In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, chapter "Xenophilius Lovegood", when Mr. Lovegood summons Death Eaters, they arrive using broomsticks instead of simply Apparating to his house. I did not understand this part. I know that upon arriving, the Death Eaters discussed that they were not in a hurry and it could be a false alarm, but all the same, isn't Apparition preferable than travel by broomstick, particularly for Death Eaters who were looking for Harry Potter so fervently?
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1 Answer
I don't think this specific question is addressed anywhere; however, a general answer may be that his house might have had anti-apparition protection. As Dumbledore explained to Harry in Chapter 4 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (my emphasis):
“Professor, why couldn’t we just Apparate directly into your old colleague’s house?”
“Because it would be quite as rude as kicking down the front door,” said Dumbledore. “Courtesy dictates that we offer fellow wizards the opportunity of denying us entry. In any case, most Wizarding dwellings are magically protected from unwanted Apparators. At Hogwarts, for instance — ”
“ — you can’t Apparate anywhere inside the buildings or grounds,” said Harry quickly. “Hermione Granger told me.”
This doesn't necessarily explain why the Death Eaters couldn't have Apparated nearby, but then again perhaps they did and only used the brooms for the last little bit.
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I'm trying to think if there are any instances in the books where we see wizards arriving at each other's homes by Apparition. Does anyone Apparate to the Burrow? Harry and Dumbledore don't Apparate directly to Slughorn's house (actually a Muggle house he was squatting in, IIRC?), but they do Apparate to within walking distance, so no need of broomsticks.– Rand al'Thor ♦Commented Aug 31, 2018 at 15:07
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@Randal'Thor Mr. Weasley appears to Apparate directly into the Burrow: Mr. Weasley’s hand had suddenly spun from “work” to “traveling”; a second later it had shuddered to a halt on “home” with the others, and they heard him calling from the kitchen.– AlexCommented Aug 31, 2018 at 15:09
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Mm, but he lives there, so that's different. Your quote says unwanted Apparators. (Can Dumbledore Apparate in and out of Hogwarts, for that matter?)– Rand al'Thor ♦Commented Aug 31, 2018 at 15:14
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@Randal'Thor I don't think the protection can differentiate between people. Dumbledore has to remove the protection from Hogwarts when he Apparates in, and when they have Apparating lessons.– AlexCommented Aug 31, 2018 at 15:16
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One other thought: apparation makes a loud 'crack' - they probably didn't want to alert Harry and the others to their presence prematurely.– audenCommented Mar 3, 2019 at 17:46