this once, and he would be finished, free to get better in his own time and at his own pace. Although it had been difficult to get going, Vivian knew he had managed the goal plenty of times in their last lesson, and he was determined to manage it once more. Tuning out all other thought, Vivian focused only on the target. All he had to do was get there, and he was going to do it. The tugging at his stomach came sooner than Vivian had anticipated and he chased it, nothing on his mind but the goal of accomplishing this task. Once he stood still again Vivian was scared to open his eyes. Nothing hurt, but what if he was in the wrong place? If he had left a scrap of his clothes or lock of hair behind? He took a slow breath before slowly opening his eyes and looking around, a grin spreading across his face as he saw that he had managed it. The candle was directly above his head, and his clothes were entirely intact. He had done it. Still grinning, Vivian gave Tristan a quick nod as he left the room, delighted that he had succeeded.