Change the Future

HBP 11

APPARITION LESSONS
If you are seventeen years of age, or will turn seventeen on or before the 31st August next, you are eligible for a twelve week course of Apparition Lessons from a Ministry of Magic Apparition instructor. Please sign below if you would like to participate. Cost: 12 Galleons.

Harry and Ron joined the crowd that was jostling around the notice and taking it in turns to write their names at the bottom.
Ron was just taking out his quill to sign after Hermione when Lavender crept up behind him, slipped her hands over his eyes, and trilled,

"Guess who, Won-Won?" Harry turned to see Hermione stalking off, he caught up with her, having no wish to stay behind with Ron and Lavender, but to his surprise, Ron caught up with them only a little way beyond the portrait hole, his ears bright red and his expression disgruntled. Without a word, Hermione sped up to walk with Neville.

"So Apparition," Ron said, his tone making it perfectly plain that Harry was not to mention what had just happened. "Should
be a laugh, eh?"

"I dunno. Maybe it's better when you do it yourself, I didn't enjoy it much when Dumbledore took me along for the ride."

"Nope not better" Rory says making the other laugh.

"I forgot you'd already done it. I'd better pass my test first time," Ron said, looking anxious. "Fred and George did."

"Charlie failed, though, didn't he?"

"Yep" Rory smirks at him.

"Hilarious Nova"

"Love you really Charlie"

"Yeah, but Charlie's bigger than me" Ron held his arms out from his body as though he was a gorilla "so Fred and George didn't go on about it much not to his face anyway."

Charlie hits Ron on the head.

"Charles Weasley do not hit your brother" Molly scolds.

"It was actually because he's our favourite brother well him and Bill" George smirks at Ron.

"When can we take the actual test?"

"Soon as we're seventeen. That's only March for me!"

"Yeah, but you wouldn't be able to Apparate in here, not in the castle"

"Not the point, is it? Everyone would know I could Apparate if I wanted." Ron was not the only one to be excited at the prospect of Apparition. All that day there was much talk about the forthcoming lessons; a great deal of store was set by being able to vanish and reappear at will.

"How cool will it be when we can just " Seamus clicked his fingers to indicate disappearance. "Me cousin Fergus does it just to annoy me, you wait till I can do it back. He'll never have another peaceful moment" Lost in visions of this happy prospect, he flicked his wand a little too enthusiastically, so that instead of producing the fountain of pure water that was the object of today's Charms lesson, he let out a hoselike jet that ricocheted off the ceiling and knocked Professor Flitwick flat on his face.

"Harry's already Apparated," Ron told a slightly abashed Seamus, after Professor Flitwick had dried himself off with a wave of his wand and set Seamus lines: "I am a wizard, not a baboon brandishing a stick." "Dum er someone took him. Side-Along-Apparition, you know."

"Whoa!" whispered Seamus, and he, Dean, and Neville put their heads a little closer to hear what Apparition felt like. For the rest of the day, Harry was besieged with requests from the other sixth years to describe the sensation of Apparition. All of them seemed awed, rather than put off, when he told them how uncomfortable
it was, and he was still answering detailed questions at ten to eight that evening, when he was forced to lie and say that he needed to return a book to the library, so as to escape in time for his lesson with Dumbledore. The lamps in Dumbledore's office were lit, the portraits of previous headmasters were snoring gently in their frames, and the Pensieve was ready upon the desk once more. Dumbledore's hands lay on either side of it, the right one as blackened and burnt-looking as ever. It did not seem to have healed at all. Before Harry could say anything about Snape and
Malfoy, Dumbledore spoke.