Alba Famiglia

Kidnapped

Chapter Two

Harry tossed and turned in bed trying in vain to fall asleep. Standing up, he paced to and fro trying to be quiet as he tried not to wake his relatives. It was strange for him to be unable to sleep but his gut feeling told him that he would regret sleeping for some strange reason. Frowning he sat back on his bed trying to entertain himself by looking out of the window.

The pristine lawn of Private Drive No. 4? Check. The lamp post outside? Check? The falcon impatiently standing on his window? Check-wait what? Harry stared at his window suspiciously. Was there really a falcon at his window? Dazed, he stumbled towards his window only to catch sight of the neatly wrapped parcel held in the falcon's talons. Could this be what his gut feeling kept him up for?

Accepting the parcel, the falcon flew off. Eyeing the parcel in his hands, Harry began to unwrap it slowly. Pulling the last of the wrappings off, Harry noticed the parcel was a book.

'The Seven Flame Types by Scolio Picus' was emblazoned proudly on the cover of the book. Harry was immediately reminded of the conversation he had with Blaise back in Hogwarts. Could this be the book that he was planning to send to me? Shrugging, he opened the book.

Then he felt a hook behind his navel and he was sent flying and tumbling through space.

Deposited on the ground, Harry knelt on the floor retching and heaving as he tried to gain his bearings. An amused laugh greeted him as he stood up. Looking up, Harry couldn't help but breathe in deeply at the woman in front of him. The woman had brown eyes that seemed to glow with warmth. The woman also had hair that shone gold in the sun.

"Welcome Signore Potter." When the woman spoke, her voice was as smooth as honey. Shaking his head to rid himself of the errant thoughts, Harry observed his surroundings.

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." he couldn't help but murmur softly to himself. It was after all night back in Surrey yet here the sun was blazing brightly in the sky.

At his words, the woman laughed gently before replying, "You're in the Zabini mansion in Lazio, Italy. I believe you know my son."

"Blaise Zabini?" ventured Harry.

The woman smiled again before extending her hand to Harry, "Indeed, Signore Potter. I am Velia Zabini. You may call me Velia."

"Uh, call me Harry then?" Harry felt extremely out of place dressed as shabbily as he was. After all, the room he was in appeared to be rather elegant and fancily decorated. Once again, the woman-Mrs. Zabini laughed before gesturing for him to follow her.

As Mrs. Zabini lead him down the hall, Harry marvelled at the tastefully decorated hall. "Blaise should be finished soon. I will show you to the guest room first."

"What?" Harry stopped walking. "What do you mean guest room? You mean I'm staying here? I barely even know the two of you!" The situation was getting weirder and weirder, Harry thought. First he had essentially been kidnapped, and now he was being escorted to a guest room! Bloody hell, why was he only beginning to panic now?

Mrs. Zabini halted as well. As she turned to face Harry, Harry couldn't help but recoil. Mrs. Zabini's eyes had darkened dangerously and her smile had widened greatly. Wondering if it was time for him to start running, Harry slowly inched away before breaking out into a full-out sprint. He was done with the craziness!

As he turned the corner, he collided into someone. Looking up, he realised it was Blaise. As Blaise's shirt was damp with sweat, Harry assumed that Blaise had just finished exercising.

"Potter? What are you doing here?" Blaise looked shocked to see Harry.

"What! Y-You didn't send a portkey to basically kidnap me from my home?" It was official, Harry needed to leave this place and fast. Apologising quickly to Blaise, Harry pushed past him and continued running, or at least he attempted to. He was grabbed by his waist before he could go anywhere and dragged back to Mrs. Zabini.

"Madre, did you kidnap Potter?" asked Blaise tiredly.

"No, I liberated him from those sorry excuse of human beings! Some muggles are such scum! They fear what they do not understand and then they condemn it! How dare they! After you told me about the Sky, I was curious and decided to see what he was like," here, Mrs. Zabini paused in her tirade. Sorrow clouded her eyes. "And I found that his relatives were being downright neglectful! I found out that his room, until a certain period of time, was a cupboard! How dare they! Children are treasured beings!"

Harry listened stunned at words coming from Mrs. Zabini. How did she know that he used to live in a cupboard when no one else knew?

"H-How did you know?" His voice cracked slightly as he asked the question.

"How did I know? Your room. A room tells a lot about a person. Your room had the bare minimum, it was impersonal. So I dug a little deeper. And well, the cupboard had a really telling sign. The words 'Harry's room' was rather obvious. After looking at it, I noticed all the small items that gave life to cupboard..." Here, Mrs. Zabini sighed. "If you want, you'll never have to live there again. We, the Zabini's will gladly take you in."

"But what about the blood wards?" Harry blinked back tears, feeling as though there was a lump in his throat. He desperately wanted to accept the offer but Dumbledore had said that the blood wards were what was keeping him safe.

"Blood wards? Anchored on what?" Mrs. Zabini asked Harry sharply.

"My Aunt, I think." Mrs Zabini looked shocked before whipping out her wand.

"Revelare." Harry felt the spell wash over him. It felt as though he had stepped out into the sunlight.

"How dare him! Harry, did you know that blood wards draw on the magical core of the bloodline? In your case, that would be your mother's bloodline. As your mother was a first generation witch, it means that you are the only one of your bloodline. So the wards are entirely powered up by your magical core. It's a miracle you aren't crippled yet! How did Dumbledore not know this!"

At her words, Harry felt a pang of betrayal hit him. His gut feeling had been correct. Dumbledore had definitely not meant well. Closing his eyes briefly, Harry spoke up. "Is there anyway to get rid of the damage done on me?" His voice was tremulous as he spoke. Blaise who was standing behind Harry quickly pulled Harry into a tight embrace. Harry flinched minutely before relaxing into Blaise, his body shaking as he tried in vain to suppress the sobs.

"Harry, based on the way your relatives treated you, I suspect that you are malnourished. I was going to ask this later but circumstances change so will you come with me to L'ospedale di Carmenta?"

"L'ospedale di Carmenta is Italian for Carmenta Hospital." whispered Blaise into Harry's ear. Nodding briefly, Harry murmured his assent while closing his eyes. He just felt so tired...

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