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HP: The Duelist of Hogwarts - 351
🕑 Added 2025-09-29 13:27:15 +0000 UTCChapter 351: Destination, Determination, Deliberation
"The principle of the three D's refers to Destination, Determination, and Deliberation!
Step one: Focus your consciousness on your destination.
Step two: Make up your mind, think that you must move to the destination, and let the desire to go there fill your entire body!
Step three: Feel your body becoming ethereal, and move with deliberation!
Please repeat the three D principles I just mentioned! Remember them firmly!
Alright, you already know the wand movements, gestures, and incantations. Now please come up one by one. There are two white circles here. You stand in the left circle and use what I've taught you to Apparate into the right white circle.
Note: you must appear exactly within the circle. Any deviation, even the slightest bit, counts as failure. If we're not strict now, when you use Apparition in the future, you could easily embed yourself in walls or other objects. At that point, you'll face more than just the trouble of repeated practice.
Finally, splinching may occur during Apparition. If this happens, what you need to do is not scream and shout, but remain calm. Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and I will all help you recover. So don't worry – again, stay calm!
Do you all understand?"
Instructor Ayre was quite authoritative during class.
Hearing Ayre's words, the sixth and seventh-year students all nodded to indicate they understood.
Seeing this, Ayre didn't hesitate further and immediately began calling students up one by one according to the name list to practise Apparition.
Sean was at the bottom of the list since he was a late addition, so he wasn't in a hurry and just stood aside quietly waiting.
The first to go was a sixth-year Gryffindor girl. She stood in the left white circle, took a deep breath, raised her wand and attempted Apparition.
Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh...
Accompanied by crackling sounds, the sixth-year Gryffindor girl's body began spinning rapidly in the white circle, soon forming a whirlpool that quickly shrank and disappeared from the circle.
The moment she vanished from the left circle, about three metres away from the right circle, the girl suddenly appeared about a metre above the ground and fell straight down. Fortunately, Professor Flitwick cast a cushioning charm at that moment, allowing the Gryffindor girl to land safely.
Looking at the Gryffindor girl, Ayre shook his head. "Too far off, completely unacceptable, and there are signs of splinching too."
Walking to the left white circle, Ayre picked up a pinky finger. He pointed his wand at the finger, and with a puff of purple smoke, the finger immediately disappeared from Ayre's hand and reappeared on the Gryffindor girl's hand.
"Alright, next!"
Sean watched as students tried Apparition one after another. Most had various errors, but few experienced major splinching, so the scene remained relatively harmonious.
Just then, Professor McGonagall re-entered the Great Hall. She walked straight to Sean's side and said quietly, "I spoke with Dumbledore. Your joining the Order of the Phoenix is a done deal, but he also promised me that he absolutely won't send you on missions before you graduate. You should also be careful – the Order is actually quite dangerous. You're still underage, so don't think it's something fun. Understand?"
"I understand, Professor."
"Good, I won't disturb your class anymore. If you have any problems in the future, you can come to me. I'll help you."
Watching Professor McGonagall turn to help Professor Flitwick with splinched students, Sean immediately called out, "Professor McGonagall, thank you."
Pausing, Professor McGonagall turned to look at Sean, nodded lightly, and replied, "This is my duty as a teacher. You don't need to thank me. Focus on your class."
Watching Professor McGonagall walk to Professor Flitwick's side and begin helping restore splinched students' bodies, Sean knew that purely as an educator, Professor McGonagall was probably the only true teacher at Hogwarts. When facing students, she only had protection and education, nothing else.
In contrast, while Dumbledore and Snape might be great wizards to some people, they definitely weren't great teachers.
"Ah... ah... my lower body, my lower body!"
Following the screaming, Sean saw a Hufflepuff boy whose upper body from the chest up had appeared in the right white circle, while everything from the chest down had appeared in the left circle. This was very obvious and serious splinching!
Professor McGonagall quickly walked to the Hufflepuff boy's lower half, placed her hand on his legs, and pointed her wand at his body. The next second, purple smoke rose up, instantly enveloping his lower body and sending it back to rejoin his upper half.
"I'm taking him to the hospital wing. Mr Ayre, please continue the class."
Every year there were Apparition training classes, and every year there were students with major splinching, so Professor McGonagall was quite familiar with the routine. She directly took the Hufflepuff boy to the hospital wing.
Seeing Professor McGonagall leave, Ayre continued the class.
Although the remaining students were frightened by what they'd just witnessed, magic frequently involved accidents, so they didn't retreat but continued following Ayre's instruction.
The rest of the class proceeded relatively smoothly until it was finally Sean's turn.
"Master Sean, it's your turn."
Seeing Ayre approach him, Sean immediately nodded. "Ayre, you don't need to make any special arrangements. At Hogwarts, just treat me like an ordinary student."
"Alright, I understand. Please follow me then."
Seeing that Ayre hadn't changed much, Sean didn't continue correcting his attitude and followed him to the left white circle. Sean took a deep breath and followed Ayre's instructions.
Destination! Determination! Deliberation!
Sean gripped his wand tightly.
"Apparition!"
Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh...
Sean's body formed a whirlpool and disappeared from the left circle.
Everyone present stared at Sean, wanting to see if he could succeed. So far, only Hufflepuff's Cedric had landed accurately in the white circle, with only three fingernails splinched. They wanted to see if Sean, the famous Hogwarts champion, could perform even better!
Pop!
With a popping sound, Sean appeared accurately in the right white circle.
"Very accurate. Any splinching?"
Sean reached up to touch his medium-length hair – a tuft was missing from the right side.
"Yes, splinching. Missing a tuft of hair on the right side."
"Very minor splinching, almost negligible, but you still need more practice."
"Thank you. I'll need your help going forward."
"You're too kind, Master Sean."
