Mini dictionary: Benvenuto a Bologna, Signori - Welcome to Bologna, gentlemen / ciao - hello / Passaporta - portkey / palle - balls / Atrio - Lobby / Madre - mother / Padre - father / papá - dad / bene - good

Chapter Twelve: Welcome to PaSta

o.O.o

Harry's feet slammed to the ground and he staggered to stay upright. A hand grabbed his shoulder, steadying him for a moment, but nothing helped with the swirling of his brain. He was sure if he opened his eyes, the world would be upside down, spinning like a carousal. He fought to keep his morning coffee down and tore himself away from the hand that was gripping into him. He tried to walk aside, though he had no idea which way aside would be, but the pulling was great. He felt sharp pain in his knees and finally he opened his eyes.

The world was madly spinning, the marble floor beneath him was constantly moving, even his own hands seemed to be swirling with the floor, though he was definitely leaning on them. He grabbed into his belly and coughed, swallowing back the coffee. He closed his eyes again, and waited groaning quietly until the world return to its normal form.

"Fuck…" Malfoy croaked close to Harry, who looked towards the sound.

The blond was lying on the marble, rubbing his face. He must have been the one who had previously grasped Harry's shoulder, though now it seemed he wasn't attempting to help Harry, he just needed stability himself. Severus was a few steps behind them, leaning on his knees, his black hair falling forward. Ettore looked shaken too, but he was already smiling and walking towards them.

"I won't ever do this again," Malfoy said. "I rather fly a broom for a week. I rather even fly on one of those planes the Muggles use. Portkeys suck. Never again..."

"The dizziness should subside soon," Ettore assured them as he stood over both of them, holding a hand out for the young men. "Long distance travelling can mess with your system. The Floo is even worse, I assure you."

Harry believed him. He let himself be helped up, then after a few deep breathes, he finally looked around.

They seemed to be in an old factory building, abandoned and only half way finished. Concrete walls, grey and boring, electric cords hanging out of the ceiling. Dust and dirt everywhere, old newspapers, boots, opened cans and bottles and other different rattletraps littered the marble floor. Harry frowned, looking at the deep brown granite, which looked completely out of place in a building like this.

Then suddenly a loud bang shook the whole building. It was like those gunshots he had heard in the telly when he was a kid, only much louder. Voices came from their right and Harry noticed a group of merrily chatting people. Loud groaning came from behind him and he turned around. He found another group, these however were still laying around on the ground with their luggage scattered around.

"Just… where are we?"

"Benvenuto a Bologna, Signori!" Said an unfamiliar but kind voice and Harry looked at the curly black haired woman, who seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

Ettore went to her and kissed her cheeks, "Ciao Mita! Do you never rest? What of your tiny baby boy? Who is taking care of him now?"

Mita switched to English, too, as she answer with a warm smile, "Mother took him to the park. He's finally big enough for the swings so now he never wants to come off," she shook her head, her curls bouncing in the air. She was a young woman, smaller than Harry but with the bushiest hair he had ever seen. She wasn't wearing any makeup but she was still very pretty, even though her uniform seemed slightly baggy on her. She was holding a clipboard with one hand and her wand with the other. "I'm going to need to see your wands, gentlemen."

Ettore pulled out his and held it out for her. She touched hers to it and a paper slipped out of the tip. "Thirty centimetres, olive wood, hippocampus hair," she announced for the hundreds times by the sound of it.

"Exactly," Ettore confirmed with a smile and she made a little note to her notepad.

"These are your British friends, right? Welcome to Italy, gentlemen," she nodded towards them. "You are currently at the International Passaporta… uhm sorry, Portkey Station in Bologna, or as we call it, at PaSta. I am going to need to see your wands before I let you outside. Your wands will serve as identification for you while you are here in our country."

Harry handed her his wand while Mita spoke. She checked it quickly and made another quick note to her paper. "Before you wish to return to Britain we ask you return to PaSta and inform us or send us a pigeon of your departure date at least a day earlier, otherwise we might not be able to provide you with a portkey. But as I see," Mita eyed the newspaper Severus had turned into a portkey earlier, "You do not need our help with that."

"Most likely not, but thanks," Harry grinned sheepishly. Their method of travelling wasn't exactly legal, but it seemed their new friend didn't mind that regardless of her occupation.

"PaSta is closed between midnight and six o'clock in the morning, so make sure you plan your return well ahead. I would give you a pamphlet about the Secrecy Act in Italy, but in fact your laws are much stricter than ours, so just uphold those and you will cause less trouble than Italians. What else is there?"

While she was thinking, Snape and Malfoy also handed her their wands for a quick check. When they were done with that, she spoke again.

"Oh sí," Mita made a circle with her hand in the air. "You cannot Apparate here. Too much interference because of the ancient buildings. The whole place is buzzing with magic, believe me, you don't want to Apparate here."

"No Apparition?" Malfoy asked. "Then how on earth are you travelling around here?"

Mita looked at Ettore and smiled. "You are keeping your best features a secret again? Shame on you, Ettore," she laughed.

Ettore just shrugged. "It never came up," said the Italian with a mischievous smile then turned to Draco and other two men. "Our transportation should be out there already."

"Oh right, Paulo says, and I quote, 'the bastardo is having brunch and drinking champagne at the Paradiso, but I didn't poison it. Yet.' I am not going to ask and I do not want to hear what you got yourself into again Ettore Serafini." Mita warned him with a strict look, before she handed Ettore something, which the wizard pocketed. "But know that Francesco is expecting you on his birthday next month and I'd rather not take him to prison just so he can see you."

"Even if it is about Bernardo?" Ettore asked with a raised eyebrow.

Mita watched him for a few moments. "Are you finally tearing off his palle?"

"And feeding them to him."

Mita grinned and Harry was surprised to see the evil twinkle in her dark eyes. "Bene. It was time." She pulled Ettore down into a firm hug and then kissed his forehead. "You take care, amore. We might not be married anymore, but I still love you, you hear?"

"What?" Draco hissed and in the sudden silence it sounded even sharper. "Married?"

"My friends, this is my ex-wife, Mita Capaldi. Mita, these are Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter and Severus Snape. She was my first wife. We were married for two years a couple years after I moved to Italy."

"Is… what's his name… Fernando yours?" Malfoy asked irritated.

"Francesco, and no. Mita remarried years ago," Ettore said with a soft smile and drew a hand around Draco's waist, pulling him closer. "Don't worry, Drago, I'm all alone now."

Malfoy nodded coldly, but Harry could see the relief in the grey eyes. Mita was smiling at the two men, then another loud bang, probably a new group of portkey travellers Harry realized, reminded her that she was working here. "Go now. And report to me later. See you at the show tonight."

She ushered them towards the stairway and with a last, quick half-hug to Ettore and a smile to the rest of the group, she was running back to the spot Harry and the others had arrived minutes earlier. Just as the door closed behind them and they started walking down the stairs, another loud bang shook the whole building.

"PaSta has five levels," Ettore explained. "We were on the third level. That is for countries of the European Magical Union zone. Fifth is for larger tourist groups all over the world, fourth is for countries outside the EMU zone, second is for national travels, the first is for departures and this is…" as he spoke they reached the ground level. He opened the door and the sudden noise and brightness numbed Harry's senses. "This is the Atrio."

The lobby was bustling with all sorts of wizards and witches. Groups, smaller and bigger, individuals shouting after their friends, families saying goodbyes, children crying, people hugging each other as they welcomed them back home or on the contrary sent them off to somewhere.

There was no concrete here, or cords sticking out. Posters, advertisement, offers hung on every surface, covering the walls completely. Above them an enchanted ceiling showed pictures of exotic lands, sandy beaches, old ruins and Harry noticed with a bit of pride, the Scottish Highlands. Souvenir shops, cafes, perfumeries lined each other and the people like bees flew from one shop to the other, hands full of bags, slurping cooling drink, licking ice creams tall as Harry's head. Harry smiled as he watched the lively shops and the myriad of people; the energy of the place filled him up as well.

Ettore lead them towards a big glass door which slid to the side to let wizards and witches in and out. They stuck close to one another, Harry even felt a hand on the small of his back and realized it belong to Severus. This sent a rather warm sensation to his belly. And even a bit further down.

When they stepped outside the sudden warm air hit Harry in the head. Not a cloud was in the sky and the sun was shining brightly. Its rays seemed warmer now that he was not in Scotland.

As Harry looked back at PaSta, he wasn't surprised to see only a building under construction with holes in the walls, a lot of concrete and iron rods standing out here and there. Faintly, if he concentrated hard enough, he could hear the loud bangs that signalled the oncoming groups.

"So," Snape started with a raised eyebrow. "About that transportation. We are not using brooms, surely. It is still early morning and-"

"Oh. My. God," Draco moaned grabbing into Ettore suddenly.

Harry turned around to see what the blond was looking at with evident happiness.

"No, mio Severus, not brooms," Ettore said with a smile. "You see, with Apparition out, we needed to come up with something. You are correct, brooms cannot be used during the daylight, besides they are uncomfortable when you have passengers or many packages with you. Some clever man realized however, that we do not have to come up with something new. We just have to adapt."

With that, he pointed at the two cars parked not far.

"You drive?" Snape snorted.

"Indeed, we do," Ettore laughed walking towards their transportation. "And with great pleasure, I might inform you. Italian car industry is famous both in the Muggle and the Magical world. Not to sound boastful, but our cars are the safest, fastest, most comfortable ones you find out there."

Draco looked as if he were seeing a unicorn as he approached the white Lamborghini. "Hello gorgeous," he said caressing the car. "Yours?" He asked Ettore.

Ettore shrugged and tossed him the keys. "It is yours now. If you want it, of course."

Smirking, Draco caught the keys in the air. "Just for the weekend."

Severus seemed interested in the other car, black as the night with a silver trident in the front. While the Lamborghini was the portrait of speed and power, the other stood for elegance and luxury. Snape stood over it, caressing it only with his eyes. He seemed mesmerized as he took in the sleek silhouette, the noble features, and the red leather inside.

Ettore stepped behind him and reaching over his shoulders, he showed him the key. "I knew you would prefer one of mine."

"What do you mean?" Severus asked, half way turned back. "That is yours too, is it not?"

Ettore laughed. "The Lamborghini is mine, because I purchased it. The Maserati is mine, because it is part of my inheritance. You see, Ettore Maserati, one of the brothers who founded the company, was my grandfather."

Gaping, Harry looked between the car and Ettore. "When… when you said your father travelled a lot and… and had a successful business… you didn't mean…"

"Yes, I did," Ettore smiled. "My parents met in our factory here in Bologna a long time ago. Madre was daughter of Ettore, heir to the company. Padre was one of the engineers. They fell in love and got married and after Ettore died they directed the manufacturing together. Padre worked with designing the cars, Madre handled the business. But my mother was old when she gave birth to me and the pregnancy weakened her. She fell ill after my birth and died soon after. Papá had to take over her part as well. When it became certain that I had no affinity in engineering, he started selling the shares. He partnered up with man, a Muggle. You see, here in Italy, it is not your blood that gives you a high prestige, but your wealth. This Muggle, rich enough to have power in the Magical World as well, acquired the majority shares in the company after my father had died in an accident. The company did well under his ownership, but his heir… he is slowly taking it to a downfall."

Severus leant against the Ghibli and crossed his arms. "And just what exactly was the name of this Muggle?"

"Why Severus," Ettore laughed. "How did you know? Sergio Governale, father of the man we are about to ruin."

"Is this some petty revenge?" Snape asked sharply.

Ettore shook his head. "Oh no. Alfieri, my father, and Sergio were best of friends. I loved Sergio like an uncle. My problem is with Bernardo alone. He is more interested in fashion than in cars, which would be all right, if he sold the company. But he does not and continues to make bad decision after bad decision." Ettore sighed. "Even if we ruin his career as a designer, he will still have the Maserati. Maybe this way, he will finally turn all his attention to his company."

"Aren't you just a bit too nice to your enemy?" Malfoy asked with a sneer.

"Do not forget, the Maserati was the company of my grandfather and his brothers. I want Bernardo out of the fashion industry, yes. I want him humiliated. But I do not want the company, my family's company to vanish. But if Bernardo is not stopped, that is what will happen to it."

"So why exactly are we doing this then?" Draco asked, sitting on the hood of the Lamborghini.

"Think of this as taking down two pigeons with one stone," Ettore suggested. "I get my revenge, Bernardo will be out of the fashion industry by the end of the weekend and lose the major part of his money by the end of the month. But we are not cruel people. We give him a chance to get it back with either selling Maserati or by finally doing what he was supposed to do in the last five years and manage his own business." He looked around, his blue eyes turning from Malfoy to Harry then to Severus. "Are you still in?"

Draco shrugged, "I'm here only for the food and the show this evening. My men are already onto your model guy. So I guess that means, I'm still in."

"Me too," Harry nodded. "As long as Lumos and Hogwarts still gets the Florins, I'm in. And besides, if this Bernardo is really as bad as you say, we're saving the company, too. This is still all for charity."

Severus was the only one who seemed to actually consider the new situation. "I do not like this, Ettore. You kept information from me. Is there anything else you want to tell us?"

"Severus, I swear, this does not change anything. I have no intention to make Bernardo lose Maserati, as long as he actually takes over and deals with it. His reputation will suffer from an accusation like this, but believe me, this will go down quietly. He has half the media in his pockets. Everyone in my industry will know of it, because gossip on the runway spreads faster than the black plague, but the car industry is far from us."

"And what exactly is your plan?"

"I hold up Bernardo during the afternoon; I think we have just the topic to talk about. Harry meanwhile sneaks in his mansion. On the second floor, on the left wall of his office is a painting of his father. Behind that is a safe. The papers will be in there. I have seen him, and his father before that hide things in there. The problem is, Bernardo, like his father is perfectly aware of the Magical world. He has a kind of… sensor. If you use any spells inside the estate, the alarm will go off. Even something as simple as Revelio and you will be stuck there. And do not forget, you cannot Apparate here."

"Inside the estate? Will I be detected if I disillusion myself outside?"

"You should not. But there are guards inside as well. The charm must work perfectly and hide you as you move. Not many can do that."

"I should be just fine," Snape said smugly.

"So let me get this straight," Draco laughed. "Decorated war heroes, Harry Potter and Severus Snape will be breaking into a mansion, guarded by, I assume armed, security and equipped with a Muggle alarm system, while not using magic, to steal a bunch of papers from a safe they have no idea how to open?"

"It sounds a bit less feasible when you put it like that…" Harry agreed. "How will we open the safe without magic?"

"That I do not know," Ettore admitted. "Paulo, my friend gave me equipment for something like that, but I have no idea how to use them."

Hopping off the Lamborghini, Malfoy bowed his head theatrically. "Welcome to Muggle Studies one-oh-one, my name is Professor Malfoy and today's topic will be: safe hacking and disabling alarm systems."

"You know how to hack a Muggle safe?"

"You know, Potter, Muggles aren't just rubber ducks and telephones. There's plenty interesting things out there in their world, too."

"Most of my professors would concentrate on the rubber ducks and the telephones, though," Severus commented quietly.

"My dear godfather, most of your professors aren't Slytherins." Draco looked at Ettore and pointing a finger at him he said with a sly smile. "Don't forget, Serafini, you're paying me extra for this."

With two steps Ettore was in front of him, fingers grabbing into thin, blond hair, kissing Malfoy hard. "Whatever you want, yours."

Feeling a rush of excitement, that reminded him of all the mischief he had committed during his school years, Harry grinned at Malfoy, "I must admit, I'm actually starting to appreciate Slytherin."

Malfoy smirked back at him. "Ten points for Gryffindor. Potter finally grew a brain."

Just an FYI, Ettore Maserati was an actual person and had brothers with whom he did establish the Maserati company. But it was actually only a (lucky) coincidence that he shares a name with my Ettore. My Ettore was named after an Italian presenter, Ettore Andenne, who I only know from the game show "Jeux Sans Frontières" aka "Games Without Frontiers". Up until this very moment, I still haven't the foggiest why on earth I know this guy's name as I'm hungarian and therefore did not even hear him during the game show... Serafini comes from some random newspaper I read last spring. Oh and his looks? That's all David Gandy. Google this guy, seriously. Just... trust me and do it :) Eyecandy doesnt even come close to the reality :D