Harry Potter and the Azkaban Guards

Written by Tommy (me!); Beta'd by MadEyes.

Disclaimer: Characters from the Harry Potter series are the property of J.K. Rowling, and various publishers: including but not limited to Bloomsbury, Scholastic and Warner Brothers. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended by the writing of this story. It is merely written for entertainment purposes.

Summary: Following his fifth year and after being locked up at the Dursley's, Harry will now be taken away into a new family where the way of a Slytherin rules. Determination leads him to gain knowledge, seeking the power to destroy the Dark Lord for good. However, this new path will be long and hard and no year with Harry Potter seems to be without at least one great adventure… Follow him as he discovers his Slytherin side, and tries to figure out just what in the world a Dementor really is…

Chapter Two: A New Family

Like most pure-blooded wizarding families, the Zabini's were wealthy. Their huge manor looked more like a small castle than a house; its gray foundations making it look old and haunted. Only a few windows showed any sign of life within the massive walls; the lamps placed in the windowsills giving off a weak light. This sparse lighting though, appeared to bring all the light that the Zabini's needed in the summer months.

The front of the house was dominated by an enormous wooden double-door with old-fashioned openings at different levels on the left gate, made to verify the identity of those knocking on their door. The manor had two towers reminiscent of those found at Hogwarts, with the slight differentiation that the size provided. Outside, in a small parking lot, was a beautiful automobile, effectively deceiving anyone of the thought of the Zabini's being purebloods. The neutral stance of the family allowed them to delve into the muggle-world like no other and still avoid getting dubbed as 'mudblood-lovers,' by those who despised anything to do with muggles. It was, after all, a term used among the purebloods to bring down the popularity of other pureblooded or half-blooded families.

The car however, was a work of art. It was a dark blue color, the shining metal of the chrome details reflecting the sunlight against the stone driveway of the manor house. The wizard-made muggle contraption could be envied by even the best of the street-racers. A proud sign saying MMT being the only thing that confused the muggles that laid eyes on it, since its name and manufactures were unknown in the muggle-world. It wouldn't do for the muggles to read the words 'Magical-Muggle-Technology' etched into such beauty now, would it?

At the entrance to the manor-grounds, guarding the gate, stood two huge intimidating demon-like statues whose form would remind most muggles about monsters only found TV-shows or movies. The statues were prominent within the architecture of the manor, because they not only guarded the gate, but were also an addition to the Zabini family and manor wards and protections. Their eyes showed no emotions, as if representing the neutrality of the family they guarded. Most of the time, these sentinels seldom allowed anyone entry. With the exception of the well-known family members; neither Polyjuice Potion nor Metamorphmagi could manage to deceive them. This afternoon however, the family would get a new addition to the house, a young Harry Potter.

Arriving at exactly at two in the afternoon, the portkey travelers walked up to the gate, the guards recognizing one of them as the master of the house.

"Good afternoon Daru, Fara. We have a new addition to the residence for the summer, so remember his signature," Mr. Zabini said, waiting for the statues to acknowledge his words. At Harry's confused look, he explained; "These statues guard the entrance to our home and do not permit anyone to cross the threshold without my own, my wife or my daughters consent. I am basically informing them to remember you so that you won't have any difficulty in entering the manor later on."

Harry gave a weak understanding nod back, his nervousness of entering an unknown family's home showing clearly on his face.

"Come, Harry, let me introduce you to my wife and daughter, which I have no doubt you've never met in person before," Mr. Zabini said, his mouth turning up slightly into a small smile, just to calm down the nervous boy beside him.

Finally, the gate seemed to open, the statues having finished whatever Mr. Zabini told them to do. Harry, seeing the manor for the first time, dropped his jaw in awe. "It's amazing!" The words seemed to tumble out of Harry's mouth before he managed to stop it, something that made Mr. Zabini chuckle.

"It is, isn't it?" Mr. Zabini said, obviously pleased with his own home.

"Mr. Zabini…" Harry started to say but Mr. Zabini interrupted him before he could continue.

"You may call me Frank when we're alone or in the presence of my family, Harry."

Nodding, Harry continued, "Frank, why did you agree to let me come with you? It's not that I don't want to, but, uh…" he trailed off and not finding anything else to say, kept silent.

"Voldemort is destroying the balance the wizarding world has had for a long time, Harry. While I'm not going to work actively in this war, it doesn't mean that I will not help getting it back into its former stability… its neutrality. As you have probably understood already, the Zabini family is, and always will be, neutral through and through. We are brought up knowing both worlds; wizard and muggle, and are taught the ways our family has led for centuries. We never start a war, and we never end it. We are the exact things we want everyone else to be… unbiased, balanced and with few prejudices. The world is not black and white, young man; it's only different shades of gray. Taking you in for the summer will not only indirectly help your cause, but might give young Blaise something to do as well, and while I'm sure you'll learn a lot from us this summer, I'm also certain that we'll learn a lot from you. Pros and cons aside, I'm allowed to be nice, aren't I? I'm not about to leave a child in danger if I can do something about it." Franks last words made Harry blush, despite the serious, but teasing twinkle in the older mans eyes.

0

The inside of the house was just as stunning as the outside. The hallway they now walked in was painted in white and the floor was made of the finest wood. Diverse paintings and portraits were adorning the wall on each side; nameplates located at the bottom of each indicated them all as part or ancestors of the Zabini's. The living room, which was just inside the next door, was the exact copy of a normal muggle home's', the only exceptions being a few magical trinkets and the expensive materials used in the furniture and decorations.

"Louise?" Frank Zabini called, his medium-level tone of voice carrying through the first floor, despite the music already coming from a closely placed Wizarding Wireless, and the sounds of the birds singing outside.

"In the kitchen, dear," a voice answered, obviously belonging to a woman. Seeing Frank walking towards the door on the left side of the room, Harry followed, not sure what to expect from the man's wife, knowing that he'd had no chance of informing her about these new circumstances. He could see the older wizard embracing what was probably his wife, and not wanting to intrude, Harry turned, and was about to walk back into the living room, if only to listen to the Weird-Sisters singing on the WWN, like they always did, being one of the few artists the Wizarding-world had. Louise however, had already noticed him.

"Who is this, dear?" The question obviously directed to her husband. Turning around he could see her eyes flashing with recognition, probably having seen his scar. "Harry Potter! How nice to meet you, young man," her words shook him out of his thoughts, and he greeted her back with a weak 'Hello.'

He was shocked, however, when the woman walked up to him, and gave him a warm hug. Tensing as her arms enclosed him, he didn't notice the worried look she gave him. She released him after a few seconds though, giving her husband a clear look of 'we'll talk later.'

"Why have you brought him here, dear?" Louise asked, ushering Harry into the closest chair, not about to leave one of her guests standing.

"His last home was not fit for him anymore," Frank replied, his voice carrying more then one meaning, which Harry didn't catch. Louise though, seemed to understand.

Turning around to Harry, she asked; "You want any food, Mr. Potter? I've already had lunch, but the food is still on the table. You go help yourself, while I talk to my husband." Her words left no room for discussion, even if it sounded like she was giving him an option. Nodding, Harry left for the kitchen, not knowing he would be the topic of the couple's conversation.

0

"What happened?" Louise's words were filled with worry and she quickly turned off the radio, not interested in being bothered by some of the pathetic songs that the Weird-Sisters had, which could not begin to compare with muggle-music.

"Abuse. How serious it really was, I don't know… serious enough though. He was locked in his room with only a cat flap to have his food delivered through, if they gave him anything at all. According to Dumbledore, he's lost a serious amount of weight the last five days. I don't think this was a one-time occurrence, either. If my suspicions are right, his first room was a cupboard under the stairs. There was even a poem written on the wall, giving obvious signs of an unhappy childhood. And his first Hogwarts letter was addressed to that same cupboard."

(A/N: For those complaining that Harry's first letter was burnt, should know that Hagrid gave him the letter for him to read when he found them in the middle of no-where on a small island, when the Dursley's tried to hide. After Hagrid had taken him shopping in Diagon Alley, Harry went back to the Dursley's for a while. Seeing as Harry didn't receive the second bedroom before after his first year, it means he spent more days in the cupboard, making it fully possible for Harry to have left his first letter there… besides, never heard of artistic license duh?)

Frank Zabini was less then pleased. He himself was a strict, but fair man, most people comparing him to the Hogwarts' Transfiguration professor. Just in the last hour, he had lowered his standards, just to not scare the young man away. Louise though, could rival Molly Weasley in her protectiveness of children. While not having such a temper as Molly, she was a tall, thin and proud woman, her attitude being cold and sharp against everyone she didn't like. Her daughter, Blaise, was a mix between them both, though her icy attitude usually hid it beyond reach for those not close to her.

"And what is Dumbledore going to do about that?" Louise's words had a hard edge to it.

"I doubt he knows. While young Harry has probably told them that he is uncomfortable living there, he's probably too proud to admit to the abuse… especially if it has been happening over a large period of time, and if it include more then lack of food, which it probably does. According to Dumbledore, it was the only known place warded enough to keep Voldemort out. That is, until I offered to help."

"Harry Potter is staying here?" The words came from neither of the elder purebloods. Turning around, they could see Blaise standing in the doorway, her icy mask lowered enough for her parents to see her confusion. Her father nodded, not giving any sign of being annoyed by his daughter interrupting.

"How much did you hear?" Frank asked, his voice curious.

"Everything I think. I could hear you from the hallway when I entered. Silencing charms exists to be used, you know."

Her father only chuckled at her last words, knowing she was right. "You'll not be mentioning this to Harry, okay? He doesn't even know that we know. All of this is something I've discovered on my own, so some of it may be wrong."

Blaise rolled her eyes at her father. "Please dad, who are you trying to convince? You're never wrong, period! And don't worry, I won't say a word. Now, where is the golden-boy?" Blaise said, her voice laced with amusement, but her face showed nothing, a really unnerving sight for those who did not know her.

0

Entering the dining room, Harry got the impression that it was the most important room in the manor. The floor was proudly showing of its shining tiles, while the walls were of the same architecture used under the Roman Empire. In the middle of the room itself, which was almost as big as the living room, was the dining table, made of the purest oak. Lunch was still on the table, the smell of it getting Harry's mouth to water.

Taking a seat at the end of the table after picking up an unused plate, he filled it with some of the breathtakingly good cooking. He didn't doubt either, that if it had been dinner, lobster would have been a normal occurrence.

He finished eating fast enough, his stomach complaining about the amount, clearly signaling that it had gotten used to the food he was given at the Dursley's, or more like the lack of it. Placing his head in his arms, trying to convince his stomach to keep the food down, he never noticed the black haired girl entering behind him.

"I guess I should say welcome to the family, Mr. Potter."

A/N's: There! My second chapter is up, and ready to be read.

I'm enormously thankful for the reviews you have given me, and I'm going to try and answer some of them… I hope this'll satisfy your curiosity.

Reviews:

Giny: I hope this chapter has answered some of your questions. If not, the next ones may… But none of the Zabini's is going to be of the "snarky" kind of type. And the pairings will most likely be Harry/Blaise, yes.

Yo-yo55d: Don't worry… if I decide to make it a H/B story (which I most likely will), then it will be a slow and steady relationship. I'm not going to make Harry one of those 'one-night-stands-with-a-lot-of-girls kind of type.

AmIToBe: Personally, I agree. I'm not much of a poetry person. My poetry however, was changed by my beta (MadEyes). He only changed the first stanza though, destroying my beautiful rhyme!  I'm writing this story for fun though, and while I have nothing against constructive criticism, I hope you wont make out your next reviews (which I hope you'll send :) like flames.

Dragon Sword Master: Why, thanks a lot. Yes, I did use some time on the poem, but, like I said, my beta changed the first stanza. I can post the original in the next chapter if people want me to, though. – About the 'Powerful' Harry, - while I'm going to make him a good opponent for Voldy warts, he is not going to be like Superman and Chuck Norris combined, in other words, invincible (If you can actually find a single Chuck Norris movie where he gets a beating, give me the name of it, because sometimes I get the feeling that Chuck Norris' first name was Clark Kent.)… Remember, Voldy is 60 years older, and have used a lot of time learning magic… dark magic, yes, but still magic. Harry will develop his powers and knowledge at the same time with his new attitude, as I'm going to make him a bit more of a Slytherin. It's not going to be a fast process, though. Everything takes time (Rolling eyes at the 'knowledge-transfer-spells' – sometimes they take the fun out of the whole story. Those who want to see a serious story where Harry slowly builds up his strength, read Ross' Power of time.).

Uten: Thanks for your compliments. I really appreciate it! I've also fixed the mistake you noticed, uploading the first chapter again at the same time I uploaded this one.

Lord Aginor: Sorry, but there are too many stories like that already, where Harry finds out his mother is pureblooded, heir of Slytherin etc, along with the typical 'Goblins-ritual-proving-heritage' -story. I'm going to try to make this story unique, mixing in an animagus form not used before, along with what is perhaps a new type of magic. We'll see… I think you'll like the story though… but only time will tell.

Jhon: As you can see, I've managed to get myself a beta-reader. I did leave a message for you once, asking you, but you never answered it. That, or I've sent it to a wrong address or something. Still, I may take you up on your offer some time in the future… thanks anyway.

Cail Jol: While I really want to write longer chapters, my own interest in the story for some reason seem to decrease if I do so. And it's always easier to start on a new chapter, knowing that you don't have to write that much before uploading it to and of course, seeing as the time for exams are coming, you'll get much more updates with the length I'm using now, which is about 2.600 words.

Swanpride: This I believe was your review, or more like a flame, complaining while not giving constructive reasons for doing so, which I am now going to contradict:

Well, it's not a bad start, but it is full of plotholes. Why should the order come and get Harry? The Dursley's had locked him in before and Dumbledore never seems to care. The Dursley's locked him in but left him his homework? Blaise is a guy! And even if he wasn't Harry had never have a second thought about him/her. And now she is the ice-queen of Slytherin? The first Hogwarts letter can't be in the cupboard, because Vernon burned it.

To take the first one first: why should the order come and get Harry? (And you say that Dumbledore never seemed to care).

Personally, I think you've read too many 'Evil, dark and manipulative' Dumbledore stories, and have gotten them on your brain. Dumbledore is the more grandfatherly type (even a quote from Rowling!), but even he is human, therefore also able to make mistakes. If you read through the books once more, you'll notice that no one has ever told Dumbledore about him being locked in, just about him not being treated right, which is the reason Dumbledore took his precaution with Harry this summer in the first place, with the order-members threatening the Dursley's, and Harry having to send a letter every three days. And second, it was Alastor Moody, the paranoid old auror, which reacted to Harry's lack of letter… I'd like to see anyone telling him that nothing was wrong. – Remember, lad, prejudice will never get you anywhere…

And about the homework, if you read through my first chapter one more time, you might notice the words without the Dursley's noticing. Whether Blaise is a guy or not, I'm not sure. I don't remember what Rowling answered on that question, but I can easily find out… but have you never heard of artistic licence? You'd think it was a crime, writing about a girl named Blaise, whose name is confusing enough already. And how would you know about Harry having never even heard about her? That seems to be what you're implying anyway, - did you follow Harry through every second of his life in the books? NO! Which is why Harry knows "OF" her, being in the same year as him. And if you noticed the words according to Malfoy at least, you might get the idea, that this was the impression she has given the people around her. Really, next you'd be asking why Harry used the bathroom, seeing as Rowling never wrote about him 'doing his deeds.' Eww… And for your information, his Hogwarts letter was delivered to him by Hagrid on the island, where the Dursley's tried to hide, and where he joined Hagrid for his first shopping trip in Diagon Alley. Obviously, since he still spent a few days with the Dursleys again in the cupboard, his letter was left there duh. Next time you want to review, and find something you don't like, make it a constructive criticism, not accusing me of every mistake you think I do.

"Phew!" – was a relief, finishing that one. At least I got to let out my pent up annoyance. Muttering about ignorance actually sometimes being a bliss.

Thanks to the rest of you guys that reviewed, Ravenway, awsome twin, gaul1, deathsith, Aginor Damordred, Farlmot, e (? - amused by the name), illusion0910, Myra Gradon aka Dragon-revenge, MadEyes (My beta duh), and the rest of the bunch, too many for me to write here right now. (Please forgive me, those not mentioned.)

Now, if you want the next chapter, reviewing is the way to go. Like I said in the last chapter, reviewing is what keeps me alive. Don't be shy, the 'Go' button don't bite… much Evil grin.

Also, if you see any grammar-mistakes, please tell me, as my English is not among the best, and MadEyes can't get them all with me breathing down his neck. So have a nice day!