Apparition (spirit)



An apparition is a type of spirit that manifests, at the very least, as a disembodied human head. Apparitions are presumably hostile spirits, and are considered fearsome.

In 1993, Draco Malfoy, along with Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, attempted to assault Ronald Weasley in front of the Shrieking Shack. They were hindered by a quantity of mud that was suddenly thrown at them from seemingly nowhere, which they quickly attributed to the supposedly haunted Shack. These fears heightened when what appeared to be an apparition of Harry Potter's head suddenly appeared in their midst, causing the trio to flee. Draco would report these happenings to Severus Snape upon arriving back at Hogwarts Castle, who took it upon himself to question Harry Potter later.

In reality, this "apparition" was the real Harry Potter, who had sneaked into Hogsmeade using the Marauders' Map, and was concealed by his Cloak of Invisibility until Crabbe accidentally pulled down part of Harry's cloak when Harry attempted to covertly trip him. Therefore, it is unclear if true apparitions exist at all.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Pottermore