Apparition Lesson Two

[Irene Finch]

The stress of the trials were taking their toll on the Ministry official, and it was apparent in the dark circles under her eyes. The blue of her eyes were more icy than usual, her tone snappish on the best of days. Thus far, the men responsible for harming her brother had received their comeuppance but the final trial was just days away and she needed that one to go in the same manner. Irene stood in her Ministry robes waiting for the sixth years to arrive looking far more distracted than she had ever appeared. Today, they'd finally get some practice in. She knew that some students had experience with side-along apparition, but doing it alone was a very different experience. They'd soon find that out for themselves. It was one thing to go along for the ride, and quite another thing to be the person who had to remember the 3 Ds and execute them perfectly.

"Let's go. You don't have all day and neither do I" Irene Finch urged the students forward impatiently as the first student walked tentatively through the open Great Hall doors. She took roll as they entered, shutting the doors from the distraction of younger students who wanted to see what was happening. "You don't need to be on top of each other. Space yourselves out!" she stated, her voice sounding quite irritated that she needed to remind them off this. Irene gave her wand a small flourish and a large wooden hoop appeared in front of each student, falling into place before them.

Looking around at their faces, Irene stared at each student for the briefest of moments, making judgments about their ability to succeed at the task before them. She had been doing this long enough that she was rarely wrong. "Alright. Today, you will make your first attempts at apparating" she declared, her hands on her hips as she walked around. "Before we begin, can someone remind us of the three Ds?" she pointed to a student and nodded her head as they responded.

"Excellent" she stated. "Now that you've all been reminded of the three Ds, it is time to put them into practice. For your safety, one of your school nurses is here" she nodded towards the corner where the nurse was stationed. "If you splinch yourself, please remain in your spot and the nurse or I will come to you. No sense bleeding all over the place" she stated with a small shake of her head, not even thinking about how startling that sentence might seem to a muggleborn. She didn't explain splinching either. Sooner rather than later, she was sure they'd learn if they didn't already know. "Begin. I will be walking around."
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Points will be given to the student who answers the question. RP the lesson. If you'd like your character to splinch themselves, please speak with me first.

 

[Odette Madison]

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

Odette and Margo were dating, they were girlfriends. It had been happening since the end of the first semester, but it was sometimes still hard for Odette to wrap her mind around it all. She also couldn't believe that she now had a home with Maria Madison, who easily was the nicest woman Odette knew. Her other children were starting to feel like siblings to her, though she still wasn't completely sure if this whole thing was permanent. She had turned seventeen not too long ago, which meant Maria would be within her right to kick her out and let her live life as an adult.

She tried not to focus on that, but it was hard not to with the anniversary of her mother's death coming up.A factor that definitely didn't help with this was the fact that they now had apparition lessons. Her mother's death by splinching had always seemed very... abstract, but now that she was learning how to apparate she was very aware of how it could go wrong. Odette was bleary eyed as she entered the great hall for the second apparition lesson, as she had barely slept. The woman teaching them looked about as awake as Odette felt, and she wondered if she was going through something as well. She felt very nervous as she stood and waited for the lesson to begin. The professor urged them into the great hall and told them to space themselves out. Odette's hands started to shake as the wooden hoop appeared on the floor in front of her. They were going to have to practice, to actually do this. She swallowed, barely hearing the teacher's question. Odette glanced nervously at the nurse as she was pointed out, and winced a little at the word 'splinch' once it left the teacher's lips. Her mouth felt dry. Then they had to begin, and Odette tried to pull herself together. But the more she stared at the hoop, the more she knew she just... couldn't do this. There was a rushing sound in her ears, and she barely dared to even try concentrating on apparating. Every time she tried, she imagined what it would look like if she splinched. Eventually, she clenched her hands into fists and stepped away from the hoop. She didn't look at the teacher as she rushed out of the great hall, pushing the doors open and slipping out before anyone could stop her.

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

Learning to apparate was an essential skill, and one Vivian knew he should be excited to acquire. His mum had certainly been excited about the prospect of him learning, and it would be nice to get around without floo powder, there was no denying that. He did quite like the idea of being able to apparate to different places in the holidays, rather than having to go with Mum to Brightstone whenever he wanted to do something. So, as distracted as he usually was in most other classes, Vivian wanted to do his best to focus in this one.

Something he had already done an awful job of in the first lesson. When the woman from the ministry asked them what the three Ds she had taught them were, his mind drew a complete blank. He had checked with Tristan, trying to remember what they had covered, but those words had once again slipped out of his mind entirely. It was a relief when someone else answered, and Vivian made a mental note not to forget again. Destination, Determination, Deliberation. He could remember that. He held the thought in his mind as the practice time began, facing his hoop. Well, that took care of the destination part. Staring into the hoop though, Vivian started to feel a bit silly. What was he supposed to be thinking or doing? How was he supposed to somehow teleport with only the power of his mind? He only felt sillier and sillier as the people around him began to succeed, and he was still just stood there, staring into an empty hoop. What were they doing that he wasn't? Maybe it was a matter of focus? The lesson time was almost over now, a couple of people even having left the room early, and Vivian desperately didn't want to fail where his classmates were succeeding. He collected all of his determination, staring into the hoop. He was going to do this, and he was going to master the skill, and he was going to stand inside that hoop. For the first time, Vivian felt the tugging of an urge pulling him onwards in the base of his stomach and couldn't help a relieved smile as he followed the sensation, letting his magic pull him on to his destination. Maybe next holidays he and Tristan could apparate to each other's houses.

The next thing Vivian felt, though, was pain tearing down from his left shoulder to his elbow. Clapping one hand to his arm in horror, Vivian barely even processed the fact that he was standing inside the hoop as a scream of pain and shock escaped him. Something had gone wrong, and he could feel blood seeping into the sleeve of his robes as he dropped to his knees. The sight of blood had always turned his stomach, and he didn't want to see what had happened, looking away as he tried to catch his breath and not panic.

 

[Tristan Collins]

The Valentine's dance had been fun, if not very eventful. But Signy had been a good date, and Tristan had enjoyed himself. It had bothered him a little to see Vivian with that same Ravenclaw as before, but he had tried not to let it bother him. He was kind of enjoying being single, and hoped to have a few more flirtations before the year was over.

He was excited for apparition today, and arrived bright and early at the great hall. He waited, impatiently tapping his fingers against his leg. As the door opened, Tristan headed inside and found a spot in the hall, finding a spot far away enough from others. The teacher seemed to be in a bad mood, and Tristan hoped that didn't influence the way she would teach them today. He looked down as a wooden hoop appeared in front of him. He looked back up at the teacher and raised his hand at the question. "Destination, Determination, and Deliberation." He said promptly. He had gone over things with Vivian between the two lessons. Then the teacher told them it was time to put it into practice. Tristan had done research about apparition so he knew about splinching, though he was a little annoyed the woman gave no context whatsoever for other students who might not know. He tried not to think about that and instead tried to focus on the hoop in front of him. He took a few calming breaths, going over the three Ds in his head. He was determined, deliberate, and knew his destination. After focusing all his mental energy on this task, he started to feel a strange sensation. He wanted to succeed, and he leaned into it, only focusing harder. Tristan opened his eyes and grinned as he realized he was in the hoop. It had taken him a long time of focusing, but he had done it. He stepped out of it, determined to try again and maybe even show off a little. But as he was gathering his focus again, he heard a scream behind him. Tristan turned, as even subconsciously he realized there was something horribly familiar about the scream. He paled when he saw Vivian kneeling on the floor, the blood making it immediately clear what had happened. In an instant, Tristan forgot all about being careful. He had kept Vivian at a distance, even as a friend. He was sure most people knew they were friends, but not how close they really were, and that was by design. But right in this moment, he forgot to care. Forgetting everyone else, he ran over to him. "Vivian!" He called, kneeling down next to him, though too afraid of hurting him to even try touching him or coming too close. Splinching had seemed horrible in a book, but in real life it was more terrible than Tristan could have imagined.

 

[Corrine Lagos]

Corrine Lagos was in love and that colored her whole world these days. Nothing seemed bad, not even passing Styx in the hall and no one's attitude bothered her much, not even the woman's attitude. Corrine hardly noticed it at all even as she hopped a little to the side to leave some space for herself on either side. Eager to do some practice, Corrine daydreamed as the woman spoke. She dreamt of meeting Cullen for dates and being able to go to the mall whenever she liked and possibly even stealing to muggle areas on occasion. Her parents had always highly discouraged it, but if she had her license, they could hardly stop her. And she'd be seventeen in just a few months. Then she'd be an adult wizard and could do whatever she wanted.

As they were set to the task of apparatus into a wooden hoop, Corrine was abruptly brought back to reality. Had she missed some information where the woman had told them how to accomplish this? Cursing herself for not paying attention, Corrine tried to remember what she had read last night and what her siblings had told her about apparating. They'd mentioned concentration a lot, but it was so hard to focus these days. So, so hard. Still, Corrine tried. Sort of. Discouraged by the end of the lesson, Corrine gave her wooden hoop a little kick and watched it slide a few inches forward. She'd just reached a toe out to pull it back when she heard a scream. It made her jump and she looked to the side, spotting Vivian on the floor, blood darkening his robes. Corrine's hand lifted to her mouth, horrified.

 

[October Alcott]

October had been looking forward to their second apparition lesson ever since the first one, and in her eagerness, she was one of the first people into the Great Hall for the day's lesson. She was looking forward to getting the chance to actually try apparating for herself, and see how well she did at it, and had tied her hair in a tight bun and made sure not to bring any extra items that could give her trouble. The teacher seemed to be in a bad mood today, and October made a mental note to do her best and not cause a problem. She wanted to impress the woman, and hoped more than ever that she would be successful. She was frustrated when Tristan was chosen to answer the question, but tried to shake it off, focusing on what she needed to do.

When the time came to practice, October stared into the center of her hoop, keeping the three Ds in her mind. This seemed relatively simple. Her destination was clear, October was certainly determined to get there, and deliberation was one of the things she was best at. Keeping her objective in mind, it took very little time before October felt a yanking sensation she recognised from side-along apparating with Dad. Leaning in to the feeling, October was delighted when a moment later she was stood perfectly in the center of her hoop. Turning back to where she had stood before, October tried to apparate back there, and her grin widened when she was able to accomplish the task easily. Not wanting to leave yet, October popped back and forth for the rest of the lesson, getting in as much practice as she could. The class time was almost over when October's practice was abruptly interrupted by a loud scream from the other end of the room. Looking over in horror, October saw Tristan already running to Vivian who knelt crumpled on the ground. The blood in his robes made it clear what had gone wrong and October's heart skipped a beat, panicking as her mind flooded with fears. She had never seen anyone splinch before, and had no idea how terrible it was. A large part of her instinctively wanted to run to the boy, to see what she could do to help, but her sensible side held her back, knew that was no help. There was a ministry official here, and a nurse, and it was their jobs to know what to do. The best thing she could do was stay back, not crowd the situation.

 

[Jerara Tapsell]

Jerara had enjoyed the valentines celebration as he always did, it was just something light and fun before they got into the bulk of what they would be doing in the semester. It was something to lull them in and Jerara did always appreciate it as he tended to appreciate any break in the work he had to do. Though there was a lot of work for him, this semester he did once more have one fewer classes and that workload was far more manageable, it felt bad that he wasn’t doing the class that his head of house was teaching, but Jerara had been stuck doing that class for longer than was at all necessary for him to. The ravenclaw was getting himself ready for class, doing the last few bits and pieces of a homework assignment that he had. It was a lot of homework. He packed it into his bag and then began putting the books in too. He got everything he would need for the day and put all of that in. he was getting himself ready for the day and then once he had everything, Jerara headed to class, he was pretty eager to get started on this week. He would feel relaxed and ready for the whole week. ​

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Jerara was very eager for the next lesson of apparition, he knew that there were fewer of these classes, so that had to mean that they would not only learn quicker but that in this lesson, they were near guaranteed to end up apparating, which the ravenclaw was definitely keen for. He walked into the great hall and looked to the front of the room where the teacher was beginning her lesson. He was glad that it seemed that she was wasting no time, Jerara could really appreciate that. He spaced himself out from the rest of them when he was supposed to and looked towards the front of the hall as the professor then asked if anyone could remember them, Jerara did but he was too eager to actually get started on it, that he didn’t want to say anything. He just wanted to get to apparating. They were thankfully allowed to get started and the boy stared at the hoop that was in front of him. Where he was aiming to stand in the middle off. He remembered the three D’s that the professor had just gone over. He needed to keep focused, he couldn’t lose his concentration at this point in time, he just couldn’t that would be ridiculous. The boy focused and focused and he suddenly felt what he needed to and he leaned into the feeling, and with a crack he was suddenly in the middle of the hoop, it seemed that a few others had managed it too, and he watched as others finally did it. It was interesting to watch, cool and he was just in awe of himself, having also finally managed to do it. The teen was disappointed when that brought about the end of the lesson and they weren’t able to try again. But at the very least he’d managed it once. That was good. He’d only get better at it surely.​

 

[Signy Forstrom]

Signy always thoroughly enjoyed the valentines day celebrations, not just because of what she did with the rose giving but in general too. She liked a lot of the holidays but the free expression of love that people showed during that time was something that Signy liked a lot. She didn’t always have someone to feel that way about in the romantic sense - though her feelings for xavier lingered - but she felt it in her friendships, in all of the other relationships that she had with various people. The teen was pretty happy whenever she could take part in such things because of how loving the whole celebration was. The teen was therefore riding the high of that as she got herself ready for the day. The lingering waves of emotions that she felt towards people. It was nice, certainly it was nice. The teen began getting herself ready for the day, moving around the room with skips and laughs, some lightl music playing in the background. She was getting herself dressed and putting on a light bit of make up. Putting her hair up and out of her face and getting all of her books together for the day of classes. She was efficient at getting ready in the morning, but she didn’t need to rush, everything was just happening nice and slowly. Signy turned off the music when she was ready and headed out the door.​

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Signy headed into the great hall with the other people from her year. It was an interesting class that they were all taking together and it was quite necessary. The teen stood apart from the rest of the class keen to just get to trying what she needed to and hopefully manage it. From what she had learned about how they taught it, there weren’t too many opportunities for them to practice and get it right before the exam. So it was pretty necessary for her to get it right within a short space of time. The teen looked up at the teacher as the woman got started, wasting no time in introducing them to the class and getting them started. She had raised her hand to answer the question bbut had not actually been picked. They were given a little reminder and then they were allowed to try. Signy focused on the hoop in front of her. Smiling at it, in almost a way to try to get it a little on her side before she began focusing and trying to apparate. The girl worked hard, she didn’t pay attention to the others around her who were having quicker success that she was, instead she just focused on herself and near the lesson’s end she felt the tug and leaned in. With that the girl felt the pull of the apparition and with a snap was suddenly where she needed to be. The lesson was dismissed and having just managed it, the teen headed out of the hall.​

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose had loved Valentine's day, it had been amazing. Getting to organize the rose delivery event had been amazing, and she had loved delivering the many roses as well. It had gone smoothly, which she was very grateful for. It was sad that Lizzie was graduating soon, as they made a good team. The dance had been great as well, though Rose wasn't sure how she felt about Kauri just yet. The pink rose had been flattering, and the dance had been fun. But did she really like him that way? She wasn't sure yet.

Rose tried to put it off her mind as she had to focus on lessons, of which apparition was something pretty special and new. And also a little scary. Rose chatted quietly with her friends until the lesson began, then the Ministry lady ushered them into the great hall, then took roll. Rose was glad when the doors closed, as she was sure her younger sisters would love to peek in and see how she was doing. Rose quickly found a spot far from everyone else, a little intimidated by the woman and her strictness. She was nervous about today already, and it didn't help that their teacher didn't seem to be in a good mood. A Hufflepuff reminded them of the three Ds after the woman asked, and Rose was glad. She wasn't sure if she would have remembered otherwise. She felt a little nervous when the lady talked about splinching and reminded them that there was a school nurse present. Rose had heard about splinching before, but it had always been a pretty abstract thing. She grew more anxious as it became clear they had to start trying right away. Rose tried her best to focus and think of the three Ds but she really wasn't sure what to do. Couldn't the teacher have said a bit more? She glanced around and noticed not everyone was succeeding, but some people were. Rose tried to catch Corrine's eye, but then gasped as someone screamed. She turned and her eyes widened as she saw Vivian Brackenstall kneeling on the floor, clearly bleeding. Rose stared in horror, her eyes wide. She had never seen anything like this before, and the blood drained from her face at the sight of it.

 

[Irene Finch]

Irene busied herself walking around, offering tips to the students as she did. It was good to keep herself and her mind occupied. When she didn't, her thoughts drifted to the upcoming trial where she would be expected to be fair to a man who had destroyed her brother's life. It angered her immensely. Taking another slow breath, she continued very pleased to see some of the students beginning to succeed. Hearing the door, Irene turned, watching it shut and then looking around to spot an empty space. She vanished the hoop, moving on unsure of who had chosen to leave.

As she was ready to clap and bring an end to the lesson, Irene heard a scream. Her stomach dropped as she moved quickly towards its source, hoping the nurse was doing the same. A scream of that nature could only mean one thing. Someone had splinched themselves. The woman summoned some towels, moving to aid the nurse. "Give us space. Give us space" she urged the sixth years who hadn't already left.

If a school nurse wants to join, that would be grand!

 

[Josephine Arora]

Josephine had been alert as she watched the lesson from the side of the great hall. She knew apparition was something very risky, and she wanted to be ready if anything happened. She had prepared in case something did happen, but still hoped all of these students would remain safely in one piece. She tried to pay attention to the students that looked particularly nervous, or like they hadn't paid much attention. One girl left, which was a little surprising, but at least it was one less risk factor. But when the scream came, it still came from an unexpected source. Josephine acted immediately, armed with several vials and her wand, she ran over to the student who had splinched himself. She was grateful that Irene Finch kept the other students at bay, and immediately got to work. "You will be okay." She said quickly, trying to reassure him after she took in the severity of the splinching. She vanished the boy's sleeve to expose the wound, then applied dittany immediately. Green smoke billowed up from where she had applied it, and the bleeding stopped. The dittany had helped the wound heal considerably, and after a few moments it already looked a few days old. But Josephine still wanted to look at it properly and apply several potions that would help diminish scarring and possible other effects. She looked at Ms. Finch. "He'll be alright, but I'm taking him to the hospital wing to do everything I can to make this heal as cleanly as possible." She said, then started to carefully help the boy up. It was a good thing it was the end of the lesson, as that meant there were no other students she had to watch out for.

 

[Vivian Brackenstall]

It was hard for Vivian to think about anything but the pain thumping through him, his heartbeat racing. He didn't think he had ever been injured this badly in his life, and he didn't know what to do with himself. He had to force himself to let go of his arm when the nurse started lookin at it, reaching out in distress. Tristan was close by and Vivian's mind was a haze of adrenaline and fear and pain, and he couldn't think about anything but needing comfort. He reached out and grabbed Tristan's robes with his bloody hand, pulling the other boy closer and burying his face in Tristan's shoulder, weak sobs escaping him as the nurse saw to his wound. The dittany stung, and the sensation of his skin healing itself was a strange one, but as the wound healed the pain lessened, and Vivian's mind began to clear a little. He still clung to Tristan as the nurse helped him up, his sobs mercifully abating as they made their way to the hospital wing.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley didn't think she had ever been this prepared for any class in her entire life. She had actually remembered everything the ministry woman said last week, and she was more than ready to put it into practice this week. She crowded into the Great Hall with the rest of the class, shooting Rose and Hayley excited grins. This was gonna be great. When they were told to spread out she found herself a good space, eager and ready to begin. The only thing that broke Harley's focus was Odette. She tried to have as little to do with her ex girlfriend as possible, but knowing what she had been through last year, it boggled Harley's mind to think that Odette was here. She kept glancing at the other girl, anxious about her reactions, and had to admit it was some relief when Odette left the room. Harley knew it was probably for the better in the long run, but still hoped she was doing okay.

Once the time came to start practicing, Harley closed her eyes, trying to focus her mind. It was really difficult when she was this excited but she gave it her best shot, staring deeply into the center of the hoop and trying to envision herself there. It was all magic, right? After a few minutes of trying to no avail, Harley started to get frustrated, her mind wandering. She looked around, only getting more annoyed as she saw a couple of people already succeeding. She had never really wanted to be good at something in school before, and it was annoying to struggle the one time she really wanted to do well. Trying to draw on the focus she felt while drawing, Harley returned her attention to the center of the hoop. Taking a few slow breaths to calm her thoughts, Harley's heart skipped a beat as she felt a familiar tug at her stomach. This was it! Chasing the feeling with delight, Harley felt a feeling familiar from side-along apparating with her parents, and when she opened her eyes, she was standing directly in the middle of the hoop! She had done it! Grinning brightly, Harley turned around and tried to get back to the spot she had been in before. The first attempt had taken her more than half of the lesson, but the second went quicker, and Harley managed it with a bit of time left on the lesson. She had turned around to make a third attempt when she heard a scream from the back of the room. Turning around quickly, Harley's eyes widened in horror as she saw the blood soaking Vivian's sleeve. A dozen emotions flooded her at once - horror, worry, relief that Odette had already left. She knew apparating could be dangerous, but seeing it in front of her eyes threw that into harsh clarity. Harley hung back to give the nurse space, watching as she and the teacher treated Vivian, and he was escorted out to the hospital wing. Her excitement thoroughly dampened, Harley stayed close to Hayley and Rose as she left the room, uncharacteristically somber.

 

[Hayley Elridge]

It was an unfamiliar feeling for Hayley to actually be excited for a lesson. This one, though, this would be a new experience and a new opportunity for independence. Hayley would be turning seventeen soon, an adult, and the thought sent a thrill of eagerness and fear through her. She chatted with her friends as they waited for the lesson to begin, and she didn't miss the way Harley's gaze kept shooting to Odette. Honestly, though she would never admit it, Hayley was worried for her too. She didn't think she would ever like Odette, but she wouldn't wish ill on her these days, especially considering what she'd already been through. Hayley could hardly even imagine what it would be like to lose your mother, let alone in such a horrifying way. She felt Harley relax as Odette left, feeling about the same herself. Well, at least worrying about Odette kept her distracted from worrying about how Harley felt about her.

Hayley was incredulous at how little instruction their teacher gave them. That was it? There was no incantation or wand gesture or anything? Just focus? This was unlike any magic Hayley had tried before, and the possibility of splinching, which she'd only heard about in the context of Odette's mum, really didn't help. Still, she tried her best to focus on the wooden ring in front of her. Destination. Right, yes, that was her destination. Determination. Well, Hayley really wanted to do this . . . but she'd never apparated before, hardly even seen anyone else doing it. She didn't know what she was supposed to do. But she knew what being determined felt like, and she was certainly determined to do this. Deliberation she wasn't even sure what that even meant in this context. Move with deliberation. Move deliberately. Wasn't every movement deliberately? Hayley shook her head, trying to clear her mind of these useless thoughts, and the distracting popping sounds of other people starting to apparate around her. Focus. She could do this. And then, quite suddenly, she felt a bizarre tugging sensation deep in her stomach. She focused on that instead, hoping she was doing it right, hoping this was what it was supposed to feel like and not the precursor to splinching. Before she had time to think any more, she was in the wooden circle. Hayley grinned, catching Harley's eye. She tried again, going out of the circle and back to where she'd been standing. Then she heard an awful scream. Hayley looked around, alarmed, for the source of the sound. One of the Hufflepuff boys - what was his name? Vivian - with blood soaking his arm. Well, that was terrifying. Shaken, Hayley was relieved the lesson ended soon after.