After the party ended, Hermione seemed to launch yet another assault on the library.
On the way to the Great Hall, she deliberately sought Draco out. "I still haven't found a single piece of information about Horcruxes."
"Not one. I went through the entire Restricted Section. I even read the worst books, the ones that teach you how to brew the most horrifying potions... but there was nothing."
Apparently not realizing what she had just blurted out, Hermione was immediately silenced when Draco covered her mouth with his hand and gestured around them with his eyes.
That made Hermione smack her own forehead in annoyance. "Sorry. I probably didn't sleep enough, so my brain's not very clear right now."
Luckily, no one seemed to have noticed them, because in just a moment they were about to learn a long-awaited piece of magic.
In any case, there was not really much to say about the details of the party.
Making new friends, expanding your network, and exchanging favors on behalf of the interests behind you. Those three things were enough to explain the purpose of holding an event like that.
Even though those students had not yet graduated from Hogwarts, the ones invited by Professor Horace had already come into contact with that side of society ahead of time.
Maybe that was exactly why.
Because they got to the starting line earlier than everyone else, and because they received help from their seniors, these students were able to hold such a strong advantage in the fields they pursued after graduation, and then achieve the success that belonged to them.
Networks of influence were like a snowball. If Horace Slughorn had not disappeared for a period of time, then perhaps the wizarding world would not necessarily have been ruled by Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge...
After that party ended, the sixth-year students of Hogwarts were about to face an extremely important course.
That was learning... Apparition and Disapparition.
...
By February, the snow around Hogwarts had melted away, replaced by a bleak, clammy dampness.
Looking up, grayish-purple clouds hung low over the castle, and the endless cold rain had turned the lawns slick and muddy.
Because of that miserable weather, Draco and the others' first Apparition lesson was moved from outdoors into the Great Hall...
That morning, when Draco followed the crowd into the Great Hall, he saw that all the tables had vanished, clearing out enough space for the young wizards to practice magic.
The sound of rain tapping against the windows filled his ears.
Above, the enchanted ceiling turned dimly overhead.
And in front of him stood the Heads of House from all four houses on the stage.
That scene, and that atmosphere, made all the young wizards who had just entered the Great Hall unconsciously quiet their breathing and movements, afraid their own Head of House might notice them from the stage...
Of course, Draco was not included in that.
He was not affected by the solemn atmosphere at all, and he was probably also the first to notice the unfamiliar wizard standing among the four Heads of House.
Draco noticed that this wizard, who was clearly much shorter than the others, was wearing the standard robes of the Ministry of Magic.
Obviously, even though the outside situation really was not very good at the moment, neither the Ministry of Magic nor Hogwarts was willing to be careless when it came to Apparition.
Otherwise, they would not have sent a specialist wizard over, much less gathered all four Heads of House together.
It was also worth mentioning that this short wizard, who was presumably here to teach Apparition, had an extraordinarily pale complexion, almost transparent eyelashes, and fine, wispy hair. He gave off an unreal feeling, as if a single gust of wind might blow him away.
Maybe frequent Apparition and Disapparition had weakened his constitution.
Or maybe that frail build was exactly what suited this kind of magic best.
Those were more or less the thoughts running through the minds of nearly all the young wizards present...
The Heads of House, of course, had no idea what kind of wild guesses the students below were making. Once everyone had arrived, they simply called for silence and handed the floor over to the short wizard.
Ahem.
After a heavy cough, the short wizard began introducing himself and explaining why he was there today.
"Good morning. My name is Wilkie Twycross. For the next twelve weeks, I will be your Apparition instructor, and I hope to help prepare you for your Apparition test."
Excitement.
Anticipation.
The moment Twycross finished speaking, shouts erupted from the students below.
"We finally get to learn this spell?!"
"This is brilliant. I've been waiting forever for this!"
"So from now on I can sleep in and still not be late for class, right?"
Mm. Draco could practically picture Hermione slamming a book into that person's face.
Perhaps because he had heard that remark, the expression on Twycross's face turned a little strange as he reminded them, "As some of you may know, within a certain range of Hogwarts, Apparition and Disapparition are normally impossible."
Only after making sure everyone's attention had fully settled on him did Twycross continue.
"So your headmaster has specially lifted that enchantment, removing the restriction for one hour. Of course, you needn't worry. The unrestricted area extends only to this Great Hall."
"And let me emphasize this in particular. Do not Apparate beyond the walls of this hall. Anyone who tries it would be very unwise."
Although he did not say what would happen if they did, judging from Twycross's stern face, along with Snape's cold expression that practically said he wished they would try it, the students below wisely took the warning to heart. Even the more reckless Gryffindors did not dare test it lightly...
"Now, I want everyone to spread out and leave enough room in front of yourselves to cast the spell."
With Twycross's instructions, the Great Hall immediately descended into chaos. The students scattering apart kept bumping into one another, and all of them were shouting at other people to get out of their space.
The Heads of House, who had clearly expected this, stepped down from the stage at once to help arrange their own students into position and settle disputes.
And one more thing was worth noting.
Hermione, who should have been standing with Gryffindor, walked straight over to where Draco was without a word.
And even though Snape clearly saw what she was doing, he gave no sign of questioning it. Let alone Professor McGonagall...