Chapter 406
: Apparition
Chapter 406: Apparition
Rita Skeeter also fell silent at the mention of Maybelle.
When they separated in the dungeon, she had no idea that it would be the last time they met.
When she was trapped on the island, Rita thought about how to leave all day long; but after returning to a peaceful environment, she kept missing that place in her dreams at midnight.
It’s not that she has any attachment to prison...it’s just that at that time she was surrounded by pure and kind hearts. Despite the tragic fate of the children, they were able to help each other honestly and selflessly, and risked their lives to protect her, a stranger.
That feeling is really good.
It is completely different from today's environment which is full of arrogance, jealousy, greed and hypocrisy.
After a moment of silence, Rita sighed and said, "No, nothing at all."
"The Ministry of Magic... Sigh, the Ministry of Magic doesn't care about the follow-up at all. Fudge is only concerned about the Quidditch World Cup stadium now. They have nearly 500 people building that place, and they have no manpower to take care of other things. The staff who stayed on the island before have also been transferred away."
Perhaps because she was speaking ill of the Minister of Magic, Rita lowered her voice even more.
"Dumbledore was very angry, and Fudge was afraid of offending him, so he sent a few Aurors to handle the task."
"He didn't dare to let Dumbledore investigate on his own, so he came up with a bad idea - Fudge asked the Wizengamot Court to re-examine all the cases from more than ten years ago in order to delay Dumbledore."
"You know, because of what happened with Sirius Black, Fudge's reason this time is very legitimate, and it's hard for Dumbledore to refuse."
“Rita—”
Through the communication headset, there were people shouting anxiously and complaining loudly about the layout of the newspaper.
"Just come!"
Rita Skeeter shouted back, then added quickly:
"I should go out now, Vader. But there's one more thing I think you should know—"
"I heard that the Ministry of Magic will send a special force to capture the Obscurus. Fudge gave them the order to kill the Obscurus and its host directly without interrogation or reporting. If anyone tries to stop them, it will be considered a felony!"
"In short, you must be careful. In case... I mean in case... you get in touch with Mabel, let her leave England as soon as possible."
Rita ended the call hastily without waiting for Wade's reply. She stuffed the peas into her small bag, combed her hair with her fingers, waved her wand to remove the dust on her body and the cobwebs on her hair, and walked out of the utility room where the cleaning tools were placed with her head held high.
"Rita—my dear—"
A fat, bald editor-in-chief came over immediately and said with a "saved" expression: "Come and take a look at this article--"
……
Vader put away the communication pea and sighed.
Somehow, Rita seemed to think that Maybelle might come to him, but in reality, he had only spent a short time with the girl.
Although Wade felt that those children were very worthy of sympathy, and although he had a good impression of the children after learning about Rita's experience on the island, objectively speaking, Wade did not think that Mabel would trust him very much.
Wade was almost powerless to interfere with the girl's life or death and her future fate, and could only wait for the moment when fate would decide.
The other students, however, could not understand Wade's heavy feelings. They happily discussed their holiday plans and looked forward to the coming Christmas. The atmosphere in class inevitably became impetuous.
On the third day before the holiday, Wade finally received a message from Dumbledore. He patiently finished the afternoon class, then traveled back three hours to the principal's office.
……
An owl fluttered out of the window. Dumbledore watched the reliable messenger take away the letter he had sent to someone, then returned to the table and wrote a message to Wade in the friend's account book.
Two seconds later, he heard a knock on his office door.
The unlocked oak door was pushed open, and standing outside was Wade Grey.
"You are so fast that it surprises me, Wade." Dumbledore smiled and said, "Of course, you can't be late now."
Wade also saw that Dumbledore's desk was piled with documents and miscellaneous items, and realized that he was a little impatient.
"It seems that I am a little early, Professor." Wade said considerately, "Please be busy first, I can wait for a while."
"Well... I still have two documents to deal with, maybe you can read a book first?" Dumbledore asked.
"Of course, Professor."
Dumbledore waved his wand and came over with a cushioned chair. There was also steaming tea and snacks on the small table.
——Magic cannot create food, but it can move food from the kitchen to the table in the principal’s office.
On the bookshelf, seven or eight books flew out of the queue and landed in front of Wade. He picked one up at random, opened it, and was slightly stunned.
This turned out to be a book called "The Stories of Beedle the Bard".
He flipped through it twice and happened to come across "The Legend of the Three Brothers".
——Perhaps it was not "coincidentally", but because the owner of this office had read this story the most, leaving many subtle traces, just like a bookmark hidden between the pages, which allowed Wade to find it right away.
Although Wade had read this book before, he still read it carefully at this time.
Three wizard brothers encountered a turbulent river while on their way. They conjured a bridge to facilitate their crossing, but the god of death, who had not received any sacrifice, suddenly appeared and pretended to give each of the three brothers a gift -
The eldest got the world's most powerful elderberry wand, the second got the resurrection stone that can bring the dead back to life, and the third got the invisibility cloak that can hide from death.
But the elder wand is a shameless fellow. When its owner fails, it will immediately change its owner.
The Resurrection Stone can only awaken unfortunate souls but cannot bring them back to life. It will cause endless torture to both the user and the resurrected soul. This thing cannot be called a gift but only a curse.
As for the so-called perfect invisibility cloak, its function is very limited. It is said to be able to evade death, but in fact it can even see through Moody's magic eye. The advantage is that it will not wear out, nor will it be affected by spells, and the invisibility effect can last for a long time.
After reading this story for the first time, Wade felt that the stingy "God of Death" was probably a very powerful alchemist, and the so-called three holy relics were just his works.
But after studying magic for so long, Vader also realized that things would not be that simple - the method of making an invisibility cloak is simple, but it is too difficult to make it last for a long time.
Moreover, unlike ordinary alchemical works, Vader could not see through the alchemical magic on Harry's Invisibility Cloak.
Wade stroked the pages of the book unconsciously, thinking to himself - if it were me, how could I make similar alchemical items?
Countless magic words and spells were lingering in his mind, and he was so absorbed in thinking that when he came to his senses, he found that Dumbledore had finished his work and was quietly waiting for him.
Wade saw the headmaster's silver beard gleaming in the light, his long fingers touching each other, his chin resting on top of his fingertips, staring out the window in a slightly thoughtful manner.
Wade glanced sideways and saw that the sky outside was a dazzling egg white color, clear blue, and the forbidden forest and grass in the distance were covered with a thin layer of frost.
Vader: "Professor?"
"Hmm." Dumbledore turned his gaze and looked at him and asked, "Are you interested in the story of the three brothers and the god of death?"
"I was just wondering, if the wand, the resurrection stone, and the invisibility cloak in the story are all works of alchemy, how can they be made?" said Vader.
Dumbledore smiled when he heard this, and then said, "Don't be superstitious about legends, Vader. Stories that have passed away are not worth pursuing. Believe in your own strength."
"I see, Professor," Vader replied.
"Let's go." Dumbledore stood up, stretched out his hand to Wade and said, "Let's go to another place and learn how to Apparate." Wade stepped forward and grabbed Dumbledore's arm. Fawkes the Phoenix flew over and landed on Dumbledore's shoulder.
The next moment, accompanied by a clear cry, a flash of fire appeared in the principal's office, and the two people disappeared from the room at the same time.
……
With a "bang", Wade and Dumbledore appeared in a forest. The tall trees around them formed an arched dome, completely covering the area.
Vader was surprised to find that he was not unfamiliar with this place - Sirius and Lupin had made some arrangements here before so that Vader could transform into an Animagus.
"This place is just right," Dumbledore said. "There is no interference from the Anti-Apparition Spell, and no wizards or Muggles to disturb us. We can practice without any worries."
He waved his wand, causing the leafless branches to extend out and seal the gap more tightly.
The dead leaves on the ground fluttered and gathered into piles, then suddenly burst into flames, and Wade immediately felt the warm heat.
Then Wade also waved his wand, and balls of blue fire fell all around, burning quietly, driving away the winter chill.
Now, the two of them seemed to be standing in a circle of flames.
Even a simple fire spell showed Vader's solid foundation in spells, so Dumbledore showed approval in his eyes.
"Apparition is a very difficult magic. Originally you had to be in sixth grade to learn it."
Dumbledore said, "But I noticed that you seemed to have started reading related books very early. I guess you have a good understanding of Apparition?"
"Yes." Vader pulled a scroll of parchment from his bag and said, "I just finished a paper on Apparition."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow in surprise, took the paper, looked at it quickly for a while, then rolled it up and put it away.
“I have to say that this paper has reached a level that can be published in the magazine ‘Today’s Spells’.”
Dumbledore sighed and smiled, "I don't know what else I can teach you... Let's start from the beginning and watch me demonstrate it..."
Dumbledore seemed to just sway slightly, and his body disappeared from where he was, and appeared a few meters away with a "pop".
"See? Apparition does not require complicated spells or tedious operations. The most important thing is whether your inner thoughts are clear and whether you have a strong desire to reach your goal."
"What are the three most important Ds of Apparition, Vader?"
Dumbledore suddenly asked.
Wade was naturally not stumped by the question, and he immediately answered: "Goal, determination, and calmness."
"good."
A ball of sparks flew from the tip of Dumbledore's wand and struck the ground, creating a black circle.
"Concentrate on this circle, long to be there with all your heart, without fear or tension, and surrender yourself to the magic calmly - and spin."
Wade did not hesitate. He looked at the circle carefully, memorized its appearance, raised his arm, and turned on the spot.
"boom!"
He heard a sound like firecrackers exploding and thought he had succeeded, but when he opened his eyes he found that his body was still there, with only a corner of his robe three meters away.
"Take your time," said Dumbledore. "It is always very difficult at the beginning."
"boom!"
Wade tried a second time, and this time he finally moved more than a meter away from his original position, but his left foot was temporarily separated from his body.
"Split." Dumbledore said calmly: "You are not concentrating enough. Let the goal occupy your mind."
He pointed his wand, and with a loud bang, purple smoke exploded from the surroundings, and Vader's left foot returned to his body without even feeling any pain.
Vader took a deep breath, and a faint golden light flowed in his eyes.
He glanced at the target circle again, and then... SPIN!
"Snapped!"
Once again, the body split, but this time only a few strands of hair were lost, and Vader had no intention of getting his hair back.
"Snapped!"
Vader was distracted when he started, and he didn't even move out. He tripped and fell.
"Snapped!"
He finally Apparated to a farther location... but it was too far, and Vader stepped into the fire.
Fortunately, fire extinguishing is a basic skill for wizards.
"Snapped!"
Wade stepped on the edge of the circle. He looked around for a while before he suddenly came to his senses. He looked down and saw that the target was right under his feet.
With a bit of surprise on his face, he looked at the place where he was originally, and couldn't believe that he succeeded so quickly - you know, in the original book, Harry practiced for several months before learning this magic.
Vader looked at Dumbledore hesitantly, walked out of the circle and returned to the starting point, then tried again!
"Snapped!"
This time, he stood in the exact center of the circle.
“Pah, pah, pah pah…”
Monotonous applause sounded nearby, and Wade looked up to see Dumbledore smiling and nodding.
"Yes, you did succeed, Wade." The principal looked very pleased. He said, "I thought you would need at least two or three classes. You really exceeded my expectations."
Vader smiled shyly and said, "I'll practice for a while, Professor."
The young wizard's silhouette began to flicker again in the venue.
Because he wanted his Apparition to be faster, as fast as instinct, Vader did not wait until he was fully prepared before Apparition every time.
Since separation still occurred from time to time, Dumbledore taught Wade how to heal his body quickly.
He watched Vader practice again and again, the time he spent Apparating became shorter and shorter, but the number of times he split into two bodies became less and less.
According to the standards set by the Ministry of Magic, Vader has now learned Apparition, which is enough to obtain a certificate even if he takes the exam, but Vader himself does not seem satisfied.
He is still practicing hard and repeatedly.
Dumbledore watched his figure flicker, feeling both relieved and unable to help sighing.
(End of this chapter)