Chapter 206

The next morning.

It was the familiar morning exercise, with the familiar Professor Fuliwei.

And the unfamiliar depths of the Forbidden Forest.

"Professor, why are we running so far for morning exercise today?"

Early in the morning, John had followed Professor Fuliwei deep into the Forbidden Forest, watching bit by bit as the castle in the distance faded into the thin mist.

"Don't you want to learn Apparition?"

Professor Fuliwei asked in return.

"That's right."

"Then we must stay far away from the castle to practice. The entire Hogwarts campus is protected by an Anti-Apparition Spell; you can't use Apparition inside."

This was the first time John had heard of this, so he was stunned for a moment.

But he understood immediately; it was the same situation as the Ministry of Magic—both were important strategic locations, preventing things like surprise Apparition attacks.

"I must say, you're quite something, insisting on learning this. You're still a minor, and if I teach you this and something goes wrong, I'll be held responsible."

"If anyone asks, don't you dare say I taught you."

As he spoke, Professor Fuliwei even started complaining to John.

"... Then should I say Professor Snape taught me?"

John blinked and said tentatively.

"Uh... Severus, you say?... That works too. Just say he taught you."

Professor Fuliwei thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

That's 666, Professor.

I didn't expect you, an old man, to have such a dark side.

Soon, they reached the area outside the campus and found a fairly flat clearing in the woods.

Professor Fuliwei raised his wand and casually drew two circles.

Two circles were plowed into the clearing by invisible magical power.

"Alright, let's begin. Do you need me to give you a primer on the basics of Apparition?"

"No need, Professor, let's just start learning."

Hearing John's confident answer, Professor Fuliwei nodded.

"Good, but don't be in a rush; this is, after all, a spell with a considerable degree of danger."

"Bringing you out today is mainly to let you experience the feeling of Apparition."

"Come over, stand in this circle with me, and put your hand on my shoulder."

John followed instructions and stood in the circle, placing his hand on Professor Fuliwei's thin but exceptionally steady shoulder.

"First, remember the three principles: Target, Determination, and Composure."

"Clearly visualize the target circle on the other side in your mind."

"Raise a sense of determination in your heart that you must go."

"At the same time, always remain calm, as composed as if you were just taking two steps to walk home."

"Finally..."

Pop!!

Only a loud bang remained in his ears.

John felt as if he had been suddenly grabbed and pulled away by a water pump, then sent along a passage, and with a 'pop', he was thrown out.

The world spun before his eyes, his stomach churned, and he stumbled two steps as soon as his feet touched the ground.

"... Wow."

After John steadied himself, he realized he had successfully transferred with Professor Fuliwei.

Looking back at the circle they had just been standing in, only a few withered leaves were swirling in the air.

"This feeling is really quite different from the Floo Network and Door Keys..."

John said, describing his own experience.

Professor Fuliwei chuckled.

"If you really want to break it down, the Floo Network and Door Keys are essentially transportation magic, responsible for moving people or objects, and don't require you to do any operation."

"Whereas Apparition is artificial movement—teleportation, jumping."

"It requires you to grasp it yourself, and at the same time, it is faster and freer."

"Of course, the price is also obvious—" Professor Fuliwei tapped his head lightly with the tip of his wand.

"You must keep a clear head at all times, otherwise, you might arrive, but your soul might be left behind."

John nodded; he certainly understood these factors.

In fact, everyone who learns Apparition understands them.

But when an accident actually happens, whether one can truly maintain those three elements is another matter entirely.

"Do you want to experience it a few more times to get a feel for it?"

"Okay."

Hearing Professor Fuliwei's suggestion, John nodded.

Afterwards, Professor Fuliwei took John back and forth between the two circles repeatedly.

Letting John get slightly accustomed to the feeling of alternating weightlessness and gravitational pull.

Today was just to let John experience it; they hadn't officially started learning.

After all, it was a spell with great danger.

Before practicing, Professor Fuliwei required John to first perform meditation training, repeatedly meditating to form a kind of muscle memory in the brain.

Just like when learning the Guardian God Spell, at first it took a great deal of effort to "squeeze" the happy memories out of one's mind, but later, after becoming more proficient, one could cast it as soon as one raised their hand.

Simply put, it was learning to control the thoughts in one's brain.

If you want to use happy memories, you can find them immediately; if you want to go somewhere, you can clearly locate it in your mind immediately.

At the same time, Professor Fuliwei told him that he could also meditate when he had nothing to do in the castle.

Trying to meditate in a noisy and complex environment could also exercise concentration and increase resistance to interference.

Only when the meditation training was about right could he proceed to the next step.

"Hmm... going to the Forbidden Forest early in the morning? Understood."

Inside the Black Defense Office at Hogwarts Castle, Umbridge was sitting upright in her pink-to-the-extreme office, drinking morning tea.

Just a moment ago, she had received news that John Merrick had left the castle and headed to the Forbidden Forest.

Before taking office at Hogwarts, Minister Fudge had specifically talked to her, saying that besides keeping an eye on Dumbledore and Harry Potter, she also had to keep an eye on this brat who had caused such a ruckus at the Ministry of Magic.

This attention was naturally not out of humanistic concern, but to find ways to get a handle on these people, make things difficult for them, and then expel them from Hogwarts, or even the wizarding world.

So, on her first day at Hogwarts, she began monitoring the whereabouts of these key figures.

Now, John had also revealed a flaw.

Violating school rules by entering the Forbidden Forest, and even leaving the castle's monitoring range—this was a "typical disciplinary case" delivered to her doorstep.

Of course, it wasn't enough to expel him yet.

Next, as long as she found the reason and evidence for his entry into the Forbidden Forest, adding a little bit of fuel to the fire would be enough to make him suffer.

Umbridge set down her teacup, her pink fingernails tapping lightly on the parchment, like a wooden gavel sounding before a judgment.

Then she looked at a piece of parchment on the table filled with "I must not tell lies."

That was the homework—oh no, the "thought correction exercise"—left by dear Harry Potter when he came to her office for detention yesterday evening.

She believed it wouldn't be long before John Merrick could also join the ranks of this "thought correction exercise."

Thinking of this, a smile that was cloyingly sweet yet bone-chillingly cold appeared on Umbridge's face.

"Keep watching him."

She gave the order flatly.

But no one responded to her, only a few cat meows came.

On the other side.

It wasn't until breakfast time that John returned to the castle with Professor Fuliwei.

"Starting tomorrow, there's no need to go to the Forbidden Forest; just do your morning exercises at the old spot by the lake."

Before parting, Professor Fuliwei instructed John.

"Hmm? Didn't you say you have to be outside the castle range to use Apparition?"

John asked curiously.

"You can't perform Apparition yet, so of course there's no need to go to such great lengths to run so far. Today was just to let you experience it."

"At this stage, just practice meditation. You can find the feeling for that yourself slowly. Afterwards, morning exercises will still be spell dueling; if you have any questions during meditation, ask me at any time."

After understanding Professor Fuliwei's meaning, John nodded. If it was just for meditation, there was indeed no need to run into the Forbidden Forest.

"Okay, understood."

After saying goodbye to Professor Fuliwei, he turned and walked toward the Great Hall.

Just as he passed some corridors with portraits, he subconsciously glanced at those portraits; some were still sleeping, some were awake, no different from usual...

"Huh? Why are there so many cats in our school's portraits?"