Apparition Class

Harry had failed in his request for Horace Slughorn to teach him Occlumency, so he still had to endure Snape's sarcasm and torment every Saturday night.

What frustrated Harry even more was that, despite Snape's relentless mockery, his Mind Defense had not improved at all.

Harry could not even form a simple image in his mind.

Soon, when February arrived, the ice and snow around Hogwarts began to melt, replaced by bleak, cold, rainy days.

Lead-gray clouds hung low over the castle, and cold rain fell without pause, turning the grounds muddy and slippery.

As a result, the first Apparition class for sixth-years, originally scheduled for Saturday morning, was canceled and moved indoors to the Great Hall.

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived, they found that all the tables had vanished from the Great Hall. Heavy raindrops pounded fiercely against the tall windows, darkening the enchanted ceiling and filling the hall with a dull, clattering sound.

Professor McGonagall, Snape, Fleck, Tierra, Sprout, and a small wizard professor whom Harry had seen at the Ministry of Magic before, an Apparition instructor, stood at the front of the Great Hall—

He looked quite peculiar. With transparent eyelashes, wispy hair, and such a frail body that a gust of wind seemed capable of blowing him away.

Harry wondered whether vanishing and reappearing had somehow reduced his body matter, or whether such a fragile physique was ideal for vanishing in the first place.

"Good morning!" the government wizard greeted the young wizards gathered in the Great Hall. Every student fell silent at once.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Twycross, and I will be teaching you Apparition for the next twelve weeks. I hope you will all pass your Apparition tests this time—"

"Students, please be quiet and pay attention!" Professor McGonagall snapped.

At Professor