Chapter 184: Apparition Crash Course

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Emerging from the dark, winding staircase, the brightness outside was almost blinding.

Nurmengard, a black castle located in Austria, was initially built by Grindelwald to imprison particularly stubborn reactionaries. Though Grindelwald was a Dark wizard and embraced that identity, ironically, as a revolutionary against traditionalism, he became one of the most legendary figures in the magical history of Europe.

After decades of effort, nearly half of Europe had come under the administration of Grindelwald's "Witch-Purge Party." Unlike America, Europe had always been fragmented into numerous magical nations. With the success of Grindelwald's revolution, unprecedented unity seemed to finally be on the horizon.

Today, there was no longer a need for Nurmengard to hold dissenters. The once-massive yet decayed conservative factions had been dismantled and absorbed over the decades, becoming nutrients for the growth of Grindelwald's movement.

Thus, Nurmengard shed its prison identity, transforming into one of the Witch-Purge Party's most critical research bases.

Inside the black, imposing castle, the interiors were extravagant, though the style differed significantly from Hogwarts. This was a research hub, with a modern, magical aesthetic as its primary theme.

As Harry stepped through the doorway connected to the spiral staircase, he noticed two magical constructs standing guard like sentinels. Beyond the central, metallic door that spiraled open lay a glass corridor. Through its transparent walls, he could see hundreds of bustling individuals moving back and forth. Above them, countless tiny, unnamed alchemical devices flitted about, carrying documents and equipment.

Compared to the magical world Harry had first encountered in Diagon Alley, this avant-garde magical scene left him momentarily dazzled. He felt as if he had stepped not into a magical research center, but into a fantastical, futuristic realm centuries ahead of its time.

While leaning against the railing and curiously surveying his surroundings, Harry heard a series of hurried footsteps that stopped beside him, followed by a polite cough.

"Ahem, are you Mr. Harry Potter?"

A wizard with graying hair, dressed in a silver-blue, close-sleeved robe, addressed Harry in English with a distinct German accent.

"Yes, that's me. May I ask who you are?"

"Johann Bach," the wizard replied. "First-level researcher at the Nurmengard Institute of Magic, and a professor of spatial magic at Durmstrang. My research focuses on consciousness-driven spatial movement and teleportation." The elderly professor paused before shaking Harry's hand firmly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor Bach," Harry said politely. "Professor Grindelwald mentioned a crash course for me. What exactly is that about?"

"Apparition," Bach replied succinctly, striding briskly down the corridor with Harry in tow. "It's the focus of my research. Oh, by the way, unlike Hogwarts, we at Durmstrang completed a detailed classification of magical disciplines fifteen years ago based on their nature."

"Consciousness-driven spatial movement and teleportation refer to forms of space manipulation where the wizard acts as the caster. Apparition falls under this category. In contrast, another common form of spatial movement—Portkeys—operates differently. Portkeys are anchored to fixed points, whereas Apparition is dynamic. The key difference is that one is movable, and the other is not."

As he spoke, Professor Bach reached out his hand, seemingly inserting it into thin air as though dipping it into an invisible pocket. Suddenly, Harry felt a tap on his right shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Bach's right hand, which had vanished into the void.

"This should give you an idea of what dynamic spatial movement looks like," Bach said with a sly smile.

Harry stiffened. Not out of fear, but because he barely resisted the urge to grab the arm and throw Bach over his shoulder. The professor looked at least eighty or ninety years old, which wasn't particularly ancient for a wizard, but Harry doubted he could survive such a move. If the professor ended up flat on the ground, who knew if he'd ever get back up?

"Not entirely clear, but definitely impressed," Harry muttered, his lips twitching. "Is this some kind of branch of Apparition?"

"To be precise, they're different branches categorized under a broader discipline. While the core magical principles are consistent, their applications and methods differ greatly, as does their level of difficulty," Bach explained.

"Spatial magic can generally be divided into two main types: idealistic and materialistic. Apparition falls into the former category—if you think of a place, you can go there. It doesn't even require the wizard to have visited the destination before. A name or even a vague description can suffice to transport the wizard to the endpoint—or one of several potential endpoints. This is something a Portkey cannot achieve. Portkeys require the wizard to know the exact destination. Their form of spatial movement is passive—a process of pulling people or objects to a predefined location."

Seeing the lingering confusion on Harry's face, Professor Bach pointed ahead. "We've arrived. I'll explain everything in detail shortly. Today's schedule is tight, so I need you to give this your full effort."

"Yes, Professor," Harry replied, following Bach into an empty room.

"What do you know about Apparition?" Bach asked. "I heard from Headmaster Grindelwald that you're currently a second-year student at Hogwarts. However, you're exceptionally talented and eager to learn, so I won't treat you as an ordinary student."

"Will that make a difference, Professor?" Harry asked, puzzled. He knew a bit about Apparition but wasn't sure where to start.

"Of course it does," Bach said with a knowing smile. "It's like flying lessons. Even if you've flown on a broomstick many times at home and are quite skilled, your professor would still start from the basics—teaching you how to mount a broom properly."

"Because just being able to mount it doesn't mean you're mounting it correctly?" Harry guessed.

"Exactly," Bach said with a nod. "I know the old way people were taught Apparition—putting two circles on the ground and having you spin around with your eyes closed, right?"

"Yes," Harry replied with a nod. "Was that method wrong?"

"Not exactly, but it's outdated, inefficient, and doesn't properly guide wizards in developing a sense of spatial awareness."

"Whether it's Apparition or a Portkey, spatial movement has one critical point: coordinates. The destination's coordinates. For a Portkey, these coordinates are fixed, determined when the Portkey is created. This makes Portkeys more challenging to produce, but also more stable, safer, and powerful for transportation."

"Apparition coordinates, on the other hand, rely entirely on the wizard's intent—on imagination. The clearer the mental image, the higher the likelihood of arriving at the correct location."

"But how can we imagine places we've never been? How does that work?"

As he pondered the question, Harry began to feel that Apparition was almost magical beyond comprehension.

"Names hold power," Bach explained. "Think about the owls we use to send letters—they only need the recipient's name, and they always manage to deliver the letter accurately. Magic can be idealistic in nature, which is why owls can pick out the right person even among many people with the same name."

"But it's not just names that hold power—place names do too. Even if you've never been somewhere, someone has, or someone has spoken its name or described its features. We can think of the world's pervasive magic as having recorded this information. When we need to go somewhere, or to a place with specific traits, magic presents us with a list. The clearer our imagination, the more precisely we can narrow down the correct destination."

"The danger of 'splinching' during Apparition lies in the wizard's lack of a clear image of the destination. If the list presents several potential endpoints and you fail to choose one, your body ends up split, traveling to different destinations."

"Alright, let's get started. Before you formally learn Apparition, I'll teach you a simple spell."

Bach drew out his wand, which was shaped like a gold-plated Luger P08 pistol. Though the engraved patterns weren't as intricate as those on Professor Flitwick's wand, the gleaming gold made it flashy enough.

"The Projection Charm, also called the Daydream Spell, allows you to project the images in your mind into a visible form in front of you. It's an excellent tool for training your imagination and spatial awareness."

"I'll describe certain things to you, and you'll need to build them using my descriptions, refining the details with your imagination. Once you master this skill, Apparition will be much easier to grasp. My best student learned Apparition in just a day and a half. Trust me, it's not as difficult as it seems."

"By the way, the spell you used to tap my shoulder earlier—"

Harry couldn't contain his curiosity about the technique, which seemed like a dimensional punch. Imagine a scenario: a two-meter-tall, muscle-bound powerhouse swings a fist that could crush rocks straight toward your face. Naturally, all your attention would focus on defending your face. But after the punch lands, your face emerges unscathed, only for the sandbag-sized fist to stealthily strike... somewhere else entirely. The resulting pain could incapacitate even the toughest man in an instant.

Never mind whether it's crude—imagine how effective it would be.

What muscle-bound warrior wouldn't love to play dirty once in a while? It's a man's dream—just as romantic as holding a Gatling gun and charging into battle like Rambo. Outsmarting someone with clever tricks feels far more satisfying than brute force. Watching someone else's smirk turn into your own smile—that's double the joy.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Bach said with a chuckle. "That technique requires a much deeper understanding of spatial concepts. If you truly want to learn it, you'll need to enroll in my advanced course. Hmm… wait, you're not studying at Durmstrang, are you? Have you considered transferring? Hogwarts has no future. The world isn't what it used to be. Wizards who can't keep up with the times will inevitably be left behind."

Like Grindelwald, Johann Bach had little regard for Hogwarts. As someone who had witnessed Grindelwald's achievements firsthand, he understood that outdated magical education would inevitably be swept away by the tides of progress.

"First, let's try the Projection Charm. It's not difficult to learn—just an entry-level spell. I've heard that Ravenclaw House at Hogwarts has done extensive research on this charm. Let's begin."

From practicing with a single quill to constructing complex houses, and then simulating various terrains and landscapes, Harry diligently followed Professor Bach's instructions. Throughout the process, his progress was rapid. This exercise had similarities to Transfiguration, though Transfiguration deals with internal transformations, while Apparition requires an external, expansive, high-level perspective.

After completing the imaginative training, the next step was practicing with distances and spatial scales.

During the training, Harry also asked Professor Bach to send a letter for him. Today was Christmas, and the Dursleys were supposed to pick him up at the station. But Harry knew he couldn't make it, and he didn't want to worry his aunt and uncle, so he sent the letter to inform them of his absence.

Once Bach began formally teaching him, it became clear why Grindelwald had entrusted this "doctoral-level" teacher with a first-year student. Within an hour, Harry had already perfected the imaginative modeling of the things described by Bach. His understanding of distances and spatial scales also progressed astonishingly quickly. With his exceptional athletic talent and keen spatial sense, Harry was able to master things that would normally take others a long time with just a little guidance.

"Now, it's time for the practical part."

Before sunset, Harry successfully passed all of Professor Bach's tests, completing all the preliminary Apparition exercises. The final step was to use the magic for real.

"Stand inside the circle."

Bach had created two rings and motioned for Harry to stand in one of them. This was the most traditional method for Apparition practice.

"We can't blindly discard the past, nor should we obsess over it. The key is to focus on practicality."

"Imagine your body arriving at the other circle. Close your eyes, raise your arms, and slowly spin around. Try to feel the emptiness, like floating in midair."

Following Bach's instructions, Harry slowly turned in place, trying to imagine himself appearing in the other circle ahead of him. His mind conjured up the full details of the destination. Compared to abstract verbal descriptions, imagining a place he had seen was much easier to picture.

When Harry opened his eyes again, he saw Bach clapping his hands. "That was a beautiful Apparition! Next, we can go to a larger space to practice."

"Follow me." Bach grabbed Harry's arm and Apparated them both to a flat field several miles away from Newmongard, ensuring they wouldn't be disturbed.

After one successful attempt, Harry had no more issues with practicing. Gradually, he no longer needed to close his eyes or spin; he had captured the essence of moving through space. Although the idealistic nature of this magic made it difficult to explain, the key was to perform it correctly, and once he did, that was enough.

After completing an Apparition that spanned a hundred miles with precision, Professor Bach took out a certificate stamped with the European Wizarding Alliance seal.

"Congratulations, Harry, you've graduated."

"Thank you, Professor Bach, you're an amazing teacher!"

Harry smiled as he accepted the certificate. Though it held little use in England—since England had not joined the Wizarding Purity Party-led European Wizarding Alliance—it was valid within the Alliance's territory. It meant Harry was a certified Apparition user, entitled to free emergency splinching treatment once a year.

"I hope to see you at Durmstrang. Do send my regards to Professor Flitwick."

"No problem, but you and Professor Flitwick know each other?" Harry asked, curious.

"Of course! I remember the time I competed against him for the dueling championship. That guy is strong—he's the fastest and most accurate shooter I've ever seen. For such a small guy, he's full of magic power!"

Professor Bach laughed heartily. "But after that, I stopped dueling. I shifted my focus to studying Apparition in combat. By the time I had results, I had already outgrown my youthful passion for fighting."

He smiled wryly, but without any sadness.

(End of chapter)