Apparition

"Step one: fix your mind firmly upon the desired destination… Step two: focus your determination to occupy the visualized space! Let your yearning to enter it flood from your mind to every particle of your body! Step three, and only when I give the command…turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with deliberation. On my command, now…"

- Wilkie Twycross during an Apparition lesson

Apparition is a magical method of transportation, and is basically magical teleportation, having the user focus on a desired location in their mind, then disappear from their current location and instantly reappear at their desired location. It is by far the fastest way to get to one's desired destination. According to Wilkie Twycross, Ministry of Magic official and Apparition Instructor, one has but to recall The Three D's: Destination, Determination and Deliberation. One must be completely determined to reach one's destination, and move without haste, but with deliberation.

Apparition is a very popular method of travel, though brooms or portkeys may be preferred, as the feeling of Apparition can be unpleasant to some. According to Harry Potter, Apparition feels like being "forced through a very tight rubber tube."

Apparition can cause an audible noise ranging from a small, faint, pop to a loud crack that will sound to Muggles like a car backfiring.

Side-Along Apparition
A variant of Apparition used to transport two or more individuals at once is called Side-Along Apparition. This method may be used by adults seeking to transport underage wizards, or in some cases a licensed individual may use this method to transport an injured party. To perform this version of Apparition, the more able party apparates with the other party holding onto their arm. This method is recommended by the Ministry of Magic for parents with underage children to escape from danger quickly.

Side-Along Apparition can also apparently be forced, as when Death Eater Yaxley grabbed onto Hermione Granger's arm when she, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley escaped from the Ministry of Magic in 1997. He was transported with her when she Apparated to 12 Grimmauld Place and she was only able to escape by shaking his grip with a Revulsion Jinx and Disapparating again.

License to Apparate
"Oh, she was perfect, obviously. Perfect deliberation, divination, and desperation or whatever the hell it is — we all went for a quick drink in the Three Broomsticks after and you should’ve heard Twycross going on about her — I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t pop the question soon —"

- Ron Weasley on Hermione Granger’s Apparating abilities

A License to Apparate is required to practice Apparition legally. One must be at least seventeen years old to obtain such a license. Lessons in Apparition are available, for an additional charge, to students who are or will be of legal age when the next test is administered. This is similar to Muggle schools where road instructions for driving licenses are available, but at additional charges.

While it is physically possible to Apparate without a license, it is not advisable, because injury could result. Splinching can occur when one has insufficient determination to reach one's goal, causing certain body parts to fail to arrive at the destination with the wizard. For example, Susan Bones lost a leg when she Splinched herself during an Apparition lesson, though it was successfully reattached. Splinching also occurred in 1997 to Ron Weasley after disapparating from 12 Grimmauld Place. In cases of unlicensed Apparition, when injury results, the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad can level heavy fines.

"Splinching, or the separation of random body parts, occurs when the mind is insufficiently determined. You must concentrate continually upon your destination, and move, without haste, but with deliberation…"

- Wilkie Twycross

At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, students in their sixth year can sign up for Ministry of Magic Apparition lessons. Those who turn seventeen before the first Apparition Test date have the opportunity to take additional practice sessions in Hogsmeade.

Use of a Wand
It has not be directly stated whether or not a wizard needs a wand to Apparate. The requirement of a wand for Apparition remains open to debate.

There are some lines of argument to suggest that a wand is required. During the Infiltration of the Ministry of Magic by Harry, Ron, and Hermione and its disastrous after-effects, Harry thinks abouts asking Hermione if Mary Cattermole would be able to Side-Along Apparate with her husband Reginald Cattermole without a wand, implying that she cannot. And during the Battle of Malfoy Manor, while Harry and Ron are trapped in the Malfoy Manor's cellar and Hermione is being interrogated/tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, it is directly said that "Ron was now trying to Disapparate without a wand", but was unsuccessful, which leads to the suggestion that Apparating is impossible to do without a wand.

There are equally valid counter-arguments to the conjecture that wands are required for Apparition. Evidence only supplies one use for a wand: the channelling of magic to perform a spell or magical ability by holding it in one's hand (This is debatable, during the Dementor attack on Little Whinging in 1995 Harry uses Lumos when searching for his wand in the dark, the wand tip still ignites though he is not holding it. However it is unclear as to if he was touching the wand at the time). Any other method of use -- including mere possession of a wand for Disapparition or Apparition -- is purely conjectural and unsupported by any firm evidence. When Harry wonders whether Mary Cattermole can Side-Along Apparate with her husband without a wand, this is merely a reflection of his lack of experience with Apparition. Evidence confirms that one does not need a wand to Side-Along Apparate (Harry is Side-Along Apparated by Hermione from Bathilda Bagshot's house without a working wand, and Dean Thomas either Apparates or Side-Along Apparates without a wand at all). At Malfoy Manor, the context of Ron's attempt to Disapparate without a wand merely points to his panicked state of mind, since he would not have been able to rescue Hermione, even if he managed to Disapparate without a wand.

Range
Apparition may have a certain range. In 1998, Lord Voldemort was seen by Harry Potter as flying towards Malfoy Manor, thinking to himself that he would soon be near enough to Apparate. This could explain Voldemort's need to fly to locations to check on his Horcruxes, as he may have been out of range to Apparate. However it is more likely that there are anti- apparition spells protecting those areas. Such as Nurmengard which would have these spells because it is a prison.

Apparition becomes increasingly difficult with the distance to be traveled. Inter-continental Apparition should only be attempted by highly skilled wizards.

Anti-Disapparition Jinx
An Anti-Disapparition Jinx can be used to prevent a wizard from Disapparating from a location. Hogwarts has an Anti-Disapparition Jinx cast upon it. There is a method of teleportation used by house-elves which is not influenced by the jinx, as they are bound by more powerful magic requiring them to appear whenever their master calls.

Portkeys can also be used to access or depart from locations bound by an Anti-Disapparition Jinx.

Behind the scenes

 * Rubeus Hagrid may have Apparated when he retrieved Harry Potter from the Hut-on-the-Rock on his eleventh birthday. Hagrid merely tells Harry that he "flew" to pick him up, although he may have used Sirius Black´s motorcycle.
 * Charlie Weasley took his Apparition test twice, having Apparated on top of an old lady doing her shopping five miles south of his intended destination the first time.
 * Ron Weasley failed his first Apparition License Exam when he splinched half his eyebrow off.
 * Albus Dumbledore took Harry Potter to Horace Slughorn's hideout by means of Side-Along Apparition. Harry later returned the favour by Apparating to escape a seaside cave with an injured Dumbledore on his arm.
 * Harry technically broke the law during Deathly Hallows since he had not taken the test. However the nature of the situation means he likely would not have faced charges. At the same time, he was the most wanted wizard in Britain after the Ministry of Magic fell to Voldemort and his Death Eaters, so if he had been caught Apparating that wouldn't be the worst of his troubles.
 * The ability of Yaxley in The Deathly Hallows being able to force Side-along apparition by merely holding Hermione's arm, suggests that Apparation may use the same form of magic utilised in Portkeys, as the only requirement for travel via a Port Key is to touch the Key itself. This may be incorrect however, as Portkeys are not affected by Anti-Apparation Jinxes, though this could be because the jinx is set to only work on the specific spell used when apparating, and is not attuned to the Portus spell.
 * In the movie adaptation of the Half-Blood Prince, Harry and Dumbledore apparated at the Astronomy Tower making this a very good contradiction to the fact that no one can apparate or disapparate in Hogwarts. Harry mentioned it to Dumbledore, to which Dumbledore replied "well, being me has its privileges", possibly meaning that Dumbledore had the ability to apparate within Hogwarts, or that he had lowered the Anti-Apparition spell, as he did in the Book when he lowered the spells that stopped people flying in or even that the Headmaster can freely apparate within Hogwarts.

In the Films
In both the Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix, Apparition is seen as the person transforming into a cloud of smoke, and re-forming elsewhere. This is most seen during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in the film adaptation of the Order of the Phoenix. Death Eaters were shown Apparating in a cloud of black smoke, while the Order of the Phoenix members Apparated in clouds of pure white smoke instead of appearing with a "pop" as in the books.

Also in the Department of Mysteries, several members of the Order and Death Eaters were seen, with the same appearance as apparating, flying while battling. We know from the canon that this is incorrect because one cannot fly without assistance (with the exception of Lord Voldemort and those who he taught such as Severus Snape).

Curiously, Fred and George Weasley Apparated towards the beginning of the film twice with no special effects. They merely appeared suddenly, most commonly behind someone, to that persons' great annoyance.

In the Half-Blood Prince, the Death Eaters are shown apparating by means of a cloud of black mist as in Order of the Phoenix, as they attack both Diagon Alley in the wizarding world and the Millenium Bridge in the muggle world. When they attack the bridge, the mists of smoke spiral around it, violently rocking it back and forth until the structure collapses into the Thames river. In addition, in the film the mist becomes transparent, as if invisble while attacking the bridge. This could be because Muggles wouldn't be able to see them, like Dementors. It is very clear in the books that doing magic while apparating is more or less impossible because you are being "ripped" to another location and the sensation is so powerful that you couldn't focus to aim your wand anyway.

Somewhat deviating from the books, the way apparition is portrayed in the films is most likely a stylistic choice made to better suit the visual medium of a film.

Etymology
Apparition is devised from the word "Appareo" which is Latin for "appear" or "I become visible".

Known Practitioners

 * Albus Dumbledore
 * Fred and George Weasley
 * Arthur Weasley
 * Nymphadora Tonks
 * Bellatrix Lestrange
 * Narcissa Malfoy
 * Lord Voldemort
 * Avery Jr.
 * Walden Macnair
 * Lucius Malfoy
 * Nott
 * Crabbe
 * Goyle
 * Severus Snape
 * Draco Malfoy
 * Ron Weasley
 * Hermione Granger
 * Wilkie Twycross
 * Harry Potter
 * Mundungus Fletcher
 * Susan Bones (splinched herself)
 * Percy Weasley
 * Bill Weasley
 * Charlie Weasley
 * Rubeus Hagrid (possibly)
 * Ollivander
 * Montague
 * Fergus
 * Bob Ogden

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Notes and references
Трансгрессия