Chapter 339: Apparition
Chapter 339: Apparition
Fred wasn't wrong; they really couldn't change their plans.
Early the next morning, the Weasley family set off to visit Bill as planned.
The once bustling home suddenly became quiet, and Kyle found himself struggling to adjust to the sudden silence. To keep himself occupied, he decided to look for Chris.
"Do you want to learn how to Apparate?" Kyle asked.
"Yes," Kyle nodded. "Is that possible?"
"May I ask why?" Chris asked, puzzled. "You won't have any use for it right now... It's not allowed at Hogwarts, and you won't need it at home either. The Ministry of Magic has stipulated that only wizards over the age of seventeen are permitted to learn Apparition. If you're discovered, you could get into trouble."
Learning to Apparate was a dangerous process; one wrong move could leave you with a missing limb or even your head still at the starting point. Witnessing your body parts appearing elsewhere was not a pleasant experience, and it was an even greater challenge to a wizard's psychological endurance.
History had its fair share of young wizards who, upon seeing their headless bodies during Apparition training, had completely broken down and become incoherent. And these were not isolated incidents.
To prevent such occurrences from happening frequently, a strict rule was implemented prohibiting wizards under the age of seventeen from learning Apparition.
However, at Hogwarts, students were allowed to learn it in their sixth year, presumably to accommodate older students.
The Ministry of Magic turned a blind eye to this, as there wasn't much difference between the ages of sixteen and seventeen, and with a professor supervising, no accidents were likely to occur.
But Kyle was only fourteen, or strictly speaking, even thirteen, so he was definitely not eligible to learn it.
"It's fine," Kyle said as he held out his hand, displaying the ring on his finger. "If anyone finds out, I can just say it's the effect of a magical artifact."
Diana had returned the ring to him two weeks ago, and the number of times he could Apparate had been reset to three.
"In that case... alright," Chris hesitated for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.
Over the years, Kyle had proven to be trustworthy, so Chris rarely opposed his requests, even if they seemed a bit excessive.
Of course, if the request was extremely unreasonable, like wanting to learn the Killing Curse, then it would be a firm no.
However, Apparition was more of a test of one's mental fortitude, and Chris had faith in Kyle's ability to handle it.
With the decision made, Chris didn't hesitate any further. That afternoon, he applied for a week of paid leave from the Ministry, citing his trip to Romania as the reason. Then, he took Kyle to a clearing in the mountains to the north.
It was a secluded area rarely visited by others, and they wouldn't be seen by the villagers below, making it an ideal spot for practicing Apparition.
A few owls flew over and perched on the surrounding trees.
"There are two things you must remember before you begin learning," Chris said seriously. "First, when Apparating, you must have a clear and detailed memory of the location you intend to reach. This will help prevent you from appearing in mid-air or getting stuck inside a tree."
"Secondly, unless you can master Apparition to the point where it becomes as effortless as eating or drinking, do not use this ability in combat... Your enemies won't help you reattach your head if it gets separated. If necessary, you can use the ring; it won't put you at risk of splitting your body."
"I've already explained how to set your target, so let's move on to the most important part. Firmly resolve to move to your desired location, letting that intention permeate your entire being.
If any hesitation or self-doubt creeps into your mind during this process, the spell will be disrupted, possibly resulting in parts of your body being left behind.
Lastly, maintain a stable mindset and approach this with calmness. If you feel tense, try spinning in a circle to relax your body."
Chris explained everything meticulously, only agreeing to let Kyle attempt it after demonstrating the process three times himself.
He casually tossed a stone into the distance.
"There's your target. Remember what I told you..."
Kyle drew out his wand, took a deep breath, and gradually, his eyes fixed solely on the stone...
Perhaps it was due to his prior experience with Phoenix travel, but Kyle naturally slipped into that familiar state, akin to being tossed into a tumble dryer.
"Crack!"
Accompanied by a dizzying sensation and a loud bang, he successfully appeared five meters away.
Kyle quickly inspected his body.
Excellent, all his limbs were intact, and his head was still attached to his body...
"There are some minor flaws, but for a first attempt, you did remarkably well."
Chris walked over to where Kyle had been standing moments ago and picked up a few strands of hair from the ground.
"I suspect you lost focus at the moment of compression. That's often the trickiest part to overcome."
"Try again," Chris said, tossing another stone. "If you want to master Apparition, you must learn to adapt to and ignore the compressing sensation that comes with shifting through space."
Kyle's expression turned serious.
Now, in addition to his desire to learn Apparition, he had another compelling reason to take this seriously—to keep his hair intact.
In cases of regular bodily separation, the magical residue of the Apparition spell would linger at the wound, connecting the separated parts. As long as they were reconnected promptly, there wouldn't be any issues.
However, with hair, it was challenging to determine where the separation occurred, and every strand lost was a permanent loss.
During his second attempt at Apparition, Kyle again lost focus, and this time, the consequences were more severe—he left half a finger behind.
Though it was painless, the sensation was certainly unnerving.
Chris quickly reconnected the digit and applied some balsam to the affected area to accelerate healing.
"You seem even tenser than before..." Chris remarked.
"It's nothing," Kyle replied with an awkward laugh, not wanting to admit that he was worried about going bald. He quickly changed the subject. "Let's try again..."
The rest of the afternoon was spent in continuous practice.
On his seventh or eighth attempt, Kyle finally succeeded in familiarizing himself with the sensation and didn't leave anything behind.
Chris was astonished. Back when he and Diana were in school, it had taken them five or six lessons and dozens of attempts to adjust to the effects of Apparition.
He had assumed Kyle would have a similar experience, so this outcome was impressive.
However, Kyle didn't feel it was a big deal.
To be honest, after experiencing the rough and tumble of Phoenix travel, adapting to the relatively milder effects of Apparition was a breeze.
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
