Among all spells, Apparition ranked near the top in both difficulty and danger.
At Hogwarts, students weren't even allowed to apply for Apparition lessons until they were at least seventeen and in their sixth year. Training was conducted under constant supervision, because a single mistake could result in splinching. Lost limbs weren't rare. Instructors had to be ready to reattach body parts on the spot.
For many young witches and wizards, one bad experience was enough to leave a permanent psychological scar. Some never dared attempt Apparition again.
Even after completing the course, students still had to pass an official exam. Only those who could Apparate flawlessly received a license, essentially the magical equivalent of a driver's permit. Using Apparition without one was illegal. If you weren't caught, no problem. If you were, the fines were brutal.
The rules existed partly for safety, and partly to reduce the workload of the Ministry's Accidental Magic Reversal Squad. Before the licensing system was enforced properly, that department dealt with dozens of splinching incidents and Muggle exposure cases every day.
Under normal circumstances, Rowan Mercer learning Apparition as a first-year would be laughable.
Even though he had already found the spell and its theory in the Restricted Section, this wasn't like other magic. Failing to master a charm might just waste time. Failing Apparition could kill you. No matter how tough his body was, losing his head still meant losing his life.
Asking Snape was impossible. Teaching a student illegal magic ahead of schedule crossed a line even Snape wouldn't step over. Voldemort's diary was no help either. That version of Voldemort hadn't learned Apparition yet, and even if he had, a book couldn't heal splinching.
Rowan briefly considered abducting a Dark wizard and using the Imperius Curse to force lessons. He discarded the idea almost immediately. A controlled mind made for a terrible teacher, and getting caught would mean Azkaban.
After weighing every option, only one path remained. Safe, legal enough, and with no loose ends.
Pay for it.
Magical crash courses existed for a reason. In the Muggle world, they would be called tutoring centers. Groups of competent but unremarkable wizards ran them, offering remedial education for struggling students and advanced instruction for underqualified adults.
They also happily took money from Squibs desperate to learn magic, even if the odds were hopeless.
Argus Filch, Hogwarts' caretaker, had been pouring gold into these places for years, convinced that enough money could bend reality.
Rowan suspected the instructors wouldn't mind bending a few rules either. Teaching Apparition early wasn't exactly an Unforgivable Crime. At worst, it meant a fine. And the Ministry, in its current state, barely cared.
If money could solve the problem, there was no reason to gamble with his life.
With that decision made, Rowan returned to regular study. Recently, he'd been researching Disillusionment magic. After seeing how invisibility had enabled a devastating ambush in battle, he'd become convinced it was indispensable.
The next morning, Rowan paid a visit to Garrick Ollivander, bringing gifts.
Ollivander's connections ran deep throughout the wizarding world. Even if Rowan no longer needed wand-making lessons, maintaining the relationship was valuable. One day, he might need a favor.
Ollivander was delighted. Talented students were rare, and Rowan had even brought rare wand materials. They spoke at length before Rowan took his leave.
Not far away, Rowan spotted a faded advertisement pasted onto a brick wall. Following the address, he found a storefront labeled "Magic Crash Course."
It was tiny. Possibly the smallest shop he had ever seen in either Diagon Alley or Knockturn Alley, squeezed between a secondhand cauldron store and an ice cream shop.
Inside was even worse. A single desk. Two chairs. No spare space at all.
A pale-skinned witch in a worn jacket, around thirty years old, was asleep face-first on the desk.
She didn't even notice Rowan enter.
"I'm starting to regret this," Rowan muttered, knocking on the desk.
"Excuse me. Is this the Magic Crash Course?"
The witch jolted awake and sprang to her feet.
"Of course it is! Are you here to enroll?" she said rapidly. "Low fees, fast results, guaranteed improvement next term. You'll never be looked down on again—"
"Stop," Rowan said calmly. "One question. Can you teach Apparition?"
"Apparition? Sure, but your age—"
She paused, finally noticing him properly.
Rowan met her gaze evenly. "If I met the age requirement, I'd learn it at school. I wouldn't be here."
She hesitated, her expression turning conflicted.
"We only provide Apparition training for adults who failed the licensing exam," she said carefully. "We don't offer it to anyone under seventeen. If the Ministry finds out, the fines are serious."
Then she brightened slightly.
"But we can teach almost any other spell taught at Hogwarts, first year through seventh. We even help with holiday homework. We can write it for you if you want."
Rowan stared at her in silence.
...
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