"Aren't Bill, Charlie, and Percy coming?" Harry asked in puzzlement, looking around just before they set off.
"I suppose they're planning to Apparate there," Su Er said. "It's a spell that lets a wizard travel instantly from one place to another."
"So they're still fast asleep?" Fred said indignantly. "Why can't we Apparate there?!"
"Because you aren't old enough to learn that spell, and you haven't passed the test and got your licenses." Mrs. Weasley glanced at Fred.
"Don't even think about learning it in secret. If I find out..."
"Oh, Molly, you know Apparition can only be learned under the instruction of a wizard with extensive experience in magical travel." Mr. Weasley carefully tucked the tickets into the pocket of his denim jacket. At Su Er's suggestion, he had just gone upstairs to change into a light blue short-sleeved shirt and put on a denim jacket.
"Otherwise, it's extremely dangerous. I'm sure Fred wouldn't want his body and head parting company."
Mr. Weasley delivered these horrifying words in the most matter-of-fact tone, but Harry did not seem quite to understand.
"Parting company?"
"Ah, yes. Apparition isn't an easy spell to learn. You need a license issued by the Department of Magical Transportation to Apparate. If you think you've learned it and use it without getting a license, you can easily cause trouble."
"Two people Apparated without licenses and ended up leaving half their bodies behind. That's what I meant by parting company."
"From the waist up..." Mr. Weasley gestured at his own body. "They appeared somewhere else, but the bottom halves didn't follow."
"Were they all right?" Harry's eyes widened in horror, all his sleepiness swept away.
"They were fine, though they were fined heavily. The Ministry of Magic's Accidental Magic Reversal Squad arrived in time. Sorting it out