How Do We Begin?

After breakfast, the wizards from the other years all headed off to their classrooms for lessons—except for a group of excited sixth-years.

The tables and chairs in the Great Hall vanished along with the food. Because of the weather, the Apparition lesson had been arranged in the Great Hall, so none of the sixth-year wizards who had been notified left. They gathered in twos and threes, discussing among themselves, looking toward the staff table, and trying to judge which spot would be safer and more convenient for practice.

By past custom, the Heads of House would also come to help with this class, so it was usually scheduled for Saturday mornings to avoid interfering with the other years' regular lessons. This year was different. The Ministry of Magic had invested more resources to help the students master this practical skill more quickly.

Before the lesson officially began, once all the wizards had quieted down, John Bassa stepped up to the magical lectern. Mr. Bassa swept a hand back through his short, curly hair, and his voice carried to every corner of the hall. "Hello, everyone. My name is John Bassa. For the next period of time, I will be serving as your Apparition instructor. This year's course arrangement is different from previous years. It won't just be on Saturdays. During these twelve weeks, we have also arranged weekday lessons according to each House's timetable. We hope this will better help you pass the Apparition test..."

Lavender clung stickily to Ron's side. Apparition was certainly important, but just as she had said on the train, what Lavender cared about more was that she could attend class with Ron. She greatly regretted not having confirmed her relationship with Ron at the start of term so that she could choose the same N.E.W.T.