Apparition Course and Twycross
Aside from the bewildered Gryffindor students, there was one student who almost succeeded. The only problem was that he had left his hair behind, appearing stark naked in his wooden hoop to a chorus of laughter.
The seventeen-year-old was excitedly confirming that all his limbs were intact. When he heard the laughter, he realized his head felt cooler than usual. He reached up and touched it. "Why are you laughing. Ah! What? What do I do?"
"I like the new look," his friend joked. "It's very, illuminating."
Another student agreed, "You're definitely the center of attention now." He untied his cloak, draped it over his friend who was trying to bury his head in his arms, and awkwardly led him back towards the group, ending up near Anthony.
The student with the now-partially bald head said angrily, "Shut up, you two!" He protectively covered his head with his hands, repeatedly touching it in disbelief, trying to confirm that he was indeed missing half his hair.
He seemed to be quite popular, as mischievous classmates lifted their cloaks and peeked at him. Someone even handed him a mirror, then laughed as he let out a strange scream.
Twycross waved his wand, and the missing hair seamlessly reattached itself to his scalp.
"A very common and harmless form of splinching," Twycross said softly, his voice drowned out by the laughter and jokes.
The student emerged from beneath the cloak, his face flushed, eyes darting around as if searching for something.
"Liz has been looking at you," Anthony heard the friend who had covered him whisper.
The student, now sporting a full head of hair, turned beet red. Anthony could practically see steam rising from his head.
"Oh, no," he mumbled.
Another friend said, "Don't worry, Richie, I think she's concerned about you."
Anthony followed his gaze across the hall. A girl was talking to someone beside her, her eyes occasionally drifting towards the blushing Richie before quickly looking away.
"Yeah, my shiny scalp must have made a lasting impression," Richie said, scratching his head in frustration. "I'd rather have splinched my head. At least that would've been cool."
"Bald is cool too," his friend tried to reassure him.
Richie grew even more agitated. "I don't think so. I was planning to ask her to dinner tonight."
After a few more attempts, Anthony felt he was getting the hang of it. He was eager to step out of the hoop unaided but worried about another "cool-looking" splinching incident.
"Mr. Twycross?" He approached the Ministry instructor. "Is there any chance I could learn the spell to mend splinching?"
He had noticed that, unlike McGonagall's reattachment spell, which involved a popping sound and purple smoke, Twycross had seamlessly restored Richie's hair. If he could learn this technique, he could practice Apparition in Hogsmeade without worry. Unlike the students, as a professor, he had access to non-warded areas for practice.
The pale, thin wizard turned his gaze towards him and said dryly, "I'm afraid not, Professor Anthony."
"Why not?" Anthony asked, confused.
Twycross remained silent, simply staring at him.
Anthony shrugged and walked away. The Deans all seemed capable of fixing splinching, so he planned to ask Professor Flitwick if he could teach him.
By the end of the lesson, only Anthony and the Gryffindor student had successfully Apparated. Richie, the temporarily hairless student, hadn't dared to try again.
Twycross donned his cloak, bid everyone farewell, and Disapparated. The hall buzzed with activity as students packed up their belongings and headed towards the stairs. There were complaints and groans about dizziness, but no one else had managed to Apparate, and the instructor, like a giant white parrot, had only repeated those three D's as if they were some magical incantation.
Anthony watched, speechless, as Richie's friends nudged him towards the girl named Liz.
"Hi, Richie," Liz said, taking the initiative and smoothing her hair. "That was amazing! You almost did it!"
Richie puffed up his chest. "What? Oh, that, yeah, hehe, piece of cake." He grinned, then added sheepishly, "I'll definitely do better next time!"
The two of them walked off as if no one else existed, discussing their thoughts on the lesson, leaving their friends exchanging knowing glances and amused expressions as they followed towards the common room.
"Ah, Professor Anthony!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed, spinning around in his chair. "I didn't expect you! Come in, come in."
Anthony stepped into the Charms professor's office for the first time. Bookshelves lined the walls on either side of the entrance, overflowing with both pristine, gold-embossed volumes and well-worn, dog-eared tomes.
An ink-filled quill hovered over parchment, and various instruments and charts cluttered the desk. Silver trinkets fluttered around the ceiling, leaving trails of light as Anthony entered, alerting Professor Flitwick to his visitor's presence.
"What brings you here, Professor Anthony?" Flitwick asked. "You don't visit often! Let me guess, something to do with Apparition?"
He closed the office door with a wave of his wand and conjured a simple armchair beside it, inviting Anthony to sit.
Anthony smiled. "Exactly." He settled into the comfortable chair and accepted the teacup Flitwick offered, feeling like he had stepped back in time to his early days at Hogwarts, when he'd spent many afternoons with Flitwick for spell tutoring.
He recounted his relatively successful Apparition lesson (at least he hadn't lost any more body parts) and then asked, "Could you teach me the spell to mend splinching?"
Professor Flitwick beamed. "Of course, of course! But it complements Apparition, and is fundamentally similar to it."
Still under the effects of the anti-Apparition wards, Anthony could only learn the theoretical part from Professor Flitwick.
He examined the notes on the parchment, then said, "I still don't understand how Mr. Twycross managed to mend the splinching silently." If he were to practice in Hogsmeade, he'd prefer not to cause a scene with every Apparition, even if he found the most secluded spot.
Professor Flitwick perked up. He set his teacup down, took the parchment, and began scribbling and sketching. "Let me see." After a moment, he shook his head in confusion. "No, unless we eliminate the cracking sound associated with Apparition, it seems unavoidable."
"Can that sound be eliminated?" Anthony asked.
His own Apparitions had been relatively quiet, but there was still a distinct crack that made him wish for earplugs. Even Twycross's Apparitions weren't completely silent.
Professor Flitwick shook his head again. "I don't believe so. I'm fairly certain all the theoretical models related to Apparition account for it. Unless they're entirely incorrect. Ah, I think I understand." He snapped his fingers.
"What is it?"
Flitwick blinked and offered a hint. "Pomona mentioned that Twycross has been with the Ministry for a while, but he only joined the Apparition Test Center the year before last."
Anthony didn't quite grasp the significance. "So he got promoted?"
"No," Flitwick said, trying to be more explicit. "He hasn't previously worked in the Department of Magical Transportation."
Anthony still looked puzzled, so he shook his head. "Anyway, the point is, his method of mending splinching is different from what we just discussed, right?"
"Yes, that's correct," Flitwick confirmed, then paused thoughtfully. "Have you heard of the Department of Mysteries, Professor Anthony?"
Anthony thought the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it.
Flitwick, noticing his confusion, explained, "It's a department that researches the fundamental nature of magic. I was almost assigned there once. Everything is top secret, so the employees are also called Unspeakables. Mr. Twycross likely worked there previously, which is why he couldn't teach you their methods." He added with a touch of resentment, "They never publish any of their findings."
"They can't tell anyone, but they can use it in public?" Anthony shook his head. "Considering it's the Ministry of Magic, I'm not surprised."
"I can't say what's classified, but once something becomes instinctual, it's not easy to suppress." Flitwick waved a hand dismissively. "He must have authorization to use it, perhaps even discovered it himself."
A researcher using knowledge gained from a previous, classified position, with the organization's permission, in their new role. From that perspective, it made a lot more sense.
Anthony nodded, no longer dwelling on Twycross's silence. Instead, he was curious about something else.
"How do you know so much, Professor Flitwick?" he asked, amazed, looking at the cheerful Charms professor perched on his tall chair.
Professor Flitwick took a sip of tea and said mysteriously, "You know, when you've been a professor for long enough, well, let's just say I have a few friends who work, or have worked, in the Department of Mysteries. And Mr. Twycross was once my student."