Defence, Pretence, Offence (Hecatemus Book #2)

Chapter 11 - Unpleasantness

[But the Ministry is helping for once,] Harry said.

[There are still a thousand and one regulations to do with Apparating,] Draco said, [and Albus is probably about to circumvent them all. He'll probably outright break them if he has to.]

[But no one can Apparate into or out of Hogwarts, why would he be so concerned about it?]

[To answer that I'd have to know how the mind of the great Albus Dumbledore works,] Draco replied, [and I'm brilliant, but even I'm not that good.]

Harry had to agree; sometimes it was simply impossible to know what the headmaster had in mind.

"First I would ask if those who have their Apparating licence stand to the left and those who have yet to undertake the test, please stand to the right," Dumbledore said.

As Harry understood it, an Apparating licence was similar to a Muggle driving license in that many people rushed out to get one as soon as they could. There were, however, a few who hadn't yet found the time, but only five out of their current group. Harry thought that probably said a lot about how prepared most of his yearmates wished to be.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Dumbledore said, turning to the smaller group, "because of certain regulations all those without an Apparating licence will be placed in the less advanced classes. However, as I am aware that sometimes a lack of a license is merely a sign of a lack of opportunity, rather than aptitude, there will be a special opportunity to take your test here at Hogwarts on Saturday morning. Please see me after class if you wish to take advantage of this option."

All four students looked at each other.

"Professor Dumbledore," one of them said just as the headmaster went to turn away. "I think we'd all like to do that," she added as Dumbledore faced her once more.

"Very good, very good," the headmaster said, doing a perfect impression of a dotty old man, "splendid."

It never ceased to amaze Harry how disarming Dumbledore could be even when a person knew what a shrewd mind lived behind those twinkling eyes.

"Now there is one warning I must give out before we begin," the headmaster announced, "unlike the term time classes, the Apparition wards on Hogwarts have not been disabled, they have simply been circumvented within the Great Hall. If you attempt to Apparate beyond these walls, I'm afraid you will get a nasty shock, so no one is to make the effort."

[They'd have to be down all the time otherwise,] Draco commented.

"Some very nice people from the Ministry assisted in the modifications," Dumbledore continued to prattle on, "and I am sure we are all grateful for their assistance."

[He totally could have done it himself,] Harry said, [he did it in the Room of Requirement for me to learn before my seventeenth birthday.]

[Ah, but does the Ministry know that?] Draco asked.

[Unlikely.]

[So the headmaster keeps his secret and makes the Ministry feel useful.]

[Two birds with one hex,] Harry concluded.

"Now we are going to start with a few simple exercises, I am sure you are all familiar with," the headmaster continued, "and then we will talk about Side-Along Apparition."

[Splinching here we come,] Draco commented.

* * *

Draco was watching Harry like a hawk.

So far the headmaster had gone over everything about basic Apparating, just to make sure, and he'd set up two circles at either end of the Great Hall. Being a wizard meant that things appearing out of thin air was nothing overly exciting, except when Dumbledore did it. The circles were gold and glowed in the floor and all Dumbledore had done was look vaguely towards the ceiling and say: "If you wouldn't mind, thank you."