"Not being able to Apparate is not the end of the world," Draco was standing in front of Harry with his hands on his hips, glaring at him. "Some wizards never even learn because it's too much trouble."

"I'm not some wizard," Harry replied, more than a little annoyed with his lover's stubborn attitude.

They had been throwing the same idea around for the last twenty minutes and Draco was being very obstinate.

"If I'm suddenly surrounded by Death Eaters I need to be able to get away," Harry continued his argument. "At the moment just the thought of Apparating is enough to make me splinch myself and it's not good enough."

"Harry," Draco said with a very exasperated and yet also sympathetic tone to his voice, "you nearly fainted yesterday because I Apparated; doesn't this tell you about what it could do to you if you try it yourself?"

It was true that Apparating at that moment, had they been somewhere that the spell would work, would have been a really bad idea, however, Harry suspected his problem with it would be the same as many other inconveniences he had had with his condition.

"The first time you Apparated was a shock," he admitted, "and the second time wasn't much better, but there was a difference. I know it's never going to be my favourite means of transportation, but I think we can bring it to a level where I will be able to use it."

The exasperation was still hovering in Draco's features and in his feelings, but Harry could tell that his argument had had an effect. If there was one thing his lover responded to well it was logic, even if it took a while to convey said logic in any way that Draco would accept.

"There's nowhere to practice," Draco pointed out, clearly unhappy with the whole idea, but conceding Harry had a point.

At that Harry knew he had won, at least a partial victory, because he knew something Draco didn't.

"Actually there is," he said and managed to keep the triumph off his face even though he was sure his soulmate would have felt it anyway.

Draco raised one elegant eyebrow at that piece of information.

"Why does it not surprise me that you know a way around the no Apparating at Hogwarts constant that the rest of the universe has to obey?" the sarcasm dripped from his lover's tongue with ease, but Harry could tell Draco was put out rather than out and out annoyed.

"Where do you think I learnt?" Harry pointed out with a grin. "My relatives were not exactly likely to have let me practice there and I passed less than a month after I turned seventeen. I was taught last year, here, by the Order."

The expression on Draco's face showed that he hadn't thought about it like that.

"How?" his lover, asked, honestly curious.

"Room of Requirement," Harry replied simply.

The thoughtful expression on his lover's face told him that Draco was considering the idea, but Harry could tell his soulmate was still confused.

"Surely allowing anyone to Apparate in Hogwarts would open the wards to attack?" Draco voiced his problem with the concept.

Harry shook his head and tried to remember how Dumbledore had explained it when he had first told him that he would be having extra lessons.

"It doesn't allow anyone to Apparate in or out," he explained quickly, "it forms a bubble inside the wards that is free of the restriction, but not connected with the outside world."

Draco looked and felt surprised.

"A little universe of its own?" he said as he reasoned it out. "That's hideously complicated magic."

"The whole of Hogwarts is hideously complicated magic, trust me I can see it," Harry replied with a grin. "I think the Room of Requirement is probably the most complicated bit and I don't believe there's a wizard alive today who could figure it out."

A ghost of a smile flowed across Draco's features at his soulmate's quip, but as soon as it arrived it was gone again and he appeared pensive. It was obvious to Harry that his lover knew he was beaten in this argument, but Draco was still worried by the whole idea. If Harry hadn't believed this really was as important as he said he would have backed down.

[I know this is going to be nasty for both of us,] Harry said silently and took Draco's hand, [but I honestly believe it has to be done. If nothing else, I need to do this.]

Draco did not looked pleased and his mouth was set in a taut line, but he nodded anyway. It was not going to be a pleasant day, Harry was sure of that, but he hoped that it would be a productive one.

[Let's find this bloody room then,] Draco said reluctantly.

* * *

Remus had returned to Hogwarts with the others the previous day on Order business, and he was sitting in the headmaster's office next to Professor Dumbledore when Draco dragged Harry into the room. They had spent the whole day in the Room of Requirement and Harry had wanted to fall into bed and die quietly, but an invitation to dinner in his office had come from Dumbledore before they had had a chance to raid the kitchens.

They hadn't eaten since breakfast and both were hungry so they did not wait long before answering the summons. Harry had a headache the size of a Hippogriff, which the potion he had taken to relieve it was failing to even touch, and Draco wasn't much better.

Remus' face went from a smile as he turned to greet the pair to something akin to horror and Harry wondered quite what they looked like. They had showered and changed, but Harry had avoided all mirrors knowing that he would not like what he saw, and now he was thinking that maybe he should have had a look.

"Harry, you look like you died," the voice behind him surprised him and he turned to see Tonks walking into the room after them, "three weeks ago."

Harry didn't think that the tag was necessary. He wondered briefly when Tonks had arrived at the school and what she was doing here, but he also knew if it was important Dumbledore would tell him. These days the headmaster did not keep anything that Harry could need to know from him.

"And, Draco, I don't think you expired much after him," the currently quite non-descript Auror commented in her usual up-front manner.

"Quite," Remus joined his fellow Order member in speaking, "what in Merlin's name have you been doing?"

Harry was far too tired to engage in a battle of words with anyone and stand at the same time so he sank into the nearest chair before attempting to think of a reply. Since his brain was not functioning at top capacity Draco answered the question first.

"Apparating practice," his soulmate said and bonelessly folded into the seat next to his him, "and it was all Harry's idea so don't blame me."

Remus had the kind of look on his face that Harry imagined was usually reserved for fathers whose children had done something incredibly stupid. Harry felt warmed by the obvious emotion in the last remaining Marauder, but he didn't really want to have an argument now.

"Apparating?" the werewolf said slightly incredulously. "After Harry's reaction yesterday you both thought this was a good idea?"

"I had several other suggestions to occupy today," Draco replied sarcastically, "but I was overruled."

For once his soulmate was placing all the blame at Harry's feet and he was quite willing to take it, after all it had been his decision. Remus was all but glaring at the him.

"I needed to figure it out," he said with as much conviction as he could muster considering that he was ready to fall asleep at any moment. "I need to be able to Apparate and now I can."

That rather stopped anything Remus was about to say and the werewolf looked over at Draco who nodded to confirm what his lover had said.

"He fainted four times, would have been sick more if he'd had anything left to bring up after the second time, and we both have headaches that could lay out a dragon," Draco said peevishly, "but the idiot of a Gryffindor can now Apparate without killing me or him."

Pain did not put Draco in a good mood, and since this was all Harry's idea his lover was not going to let him off scot-free. Harry spared his soulmate a glare for working up Remus even more and prepared for the reaction.

"And you didn't think fainting was a good reason to stop?" the werewolf sounded about ready to lock Harry somewhere safe and never let him out.

The hard tone of Remus' voice cut straight into Harry's pounding head and he winced.

"It would have been a very short practice session," he responded tersely.

He was not about to apologise for something he knew he had needed to do. The only guilt he felt about the whole exercise was that Draco was suffering along with him.

"How could you let him do something so stupid?" Remus demanded of Draco at which point Harry had had enough.

He could have dealt with the werewolf's concern and worry all night, but he was not going to let Draco take any blame.

"I made him," Harry said in a very firm tone and dragged every eye in the room to him effortlessly.

Tonks was looking quite surprised by the annoyance in Harry's voice; Dumbledore appeared to understand; and Remus was caught between shock and anxiety.

"Remus," Harry began again, moderating his voice and letting the tiredness creep back into it, "I had to get through this. The only one I will apologise to about this is Draco because he feels worse than he looks and it's all my fault. This was important; I could not allow myself to be helpless."

Something changed in the werewolf's eyes then; something shifted, but Harry didn't quite know what it was. For a moment Remus just looked at him and then the werewolf nodded.

"How did you become a man and I never realised, Harry?" the man who was like a very fond uncle asked, with a note of respect in his voice which caused a lump to come to Harry's throat.

He didn't really know what to say; it was one thing to be told you were an adult by a bunch of bureaucrats; it was another entirely to have it acknowledged in such a personal manner.

"Don't mind him," Tonks said irreverently as the silence grew beyond anything remotely comfortable. "Remus has always been slow to notice these things."

That caused Remus to gain a put out look and Draco to chuckle, even though he was still nursing a nasty headache.

~*~

A/N: Many thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed these chapters. Check back tomorrow for the next instalment. Comments and questions are always welcome :) and thanks for any votes.