Mrs. Zabini, The Black Widow
Now that Voldemort is dead Zabini family secrets can finally be released though the lengths parents will go to in order to protect their child will never change. In this story, you will learn the secrets of Mrs. Zabini. All seven of them.
Sabra Stuyvesant was the most beautiful girl Geo Zabini had ever seen. Just looking at her choked him up and made him want to show off for her at the same time. Talk about complex emotions! She sat looking indifferent and bored and a little bit annoyed. Stiff too, Geo noted. Still that didn't mar her beauty and something told him, perhaps it was her eyes, that she could have fun if shown how to do so properly. Those perfect shoes and a hair not out of place on her head, said plainly, though, that she wasn't accustom to having much fun.
"It must be hard to be so serious while looking down your nose at everyone at the same time," he told her.
"What?"
She blinked.
There! He'd gotten a reaction. His inner boy about to turn man crowed in triumph.
"Is my English too poor," he asked, tone and grin innocently mocking.
Though he attended Durmstrang, Geo Zabini was Italian and his accent was thick, though his English was good. Sabra blinked at him then laughed.
"You want a fight," she demanded, rising and drawing her wand from her right sleeve. The move was so practiced, Geo assumed she used it on people regularly. That sent a thrill of excitement through him for some reason, and he laughed. "No. I want a dance," he told her, and diving toward her, literally swept her off her feet.
Laughing incredulously, she clung to his muscular arms as they spun. As he spun her faster, her laughs turned in to shrieks with giggles intermingled. Just as he suspected, she did have a bit of fun in her that very much wanted to grow. And when she laughed, she was so beautiful it nearly cracked his heart. As if he'd ever doubted it, Geo Zabini knew that he was in love.
The little Italian was hot. His body was packed with solid hard muscle and his arms were big and strong as they whirled her around. Sabra felt as though his entire personality somehow tickled her, and he was always making her laugh. Going to the holiday party with her friend to meet said friend's brother's Durmstrang school chums had been a good idea after all, she decided. At first she wasn't at all certain of this, because the talk of Voldemort for or against was boring, but then the little Italian guy had wanted to start a fight or something...Or well she supposed not as he seemed quite content to dance.
Only then did she realize she'd dropped her wand when he snatched her up. Pushing at his chest she demanded he stop so that she could get it. "I will, but only long enough for that," he promised, eyes laughing into hers. That look had her shamelessly wishing he would kiss her. Though she'd have for sure hexed any other boy who tried.
Married and with a baby on the way. That was the good news. The bad news was that Voldemort was apparently forcing people to follow him. Geo wasn't interested in whatever rubbish Voldemort was doing plus his eyes looked crazy. Any sane man knew that forcing people would eventually get you killed due to being outnumbered without enough truly loyal followers at your back. Until then, though, Geo had a baby to look after and a beautiful wife to keep safe. Said wife was pacing and holding the news paper in her hands as they spoke of that very problem. Sabra's stiletto heals clicked on the marble floor of the dining room as she swept around the table and back toward his chair.
"What if he thinks we're already so dark he'll just let us alone, assuming we're good with whatever he does," Sabra asked, stopping suddenly in front of Geo.
"What do you mean," he asked.
"Well," she paused, placing hands on her slender hips. She was only just beginning to show in the belly and the rest of her form was still slender and beautiful. Blinking several times he struggled to clear his head of such distractions so he could continue to follow what she was saying.
"Geo! Are you listening to me," she asked, moving a slender red nail tipped finger in front of his nose with an annoyed frown.
"What? Yeah, basically. I am basically listening to you," he said with a grin.
"Well, we need to keep our baby safe."
He nodded. "Right. Totally gotta do that for sure."
"And us. We'd like to be safe as well."
He nodded again, struggling to keep his eyes on her beautiful face. Such a beautiful face..."Yep, that too," he agreed.
"So it's time for you to die for it. Not now, mind, in a few months after Blaise is born. That's a good time for you to die, I think."
They'd already picked out their baby's name from a book his mother had of baby names. Sabra liked Blaise because it sounded posh. She planned to give him Geo as a middle name. "Wait...You're testing me, aren't you, but I was listening!"
Her lips twitched up into a smile. "No, but I could've been. I meant, we can use the fact that you're an unregistered Metamorphmagus to make people think you died! You just look different and we get married again. Each time we'll have a whirlwind romance so we won't have to be apart long if at all. We can hint each time that your death was a bit...sketchy, and then people will wonder if I killed you. We'll keep doing it whenever we start getting nervous, you know...Just to keep things safe."
He stared, then blinked, then laughing drew her into his arms. How had he gotten himself such a smart posh beautiful wife? He'd probably keep asking himself that one forever and ever. Due to his family's connections to the Italian Mafia Geo had never registered himself as a Metamorphmagus and right now he was really loving that decision. His family was rich enough to finance several fake rich husbands due to the same Mafia connections! His wife was beyond brilliant!
"I'm going to order some funeral catalogs," he said excitedly, kissing the top of her head. "I want a fancy coffin and...HEY I'll get to see who my friends really are when we discover who turns out for my funeral!
Over the years Geo developed an obsession with planning his own funerals. It was fun! It was also fun deciding how he'd look each time he planned his new identity. It was always easier to be a rich loner from some country or other so he'd not have to deal with a new job each time,or making friends that he'd have to constantly change his accent for along with his face. This made him a bit of a recluse save for accompanying Sabra out on social events with her friends. As he didn't exactly relish time with other ladies other than his wife, he usually managed to keep that down to attending one out of five times.
Generally he stayed home, studied, collected books and funeral catalogs for 'next time,' and 'just in case' as well as teaching his son. Blaise was a brilliant child and took to learning dark magic, regular magic, Italian, English, and at five he had already developed his own sense of fashion, giving their house elf, Bramble, specific instructions on the sorts of clothes he wanted.
When it came to faking his deaths, he and Sabra just told Blaise that it was a game in which he would need to pretend Daddy had died and that he would be getting a new Daddy, but the three of them knew the truth. Any time they were at home, Geo would look like himself so that Blaise would not be confused. Sabra's friends always thought it odd that Blaise never grieved any of his stepfathers, but Sabra said that only added to the dark look they cultivated.
Sabra was so pleased that Blaise had gotten himself sorted into Slytherin just as she had. She was certain that he would, but the news was wonderful. It was very considerate of him to owl the news directly.
Geo lowered the funeral catalog he'd been perusing as Sabra came in from some lunch date with her girlfriends. "Look here, Sweetheart. Do you like the red coffin or the gray," he asked, waving her excitedly over. It was Blaise's second year at Hogwarts and time for death number five just to be safe.
Sabra came over to look, gesturing to the red coffin. "Go for that one," she said, but her eyes held no amusement and her lower lip was trembling.
"Honey, what's wrong," Geo asked, putting the catalog down and gently drawing her into his arms.
"Rosemary Rogers was all on about how she didn't understand how I could get married so many times," Sabra said tightly. "Then she said...she said...She looked at me and her face was sad and kind of baffled and she said...I thought you really loved Geo," she concluded, breaking down in tears on the last few words as she clung to him. "God Geo! She sobbed wordlessly into his shoulder as he rocked her and gently rubbed her back, all the while trying to sort out what had just happened and why she was so upset. It was a woman thing, he was sure.
"Well of course I know you love me, amore."
"But she looked at me as if there was something wrong with me for loving you or being able to behave as if I love you then killing you along with all the others. You know they suspect because that's what I wanted, but they were my friends in school, Geo, and they did know I loved you...I...it's like I'm killing something in me to do this...I do love you and I hate people not knowing that," she sobbed.
Okay this was really a woman thing and he was floundering for what to say or how to handle it. It had been her idea, and right now he was very grateful for that because if the faking his deaths thing had been his idea, and was now tearing her up like this, it would tear his heart out. It was, in truth, Voldemort's fault, though, he thought grimly as he hugged her tighter. They had a friend who didn't believe the man was dead, so this game had to keep playing out.
"One day he'll be dead for sure, and then everyone can know you loved me all along, my heart," he crooned, rocking her and stroking her hair. To his relief his honest words of comfort worked and she relaxed as her sobs tapered off.
Funeral number 7. Fitting almost that it was Blaise's 7th year at Hogwarts, Sabra thought as she dabbed at her eyes. Blaise smirked at her because he'd been the one to sort out the charm that made her cry as well as a better one for Geo that made him appear to be sleeping rather than him having to take a potion that really put him into a death like slumber. Geo liked being awake to watch the suffering of those who pretended to care, after all. Blaise had done well with both charms. He was a brilliant boy and would be a great enchanter some day. For now, though, he needed to be cautious. Scowling she jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow for smirking when his stepfather had just died, but fortunately no one seemed to notice.
Wincing at her jab, Blaise sidestepped right into Millicent Bulstrode who was bending to whisper something into Geo's ear as if bidding a fond farewell to a family friend.
"What'd you tell him," Blaise asked. Though he spoke quietly, it was loud enough for Sabra to hear.
"I told him the gray coffin looks really good with his eyes and dark complexion," Millicent said with a grin.
"I think he should've gone with the gold...Like some pharaoh." The voice that spoke the last observation came from a German accented willowy blonde young man who had recently become Blaise's lover and was like an adopted son to the Zabinis. It was he who had reminded Sabra and Geo only last week that they could never truly come out of the coffin as it were because if they did, Geo's unregistered status as a Metamorphmagus would also come to light. The ministry was never fair or kind. The German youth knew this better than most, and Sabra knew he was right. It was alright though. If the family and those close to it were the only ones who knew that she loved Geo, that was, in the end, all that mattered.
And speaking of the end, we've reached the end of this story, but if you'd like to learn more about Blaise's love interested who just made a cameo check out our Meeting Their Match story.