Hermione's birthday was in two weeks. And although Harry had learned how to perform the extension charm perfectly by now, that didn't mean that he was capable of creating a Bottomless pouch for her.

Well, he could create one for her but it wouldn't be good enough as a gift.

There was far more to creating a Bottomless Pouch or a Trunk then simply performing the extension charm and being done with it.

For example If you create a library inside a trunk, and then you flip the trunk, then would the whole library be turned upside down and be destroyed?

No, that would be a disaster of epic proportions so there were charms in place to make the expanded space more stable. So that no matter how the trunk was turned from the outside, the inside will remain peaceful and stable.

Then there were the charms that constantly changed the air inside the expended space so that it would not go stale and cause the person inside to suffocate.

And if there was a whole library worth of books inside a trunk, then how would a person ever be able to pick up the trunk.

So there was another charm that would negate the weight of the things kept inside the trunk.

Then there were charms that would put things like food and potions in stasis so that it would not go stale or rot or become useless in a day or two.

There were also charms for the proper lightening so that the space inside the trunk won't remain dark.

And shrinking charm that is placed on everything that a person puts inside a Bottomless Pouch. Otherwise it would be impossible to a hardcover book inside a Bottomless Pouch because of the small size of it's neck.

All in all, there were more than 30 different types of charms that needed to be applied and carved into the trunk in rune form and then the runes are connected to a ward stone that would keep providing magic to the trunk before a expanded space could be called a success.

Sufficient to say that he might have been learned how to do the extension charm but he lacked the knowledge required to perform the other charms just yest. What it meant was that he was in no position to create a gift for Hermione.

Maybe in the future when he learn those charms but not now.

And since he couldn't create it for her, it meant that he needed to buy it for her instead.

And in order to buy it for her, he would need to go to Diagon alley. A place which was more than 400 miles away from Hogwarts.

If he used one of the school brooms to go from Hogwarts to Diagon Alley then it would take about 3-4 hours to make the journey and the same amount of time to come back.

Now he could easily do that with the help of the time turner but he was still not willing to waste that much time when there were other alternatives of magical travel that he could use.

It was one of the reasons why he left Hogwarts at midnight in order to get away from the wards that would impede the type of magical travel that he wanted to learn.

Apparition.

He wanted to learn how to apparate because it was the fastest method of travel that existed in the world as far as he could tell.

He knew that this method of travel was uncomfortable and knew that if he made any kind of mistake then he would inevitably get splinched.

In fact, many people get splinched when they first try to learn how to apparate.

It was just a common thing that happened to just about everybody except a rare few who were able to perform flawless Apparition from the get go.

Most of the people who get splinched however, suffers from only minor injuries like getting a small cut in their leg or arm. Or losing a toenail or a few strands of hair. Nothing major. Otherwise wizards would have long discarded this method of travelling due to fear.

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He would admit that he was a bit surprised when he managed to do a Perfect Apparition on his first try.

Of course the apparition was performed in a short distance where the destination was visible to him but that still didn't discount the fact that he was able to teach himself how to apparate without any damage.

Then he thought about the three Ds of Apparition. Destination, Determination and Deliberation and thought about how it worked and everything instantly became clear to him.

Apparition was one of the purer form of magic. You don't need any wand movement or incantation to perform it.

You just need visualization, will and intent. And that was something that he was a master at.

So in hindsight, he should not have been surprised when he managed to perfect the art of Apparition without any problem.

Maybe those people who were able to do successful Apparition from their first time knew the importance of Will and intent and were more intuned with their magic than other wizards and witches.

But that still didn't meant that Apparition was a perfectly safe mode of travel.

It was just as safe as a car drive. Which means that if you're careless, then no matter how good you're at it, you'll still get fucked.

Or splinched.

So yes, he knew that he had to be careful whenever he wanted to do this form of magical travel.

And that was a good news because he now had the means to travel instantly from place to place without any problems.

This called for a celebration but before that, he needed to go to Diagon Alley so that he could buy a gift for Hermione which was the main reason why he had learned Apparition in the first place.

So after drinking an Aging potion, wearing an adult wizard's robe and covering himself with a mild shroud of concealment, he finally apparated to Diagon Alley.

And reached his destination without splinching.

—————

"Professor Bathsheda Babbling." He called out and was rewarded with an opened door after a few minutes of waiting.

A middle aged woman with brown-red colored hair wearing black silky robes came out of the door and her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at him.

"Harry Potter, my word. What are you doing here child?" she asked after she reined in her surprised expression.

He felt a sting at his pride for being called a child but he knew that 'beggars can't be choosers' so he reined in his pride and gave her a smile in return, which probably just looked creepy on his face, if the slight cringe on her expression was any indication.

"Hello Professor." He said and took out the basic course book on Ancient runes that he found in the Room of Hidden things and showed it to her. "I want to learn how to carve runes properly without blowing myself up."

The looked at him questioningly for a moment before she sighed and shook her head sadly "You're just a 1st year student Mr Potter. I cannot teach you Ancient Runes until you're a 3rd year. And I'll not make an exception for anyone. Not even you."

"You misunderstood me Professor." He said while shaking his head "I'm going to learn Ancient Runes on my own and carve runes with or without your permission. Now you can either teach me how to do it safely or you can leave me to do it on my on and then later explain to the authorities how the Boy-who-lived blew himself up because the teachers in Hogwarts were unwilling to teach him." He said with a somber expression and watched in fascination as her expression hardened at once.

"Is that a threat Mr Potter?" she asked in a cold voice and he shook his head with a blank expression of his own, not feeling the slightest bit intimidated by her.

"No. Just simple facts. You can either teach me. Or I will be forced to learn on my own. There is no in between."

With those words, a staring contest started between the two of them and lasted for almost a minute before she removed her gaze and let out a sigh and he knew that he had won this confrontation. Now he just needed to push her a bit more so that she would buckle under the pressure and accept to teach him about the subject.

"Alright Mr Potter. I will teach you how to carve runes on a surface without blowing yourself up. But you will need the permission of Headmaster Dumbledore and a written parchment signed by all the other teachers that says that you're well above your classmates in their respective subjects. Until you show me that parchment, I'll not be able to teach you Ancient runes." She finished and he felt the irritation climb at those words.

"I will not go begging other people to sign a parchment for me." He said with no small amount of venom in his voice and the woman looked at him as if he'd slapped her in the face.

"You'll either teach me the subject or you'll not. But I'll not play your games of authority like a sheep." He said and then the anger ebbed away from his face at once. "Now I'll ask you one last time. Will you teach me Ancient Runes or will you not?" he asked softly and the woman looked a bit scared and worried for a moment before she schooled her expression and looked at him in a dignified manner before speaking.

"I'm afraid you'll have to give me a parchment signed by all the teacher and headmaster indicating that you're well beyond your classmates in your subjects before I even think about teaching you my subject. I'll not make an exception for you just because you're a celebrity Mr Potter. You can either do as you're told or I'll refuse to teach you my subject. Am I clear Mr Potter?"

He gave her a glare in return for her words for a long moment before he reined in his emotions. Then his expression went cold and he gave her one last glance and left the room without another word.