Apparition

Apparition/Disapparition
Incantation	None
Hand movement	Turn on the spot
Light	None ( Black and white smoke in films)
Effect	Magically transports the caster

"Harry felt Dumbledore's arm twist away from him and re-doubled his grip: the next thing he knew everything went black; he was pressed very hard from all directions; he could not breathe, there were iron bands tightening around his chest; his eyeballs were being forced back into his head; his ear-drums were being pushed deeper into his skull."

— Harry Potter's first experience with Apparation.

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, but is tricky to pull off correctly and disastrous if botched up. 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

Harry Potter: "We just Apparated didn't we sir?"

Albus Dumbledore: "Yes, and quite successfully too, I might add. Most people vomit the first time."

— Albus Dumbledore on Apparation

Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore apparating in Hogwarts Astronomy tower in 1996.

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.

Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter in the "rubber tube" between disapparition and apparition.

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 Appariting abilities

Harry Potter in Apparition class.

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 been 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. It is also noticable that when escaping from Malfoy Manor, Harry made sure to throw a wand at Ron shouting "catch and GO!" before Ron Disapparated.

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. Malfoy Manor may also have been protected with anti-apparation spells. So it seems that Apparition can be done without a wand, but is harder to do than it would be with a wand

Range

Remus Lupin apparating.

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 his 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 Apparating should only be attempted by highly skilled wizards.

Anti-Disapparition Jinx

Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange Apparating at the Burrow.

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. However, it may be the case that all known Anti-Disapparition Jinxes work only on humans, for it has been bypassed by creatures such as house-elves and phoenixes.

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

Behind the scenes

Death Eaters Apparating after they attacked Diagon Alley in 1996.

• 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 Appariting 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 Apparition may use the same form of magic utilised in Portkeys, as the only requirement for travel via a Portkey 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.
• Although it is seen, the term "Apparition" is not mentioned in the films until the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

In the Films

Death Eaters Apparating to Voldemort's side in 1995.

In the film adaptations of the series, apparation differs greatly in deployment from the book series. The appearance of apparation also differs between characters and uses.

Death Eaters are shown physically collapsing into thick, black plumes of smoke, shooting off into the sky, and reforming at their desired location. Order members do the same, only in the form of shining white clouds of mist. Fred and George Weasley, near the beginning of the Order of the Phoenix film, show apparition as it is shown in the books, by merely appearing out of thin air with a loud noise, usually startling the people around them. Yet another visual representation of apparation is when Albus Dumbledore apparates to the Astronomy Tower with Harry Potter in the Half-Blood Prince movie, shown as being sucked in by a silvery grey blob and them spit out by the blob at the Tower. Also, in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, several members of the Order and Death Eaters were seen, with the same appearance as apparating (as white and black gas, respectivley), but flying while battling. 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.

In the Chamber of Secrets film, Dobby the house elf apparates in the Dursley's kitchen. There is a loud popping noise, and Dobby seems to fade away like a ruch of slow wind. Also, in the Goblet of Fire film, Arthur Weasley and other members of the Ministry of Magic apparate quickly after the disturbance of the Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup. There is a faint flash of violet light shown in the place of the Ministry members before they appear.

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. The concept of Death Eaters being black smoke likely came from the way Lord Voldemort flew during the Battle over Little Whinging, as he was described as trailing smoke. The Order of the Phoenix's apparating appearance was developeded to contrast the Death Eaters'. Fred and George's presentation was used to emphasize their trickster personalities. And Dumbledore's method was used to show the feeling one experiances while apparating, being Harry's first time.

Also, in the book The Order of the Phoenix, the members of the order are said to have arrived from a door and run down the stairs but in the film adaptation they simply apparate into the department.

Etymology

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

Known Practitioners

• Albus Dumbledore
• Fred Weasley
• George Weasley
• Arthur Weasley
• Molly 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 (Possible appearance)
• Ollivander
• Montague
• Fergus
• Bob Ogden
• Sirius Black III
• Barty Crouch Sr.
• Amos Diggory
• Ludo Bagman

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First mentioned)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
• 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