Learning to Fly ...sort of.

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 129279

I'm sure in the past, you/we have all gotten into discussions about
when, where, and how people learn to Apparate. I've had a few thoughts
recently that I think are important considerations in that discussion.

Where and How-

Many will ask HOW can people learn to Apparate at Hogwart when we have
been reminded many many times that you can't Apparate at Hogwarts. Of
course, the answer is simple, you step outside the front gate. We have
seem many hints of this, when people arrive or leave Hogwarts, they
come and go by the front gate. Example, when McNair goes for a
Dementor, he is seen leaving the castle and reasonably heading for the
front gate.

So, assuming the weather is nice, all the teacher and students have to
do is step outside the front gate (or any other gate) and they should
be able to practice. Keep in mind that they will most likely start by
Apparating only a few feet at a time. Then as distances increase, they
can Apparate from the gate to the train station and back, then from
the gate down High Street and back. Beyond that, they can Apparate
short distances across the country side around Hogwarts and Hogsmead. 

On this point, I see no conflict between not being able to Apparate at
Hogwarts, and students attending Hogwarts being taught this skill at
School.

Next, in an effort to understand how Apparation fits into the wizard
world, we have compared learning Apparation to learning to drive a
car. That's a quick and easy analogy to jump to, one I have used
myself many times in past discussions, but on closer inspection, it
falls far short of a workable analogy.

For reference, in the USA, kids one year short of legal driving age
are given a learner's permit and are taught driving at the local high
school. Usually, the driver's training classes are free or require a
token payment that does not reflect the true cost of the training. In
the UK, there is no pre-driving age permit. One must be have reached
the legal driving age of 17, then they can get a learning permit. To
learn  to drive, they typically must enroll in a private driving
school at great cost to themselves. 

[As a side note: it's been a while since I did the calculations, but I
vaguely recall my estimates at $1,000 to $2,000 to get a license in
the UK; driver's training plus several very high assorted state
license fees. ...plus a car, plus insurance, plus $5.00 a gallon
gasoline.]

That said, here is were driver's training falls short of an accurate
analogy. In the USA, driver's training is taught at the local high
school as a matter of convenience, it doesn't actually have anything
to do with academics, or any state or school requirements for
graduation or receiving any educational certification. So, again, no
real connection between school and drivers training other than
convenience.

On the otherhand, Apparation very much does have to do with Magic, and
learning to use and control magic is the core purpose of Hogwarts
school. So, since it's clear that Apparation is a difficult and
dangerous form of magic, I can't see any reason why it would not be
taught at school. 

Yes, yes, we can speculate that parents teach their children, but
given the emphasis on this being a difficult, dangerous, and
potentially deadly form of magic, and that not all parents can do it,
I'm don't think this is anything that can be trusted to parents. You
might trust Arthur to teach Ron, but do you trust Stan Shunpike's
father to teach him? 

Certainly, broom flying is a much closer analogy to driver's training,
and broom flying is taught at Hogwarts, so why wouldn't difficult
magic like Apparation be taught at Hogwarts. 

Few alternative explanation make any sense. I suppose one could
speculate that since the 'state' licenses Apparation that they provide
the training. But to that I would respond, does it make more sense to
move a hundred (or whatever) students to London for training, or does
it make more sense, for one training instructor to come to Hogwarts,
especially consider how good this instructor must be at Apparation?
So, again, by my logic, and regardless of who does the actual
training, it seems reasonable for it to happen at or near Hogwarts.


When-

Well, logically 6th year. If we continue with the driver's training
model, in the USA one year before they are old enough to get a
license, you are allowed to get a driving permit. In the UK, you must
reach full driving age before you can get you driving permit. From
this one might conclude that by UK standard, you can't learn to
Apparate until you have reach full Apparation Licensing age, but I've
already demonstrated how the 'drivers training' model breaks down, so
I don't think it is a fair and valid model upon which to base Apparation.

Again, I come back to Apparation being a difficult form of magic, not
just a means of transportation. Being difficult magic, it would
logically be taught at a school for magic; Hogwarts. 

So far it appears that students take their Apparation License Test
during the summer when they are 17. Fred and George turn 17 in April
of GoF and took their test that summer a little over three months
after becoming of age. So when did they learn to Apparate? I think
this sets a foundation upon which a reasonable conclusion could be
reached. That conclusion is that before they are age 17, they are
taught to Apparate, so when they turn 17 they are ready to take the
test. That means they are taught to Apparate when they are age 16.

Therefore I conclude that all students who are at least 16 years of
age at the time the Apparation lessons are given, will be allowed to
take the classes, and obviously from what I've said, those classes
will be at or near Hogwarts.

Yes but...

Ah yes, we all know that you must be 17 to Apparate, and age 16 is not
age 17. That would seem to discredit my conclusion. But that same age
limit applies to ALL MAGIC. Underage (under 17) students are not
allowed to use magic outside of school, and Apparation is no
different. Apparation is just another form of magic that they are not
allowed to use outside school. Since they are allowed to use general
magic in a controlled environment, under proper supervision, and with
proper instruction before they are age 17, I see no reason why the one
specific type of magic called Apparation would be excluded from those
same conditions.

So, I can only conclude that year 6 is the year of Apparation lesson
at Hogwarts for all qualified students.

And besides that... I WANT IT! I WANT IT! I WANT IT! (stomps foot,
folds arms over chest, and pouts lips)

Steve/bboyminn