Under Amy's one-on-one guidance, Rowan's understanding of Apparition deepened rapidly. There was a clear difference between self-study and proper instruction. Books could explain theory, but experience, nuance, and practical warnings only came from a teacher. More importantly, Amy adjusted her pace based on his reactions instead of rigidly following a syllabus.
As dusk settled outside, Amy poured herself a glass of water, her throat clearly dry.
"I've explained a lot. Are you sure you're following all of this?"
"Yes," Rowan replied calmly. "I'd like to try. If anything goes wrong, please heal me immediately."
He drew his wand.
In truth, he had already mastered most of the theory through independent study. The only reason he hadn't attempted Apparition before was the risk. If something went wrong, there would have been no one to help him. Now that Amy was here, and after hearing her explanations refine his understanding even further, he saw no reason not to practice.
"So soon?" Amy stared at him. "Even sixth-years spend months on theory before attempting their first jump. You've only been studying half a day. You really think you understand everything I said?"
She shook her head.
"Advanced magic takes patience. Rushing won't help."
Her original plan was to spend the entire summer drilling theory. Even if Rowan failed in the end due to insufficient magic, she would still have taught him properly and earned her fee with a clear conscience. If he insisted on trying now and failed, she could always blame incomplete understanding.
"That's fine," Rowan said evenly. "As long as you teach properly, you'll get the full hundred Galleons, even if I don't succeed."
Amy paused, then smiled brightly.
"You said it. No backing out."
She stood, wand in hand.
"Let's start small. Try Apparating from the living room to your bedroom. Remember the key points. Visualize the destination clearly. Believe you'll arrive. Don't doubt yourself."
Although she didn't believe he could succeed, she still taught him seriously.
Rowan rose from the sofa, took a steady breath, closed his eyes, and followed her instructions precisely.
"Apparition."
There was a soft crack, like an engine misfiring. His body felt compressed, squeezed through something narrow for two seconds, and then released.
He opened his eyes.
He was standing in his bedroom.
"It worked," Rowan said, genuinely surprised. "So this is Apparition. It's… simpler than I expected."
There was no splinching. No pain. The entire process felt smooth.
Thinking about it, the reason was obvious. For most young witches and wizards, the difficulty lay in visualization alone. Many simply couldn't form a precise mental image of their destination. Rowan, however, possessed exceptional mental clarity. Once he had seen a place, he could reproduce every detail perfectly.
The second requirement, determination, was something he had practiced through countless spells already.
As for fear, that was never an issue. He wasn't an ordinary child. He had faced far worse than the risk of splinching. And even if the worst happened, this was only one of his bodies. There was no reason to panic.
All three conditions were met. Combined with abundant magical reserves and solid theory, success on the first attempt was inevitable.
"Apparition."
He vanished again and reappeared on the living room sofa.
Amy stood frozen, mouth wide open.
A first-year. Half a day of lessons. Successful Apparition.
It shattered everything she thought she knew.
Even prodigies shouldn't have the magical reserves for this. Unless… unless his natural magic was already comparable to an adult's.
She snapped out of it quickly.
"I'll say this first. Even if you've learned it early, the remaining eighty Galleons are non-negotiable."
Rowan smiled faintly.
"This is only the beginning. I still need guidance. And even once I master Apparition, there are other spells you can teach me. The remaining payment won't be missing. If you teach well, I'll add more."
He wasn't satisfied with slow, multi-second Apparition. What he wanted was sub-second movement. Combat-grade speed.
Which meant their lessons were far from over.