Thoughts on Apparating

[Steve <bboy_mn@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 51308

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "corinthum <kkearney at s...>"
<kkearney at s...> wrote:
> Not really a theory, but just some thoughts on the subject of
> apparition. ...
> 
> ..edited...  My theory is that there are only a few specific places 
> where one can apparate, areas that are isolated and well-protected 
> from Muggles.
> 
> Where have we actually seen a wizard Apparate?  
> 
> ...edited...
> 
> London, being so crowded with Muggles, is not ideal for Apparating. 
> Probably allowed somewhere, but highly regulated.  Thus, Dumbledore
> flies when urgently summoned by the MoM.
> 
> Any thoughts?
> 
> -Corinth

bboy_mn:

This is a subject I have given a lot of though to. Primarily wondering
what the limits are. You can apparate from London to Devon (the
assumed location of the Burrow. Mr. Weasley did it twice) but can you
apparate from London to China (5300mi) in one jump?

When the suject is first discussed openly in the book, when Percy gets
his license to Apparate. Mr. Weasley points out the the Ministry
regulates it because it is dangerous, and so dangerous and difficult
that many fully qualified wizards and witches don't even bother with
it, they prefer to use brooms instead.

In an interview, JKR also confirmed that Apparating is difficult and
that the farther you go, the more difficult it is. That would imply
that there is an average distance beyond which most people can not
apparate reliably.

So-
1.) It's very difficult and dangerous to do.
2.) Consequently, it is licensed by the Ministry.
3.) There is a general limit to how far you can apparate. I'm sure
this varies from wizard to wizard, but overal, there is a typical
limit to the distance.

I think you can apparate into anywhere, but if you expose the magic
world in doing so, you get into serious trouble with the Ministry. I
think most witches and wizards who are capable of apparating, just POP
directly from their house into a Diagon Alley shop or into the streets
of Diagon Alley.

I also think the general nature of apparation and portkeys, provides a
built-in protection. An apparation spell or a portkey enchantment by
it's very nature will not allow you to materialize into a solid rock.
If you materialize in a field, it will not allow you to materialize
inside one of the cows standing in the field. If you materialize into
the kitchen, it will not let you materialize in a way that allows the
kitchen table cut you in half.

Somewhere I came across a reference that said you have to take the
phases of the moon into account when you apparate. I've never been
able to find that reference again, so I can't swear that it's not
FanFic contamination, but  it does help illustrate that the process of
apparation is complex. Unless my memory is muddled, I think it took
Charlie Weasley two tries to get his Apparating License.

For purposes of illustration only, if the limit to apparating is
500km/300mi, then you can apparate from London to Paris or Amsterdam,
but you can't apparate from London to Edinburgh or Glasgow, they are
just beyond the range in this example. So that would mean you couldn't
go from London to Hogwarts/Hogsmeade. That is, you couldn't go in one
hop. You could apparate from London to a point just south of Edinburgh
(Peebles), then apparate again to Hogwarts. You could apparate to
China via Russia, but given the limits of this illustration, it would
take 17 or 18 sequentual apparations to do it (London to Beijing).

Just a few thoughts that were rolling around in my head.

bboy_mn