Limits of Apparation

[Tim the Enchanter]

In Deathly Hallows, when the trio have been captured and are being held at Malfoy Manor, Harry keeps seeing into Voldy's mind. Old Moldywort is off torturing the location of the Elder Wand out of Grindelwald, who is currently held at Nurmengard (sp?). Nurmengard is, I assume, in a different country- Germany or Bulgaria perhaps.

When Bellatrix presses her Dark Mark to alert her Master to the trio's capture, Old Volders does not immediatly apparate back. I believe it says something about his flying until he is close enough to apparate.

Voldemort had to fly out because Nurmengard had anti-Apparation wards. It wasn't a matter of getting within "range" of the Malfoy Manor, but of getting to the closest area that would allow him to Apparate.

I would agree with Apollonious that there is no actual maximum range for Apparation. The limiting factor would instead be the risk of splinching, which I image would increase with distance and a lack of skill. So though I believe you could Apparate across the Atlantic if you wanted to, you'd have a ludicrously high chance of injuring or killing yourself. Missing your destination would be the least of your worries.

Tim the Enchanter

[OliveOil_Med]

But now I'm confused! What exactly goes into knowing your location for Apparating somewhere? Do you just picture the place in your head? Do you picture the location itself or do you have to be able to spot it on a map and then picture that in your head? Is it more left brain or right brain oriented? Do we even know?

ARGH! I hate when my brain does this!

[Apollonious]

Originally posted by OliveOil_Med:

But now I'm confused! What exactly goes into knowing your location for Apparating somewhere? Do you just picture the place in your head? Do you picture the location itself or do you have to be able to spot it on a map and then picture that in your head? Is it more left brain or right brain oriented? Do we even know?

I think it was described in the books as concentrating on that place. When Harry and Dobby Apparated from Malfoy Manor to Shell Cottage, neither of them had been to Shell Cottage. They were able to go there based solely on the name of the place ("Shell Cottage") an identity based on its inhabitants ("Bill and Fleur's") and a general location ("outside Tinworth"). It worked because Harry was focusing on Shell Cottage with his whole mind. He didn't even notice the giant knife sticking out of Dobby's chest until they actually arrived at the cottage. So you should be able to Apparate somewhere solely based on a name and an idea of where it is.

As for the part of the brain it involves, I'm going to bring in ideas from another series I've read. Basically, the theory is that magic involves using a part of the brain most humans haven't used for millennia. I think Apparition could be a bridging between parts of the brain that aren't used by Muggles, or at least parts that aren't connected in Muggles. Of course, this is straying into the "What makes wizards wizards?" discussion. We don't really know what part of the brain is used, and I think it's possible, probable even that it's a part Muggles just don't use.

[ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor]

I'm inclined to think that Apparition location is not dissimilar to how the Floo works. You say the name of the place, and it takes you there. The intense concentration just keeps you from splinching, sort of like a structural integrity field. The magic of the Floo recognises the name of the place from the user's clear speech, so it's not a stretch to think that Apparition does the same by reading the wizard's thoughts and guiding him/her there like a temporary worm hole.


What? Two Trek references in the same paragraph? Getting my fandoms crossed...