Chapter 406: Apparition
Chapter 406: Apparition
Upon mentioning Mabel, Rita Skeeter paused for a moment.
When they parted ways in the dungeon, she never imagined that it would be their final encounter.
While trapped on the island, Rita spent her days thinking about how to escape; but after returning to a peaceful environment, she often reminisced about that place in her midnight dreams.
It wasn't that she had any particular attachment to the prison... It was just that, at that time, she was surrounded by pure and kind-hearted souls. Despite their tragic fates, the children were honest and selflessly helped each other, even risking their lives to protect her, a stranger.
That feeling was truly wonderful.
It was a stark contrast to the current environment filled with arrogance, jealousy, greed, and hypocrisy.
After a moment of silence, Rita sighed and said, "No, not at all."
"The Ministry of Magic... Oh, the Ministry doesn't care about follow-ups. Fudge is only concerned with the Quidditch World Cup arena, where they've deployed nearly five hundred people for construction. They're completely short-staffed for anything else, and even the personnel left on the island have been reassigned."
Rita lowered her voice further, perhaps because she was speaking ill of the Minister of Magic.
"Dumbledore is furious, and Fudge is afraid of offending him, so he's sent a few Aurors to handle the matter."
"He wouldn't dare let Dumbledore investigate on his own, so he came up with a rotten idea—Fudge had the Wizengamot re-examine all the cases from ten years ago to stall Dumbledore."
"You know, because of the Sirius Black incident, Fudge's reason this time is very legitimate, and Dumbledore can't refuse."
"Rita—"
In the communication earpiece, there was someone's anxious shout, followed by loud complaints about newspaper layout.
"Coming!"
Rita Skeeter shouted back, then hurriedly added, "I have to go, Vold. But there's one more thing I think you should know—"
"I heard that to capture the Silent One, the Ministry of Magic will dispatch a special force. Fudge has given them the order to kill the Silent One and its host directly, without interrogation or reporting. If anyone tries to stop them, they will also be considered obstructing justice!"
"You must take care of yourself. In case... I mean, in case... you get in touch with Mabel, ask her to leave Britain quickly."
Without waiting for Vold's response, Rita ended the communication hastily. She stuffed the pea into her small bag, ran her fingers through her hair, waved her wand to remove the dust and cobwebs from her clothes and hair, and walked out of the janitor's closet with her head held high.
"Rita—my dear—"
A plump, bald editor immediately approached her with a relieved expression, saying, "Come and take a look at this article—"
...
Vold put away the communication pea and sighed.
For some reason, Rita seemed to think that Mabel might come looking for him. However, in reality, he had only spent a short time with that girl.
Although Vold felt sympathy for the children and developed a liking for them after hearing about Rita's experiences on the island, objectively speaking, he didn't think Mabel would trust him very much.
He had almost no power to interfere with the girl's life and death and her subsequent fate; he could only wait for the moment when fate would be decided.
The other students couldn't understand Vold's heavy heart. They happily discussed their vacation plans, looking forward to the upcoming Christmas, and the classroom atmosphere became increasingly restless.
On the third day before the holiday, Vold finally received Dumbledore's message. He patiently endured the afternoon classes, then returned to the flow for three hours before heading to the Headmaster's office.
...
The owl fluttered out of the window, and Dumbledore watched as the reliable messenger took away the letters he had sent to someone. He returned to his desk, dipped his quill, and wrote a message for Vold in his friend's account book.
Two seconds later, he heard a knock on his office door.
The unlocked oak door was pushed open, and standing outside was Vold Grey.
"You've arrived so quickly, Vold. I'm surprised," Dumbledore smiled and added, "Of course, you couldn't possibly be late.
Vold also noticed that Dumbledore's desk was piled high with documents and clutter, realizing he had been a bit hasty.
"It seems I've come a bit early, Professor," Vold said.
"Well... I have two more documents to process. Perhaps you could read for a while?" Dumbledore suggested.
"Of course, Professor," Vold replied.
Dumbledore waved his wand, and a cushioned armchair appeared, along with a small table bearing steaming hot tea and snacks.
—Magic cannot create food, but it can transport food from the kitchen to the Headmaster's desk.
Seven or eight books flew out from the bookshelf, landing in front of Vold, who casually picked one up and flipped through it, momentarily stunned.
It was a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
He flipped through a couple of pages and landed on The Tale of the Three Brothers.
—Perhaps it wasn't a coincidence that he stumbled upon this story, but because the previous owner of this office had read this tale so often, leaving subtle traces, like bookmarks hidden between the pages, that led Vold to find it so quickly.
Although Vold had read this book before, at this moment, he carefully read it again—
Three wizard brothers encountered a swift river on their journey and created a bridge to cross it. But the unappeased Death appeared and offered each brother a gift—
The eldest received the most powerful Elder Wand, the second gained the Resurrection Stone to bring the dead back to life, and the youngest obtained the Invisibility Cloak to evade Death.
However, the Elder Wand was an unscrupulous fellow. When its owner failed, it would immediately find a new master;
The Resurrection Stone could only awaken unfortunate souls but couldn't truly bring them back to life, causing endless torment to both the user and the resurrected souls. This was not a gift but a curse.
As for the so-called perfect Invisibility Cloak, its function was quite limited. It claimed to evade Death, yet even Moody's magical eye could see through it. Its advantages were that it didn't wear out, wasn't affected by spells, and its invisibility effect could last indefinitely.
After reading this story for the first time, Vold felt that the stingy "Death" was probably a powerful alchemist, and the so-called Hallows were just his creations.
But after studying magic for so long, Vold also realized that things wouldn't be that simple—The method to create an Invisibility Cloak was straightforward, but making it last was incredibly challenging.
Moreover, unlike ordinary alchemical works, Vold couldn't see through the alchemy on Harry's Invisibility Cloak.
Unconsciously, Vold rubbed the pages, thinking to himself—If it were me, how could I create a similar alchemical item?
Countless spells and incantations swirled in his mind, and he became so absorbed that when he came back to his senses, he realized Dumbledore had finished his work and was quietly waiting for him.
Vold saw the headmaster's silver-white beard glistening in the light, his slender fingers touching each other, his chin resting on his fingertips, and he was gazing out the window in deep thought.
Vold glanced out and noticed the sky outside was a dazzling albumen color, a clear blue, with the distant Forbidden Forest and grass covered in frost.
Vold: "Professor?"
"Hmm." Dumbledore turned his gaze towards him and asked, "Are you interested in the story of the three brothers and Death?"
Vold replied, "I was just thinking, if the wand, Resurrection Stone, and Invisibility Cloak in the story were alchemical creations, how could they be made?"
Upon hearing this, Dumbledore smiled and said, "Don't be superstitious, Vold. Stories of the past are not worth pursuing. Believe in your own power."
"I understand, Professor," Vold answered.
"Let's go," Dumbledore stood up and extended his hand towards Vold, saying, "Let's change locations and learn about Apparition."
Vold stepped forward and grasped Dumbledore's arm. The Phoenix Fox flew over and landed on Dumbledore's shoulder.
The next moment, with a clear cry, the Headmaster's office flashed with fire, and both of them disappeared from the room.
...
With a "bang," Vold and Dumbledore appeared in a grove, surrounded by tall trees forming an arched dome, completely covering the area.
Vold was surprised to find that he was familiar with this place. Previously, Sirius and Lupin had prepared it for Vold to undergo his Animagus transformation.
"This place is just right," Dumbledore said. "It's free from the Anti-Apparition Jinx, and there are no wizards or Muggles to disturb us, allowing us to practice without worry."
He waved his wand, causing the bare branches to extend and seal the gaps more tightly.
The dry leaves on the ground danced and gathered into piles, then with a "whoosh," they ignited, and Vold immediately felt the warmth.
So, Vold also waved his wand, and blue fireballs fell around, burning silently, dispelling the winter chill.
Now, they stood as if surrounded by a circle of flames.
6◇9◇Book◇Bar
Even with a simple Incendio spell, Vold's solid foundation in spellcasting was evident, and Dumbledore's eyes shone with approval.
"Apparition is an advanced spell that is typically taught to students in their sixth year and above."
Dumbledore smiled. "But I noticed you've been reading up on it quite early. I assume you have a good grasp of Apparition already?"
"Yes," Vold confidently pulled out a scroll from his bag. "I just finished a paper on Apparition."
Dumbledore's eyebrows raised in surprise as he took the scroll, skimmed through it briefly, and then rolled it up.
"I must say, this paper is of a quality that could be published in the Daily Spell magazine."
Dumbledore sighed, "I'm not sure what more I can teach you... Let's start from the beginning. Watch me demonstrate..."
Dumbledore seemed to flicker slightly, and his body vanished from its original spot, reappearing with a 'crack' a few meters away.
"Did you see that? Apparition doesn't require complex spells or intricate movements. The most crucial factor is the clarity of your thoughts and the intensity of your desire to reach your destination."
"What are the three D's of Apparition, Vold?" Dumbledore asked suddenly.
Vold, unperturbed, promptly replied, "Determination and Composure."
"Well done."
A spark shot from the tip of Dumbledore's wand, hitting the ground and creating a black circle.
"Focus your attention on this circle, desire with all your heart to reach that spot, without fear or tension. Surrender yourself to the magic with composure, and then rotate."
Without hesitation, Vold studied the circle, memorizing its appearance. He lifted his hand, rotated in place—
"Bang!"
He heard a firecracker-like sound and thought he had succeeded, but when he opened his eyes, his body was still in its original position, with only a corner of his robe three meters away.
"Take it slow, Vold," Dumbledore said. "It's always challenging at the beginning."
"Bang!"
Vold tried again, and this time, he managed to move over a meter away, but his left foot temporarily separated from his body.
"Disembodied," Dumbledore said calmly. "Your focus wasn't concentrated enough. The target should fill your mind entirely."
With a wave of his wand, a loud bang sounded, and purple smoke exploded around them, reuniting Vold's left foot with his body without causing any pain.
Vold took a deep breath, and a hint of golden light flickered in his eyes.
He glanced at the circle, his target, and then... rotated!
"Crack!"
Another disembodiment occurred, but this time, he only lost a few strands of hair, which he didn't bother to restore.
"Crack!"
Vold stumbled at the start, distracted, and didn't move at all, tripping over his own feet.
"Crack!"
Finally, he Apparated to a relatively distant spot... but too far, as he stepped into a fire pit.
Fortunately, extinguishing fires was a basic skill for wizards.
"Crack!"
Vold stepped on the edge of the circle, searched around for a moment, and then realized he was standing right above his target.
A look of surprise crossed his face as he glanced back at his original position, unable to believe he had succeeded so quickly—in the original story, Harry Potter had practiced for months to master this spell.
Vold hesitated, glancing at Dumbledore, before stepping out of the circle and returning to his original spot to try again!
"Crack!"
This time, he stood right in the center of the circle.
"Crack! Crack! Crack..."
A monotonous round of applause sounded nearby, and Vold looked up to see Dumbledore smiling and nodding.
"Yes, you've got it, Vold," the headmaster said, looking relieved. "I thought you'd need at least two or three classes, but you've surpassed my expectations."
Vold smiled shyly. "I'll practice a bit more, Professor."
The young wizard's figure flickered once more in the field.
Vold didn't wait to Apparate every time he was fully prepared. He wanted his Apparition to be as fast as instinct, so he didn't always wait for the perfect moment.
Disembodiment still occurred occasionally, and Dumbledore taught Vold how to quickly heal his body.
As he watched Vold practice, the duration of his Apparition spells shortened, and the instances of disembodiment decreased.
By Ministry standards, Vold had already mastered Apparition and could pass the exam to receive a certificate, but Vold himself seemed unsatisfied.
He continued to practice diligently.
Dumbledore watched his figure flicker, feeling both relieved and sighing inwardly.
(End of Chapter)
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