Preparing to Leave

Harry replied, "Because of unstable magic?"

It was a phenomenon widely seen among young wizards.

The most famous example was Gryffindor's Seamus Finnigan, the kid who turned every spell into a small explosion. His magic was inherently unstable, and during spellcasting, it would follow Seamus's raw emotions. A small surge of feeling, and—boom—everything would blow up.

As Seamus grew older, his magic gradually stabilized, and the incidents became less frequent.

This was one of the main reasons the Ministry of Magic forbade underage wizards from using magic outside school without adult supervision.

It wasn't so much about the risk of Muggles witnessing magic.

That was manageable; the Obliviator Squad would just have to work overtime.

The real concern was that without proper guidance, young wizards could accidentally cause irreversible harm to themselves with unstable spells.

Scamander nodded. "That's exactly right."

"Miss Granger, have you ever had spells fail?" he asked. "I mean, where you clearly knew the spell, but it still ended up turning into something completely different?"

Hermione hesitated. "You mean… like Seamus Finnigan?"

He looked a little puzzled.

Seamus wasn't part of Dumbledore's introductions the night before.

"A Gryffindor classmate," Harry explained briefly. "Whenever he tries to cast a spell, it usually ends up exploding."

"Hermione's different from him, though."

"Sometimes she struggles with new spells, but she's never had that happen."

Scamander nodded with understanding. "In that case, Miss Granger should be well-suited for learning Apparition. If your magic is stable, there shouldn't be any issues."

They took seats at the Hufflepuff table.

The few remaining Hufflepuffs at Hogwarts eyed the older stranger curiously.

"Hogwarts breakfast… still tastes just like I remember," Scamander said, sipping his soup with a hint of nostalgia.

Compared to others, his time at Hogwarts had been shorter—just six years.

After breakfast—

"Are you sure you want to start right now?" Scamander asked as they approached the side door of the Great Hall.

He cracked it open slightly.

Outside, the snowstorm raged, with harsh winds howling.

"It's not exactly ideal weather," he muttered. "If we wait till noon, it might warm up a bit—"

Harry raised his wand.

The spell shot out, landing on Scamander. "Mr. Scamander, wizards aren't afraid of a bit of weather."

Scamander sighed. "I suppose it's a good thing I didn't accept Dumbledore's offer three years ago to teach at Hogwarts."

He followed Harry outside.

No wonder Dumbledore—and even that cold Severus—had looked at him with such pity when Harry requested Apparition lessons last night.

A student who was so eager to learn that even the professors found it exhausting.

Outside in the Courtyard.

Several snowmen had been buried under fresh snow, and Crookshanks led a patrol of cats through the courtyard.

Scamander drew his wand. "Apparition is actually quite a simple spell."

"I heard from Dumbledore that you both can cast the Patronus Charm. If you can manage a spell as complicated as that, then Apparition should be much easier."

"To use Apparition properly, you need to follow the three Ds: Destination, Determination, Deliberation."

"First, focus your mind on your intended destination."

As he spoke, Scamander flicked his wand, and a small wooden hoop appeared about ten meters away.

"You can use that hoop as your target," he said.

He exhaled a breath that fogged in the cold air before continuing, "Then, make up your mind—you will appear in that hoop. Fill your mind with the thought, make it the only thing you're thinking about, and let it spread throughout your whole body."

"Finally, don't get anxious. What you're doing next is simply a shift in dimension and space."

He paused briefly. "Three Ds: Destination, Determination, Deliberation."

"I believe you both possess those qualities."

"Mr. Potter, why don't you try first?"

Harry nodded, fixed his gaze on the wooden hoop, raised his wand, and cast the spell: Apparate!

With a sharp crack, he disappeared from where he stood and reappeared within the wooden circle.

Scamander waved his wand, catching several stray hairs and a small scrap of cloth that had been left behind.

"Not bad, Mr. Potter," Scamander said, impressed. "To do it this well on your first try…"

Although—

The spell couldn't be considered perfect; some parts of his body and clothes had been left behind. But for a first attempt, and right after Scamander's explanation, it was exceptional.

Harry walked back, waved his wand, and restored his robes. "Looks like it wasn't quite right."

"It was very successful," Scamander shook his head. "The first time I tried, I left half my body behind."

"Miss Granger, would you like to try?"

Hermione nodded, a bit nervous as she raised her wand and spoke the incantation.

Apparate!

With a loud crack, she vanished—or, mostly vanished.

Everything below her knees stayed in the original spot, while the rest of her ended up floating on top of the courtyard fountain.

Scamander quickly cast a reversal spell, undoing the magic.

"That was… a horrible experience. I'm going to have nightmares," Hermione muttered, rubbing her face.

Her body had gone through, but her legs hadn't.

Scamander chuckled. "You both did quite well."

"Mr. Potter, your biggest issue is a lack of familiarity. A few more tries, and you should be perfect."

He turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger, you weren't calm enough. You were too tense."

"Try to relax."

Harry and Hermione were quick learners, and Scamander was a good teacher. Though he sometimes stuttered, he was patient and thorough. They practiced until 9 p.m., only stopping when Tina finally came to drag her husband away.

She couldn't bear seeing him pushed that hard.

Apparition was indeed not very difficult.

In just two days, Harry mastered it entirely—moving back and forth with perfect accuracy. Dumbledore personally tested him, setting challenges to Apparate to three different locations: Diagon Alley, the Potters' old home in Godric's Hollow, and Nurmengard.

Harry completed all three without leaving behind a single part of his body—not even an eyebrow.

Hermione's progress was slightly slower.

By the time Harry learned Side-Along Apparition—the advanced form of Apparition that allowed him to take someone along with him—Hermione also successfully passed Dumbledore's test.

During this period, Snape was nowhere to be seen.

Until the last day of December—

The day Harry and Hermione were set to leave—

Snape finally appeared in Dumbledore's office.

"Here, this is the potion Albus had me brew for you," Snape said, pulling a pouch from his robes and placing it on the desk. "You caused me a lot of trouble, Potter."

Dumbledore watched him silently, saying nothing.

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Powerstones?

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