Part - Vampire at Hogwarts

Apparition Lessons

Riana's POV

As we all gather for our first apparition lesson. I remember my talk with Draco the night I returned to Hogwarts. I had found him on the seventh floor. And had dragged him to the room of Requirement.

(Flashback)

"What is it?" He asked me.

"Do you have any information on my grandfather? " I asked him.

"What?" He asked as he avoided my eyes.

"Draco, we both know what you are. And I am not asking you to rescue my grandfather. That'd put you in danger, " I stated.

"Then what do you want?" Draco demanded.

"I just want to know if he is alive? He is my last connection to my mother, as the rest of the Olivanders are dead. Please, I need to know, " I pleaded.

"He is alive," he assured me, and I sighed in relief, hugged him. I thanked him, then left. After wishing him a good night.

(End of Flashback)

We have not spoken since, and now we're about to have our first apparition lesson. I am nervous. Not because of apparition, but what if Draco splinches himself? I am of age now, and his scent drives me crazy. I don't think I will be able to hold back if he bleeds. Even though I did have a blood bag this morning.

What else has happened?  Harry is still having lessons with Dumbledore. He and the other two have been having secret conversations. Ron and Lavender are still together. So are Dean and Ginny. But I know they have been fighting, and Ron is getting tired of how clingy Lavender is. It is only a matter of team before both couples split. The question is, which couple will break up first?

"Good morning," the ministry official teaching us how to apparate says. He introduces himself as Wilkie Twycross. Professor McGonagall tells Draco and Crabbe off for not paying attention. It looks like they'd been arguing about something. But I don't know what.

Mr Twycross explains how the enchantment preventing people from apparating it school had been lifted for an hour in only the great hall. So that we can practice. He then has us space ourselves five feet apart from the other students. Then hoops appear in front of us. "The important things to remember when Apparating are the three D’s!” he tells us. "Destination, Determination, Deliberation," he lists.

"Step one: Fix your mind firmly upon the desired destination. In this case, the interior of your hoop. Kindly concentrate upon that destination now, " he tells us. I focus on the hoop in front of me. "Step two, focus your determination to occupy the visualized space! Let your yearning to enter it flood from your mind to every particle of your body, " he states. "Step three, and only when I give the command.Turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with deliberation!" He declares. He counts down from three.

I spun on the spot, but nothing happens. The whole Hall was suddenly full of staggering people; Neville was flat on his back; Ernie Macmillan, on the other hand, had done a kind of pirouetting leap into his hoop and looked momentarily thrilled, until he caught sight of Dean Thomas roaring with laughter at him. No one had managed to apparate.

Mr. Twycross wasn't surprised and had us readjust ourselves & our hoops before trying again. Not until the fourth did anything exciting happen. There was a horrible screech of pain, and the strong scent of blood filled my nose. We all looked around, terrified, to see Susan Bones of Hufflepuff wobbling in her hoop with her left leg still standing five feet away where she had started.

I hold my breath as the Heads of House converged on her. There was a great bang and a puff of purple smoke, which cleared to reveal Susan sobbing, reunited with her leg but looking horrified. The smell of blood is gone, thank God. "Splinching, or the separation of random body parts, occurs when the mind is insufficiently determined. You must concentrate continuously upon your destination and move without haste, but with deliberation... thus, " he demonstrates. He turned gracefully on the spot with his arms outstretched and vanished in a swirl of robes, reappearing at the back of the hall.

"Remember the three D’s" he tells us. I wonder who came up with the three D's? But I shake the thought away, I must stay focused. But an hour later, Susan’s Splinching was still the most interesting thing that had happened. Twycross did not seem discouraged. He told us not to forget the 3 D’s and said he'd see us all next Saturday for our next lesson.

"Please stay, Miss Olivander," Professor McGonagall tells me. I nod and stay as the others leave. Most look confused, but no one says anything. Hermione looks concerned, but I give her a reassuring smile as she leaves with the other two. "How do you feel?" She asks me.

"Drained," I answer as Madame Pomfrey appears with a blood bag. I take it grateful and drink it. Feeling better. "I don't know if I can do this, professor," I tell her. "If this is gonna happen every lesson. And if Draco were to get splinched, I don’t think I would be able to control myself, " I admit.

"Dumbledore thought this might happen," she tells me grimly. "But he came up with a solution," she states. I look up at her, hopeful. "You will have private apparition lessons. That way, if there is any Splinching, it will be you alone. So, no risk of losing control, " she explains.

"That’s brilliant," I tell her, smiling. "Who will teach me?" I ask.

"Another ministry official in my classroom. While Mr. Twycross teaches the other sixth and seventh years, " she states. I nod my head. "Until then, focus on the three D’s and keep your strength up. Also, good luck with making your first wand, " she tells me. I nod my head and leave.

I went to the common room. Where I told the others in whispers about my private apparition lessons. As I enjoyed a blood pop Hermione had given me. Before we started our weekend homework. I also go over my construction plan for my first wand. It will be pine, roughly ten inches long with a unicorn hair core. I pray I succeed.

The first wand is always the hardest to make. At least according to my grandfather and two teachers. Ron doesn't understand what is so difficult about it, but I just ignored him. Of course, he doesn't understand how hard it is to combine a wand with its core safely. Unicorn hair is the safest wand core to work with. But every core is fragile and is magical.

You'd be surprised how often one explodes if not combined safely with the wand wood. And if you damage the core, the wand will be useless. It takes years of practice before a wand maker can even try using according dragon heartstring as a core. So, the chances of my first attempt at making a wand succeeding are slim, but I won't give up if I fail. I will be a wand maker, no matter how long it takes. Because I am an Olivander and I won't let my grandfather down. He believes in me, and that is all I need.