He Really Should Have Splinched

Saturday morning.

The weather in mid-February was neither good nor bad. The howling north wind had finally died down, and the lingering chill in the air was gradually fading. The Great Hall's Enchanted Ceiling mirrored the sky outside the Castle, a bluish white without heavy clouds or bright sunshine.

The grass outside was still wet and muddy. A notice had been posted on the board early that morning: the second Apparition Teaching Class would once again be held in the Great Hall.

After breakfast, the students in the Teaching Class remained in the Great Hall. Prefects from each House organized the students to arrange the venue. The long dining tables and benches had been moved to the walls, and although the instructors and professors had yet to arrive, an open space had already been cleared in the room.

The students scattered across the open ground in the Great Hall, standing in groups of two or three and exchanging their experiences with Apparition.

"After one lesson, I feel like I didn't learn anything. I probably won't pass the exam or get my license."

"When's the exam?"

"It's a twelve-week course, so probably at the end of May."

"Same as final exams."

"..."

There was no class bell on weekends. At around half past nine, the four Heads of House and the instructors arrived on time.

It was still that pale, skinny instructor. Standing at the front of the open ground, he clapped his hands and motioned for the students to line up according to their positions from the last lesson, five feet apart. Then he counted them.

In the Gryffindor section, the two empty spaces left by the absentees were particularly conspicuous.

What were Loren and Hermione doing right now?

Seamus wondered as he discreetly watched the front.

Under the eyes