Apparating

[Joywitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 3263

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Cassandra Claire" 
<cassandraclaire at m...> wrote:
> I apologize if someone has asked this question before, but I was 
> wondering about Apparating. Can a wizard simply Apparate himself 
> wherever he likes, whenever he likes? I know there are splinching 
> issues, but what I'm wondering is: can you only apparate to places 
> you've already been, or places you somehow have been given the 
> 'coordinates' to, or can you Apparate anywhere, even to a place
> you've never seen or been before? If so, that seems somehow 
> too...easy.
> 
> Any thoughts?

Sounds to me like you are thinking of Anne McCaffreys Pern books, and 
the way dragons go *between*.  The dragon has to have a mental image 
in his/her mind, given to him/her by his/her (human) rider in order 
to go there (or then, since dragons can travel thru time).  The rider 
has to have been there or seen a detailed picture of the place.  Even 
if that is not what you were thinking of, Cassandra, it sound like 
apparating is the same thing, with the same problems, as going 
between for the Pern dragons.  Maybe the apparating spell has a built 
in safeguard, like the Star Trek transporter, that makes sure you 
dont reassemble in the produce section at Safeway, with your head 
inside a cantelope.

I bet JKR hasnt really thought this one out.

As for the question of how Dobby manages to apparate into Hogwarts in 
CoS, maybe he didnt - maybe he came with his evil master, Lucius 
Malfoy.  After all, Malfoy was at that point a Hogwarts Governor.  
Malfoy may have been at the school for a governors meeting or 
whatever and brought his servant with him.  Dobby sneaks away during 
the meeting to see Harry.  Well, its possible, anyway.

--Joywitch