The wizarding war with Voldemort is spreading into the Muggle world as Harry's sixth year at Hogwart's begins.

Despite the fact that he had spent every waking moment of the past few days hoping desperately that Dumbledore would indeed come to fetch him, Harry felt distinctly awkward as they set off down Privet Drive together.  He had never had a proper conversation with the headmaster outside of Hogwarts before; there was usually a desk between them.  The memory of their last face-to-face encounter kept intruding too, and it rather heightened Harry's sense of embarrassment; he had shouted a lot on that occasion, not to mention done his best to smash several of Dumbledore's most prized possessions.

Dumbledore, however, seemed completely relaxed.

"Keep your wand at the ready, Harry," he said brightly.

"But I thought I'm not allowed to use magic outside school, sir?"

"If there is an attack," said Dumbledore, "I give you permission to use any counterjinx or curse that might occur to you.  However, I do not think you need worry about being attacked tonight."

"Why not, sir?"

"You are with me," said Dumbledore simply.  "This will do, Harry."

He came to an abrupt halt at the end of Privet Drive.

"You have not, of course, passed your Apparition Test," he said

"No," said Harry.  "I thought you had to be seventeen?"

"You do," said Dumbledore.  "So you will need to hold on to my arm very tightly.  My left, if you don't mind - as you have noticed, my wand arm is a little fragile at the moment."

Harry gripped Dumbledore's proffered forearm.

"Very good," said Dumbledore.  "Well, here we go."

Harry felt Dumbledore's arm twist away from him and redoubled his grip; the next thing he knew, everything went black; he was being pressed very hard from all directions; he could not breathe, there were iron bands tightening around his chest; his eyeballs were being forced back into his head; his eardrums were being pushed deeper into his skull and then -

He gulped great lungfuls of cold night air and opened his streaming eyes.  He felt as though he had just been forced through a very tight rubber tube.  It was a few seconds before he realized that Privet Drive had vanished.  He and Dumbledore were now standing in what appeared to be a deserted village square, in the center of which stood an old war memorial and a few benches.  His comprehension catching up with his senses, Harry realized that he had just Apparated for the first time in his life.

"Are you all right?" asked Dumbledore, looking down at him solicitously.  "The sensation does take some getting used to."