A/N: I AM SO SORRY. I am a horrible, horrible person. I started this story ages ago and then STOPPED WRITING IT for an incredibly long list of reasons (read: excuses). To make it up to you all, I am finally finishing this whole thing. So now I've edited and updated what I had already written, and then wrote some more. I hope you all like it. Please forgive me! Anyway, I'll stop wasting your time up here and let you read the damn thing . First part's short-ish, but they get longer (I promise).

Harry Potter does not belong to me, but you knew that already.

"Name?"

"Elisabetta Zabini," I replied lazily, carelessly flicking my hair out of my face.

"Ok, Miss Zabini, your forms are in order. You can wait over there with the other students until it's time to leave." I nodded to Professor Sprout, today's Hogsmeade chaperone, and walked over to a cluster of fellow Slytherins. I could feel eyes on me as I moved, my brown hair perfectly tousled and body built like a model's. I smirked to myself and made the sway of my hips just a little more pronounced. My blue eyes were alight with inner laughter by the time I reached my Housemates.

"Elisabetta," a male voice called, and I half-turned to greet my elder brother Blaise. We were only one year apart; Blaise was a sixth year and I was a fifth year.

"Si?" My brother started to speak to me in rapid Italian, something about Mum sending a package, but I was distracted by the giggling behind me. Some second years were obviously flustered by being in the presence of the Zabini siblings, and Blaise speaking our first language was not helping the stirring of little British hearts. Stifling the urge to roll my eyes, I nodded my head to Blaise and waited for him to finish, pretending I had been listening the whole time. When he was finally quiet, I turned to Draco Malfoy who had arrived halfway through our "conversation."

"Hello, Malfoy," I greeted him.

"Zabini," he replied, dipping his head infinitesimally and smiling slightly.

"All students going to Hogsmeade!" the voice of Professor Sprout called out. "We'll be leaving now! Keep close together, we don't want any of you wandering off on your own!"

"We should probably go," Malfoy said, eyeing the moving mass of people.

"You're right. Ciao," I said, waving, before turning to catch up with the other Slytherins in front of us.

"She never listens to me!" I heard my brother complain to Malfoy as I walked away. I heard Malfoy let out a breath of air in a laugh and I smirked in response, before picking up my pace to a jog.

-Blaise's POV-

"You better keep an eye on her," Malfoy said to me after watching Elisabetta run off.

"What? Why?" I turned to my best friend.

"Blaise. Please." The affectionate contempt in his eyes said, isn't it obvious? "Your sister is bloody gorgeous."

"And she's my sister, Malfoy," I replied, my voice lowering dangerously.

"Christ, Zabini, chill out! What I'm trying to say is that…well…" he trailed off as he tried to phrase his thoughts diplomatically.

"Spit it out, Draco!"

"Well, whatever I won't do, someone else will," he finished, looking me in the eyes. I looked away.

"Yeah," I said.

"You know, if you weren't my friend and she wasn't your sister…"

"Enough, Draco." He let out a quick, staccato breath and looked away before turning to me once again.

"You're not going to be able to protect her forever, Blaise. Just make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. And I say this as your friend."

"Yeah," I murmured, half-heartedly punching Draco in the shoulder. "I know."