I am sorry this update took so long. However, I won't be updating regularly as I am working on a novel of my own. Thanks so much for your patience! And for Reviewing. I am a review junkie.

I may have called Ginny Virginia before. I apologize. I found out today her name is Ginevra

Chapter 3

The Great Hall buzzed with the noise of friends catching up after the long summer. The teacher surveyed their students with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. The raven-haired Prince of Slytherin watched the Hall as a king might watch his court and with good cause. Every single student in the room looked to him as a pseudo-king. After all, he had the closest thing to royal blood you could get in the wizarding world. The boy smiled.

Breaking off his conversation with Blaise, Draco suddenly pointed at the teachers' table and exclaimed, "Harry! Look!"

The raven-haired boy followed his friend's finger and saw, sitting at the staff table next to Professor McGonagall, was Remus J. Lupin. Harry smiled, "Remus. He must be the new DADA teacher. This year should be interesting. We may even learn something"

Draco chuckled. Hermione smiled. "It's good to have him back."

Harry nodded and then, after a pause, asked, "Should we continue the D.A. this year? Will we have time?"

Draco shrugged and Hermione bit her lip. "I don't know if we will, Harry. Should we wait and see how things go? Maybe talk to Remus?"

"That sounds like a good idea. Do the coins still work?" Hermione nodded. "Good. If we do continue, should we open it up to anyone who wants to join or just the people who were in it last year?"

"I think, if we do do it again, we should open it, but separate everyone into two groups. Someone could teach the new people and, Harry, you could teach the old timers." Hermione grinned.

Draco nodded. "I agree. Hermione should probably teach the new people. It would be either her or I, and she has more patience…or we could have two separate meeting around the same time and Harry could teach both. That way we all could attend the one for the second years as well as the one for the new people."

"Oooh!" Hermione nodded excitedly. "Yes, that's a much better idea!"

"If we do it again. Herm," Harry said lowering his voice. "I realize the Hat was probably talking about Nott as one of the traitors, but who is the other?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know."

Draco leaned forward. "Could it be Snape? He is a Death Eater, after all."

Harry shook his head. "No. He is too loyal to Dumbledore. I know he hates me, but I don't think it's him. Too proud and independent to be subservient."

Hermione shook her head. "I agree, but then who could it be?"

Draco frowned. "We'll have to a sharp eye out for them."

Harry nodded slowly, scanning the room. "I think…before I choose the next Prince or Princess, that we need to do some extensive research. Just to be sure."

Hermione nodded. "Who?"

"Rebecca Black and her friend, Margaret, of course. And I see a promising firstie who might be able to pull it off. I would prefer someone younger, being in 4th year when you take the throne is a little old, but we shall see." Harry's piercing green eyes swept the table. "Dray, could you have Morag shadow Rebecca for a day or two. And Margaret, but put Millie on her also. And as for the firstie…put Blaise on her. Name: Bellatrix Cassandra Diagon."

"What a curious name…I wonder if…" Hermione commented. "I think I'll look her up later."

Harry smiled slightly and rolled his eyes. "Of Course you will, Herm. Of course you will. And, now, if you'll excuse me." He stood and walked down the table, stopping behind a dark-haired second year. He knelt and tapped her shoulder, talking softly to her.

Draco grinned and Hermione smiled at this behavior. He was giving a roundabout interview, testing his candidates to see how they would fare, and trying to glean some information about them. Draco's gaze swept from Harry across the room, landing on the Gryffindor table. Ginny was watching Harry with a small smile on her face. Draco's eyes narrowed. She must have felt Draco looking at her because she turned to him and, with a frightening glint in her eye, smirked. Draco raised an eyebrow. "Hermione? Why do you think Ginny is smirking at me so scarily?"

Hermione looked up from her meal to glance at said girl. She shrugged. "I have no idea. She has been acting strangely since she came into our compartment on the train."

Draco nodded. "Yes. I wonder what up…" She continued looking at him until he looked away.

Harry had finished speaking with his candidates by now and returned to sit down. "Bellatrix is related to the founders of Diagon Alley and Rebecca reminds me Sirius. Margaret is useless, but have her checked anyway. It may just been her obvious awe that I was talking to her." He laughed and shook his head. "I will never understand it."

"Harry?" Draco said tentatively, looking back at the Gryffindor table. "Your girlfriend is creeping me out. Why is she staring at me?"

Harry looked up to find that Ginny was indeed staring at Draco and himself. He heaved a sigh and stood. Walking over to the Gryffindor table, he pinched her ear, making her stand up. He then proceeded to march her to the teachers' table. "Professor Dumbledore, sir, may we be excused for a few moments, please?" He requested with his politest smile.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he nodded.

Moments later found the pair outside the Great Hall. Ginny looked embarrassed, angry, and nervous all at once. Harry looked coldly annoyed. "What did I tell you on the train, Ginevra?"

"I did not tell anyone or give you smug looks!" She protested. "And that was really embarrassing, Harry! Why did you have to drag me out here by the ear? Wouldn't a wrist have been sufficient?"

"No, it wouldn't have. Ginny, I am allowing you to behave this way because I happen to like you the best of my girlfriends so far. That is not to say, however, that I will allow you to harass my friends. You will not act overtly different to Draco. No staring, no overt sexual comments, nothing. Am I understood?" He stood and looked at down at her, waiting.

She nodded. Although still slightly annoyed and embarrassed, she smiled happily. He liked her the best. Maybe she would last longer then three weeks, which was the current record. She hoped so; he was an amazing lover!

Harry smiled. "Good. I hope you realize that you've gotten away with a hell of a lot more then any of my other girlfriends. Even Herm and Dray don't talk to me the way you've been known to do. Hence their shocked reaction in the coach, when you told me to be quiet. Of course, I wouldn't mind if they did, but…"

Ginny giggled. "Good, you need someone to talk to you like that once in a while."

She wondered if she had gone too far when he raised an eyebrow, but he said, looking thoughtfully down at her, "You know, Gin. I do at that."

With that, he took her arm, kissed her briefly, and walked her back to her seat, before taking his own. "She will no longer stare at you, Draco." He said and ate his dinner.

After the student body had finished eating, Dumbledore stood to make his usual announcements. He rattled off out of bounds areas and banned items. Then, his eyes twinkling, he said, "Also, I would like to welcome back Professor Lupin to our staff. He will once again be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The Hall erupted with noise: applauds, whispers, and one or two soft boos and hisses. Mostly, the negative reaction was from anti-magical being, prejudice idiots. However, they were silenced swiftly by one quick glance from Harry. Remus bowed slightly and grinned.

&&&&&

Over the next several days, the studies of the candidates by Harry's Successor Squad, as they named themselves, went well. Margaret was eliminated from the running and both Rebecca and Bellatrix were deemed worthy of royalty. And though the research by Hermione was going well also, some very strange occurrences took place.

The first went unnoticed for several days. A stomachache, hoarseness of voice, burning and dilated eyes, short periods of continually moving fingers. For no reason and all on different days. The detail that tipped the little group off was that they all had the same minor illness at the same time. Finally, Harry insisted they go to Madame Pomfrey to find out what was wrong. The news was not good. Dumbledore was most upset and Harry was on the brink of another control-loss. In general, things were not going well.

It seemed that someone was attempting to poison Harry, Draco, Hermione, Blaise, and Pansy. Draco shook his head upon receiving this news. Stupid. Very sloppy and unpredictable. It had to have been Nott.

However, no one could lay blame until the matter had been investigated. Madame Pomfrey ran tests, after administering an all-purpose antidote, and was trying to find the type of poison used.

The second was the sudden disappearance of most of the castle armor. The suits of armor in the hallways, the armor from all over the school simply vanished. Peeves was questioned under Veritiserum, but it yielded no results. He didn't do it. Snape was spiteful and wanted Harry and his friends to be questioned as well, but Dumbledore wouldn't allow it. No one could make sense of it. Why would anyone want to steal very old, unusable armor? And the most important question of all: How? How could someone get into the school, past all the protections and charms and all? How could anyone get so much armor out of the castle without someone noticing or even moved about within the castle?

The last of these occurrences that is worthy of noticing is the appearance of rather beautiful, if odd weapons set from inside the Sorting Hat. Added to the Sword of Godric Gryffindor, which appeared in Harry's second year, was a bow and quiver of arrows that belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, the Dagger of Rowena Ravenclaw, and the Impenetrable Shield of Salazar Slytherin. The way they appeared was rather unusual.

Harry was standing in Dumbledore's office, waiting for the headmaster to tell him what Madame Pomfrey had found out. He turned to the Sorting Hat sitting on its perch and queried, "Why is it that I managed to pull the Sword of Gryffindor out of you and not something belonging to Slytherin? I am in Slytherin after all."

The Hat yawned widely as it straightened. "You forget your duel heritage, young Potter. The thing for which you had the greatest need was a sword not a shield. The only thing belonging to Salazar I have inside is a shield."

"I see…"

"I feel you are in great need of something else, but, seeing as I am not sure quite what, I think I shall give you three things instead." With that, it fell off its perch and went limp. Harry knelt and reached inside it. He pulled out the Weapons of the Founders (minus Godric's Sword). The Sorting Hat then straightened and requested that it be put back in its place.

When Dumbledore entered, he found Harry sitting on the floor with the dagger, bow and quiver, and shield in his lap. The headmaster peered over his glasses at the raven-haired young man, mildly surprised once again. He had expected the shield to appear at some point in the near future, but the other things were odd indeed. No descendent of either lady was attending Hogwarts or even alive that he knew of. A most interesting development. "Well, my dear boy, we have discovered the type of poison used. I see you have had a bit of a chat with the Sorting Hat."

"Yes. It's very odd, Professor. I asked it about Gryffindor's Sword and, well, it sort of fell off its perch and this stuff appeared. Do you have any idea why, Professor?" Harry looked up at him.

"Well, Harry, I imagine it is because you will need them in the future." The headmaster sat and looked at Harry over the rims of his glasses. "In light of this and of the poison, I have decided it is necessary that you, and perhaps your friends as well, should receive Defense Training."

"But, sir, I already take Defense."

"No, Harry, I was referring to physical defense, such as fencing, karate, that type of thing. Combat. I think it is important that you can defend yourself physically as well as magically. In addition, I was wondering if you would wish to take dueling classes."

"Yes, sir. I would love to." Harry grinned, an excited spark in his eyes.

"Excellent, I already have a teacher." Dumbledore turned to a doorway leading Merlin only knew where. "Severus?"

Harry groaned inwardly. Outwardly, he was completely calm and emotionless. He turned to the headmaster. "Professor, aren't you afraid Professor Snape and I would kill each other?"

"What makes you think you could kill me, Potter?" Snape said entering through the doorway, robes billowing.

"Pure hatred makes many things possible, Professor Snape. And if you were referring to my magical ability, I assure you I am quite capable. As to my nerve, I did kill Professor Quirrell in first year."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Harry, I don't think—"

"Yes, I did, sir. I knew his skin would turn to ash if I touched him. I grabbed his face in my hands and pushed. He disintegrated. Therefore, I killed him." Harry stated, standing.

Snape had both eyebrows raised. Dumbledore shook his head, a hint of an amused smile playing about his mouth, and turned to the Potions Master. "Severus, I want you to teach Harry how to duel properly."

"Magically or physically?" Snape inquired.

Harry raised an eyebrow at this. "You fence?"

"Yes, Potter, I fence."

"Well, in that case," Dumbledore said smiling. "Both."

"Oh, joy." Harry said flatly.

"Since that is settled, how about 2 hour fencing lessons Saturdays at 10 o'clock am and 2 hour dueling lessons on Sundays at the same time? Good. You should begin lessons this weekend, if that is possible. Severus, you must get several practice swords and staffs. Using Gryffindor's Sword immediately would be absurd." He nodded and the potions master swept out. "Harry, I believe Remus knows karate and will be able to instruct you in that and I must find an archer and someone skilled with knives. Also, there is a library is the school, which no one has access to except me. I will allow you, Hermione, and Draco to use it for the time being to research the poison found in your system, which was Atropa Belladonna or, more commonly, Deadly Nightshade. The library I am referring to is where Hogwarts keeps all the copies of exceedingly rare or dark books, so please take extra car with them. I will notify the librarian of your coming arrival. I am hoping information will crop that is useful and couldn't be found in the regular library." He then proceeded to give Harry instructions on how to get to the library and how to enter it.

"Thank you, sir. I was wondering, Professor, could Draco be included in some of these lessons?"

"You're welcome, Harry. And, yes, of course, he could. In fact, I believe it is prudent that Draco, Blaise, Hermione, and Pansy all take karate lessons with Remus, and perhaps Miss Weasley. Also, you, Hermione, and Draco are also excused from you next two classes to go to the Library, look around, and begin your research."

"Thank you, again, sir. That makes me feel much better." With that, Harry left in search of his friends.

He caught up with Draco and Hermione as they were leaving the Great Hall. "Dray, Herm." He called and they turned.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "Where have you been? You missed lunch!"

The green-eyed boy smiled as he explained where they were going at what Dumbledore had told him. "I have to spend two hours with Snape on both Saturday and Sunday, but still I always enjoyed dueling."

"Poor Harry," Hermione cooed, then laughed. "You're so lucky. Extra lessons!"

"I was able to talk Dumbledore into letting you two, as well as Blaise and Pansy, take karate with me. That should be amusing."

"Excellent!" Draco smirked.

"Remus is teaching. Oh, and Ginny will be joining us." Harry grinned.

Draco's jaw dropped. "Why on earth would she be included!"

"Draco darling, that expression is very unbecoming." Harry smirked. "She will be included because she is my girlfriends and, therefore, she is in danger."

Draco shut his mouth and sneered.

Hermione sniffed at him. "Well, I think it's wonderful of Harry to want to protect her. Maybe she will actually last."

Harry raised an eyebrow and Draco scowled.

"Anyway," Harry changed the subject back to the matters at hand. "Pomfrey figured out what the poison was. It was Deadly Nightshade."

Hermione straightened. "Atropa Belladonna. Symptoms: dilated pupils, shaking hands and fingerings, stomach cramps, loss of voice. I should have known!"

"Hermione." Harry said warningly. "Do not blame yourself! Now, We have a job to do. Come." He turned on his heel and strode off, two Slytherins in his wake.

As they walked, Hermione was silently going over everything she knew about Deadly Nightshade, while Draco was wondering how the lessons would go and how to get himself included in the fencing lessons.

Harry led them down numerous passages, up several obscure stairways (which were coated in dust), and finally through a velvet curtain. In a very anti-climactic moment, the room they ended up in was a very small, very empty storage room. When Hermione opened her mouth to speak, Harry held up one finger to silence her. He moved four steps forward and four steps back, ten times. Then, he stood perfectly still and said, "Stygian Liberum." He gestured to them to close their eyes.

In a spiraling moment, Harry opened his eyes and laughed, "Magnificent."

The other two opened their eyes to be met with a spectacular sight. The first room triple floored, two-roomed library, with seven-foot bookcases lining every wall and filling most of the room, was about the size of the Great Hall. In a back corner, just visible, was a gigantic fireplace filled with a roaring fire and surrounded by large comfortable-looking armchairs. A doorway to the trio's left led to another book-filled room, much like the first. To their right was a smaller doorway, which led to a small one-story room that housed a desk.

Harry took to tentative steps toward this room, when a beautiful blond woman glided out. She smiled at them, showing perfect white teeth and her large almond-shaped silver eyes sparkled. Draco's lip curled as she glided directly up to Harry. Hermione's brow furrowed. She leaned close to Draco and whispered, "Is she…a Veela?"

"At least, half-Veela, but I don't think she's full-blooded." He snarled very quietly.

Harry smirked softly and raised an eyebrow. "Hello."

"Hello, you must be Harry Potter. I was told you would be coming." The girl said in a voice that can only be described as soft and breathy. "My name is Morgaine and I was instructed to help you with anything you require."

Draco's lip-curled morphed into a fully-fledged sneer. Harry saw this and smiled. He moved closer to the girl and, taking a piece of her hair in his hand, he leaned in close to her ear. "Well, Morgaine, I'm sure I can think of something. However, right now, we need to find all the information available on the poison Deadly Nightshade." This last was said sharply as Harry stepped back. With the ghost of a grin on his face, he turned to the other two, winked, and said, "Do you think Dumbledore will let Ginny accompany us next time?"

"Harry, I don't think this is an appropriate place for your little Gryffindor girlfriend." Draco said, in a slightly condescending manner.

Harry smirked, "Too bad. Anyway…"

When the three glanced back at Morgaine, her lovely face was twisted with a very sour expression. Harry bit back a chuckle. Her back stiff, she spat out in a far less breathy voice, "Follow me please."

She led them down a book-lined aisle and to a large, empty table. She snapped her fingers and glided away. Hundreds of book appeared on the table and the three surrounding chairs. Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Draco groaned softly. Hermione grinned broadly and clapped her hands once. "Alright, then! Let's get to work!"