The horrifying scene from Apparition class quickly spread throughout the school. Gryffindor praised his unflinching, composed courage, Hufflepuff generally worried about his body, Ravenclaw was curious about this unheard-of splinching method, and Slytherin secretly mocked him for not knowing Apparition in his twenties.
In Slytherin, "I bet you won't learn Apparition in ten years" became a fresh new insult—they somehow learned Anthony's age—replacing the previous "Mrs. Norris wouldn't even glance at you walking by."
This was probably a good thing, because the greeting about gaining Mrs. Norris' favor was getting old and the second half varied wildly. Some claimed it was "because she doesn't care about trolls," others thought it was "because she'd think you're a castle pillar," and they often argued even more fiercely during fights.
But regardless of house, all students agreed Apparition was dangerous and advanced magic and people must treat it very cautiously.
"Look at Anthony, his head separated from his neck," people would frighten each other this way. "I heard someone's father's boss's great-aunt died from splinching. Anthony was just lucky the Apparition distance was short. If his head couldn't stick back in time, just think what would happen!"
Those who "thought about it" carefully thought and couldn't help paling. "We'd have a Muggle Studies professor who actually has a head? I mean, has only a head?"
Anthony heard from Professor Sprout that Stan Shunpike had gone to her office and applied to withdraw from subsequent Apparition courses.
She refused and told Shunpike Apparition didn't necessarily mean splinching, much less beheading. In fact, if all historical guillotine users had learned Apparition—assuming they could learn—Hogwarts' location might not even belong to which country yet.
Moreover, Professor Sprout remembered Shunpike's post-graduation employment preference was "different places" and that sounded like he quite needed Apparition.
"I filled that randomly, Professor," this student with large protruding ears said dejectedly then. "I'd just had my heart broken and wanted to randomly go somewhere else."
"I hope you've moved past the heartbreak now," Professor Sprout said sympathetically. "But this just proves Apparition's importance—if you knew Apparition, when heartbroken in the future you really could randomly go somewhere especially far away."
When she told Anthony this, she sipped tea and asked him, "Guess what he said, Henry?"
Anthony was staring at ash flying toward his toes in the fireplace and said absentmindedly, "I don't know... I guess he indeed believed he could go somewhere especially far, just not necessarily his whole body going." He added, "From this angle, your statement was actually completely correct, Pomona. Heaven or hell, assuming they truly exist, would be quite distant."
Professor Sprout amusedly patted his armrest and woke Anthony from that unconscious response state.
"He said, there are always others in this world who can't learn Apparition and he wants to help these people," Professor Sprout announced the answer. "So I asked how he'd help. He told me he didn't know but he guaranteed ways much safer than Apparition. Maybe the Hogwarts Express flying in the sky."
That would be a strangely-shaped high-speed aircraft rising by magic rather than fluid dynamics.
Anthony imagined a train flying in the sky. "I guess people responsible for the Statute of Secrecy wouldn't be particularly happy... Speaking of which, besides brooms, can other objects fly too? Including trains?"
"I think so," Professor Sprout said thoughtfully. "I wonder if anyone's considered making bicycles fly... Compared to brooms, bicycle seats are much more comfortable."
Anthony shook his head and didn't respond. He didn't know if anyone tried developing a flying bicycle, but he knew someone desperately wanted a car to fly in the sky. Mr. Arthur Weasley sent him several letters for this, told him spells he tried that failed—including one that made flying broomsticks fly rather than become actual brooms—and dejectedly wondered if this was some magical restriction beyond "can't conjure food."
Flight was always a difficult problem.
To answer Mr. Weasley's wild ideas, Anthony even consulted Professors Flitwick and McGonagall and tested several ideas in the Room of Requirement.
Speaking of the Room of Requirement, Anthony recently tried exploring this room's limits. It could do things that even explained as "this is just magic," would make Anthony want to scratch his head.
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