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Chapter 668: Assistance from the Ministry
Chapter 668: Assistance from the Ministry
The most noticeable change at Hogwarts in recent days was the increased difficulty of their academic subjects. The professors seemed eager to impart as much knowledge as possible to the students.
At the same time, they were also trying their best to alleviate the fear surrounding Voldemort, and the upcoming Quidditch match was an excellent way to do that.
During the game, everyone's attention would be focused on the pitch, and they would cheer and shout with every goal scored. It was a great way to lift the gloomy atmosphere.
As the match drew nearer, the castle's mood gradually lightened.
"So, are you feeling confident? If we win the Quidditch Cup again this year, it will be an unprecedented five-year streak."
During Herbology class that day, Professor Sprout approached Kyle and said excitedly,
"All the other houses have had their turns at a five-year streak, except for Hufflepuff. It's been almost two centuries since we've achieved something so remarkable. This year, we have the best chance."
To be honest, Professor Sprout was exaggerating a bit. It wasn't likely that the professors only talked about Quidditch when they gathered, and among them, only Professor McGonagall was a die-hard fan of the sport. The other professors didn't have a particularly strong interest in it.
However, Kyle could tell that the reason she was saying this in front of the whole class was to express her enthusiasm for the upcoming match. This would divert more people's attention to the game and away from the mysteries surrounding the escaped Death Eaters.
"Of course, Professor," Kyle replied cooperatively. "We have no intention of giving up the Quidditch Cup."
Two distinct sounds immediately filled the air.
The Hufflepuffs naturally cheered and encouraged their team, but the Ravenclaws, who were also present in the class, booed loudly as they were Hufflepuff's opponents.
The Ravenclaws did not believe they would lose.
For a moment, the small greenhouse was filled with tension.
Fortunately, this situation didn't last long. Professor Sprout timely introduced the plant they would be studying that day, successfully diverting the attention of the two groups.
"Bubotuber pus," she said, "is a plant with a wide range of applications. Its pods and leaves are essential ingredients in many potions..."
"...and snacks," Kyle muttered.
Fox loved to eat these as snacks. When Harry was learning the Legilimency, Fox had somehow gotten hold of some and was munching on them like popcorn while sitting in a tree.
In this class, they needed to learn how to build supports for the Bubotuber vines and how to make them produce pods.
Despite the heavy snowfall outside, the greenhouse was warm and cozy. Professor Sprout had placed several special torches around the perimeter, maintaining the temperature that the Bubotuber pods loved.
Kyle was the first to finish the task and was rewarded with a small bag of pods, just enough to treat Fox.
The next day was the weekend, and the snow on the ground was almost a foot thick. While some students chose to stay in the warm common rooms to chat or play games, the sixth-year students had to don thick robes and head out for their first Apparition class.
This unique class, exclusively for sixth-years, was originally supposed to be held outdoors, but due to the heavy snowfall, it had to be moved indoors to the Great Hall. Scheduling it for Saturday morning ensured that it wouldn't interfere with their regular classes.
When Kyle and Connor arrived at the Great Hall, they found that all the tables and chairs had been removed, and the hall seemed much larger than they remembered.
Four professors, including Professor McGonagall, were already waiting for them, along with two wizards from the Ministry of Magic.
As the students gathered in front of them, their gazes inevitably landed on the slender wizard standing in the middle.
His pallor was strikingly pale, his eyelashes nearly transparent, and his hair was fine and delicate, giving him an unreal appearance as if a gust of wind could blow him away.
Kyle guessed that this must be their Apparition instructor. His frail physique seemed perfectly suited for disappearing without a trace, and Kyle even suspected that his Apparition might not make a sound.
As for the other wizard, it was an old acquaintance—Nymphadora Tonks, though today she had changed her hair to the more common black, and Kyle almost didn't recognize her.
"Hello, everyone," said the small wizard from the Ministry after all the students had assembled. "I am Wilkie Twycross, and for the next twelve weeks, I will be your Apparition instructor. I hope to help you pass your upcoming exams successfully."
"I'm Nymphadora Tonks," Tonks introduced herself as well. "I'll be teaching you Disguise lessons. Although this subject isn't part of your exams, it's crucial. It will enable you to conceal your identities in crowds and evade tracking or capture by certain wizards."
Disguise lessons?
The quiet Great Hall buzzed with surprised whispers. They had only received notification about the Apparition class, not about an additional Disguise lesson.
"Assisting... Professor McGonagall, we are just assisting Professor Umbridge, and we are not professors ourselves," Tonks emphasized, clearly not wanting to take on the title of professor.
However, Professor McGonagall did not say anything and merely nodded.
"I know what you're thinking," Tonks said at that moment. "My disguise lessons will not take up your weekend time. Instead, they will be integrated into your regular Dark Magic Defense classes. I'm here primarily to deliver some items from the Ministry of Magic to Hogwarts and to get to know all of you."
Upon hearing that the disguise lessons wouldn't occupy their weekends, some students breathed a sigh of relief and enthusiastically responded to Tonks.
It must be said that as an Auror who had graduated not long ago, Tonks truly understood these students... just as she understood herself.
Tonks surveyed the people standing before her and finally landed her gaze on Kyle, winking at him. Of all these people, Kyle was the only one she was familiar with.
Next, Twycross continued, "Perhaps some of you know that Hogwarts does not allow Apparition. However, to enable you to learn this magic, Headmaster Dumbledore has specially lifted this restriction for one hour, but only within this Great Hall.
"I must remind you all, do not move outside the walls, or you will be in serious trouble.
"Now, I need everyone to stand in their places and leave at least five feet of space in front of you."
Everyone immediately sprang into action.
Once everyone was in position, Twycross waved his wand, and an old-fashioned wooden hoop appeared on the ground in front of each student.
"This is your target," he began, explaining in detail the things to note when learning Apparition.
Kyle listened for a while and found that it was quite similar to what Chris had taught him... but that was to be expected; perhaps Chris had learned it from this very instructor.
As it was the first lesson, Twycross explained everything meticulously. He spent nearly half an hour elaborating on the key points to remember and asked everyone to keep them in mind.
Then, he proceeded to give a demonstration.
Just as Kyle had thought, Twycross's Apparition was almost completely silent. He disappeared and then reappeared naturally within a five-foot radius in one of the wooden hoops.
If others' Apparition was like throwing a stone into water, then his was like a leaf drifting down—no matter how high the fall, there was not a sound to be heard.
"That's it, everyone saw that, right?"
Twycross shouted, "Now, you just do what I did... if you really don't know how to enter the void state, just spin on the spot."
"Now, everyone give it a try."
The students in the Great Hall began spinning in circles.
Twycross walked among the rows, "Yes, that's it, you must relax, remember what I just said... let's try again, this time aiming for the wooden hoop in front of you.
"Now, on my command... begin!"
A clatter of collisions filled the Great Hall.
Of course, this noise wasn't from the Apparition but from the students' bodies colliding with the ground.
Many students spun for too long and lost their balance, falling to the floor.
"Haha, I succeeded!" A thrilled shout rose from the crowd.
Everyone saw Mikkel standing in one of the wooden hoops, jumping up and down and waving his arms excitedly. "Look, Professor, I don't know how I got into the hoop, but I must have Apparated!"
"No, you didn't... Come out now," Twycross said expressionlessly.
Mikkel didn't understand what had happened, but he had seen it clearly. That kid had simply spun himself dizzy and stumbled into the hoop... and it wasn't even his hoop!
Hadn't he noticed his position was a bit off? Aside from Mikkel, most of the others in the hoops had jumped in as well.
"It's alright, it's alright, everyone return to your original positions, and we'll try again," Twycross said dryly.
The students rearranged their hoops and stood in their initial spots.
"Don't be discouraged," he continued. "Apparition is not a simple magic; it's impossible to learn it in a day or two. My expectation is that the most talented among you will master it by the third lesson."
He held up three fingers and said, "If all goes well, the most gifted person here should be able to truly master this magic by the third lesson.
"As for those with slightly less talent, it will take longer... I've seen many people who, after the twelve-week course, still couldn't move even a foot and, naturally, failed the exam."
"That's not necessarily true..." Mikkel muttered, "What if someone learns it today?"
He still believed that he had Apparated earlier; he just hadn't controlled his direction well.
"Then I'll treat that person to a year's worth of sweets," Twycross smiled, unconcerned. "Alright, now everyone recall the feeling from earlier..."
"Crack!"
Before he could finish his sentence, a crisp sound rang out in the Great Hall.
Kyle smiled but remained silent.
A crisp sound rang out, and in the next second, he reappeared in the wooden hoop in front of the other person.
"Oh!" Excited cheers erupted from the onlookers, and even Professor McGonagall, who was observing from the side, couldn't help but curve her lips in a slight smile.
Snape scoffed disdainfully, "Child's play."
Tonks, struggling to hold back her laughter at the dumbfounded Twycross, had half of her hair turn gold.
Once Twycross regained his wits, his initially pale complexion reddened as he grumbled, "You two must have planned this."
"Not at all, Professor," Kyle said. "In fact, I succeeded on my first try; you just didn't notice."
"That's right, I can vouch for him," Professor Sprout chimed in with a smile. She had been observing the Hufflepuff student, especially Kyle, the entire time.
Twycross was momentarily at a loss for words. Given the chaotic scene, he hadn't noticed that amidst all the antics, someone had actually managed to pull it off.
"Alright, alright, I concede," Twycross said. "I'll uphold my promise."
As he finished speaking, he couldn't help but chuckle as well.
He was genuinely pleased that someone had mastered Apparition so quickly, and he didn't particularly care if Kyle had known it beforehand or not.
Mastering Apparition before the age of sixteen was already an impressive feat, and the younger one was when they learned it, the more it spoke of their innate talent.
"Alright, you can stop practicing now." Twycross waved his hand at Kyle, indicating for him to step aside. At the same time, he was even more intrigued to see how the rest of the class would fare.
Would there be a second person...?
With this thought in mind, Twycross shouted the command once more.
However, to his disappointment, the second attempt didn't yield much better results than the first. He strained his eyes, but he couldn't spot a second person who had successfully Apparated.
It wasn't until the third attempt that something changed.
Someone managed to do it, but only halfway.
Autumn stood unsteadily in one of the wooden hoops, but her right leg remained in its original spot.
A terrified scream pierced the air.
"Don't panic; this is a normal occurrence," Twycross said calmly. "Remember what I mentioned earlier? Dismemberment is one of the most common issues when learning Apparition."
As he spoke, Professor McGonagall quickly made her way over, picked up Autumn's leg, and brought it to her.
"Pomona, take some dittany..."
"Is this it, Professor?"
At that moment, someone handed her a bottle of dittany.
"Yes, that's it," Professor McGonagall acknowledged, glancing at Kyle before she took the bottle and applied the dittany to Autumn's wound. She then reassembled Autumn's leg as if it were a jigsaw puzzle.
"Don't be afraid, take a walk and see how it feels," Professor McGonagall said gently. "Dismemberment isn't something to be scared of. As long as we reattach it promptly, there won't be any issues."
Autumn's face was as pale as a sheet, but she took a deep breath and tentatively took a step forward. To her relief, she found that she could move normally, and there was no discomfort.
"Next time, don't hesitate, and don't worry about what will happen if you fail. We'll be here to help," Professor McGonagall reminded her before returning to her previous position.
Autumn nodded and rejoined the group.
However, whether it was because Autumn's dismemberment had left an impression on the students or not, in the following half-hour, not a single person managed to Apparate successfully.
Everyone, including Autumn, who now had experience, kept spinning in circles and then jumping into the hoops.
Twycross was slightly disappointed but understood that Kyle's case had been a special one, and this was the norm.
After witnessing the visual shock of dismemberment, it was much harder to maintain composure and determination, which was why he had previously mentioned that it might take until the third lesson for someone to succeed.
Overcoming the fear of dismemberment was the most challenging step in learning Apparition, and it required time.
He donned his cloak and said, "Remember, everyone: focus, determination, and calmness. We'll meet again next Wednesday."
"Wait, Professor..." someone suddenly spoke up. "Aren't we supposed to have Apparition classes only on Saturdays?"
"That's correct," Twycross said. "But I'm also assisting Professor Umbridge in teaching you Dark Magic Defense. The Ministry of Magic had intended to send two Aurors, but most of them are occupied with other matters, so they found me instead."
Kyle couldn't help but notice that Tonks's hair had turned even darker, and she was glaring at Twycross with gritted teeth.
Kyle quickly understood the reason behind this.
The fact that most Aurors were busy meant that in the entire Auror office, Tonks was the only one who seemed to be idle. Kyle couldn't help but chuckle, but the next second, he found himself on the receiving end of Tonks's sharp glare, causing him to quickly shut his mouth.
(End of Chapter)
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