Before Christmas, Romilda Vane gave Harry a box of chocolate cauldrons. He immediately brought them to Professor Snape.

"Is there a way to detect a love potion?" he asked.

"Who are these from?" Snape asked.

"A fourth year gave them to me," Harry said. "I don't know her or trust her."

Snape detected the potion immediately and threw out the box.

"If you tell me who it is, I can deal with her," Snape said.

"I don't get other people in trouble," Harry told him.

"I noticed," Snape said. "So why did you bring these here?"

"I wanted to make sure I wasn't throwing out perfectly good chocolate," Harry said.

Harry checked his map the night before Christmas break and was relieved to see that Draco was in the common room. Now that Fred and George graduated, Harry had the map all the time. It made it easier to track Draco.

Harry, Sirius, and Remus were invited to the Weasleys for Christmas lunch. Fleur was there too. They had an enjoyable meal without any interruptions from the minister of magic. After they finished eating, Sirius apparated Harry back home.

Winter holiday passed quickly and Harry wasn't surprised the first day back when he saw signs about apparition lessons. He signed up for lessons even though he was pretty sure he knew how to do it from his dream. He figured if he signs up, he'll be able to take the test with everyone. Ron told everyone that Sirius apparates Harry everywhere. All his friends wanted to know what it feels like. Harry described everything going black; being pressed very hard from all directions; not being able to breathe, iron bands tightening around his chest; eyeballs being forced back into his head, and eardrums being pushed deeper into his skull. Everyone kept asking him to retell what if feels like. Nobody was turned off by his not so positive description.

At the next Potions class, Snape asked about Golpalott's third law. Hermione was the only one who raised her hand, so Snape reluctantly called on her.

Hermione recited at top speed: "Golpalott's third law states that the antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components."

"An answer copied almost word for word from Advanced Potions Making," said Snape dismissively, "but correct in essentials."

He then distributed phials and instructed the class to find the antidote for the poison. Harry raised his hand.

"I'm sorry, professor," he said, "but I'm not sure what to do."

"What is Golpalott's third law?" Snape asked him.

Harry repeated Hermione's answer.

"So what do you need to do?" Snape asked.

"I don't know," Harry said.

"How did a dunderhead like you get an O on your OWL?" Snape sneered.

"You tutored me," Harry said. "Otherwise, I would have failed."

"I didn't expect to do remedial potions on a NEWT level," Snape taunted.

"I guess I still need it," Harry said.

"Come sit at this empty table in front," Snape sighed. "Weasley, do you also need remedial potions?"

Ron nodded and joined Harry at the front of the room.

"Are there any more dunderheads in this class?" Snape asked.

Nobody else said anything.

"Okay, get to work," Snape told the class.

He lectured Harry and Ron about the third law and made sure they wrote down everything he said. He then asked them to explain it to him. When they did a lousy job, he asked, "How do you expect to manage as aurors if you can't even find the antidote to a poison?"

"I'll carry a bezoar in my pocket," Harry told him.

Harry and Ron had a very unenjoyable lesson, but at the end of class, they finally understood Golpalott's law.

When it was time for the first apparition lesson, Harry stood behind Malfoy and was relieved that he wasn't asking Crabbe to stand guard. He listened as Twycross lectured about the three Ds. When he told them to try it, Harry was the only one who made it in his hoop the first try.

"Potter!" Snape yelled. "No showing off!"

Harry looked at him, confused.

"I wasn't trying to show off," he said hesitantly.

"Did you ever apparate before?" Twycross asked suspiciously.

"His godfather apparates him everywhere," Seamus said enviously.

"Did he ever tell you about the three Ds?" Twycross asked.

"No," Harry said. "He tells me to hold on tight."

"Experience with side along apparition won't help you apparate," Twycross said. "Maybe it was beginner's luck. Back behind your hoops, everyone. Let's try again."

Once again, Harry was the only one who managed to do it.

"Potter!" Snape barked again.

"Did you want me to stand there and watch?" Harry asked. "I thought I was supposed to try it."

"Are you sure you never apparated?" Twycross asked again.

Harry thought fast, realizing why Snape was upset.

"Potter does all transfigurations on his first try," McGonagall said. "I guess he's good at appartition too."

"He gets all his charms on the first try too," Flitwick said.

"Nobody gets apparition on the first try," Snape said. "Sirius must have taught him."

"No he didn't," Harry said. "I may have accidently apparated before I lived with Sirius."

"That's very unlikely," Twycross said. "If you're not concentrating on the three Ds, it wouldn't work."

"What if the first D is replaced with desperation?" Harry asked.

"Are you talking about how you survived in a locked cupboard for ten years without food?" Snape asked, picking up Harry's thoughts.

"I wasn't locked up for ten years," Harry told him. "Usually it was for a week at a time, but yes, that's what I was referring to. When I was hungry enough, I usually found myself in the kitchen. I never knew how it happened."

"Why were you locked up without food?" McGonagall asked, looking very concerned.

"That's how my relatives always punished me for accidental magic," Harry said. "It's not a big deal. You could see I didn't starve."

"I don't think you need apparition lessons," Twycross said.

"Can I still take the test with everyone else?" Harry asked.

"How old are you?" Twycross asked him.

"I'm sixteen," Harry said.

"When's your birthday?"

"July 31."

"I'll give you your license dated July 31," Twycross said. "You don't need to take this course, but you're not allowed to apparate before you turn seventeen. Try not to get locked in the cupboard."

"I don't live with them anymore," Harry said as he left the room.

Harry checked the map regularly over the next few weeks to make sure Draco never left the map. People kept asking Harry about how he apparates so easily, but Harry had to admit that he never really thought about it. He couldn't tell everyone that it took him most of his sixth year to learn, since that was only in his dream. He understood why Snape didn't want anyone to know that he did it on his first try.

Harry enjoyed his next Hogsmeade weekend on Ron's birthday. Fred and George met them at Hogsmeade. The best part was that Ron didn't get poisoned.