A New Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Don't sue me please.

Chapter 3

" How would you like to live with us then?"

When Isabella Zabini made this offer, it wasn't due to the fact that she felt sorry for Harry. Neither was it because she was a kind person. No one in his right mind would take in a stranger they just met that day. But Mrs. Zabini was not delusional. She knew exactly what she was doing.

Harry Potter. The boy who lived. The one person who was able to vanquish the Dark Lord. Yes, there was no doubting that this boy would achieve greatness one day. And when that day comes, Isabella wanted him to be at her side…

To say that he was happy would be an understatement. Harry was more than just happy. He was elated! For the first time in his life, Harry felt wanted. Someone wanted him! However, Harry could not help but feel a little apprehensive. The more he thought about it, the more he doubted her motives. Why was she being so nice to him?

' Staying anywhere would be much better than staying with the Dursleys.' thought Harry.

" I wouldn't want to be a trouble." Said Harry meekly. Harry didn't really know the Zabinis very well. They had after all just met. He felt really shy accepting to stay with them. Not to mention the fact that they were both extremely beautiful.

" Nonsense. You wouldn't be a trouble at all. I'm sure Blaise would like to have you around. Wouldn't you, dear?" To which Blaise nodded vigorously.

" Well," Harry said slowly. " I don't know…"

" Wow." Harry was standing in front of the biggest mansion he had ever seen. Mrs. Zabini had told him to hold onto a rusty old spoon. She explained that it was a Portkey, one of the many ways a magical being can use to travel. Harry could not say that he had enjoyed the experience.

The outside of the mansion was already four times larger than the whole of Privet Drive. A large green field with two posts at both ends took up much of the space. Harry could also see a swimming pool and a lawn that would put the Dursleys to shame. Every inch of the lawn was trimmed to perfection. Several statues of centaurs stood commandingly at each side of the main gate. A gold plated sign on the front gate read ' Zabini Mansion'.

" Blinky!" Isabella summoned, to which a little creature with bat-like ears and large green eyes appeared. " This is Harry Potter. He'll be staying with us from now onwards. Show him to the room opposite Blaise's."

As Blinky lead Harry up the stairs, the elf squeaked, " Blinky is honored to being able to meet Harry Potter sir. Blinky never thought Blinky would get to meet Harry Potter sir. Such an honor it is for Blinky."

" T-thank you." Harry didn't know what to say. Why was the elf so excited to meet him? Maybe that's just how they greet someone new. Harry shrugged.

For the second timein five minutesHarry could not help but say " Wow." His new room was amazing! Never in his life had he seen such a luxurious room before. The first thing Harry did was to jump onto his king-sized bed. The silk sheets felt wonderful against his skin. The bed was extremely soft. Harry had forgotten how tired he really was. The allure of sleep soon became too hard to resist…

Harry was having the most peculiar dream. But by the time he woke up, he could not remember what he dreamt about. All Harry could remember was seeing a bolt of green light before waking up. Harry needed water. His throat felt dry and hoarse.

Leaving the comfort of his bed, Harry realized that it was already dark. As he was about to open his door, a loud crack startled him, causing him to stumble back in surprise.

" Is there anything Blinky can get Harry Potter sir?" asked Blinky in a high-pitched voice.

" May I have some water please?" Harry croaked.

A glass of water suddenly appeared, hovering in front of Harry. It was like magic. ' No,' Harry corrected himself, gulping down the water. ' It is magic.'

" Thank you Blinky." Harry said. Harry did not know what to do next so he ended up standing awkwardly in the hallway for a few moments, with Blinky staring expectantly at him.

" Harry! You're awake. " exclaimed Blaise excitedly, poking her head out of her room. " Come on then. I wanna show you my room, and then I'll give you a tour of the house!"

Blaise's enthusiasm was so infectious that Harry could not stop a smile from appearing on his face. Blaise's room was almost the same as Harry, but had much more furniture in it. Almost everything in her room was blue, which matched the color of her eyes. Blaise's crystal blue eyes twinkled with excitement as she pointed to a poster of what appeared to be a popular witch group, called the 'Weird Sisters'.

" So, Blaise. Where did your mother go?" Harry asked as the two of them exited Blaise's room.

" She said something about attending to some business… She'll be back later for dinner." Blaise said, as she pointed to a portrait of her grandmother, Elizabeth Zabini, who appeared to be moving. Blaise looked flabbergasted when Harry told her that pictures in the Muggle world could not move.

" Where is your father?" Harry asked casually. " Will he be back later?"

" He passed away before I was born." Blaise said, her happy demeanor fading slightly.

" I'm sorry." Harry said. Harry wanted nothing more than to comfort her but he did not know what else to say.

" It's alright. You didn't know." Blaise said.

The pair continued walking down the hall in awkward silence. Harry was about to open his mouth to speak when a loud crack alerted them to the presence of Blinky.

" Mistress is requesting Miss and Sir to the dining room." squeaked the elf. Wordlessly, Harry followed Blaise and Blinky down the stairs and into the dining room.

Isabella was tired. More so mentally than physically. Spending the day in a courtroom before the Wizengamot would do that to you. The reason why Isabella went to the Ministry of Magic was to contest the Dursley's guardianship over Harry on the charges of abuse.

Needless to say, Professor Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, had tried to deny her request. Professor Dumbledore wasn't a bad person. He only wanted what's best for Harry. However, sometimes, even the best of us makes mistakes.

A quick enquiry ensured. The Wizengamot had witnesses like Minerva McGonagall and Arabella Figg give testimonies. The testimonies given were not at all flattering towards the Dursleys. Some members of the Wizengamot were apalled that such a horrible family actually exsisted.

After a long debate, it appeared that most members of the Wizengamot seemed to favor Harry living with the Zabinis. After all, the Zabinis were a respected pureblood family. All that was needed was Harry to give a testimony of his own, before the Wizengamot could officially make Isabella his guardian.

Isabella smiled when she saw Blaise and Harry enter the dining room. After everyone had been sitted, and Blinky had served the first course, Isabella noticed Harry acting like he wanted to ask her something, but she could tell that he did not dare too.

" Harry. If there's anything at all that you want to ask me," Isabella said kindly. " Feel free to ask. Anything at all."

" I was wondering…" Harry began hesitantly. " Am I a wizard?"

Isabella could have laughed. But she did not. She should have realised that Harry did not know that he was a wizard. It was made quite clear when he did not even know about witches and wizards . It was ironic how almost every wizard in the world knew who Harry was, all except himself.

" Yes. Yes you are. In fact, you are one of the most well-know wizard in the world. The first thing you have got to know Harry, is that not all wizards are good. There was one wizard, who was pure evil. He had a band of followers. He calls them Death Eaters. His name was … was … Voldemort," Isabella said with a shudder. " We do not speak his name. Those were dark times Harry. You didn't know who to trust then, people were put under curses…" Isabella paused, letting the information sink in, before continuing.

" My… my husband was murdered by the Dark Lord himself." Isabella said. What she neglected to mention was that Marco Zabini himself was a Death Eater. When she was pregnant with Blaise, Marco Zabini had decided to leave the affairs of the wizarding world behind him. He wanted a good life for his unborn child. A life away from all the deaths and killings. A life away from all the pain and suffering. The only problem was, once you get in, you couldn't get out. The day Marco Zabini wanted out was the day he sealed his fate.

A single tear rolled down the cheek of Isabella. She made no move to wipe it away. Isabella Zabini had loved her husband. In a way, she still do. Purebloods usually marry with another pureblood out of a sense of duty. Not many marry for love. Isabella was lucky that the husband she married for love was also a pureblood. Not only that, he was handsome and rich. But best of all, he had loved her too. The only flaw he had was that he was a Death Eater. Not willingly though. The peer pressure from fellow Slytherins had caused him to join the Dark Lord. Ever since Voldemort had murdered her husband, Isabella started to despise him. For the first time in her life, she understood what it felt like to have a loved one taken from her. For that, she would hate the Dark Lord for as long as she lived.

" Your parents fought against the Dark Lord. When you were one year old, the Dark Lord managed to track them down. He killed your parents. But when he tried to kill you, somehow… His curse rebounded upon himself. Some say that he's dead; some say he's out there, too weak to continue. But whatever the case, you stopped him that day. That's also how you got that." Isabella said, pointing to Harry's unique lightning bolt scar.

Dinner was a silent affair from that point forth. This was the first time Blaise heard about how her father died. There was a silent consent between mother and daughter not to talk about Marco Zabini. Some memories were just too painful to bring up.

Meanwhile, outside the Zabini mansion, stood an old man with a long white beard. It was Dumbledore.

To be continued…