Hermione pushed her way through the crowd.
Along the way, she ran into Professor Flitwick, who was shrieking as he tried to find places for the Ravenclaw students all fighting to stand at the front. She also saw Professor Sprout herding the Hufflepuffs along like sheep.
What was interesting was that, when she passed in front of Professor Snape, Hermione noticed that the look in his eyes was a little strange.
It was the look of someone who had remembered something.
Snape knew who it was that had come to mind.
Perhaps the reason he pretended not to see anything was because, in Draco and Hermione, he had seen shadows of his former self.
The same Slytherin.
The same Gryffindor.
It was as if time had returned to that black-and-white memory preserved in his mind.
Only, compared to Draco, Snape had failed far more completely...
Hermione's uninvited arrival only made Pansy, who had already expected it, curl her lips a little. "What's with that weird look on your face?"
"No... it's just that Professor Snape was looking at me strangely."
"Isn't that normal? You're a Gryffindor. If it weren't for Draco, there's no way you'd be standing here."
"Is that really it... I just feel like something's off."
Draco, who had already picked out a place, revealed a slightly strange expression of his own.
Because he felt like he had already seen through the truth of it.
As Snape's godson, and someone familiar with him, Draco naturally knew certain secrets other people did not. He could more or less guess that Hermione's bold move had reminded his godfather of that beautiful yet bittersweet time in the past.
But Draco had no interest in gossiping about any of that, so he did not say it aloud. He merely gave the girls a quiet reminder.
"If you two keep talking, I can guarantee that our dear Head of House Snape will spend this entire lesson keeping a very close eye on you in his own special way."
"..."
"..."
Hearing that, both Pansy and Hermione shrank their heads down in perfect unison.
Honestly, the nervous way they did it was rather cute.
Pansy and Hermione did not doubt Draco's warning in the slightest.
You should never underestimate a powerful wizard's sensitivity when people are talking about him.
In fact, Hermione had already noticed that Professor Snape's gaze kept drifting in their direction, whether deliberately or not...
...
With the assistance and arrangement of the four Heads of House, all the young wizards were soon standing in their assigned spots, each with a reasonable amount of space cleared in front of them.
Taking charge again, Wilkie Twycross pulled out his wand and stepped forward.
"Thank you very much to the four Heads of House for your help. Now then..."
With a flick of his wand, and to the startled cries of the young wizards, several wooden hoops appeared on the floor in front of everyone.
Without immediately explaining what the hoops were for, Twycross began talking about the knack and techniques of Apparition and Disapparition.
"When performing this magic, the most important thing is to remember the three Ds."
"That is... Destination, Determination, and Deliberation."
In fact, this three-D principle could be applied to almost any spell.
It was just that Apparition demanded even stricter attention to it, and closer adherence to this magical principle.
Without giving the students below any chance to ask questions, Twycross went on speaking to himself as if he were teaching History of Magic.
"Step one. Focus your mind on your destination, and that destination is the inside of the wooden hoop in front of you."
Professor McGonagall seemed to notice that a small number of students looked confused, so she kindly added a reminder from the side.
"Now please concentrate on your target, which is the position inside that wooden hoop."
Clearly, they were supposed to Apparate into the hoop, and this was also the form of the Apparition test.
Just as Draco was studying the size of the hoop and the area it covered, Twycross's next words reached his ears.
"Step two. Resolve to occupy the space you have in mind. Let the desire to get in flood every part of your body."
Draco spared a glance at the people around him. Most of the nearby wizards were staring fixedly at the wooden hoops in front of them, but with their faces flushed red, they looked like hens straining to lay eggs.
"Step three. When I give the command, turn on the spot and let yourself enter a state of nothingness. Remember, the movement must be deliberate. Now listen to my count... one."
This time, it was not just Draco who was surprised. Even Hermione, who had been listening with unusual seriousness, lifted her head in astonishment.
That was it?
Wasn't he going to demonstrate?
They did not even know how to move the wand, and he already wanted them to Apparate?
Faced with Hermione's questioning look, Draco merely shrugged and quietly voiced his thoughts.
"Be understanding. He's not exactly a real professor."
"...What kind of reason is that?"
Not daring to try recklessly, Hermione lowered her wand and shot Draco a sweetly annoyed white-eyed glare.
As for Pansy, whatever Draco did, she simply followed suit.
Unlike Hermione, who knew that using magic carelessly was never a good idea, the other young wizards around them showed no intention of giving up. If anything, as Twycross continued counting down from the stage, they only became more excited.
As though they really could master such an advanced spell in such a short time...
...
Most of the wizards failed to notice the strange looks on their Heads of House's faces.
At that moment, all of them were staring fixedly at the wooden hoops in front of them, with the rest of their attention focused on Twycross's countdown.
"...Three!"
Everyone spun on the spot. Naturally, they all failed, lost their balance, and nearly fell flat on the ground.
Right before Hermione and the others' shocked eyes...
The entire Great Hall descended into chaos. People were staggering all over the place, and some students, having spun too many times, dropped straight to their knees and started retching.
Amid Snape's cold laughter, Gryffindor's Neville Longbottom was already lying flat on his back on the floor. The humiliating sight of him made Professor McGonagall rub her temple helplessly.
On top of that, one student even leaped into the wooden hoop with a ballet-like motion. The look of excitement on that student's face was so convincing that, if not for the wand lying conspicuously on the floor, people might actually have believed the attempt had succeeded...
Seeing this, Pansy and Hermione stared dumbfoundedly at Draco, whose expression had not changed much at all.
There was a trace of confusion in their eyes.
Was this some kind of farce?
...