An Awkward Meeting

Aunt Marge is not actually Harry's blood relative; she is Uncle Vernon's sister.

She lived in the countryside, in a house much larger than the Dursley family', surrounded by a large garden and a large pack of pugs.

According to her, she loves her dog too much to come to Privet Drive often.

Even so, Harry's memories of her remain vivid.

Harry remembered her appearance very clearly, perhaps thanks in part to Uncle Vernon.

She looked exactly like Uncle Vernon, with a purplish complexion.

What's even more terrifying is that, as a woman, she even has the same figure as Uncle Vernon, and even has a beard.

The outline of his beard was the same as Uncle Vernon's, only not as thick.

She was a cruel woman who hated dogs that weren't "robust" enough, and would order Colonel Fubster (that's what she called her husband to show off his rank) to drown any "skinny" little creatures she saw. Harry even sometimes wondered if the biggest reason she hated him was because he Harry too thin.

To be honest, if Aunt Marge hadn't stayed in the countryside all the time, she would have been at the top of his list of most hated people.

At Dudley's fifth birthday party, Aunt Marge once hit Harry's shin with her cane to prevent him from beating Dudley in a musical costume game. A few years later, she came to visit at Christmas, giving Dudley a robot with a computer and Harry a box of dog biscuits.

The last time she visited was a year before Harry went to Hogwarts. Harry accidentally stepped on her dog's paw, and the dog chased Harry all the way into the garden, forcing him to climb a tree. Aunt Marge didn't call the dog back into the house until after midnight.

Harry believed that if Aunt Marge was a wizard, she must have come from Slytherin.

The most notable thing is that every time she gave Dudley an expensive gift, she would observe Harry's reaction to see if Harry dared to ask why he wasn't included.

This is typical Slytherin behavior, just like Draco in the past, who would often open the candy his mother gave him in the Great Hall and then show it off and mock others.

Sirius's smile made Harry realize something—he knew about Aunt Marge's wicked behavior and that she might have done something terrible to her.

Although Harry sensed something was off, he couldn't help but flash the same smile as Sirius.

"What kind of magic did Sirius just use?" Harry quickly changed the subject to avoid letting Dumbledore realize his momentary wicked thought.

"Apparition, also called Apparition, is when someone disappears from one place and reappears in another in the blink of an eye," Dumbledore explained. Now that only he and Harry were left in the room, he didn't know what to say, so he simply continued Harry's sentence.

"Why does it have two names?" Harry asked.

"Apparition doesn't have a spell; it only requires a strong intention to get from one place to another. Some young wizards have even Apparated unconsciously when they were young. The requirements for wizards skilled in Apparition are similar to those for Quidditch Seeker —a slender physique." Dumbledore winked at Harry suddenly thought of himself.

In elementary school, Dudley and his gang were chasing Harry as usual when he suddenly disappeared from the spot and reappeared on the kitchen chimney.

"But Harry, don't try it in private. To make your manifestation completely and safely requires three Ds—Direction, Determination, and Dedication."

"The goal is the place you want to go. Determination is to occupy the space you want to go, letting the desire to get there overwhelm every smallest part of your body. Composure is to relax; inexperienced wizards often spin in place, forgetting themselves through this dizzying, weightless feeling."

"Finally, and this is very important, do not try it on your own—if you fail, it will cause you to Splinching, meaning one part of your body will go there while the other remains in place," Dumbledore warned.

"Weren't you going to tell me why Apparition has another name?" Harry asked cautiously.

"I've really made a mistake. I just realized you might have an exceptionally high talent for revealing things. If I had told you this concept, we might have met again at St. Mungo's's." Dumbledore said, rubbing his forehead.

"The full name of this spell that travels from one place to another is the Apparition. Harry, as far as I know, you have a deep understanding of the book 'The Standard Book of Spells,' so I'll talk to you from that perspective."

"The word 'Apparition' comes from a variant of 'disappear,' meaning to disappear from a place. It is the action preceding the effect of the Apparition —disappearing from the spot."

"The word 'Apparition' comes from the variant of 'appear,' meaning to appear from a place. It is the last action of the Apparition's effect—to suddenly appear from nothingness."

"The official abbreviation is mainly Apparition. That's because Apparition and Shifting Apparition are too similar, and wizards often get them mixed up and Splinching," Dumbledore said.

"What kind of spell is it?" Harry asked curiously.

"It's a spell to move objects. It makes the target slightly lift off the ground and move in the direction you want, forward, backward, left, or right. It's different from the Levitation Charm," Dumbledore explained.

"Oh, I see. Why isn't Sirius back yet? Doesn't he have Apparitions?" Harry changed the subject. He didn't know what else to say to Dumbledore, so this was the only thing he could do.

"That requires the use of Side-Along Apparition, which is a very uncomfortable experience. When moving, the person in the companion's arms must hold on tightly to the arm of the person who Apparition."

"Perhaps he was considering Petunia and the others' feelings about the trip," Dumbledore said, uttering words he himself didn't believe.

Harry blinked, taking it as a sign that he believed it.

In the unspoken silence, a loud bang came from the center of the living room—it was Sirius, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley.

Aunt Petunia and Dudley looked pale and nauseous, and both of them instinctively slumped onto the sofa.

"I'm back, Dumbledore and Harry," Sirius said excitedly, clearly having gotten some satisfaction from Aunt Marge.

This caused some delay.

"Professor!" Dudley exclaimed as he looked at Dumbledore, snapping out of his daze.

"Albus Dumbledore." Aunt Petunia's horse-like face was filled with terror.

Good evening, Dudley.

"Petunia, is it? We corresponded," Dumbledore said amiably, then he checked the time, waved his wand, and the table and chairs returned to their rightful places, the used plates becoming sparkling clean.

"Sirius, we should go," Dumbledore continued.

"Okay, but Harry, I'll pick you up in a month." Sirius nodded and disappeared into the night with Dumbledore.

Then Harry and Dudley were left staring at each other in bewilderment.

Aunt Petunia seemed to want to say something to him.

She looked at him with a strange and timid gaze, seemingly hesitant to speak, but then she abruptly turned her head and walked towards the dining room, pretending to go wash the dishes.

"Long time no see, Dudley."

"Long time no see, Harry."