Fred was right, they really couldn't change their plans.
The next morning, the Weasleys set off early, just as scheduled, to visit Bill.
The Shabby Residence, which had always been lively, suddenly became quiet, and Kael felt a bit out of place for a moment.
There was still about a week left until August, and with Fred and George gone, Kael searched for something to do to pass the time. He ended up finding Chris.
"You want to learn Apparition?"
"Yes." Kael nodded, "Is that okay?"
"Can you tell me why?" Chris asked, puzzled. "You probably don't need it right now… Hogwarts forbids Apparition, and you don't need it at home either.
Besides, the Ministry of Magic says only wizards over seventeen can learn Apparition. If you're found out, there could be trouble."
The process of learning Apparition is dangerous; a bit of carelessness could leave your arm – or even your head – behind.
Seeing part of your body show up somewhere else is far from pleasant, and it's a huge psychological challenge for wizards.
In history, there have been young wizards who, while learning Apparition, saw their body without a head and instantly broke down, turning into a dazed Squib.
And that wasn't just an isolated case.
To prevent this from happening frequently, they made a strict rule that no wizard under seventeen could learn Apparition.
But at Hogwarts, you could learn it in sixth year. It must've been to accommodate students who were a bit older.
The Ministry of Magic looked the other way on this, since sixteen and seventeen isn't much different anyway, and with professors supervising, accidents rarely happened.
But Kael was only fourteen right now—even technically thirteen—so he definitely wasn't supposed to learn it.
"It's fine, I have this…" Kael stretched out his hand and showed his ring.
"If anyone finds out, I just say it's a magic tool effect."
Two weeks ago, Diana had returned the ring to him, and the number of Apparition uses was reset to three.
"In that case… alright." Chris hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.
Kael had behaved so reliably these past few years, so even if his requests were a bit much, Chris rarely objected.
Of course, if it was really over the line—like wanting to learn the Killing Curse or something—that was definitely a no.
Apparition was more a test of mental endurance, and for that, Chris trusted Kael.
With the decision made, Chris didn't hesitate any longer. That afternoon, using his trip to Romania as an excuse, he told the Ministry he'd be taking a week's paid leave, then took Kael up to an open space on the northern mountain.
Hardly anyone went there, and people in the village below couldn't see them. It was perfect for practicing Apparition.
A few owls flew over with them, settling on the surrounding trees.
"Before you start learning, there are two things you have to remember."
Chris said seriously, "When Apparating, you need a clear enough memory of the place you want to go—the more detail, the better. That helps you avoid appearing in mid-air or inside a tree."
"And unless you can use Apparition as easily as eating or drinking, never use it in a battle... The enemy won't be reattaching your disconnected head.
If you need to, you can use the ring. It won't let you be separated from yourself."
Kael nodded.
"Next is the fundamental stuff: target, determination, composure…"
"Pick a target – I just explained that. So let's skip ahead to the key part… commit yourself. Let the desire to go there fill your mind and body.
If you hesitate or feel insecure during this process, the magic will get disrupted and leave some of your body behind.
Last, keep your mind steady and move calmly… if you're really nervous, you can spin in place; that should relax you a bit."
Chris explained everything in detail, and, after demonstrating three times, finally agreed to let Kael try.
He casually tossed a stone.
"That's your target. Remember what I just said…"
Kael took out his wand, took a deep breath, and gradually focused on nothing but the stone…
Maybe because he'd Apparated several times before, Kael quickly settled into that familiar state… like being tossed into a spin cycle in a washing machine.
"Pop!"
With a dizzying sensation and a bang, he successfully appeared five meters away.
Kael quickly checked himself.
Good, arms and legs are all there, and his head's still where it should be…
"A little rough around the edges, but for a first attempt, that's already really good."
Chris walked over to where Kael had been standing, picked up a few hairs from the ground.
"I think you got distracted for a split second during the compression. That's the toughest part to master."
"Try again."
Chris threw another stone, "If you want to learn Apparition, you need to get used to, and ignore, that compressed feeling you get when space changes."
Kael's expression grew serious.
Now, besides wanting to learn Apparition, he had a whole new reason to concentrate: keeping his hair intact.
If it's just a normal separation, magical power from Apparition stays at the wound, connecting the body. As long as you fix it fast, there's no real problem.
But hair's another story—you can hardly tell where it got separated, so whatever comes off is gone for good.
The second Apparition, Kael got distracted again, this time worse. He left half a finger behind at the starting spot.
It didn't hurt, but the feeling was definitely creepy.
Chris quickly helped him reattach it, and dabbed some Dittany Essence to speed up healing.
"You seem even more nervous than before…"
"It's nothing." Kael gave a nervous laugh, not saying more.
He couldn't exactly admit he was tense because he was scared of going bald, so he changed the subject, "Let's do it again…"
Then came an afternoon of non-stop practice.
After the seventh or eighth try, Kael finally got used to the feeling and stopped leaving bits behind.
Chris was amazed—he and Diana had taken five or six lessons, floundered dozens of times, before they barely got accustomed to Apparition's effects.
That was already a pretty good achievement; he'd expected Kael to be about the same.
Kael, though, didn't think much of it.
Honestly… anyone, no matter who, if they'd ever been through a Phoenix-style trip, then switched back to normal Apparition, adapting was way easier.
...