Travel

[mimbulus mimbletonia]

I recall all the earlier discussions on travel, and how a new method was revealed in each book.

There's only 2 instances I can think of:

Harry apparating. It's not a new method as such, but it was the first time Harry had done it, and the first time JKR described the feeling.

The cupboards between the Room and Requirement and Borgin & Burkes.

Did I miss any others?

[Tonks]

Well, on the same topic of Apparation we have that Side-Along-Apparation that he did with Dumbledore because he really isn't allowed to do it by himself yet..

Other than that yeah I was thinking about this as I read and I didn't even think of the Vanishing Cabinets.. I think most everything else that was used for transportation in HBP has been used before - so yeah - good job! :)

[The SketchWolf]

What I want to know is this- why didn't Harry use side-along Apparation before? And I was a little disappointed with the whole apparation lessons- seems like there'd be more to it, you know? After all, if all you have to do is concentrate and want to go somewhere, I believe Harry and Hermione at least could have accomplished this long ago. What exactly they were having to practice so much, and why there were having to practie so much, was never really clear to me.

Anyway, you're right there were the Vanishing Cabinets... I wish we'd been given a little more detail on those.

[mimbulus mimbletonia]

this bugged me a little - if you have to concentrate so hard on your destination, how do you apparate to a place you've never been before? for example if you were given an address, but didn't know what your destination physically looked like, how would you be able to concentrate on being there?

But I guess they would have to Apparate successfully many times to earn a licence - they wouldn't give it out just on a fluke that you'd got it right once or twice.

[Tonks]

Well, Harry never really had anyone who he could do Side-Along-Apparation with before. Whenever he was traveling somewhere with someone where Apparation probably could have been used, it was with a group of people (like the World Cup or Diagon Alley) and the mass-transport possible with Portkeys or Floo Powder was probably a lot easier..

I do sort of wonder whether or not the Side-Along-Apparation may not have been used before Voldemort came back to power. We have not seen in mentioned until that leaflet the MoM sent to everyone, so maybe there were requirements for it or something previously..?

As for Harry and Hermione, I bet they could have accomplished this if they had instructions on how to do so, but they could not have taught themselves within Hogwarts because you can't Apparate or Disappate inside the castle or the grounds.. That would really only leave summer vacations, and they aren't technically allowed to do magic during the summer.. although im not all that sure if this counts as magic..

Still, it would be quite a risk for them to take because they would probably get in a lot of trouble if they were caught, and especially if they messed up and Splinched themselves.. so I guess maybe Hermione thought it would just be better to wait until it was legal for them to learn?

[Snuffles]

What I want to know is this- why didn't Harry use side-along Apparation before? And I was a little disappointed with the whole apparation lessons- seems like there'd be more to it, you know? After all, if all you have to do is concentrate and want to go somewhere, I believe Harry and Hermione at least could have accomplished this long ago

I TOTALLY agree!! I was REALLY disappointed with the Apparition Lessons, too. If all you need to do is concentrate and want to go somewhere really, really bad, I believe Harry, as well as Ron and Hermione had some tight moments! Of course, there are the facts that you can't apparate inside Hogwarts castle, but why couldn't any of them just apparate to the front of Ministry, without being chased by the Death Eaters? I'm sure the lot didn't know that they only had to concentrate at the time, but Hermione? Isn't she the Expert in everything? And at the grave at the end of the GoF... Harry.. couldn't he have apparated to Hogsmeade or something?? He WAS in a deperate position!

Oh.. as I was typing this.. I was just struck by an idea...
You can't apparate into Hogwarts grounds but you CAN use Portkeys to pop out of nowhere in the Hogwarts grounds? Seems sort of wacky, doesn't it?