The Family Jewels

Chapter 51
Seeing the Sights

Isabella Zabini wasn’t happy in the hotel they were staying in. She really had wanted to stay at Blaise’s side until the Healers released him. Carlo had seen how her worry had exhausted her, however, and brooked no opposition. “Paolo will stay here with Blaise. You will take the next shift,” Carlo had gently soothed. “We cannot all stay at the hospital and I don’t want the girls to be alone in a foreign city.”

Isabella had nodded. “I know he will be safe with Paolo, I suppose the next shift will be fine.” She smiled, “We should stay until Blaise is ready to go back to school. He looks so thin, rent a house for us tomorrow so I can cook him some decent food.”

Carlo kissed the only woman that he had ever loved, the mother of his children. “Of course, cara, tomorrow it will be done.”

He had given Paolo a hard stare for just a few seconds and Paolo had nodded, secure in the knowledge that his father trusted him to guard Blaise. Blaise had sent his father a long letter before he had gone into battle with the Dark Lord. The vendetta against Lucius Malfoy was not satisfied. The woman Blaise loved slept in the bed next to his, and they could all see that she wore a Zabini bonding bracelet. She was beautiful and intelligent, just as Blaise had said. Carlo was sure she would have no trouble learning Italian.

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Paolo knew who was coming toward him, so he waited like a spider waits for a fly, until she was close enough, before grabbing his sister Elena around the waist. She shrieked loudly, waking Blaise, who smiled rather wanly.

She took Blaise’s hand and kissed him on his right cheek, then the left, then the right again. She merely sniffed at Paolo, who laughed. “Mama will be here soon, Blaise. Do you really still feel as badly as you look?”

Blaise knew that they were all nervous about how Mama was going to react to the fact that there seemed to be no improvement to his condition. “I am trying, Elena. I have sat in this bed and taken all their potions, and I have not complained once.”

Elena nodded, feeling helpless again. Blaise should have been fine by now, but he didn’t know what curse had been used on him, not even who it had been. He turned his worried eyes to Hermione, observing her motionless in sleep in the next bed. She wasn’t even a patient in the hospital anymore; yet he had never seen her sleep so deeply.

Blaise’s mother entered with his sister Lucia. They kissed him as Elena had. Even though he was not bouncing back as quickly as he would have liked, having them all here was cheering him up immensely. His family was indeed very much like the Weasleys. Much unconditional love was given out, and his mother was also the center of their family. However, their fathers were rather different. Arthur Weasley loved his children, and he was a skilled wizard. Their similarities ended there. Carlo Zabini had an uncanny knack at reading other people and their situations. He rarely made a misstep when it came to business dealings, and he prized intelligence over all other traits. Blaise was the most like him of his children, and the others knew it.

“Papa has some meetings this morning and he is renting a house for us before he comes here to the hospital. He will be bringing lunch with him.” Isabella touched Blaise’s cheek fondly, while her other children looked down to hide their smiles. It had only been a matter of time before their mother started feeding Blaise what she considered ‘proper food.’

“Thank you, Mama.” Blaise didn’t even consider another response. Some things were just not worth it.

Charlie Weasley had walked through the door to his brother’s room, seeing him sitting up and eating breakfast. Ron gave him a knowing smile before nodding his head toward one of the beautiful young women standing at Blaise’s bedside. Lucia was 20 years old, the second of the Zabini children. They all had the same inky black hair and golden skin. Blaise and Elena had the startling blue eyes of their father. Lucia had the dark, dark, brown eyes of her mother, though Lucia’s were usually alight with laughter instead of kindness. Lucia barely stood five foot two, but one got the feeling that she didn’t allow much to get in the way of her will. A small smile graced Lucia’s face when she locked eyes with Charlie, and Ron could see the dazed look on his brother’s face.

“Good morning, Signora Zabini,” Charlie said, coming towards her and when she extended her hand, he kissed the back of it quite properly. “I’m Charlie Weasley, Ron’s brother.” Lucia could have cheered. Not only was the redhead hot as all hell, he was also smart enough to acknowledge her mother first, so that she could introduce him to her daughters.

Isabella shot her eldest daughter a saucy look of her own, which caused Lucia to quickly drop her gaze. “I am glad to meet you. These are my daughters, Elena and Lucia.” The girls smiled their hellos.

“How is Blaise?” Charlie asked in a low voice, and Isabella was gratified to note that there was genuine concern in his eyes.

“He is improving. Perhaps he just needs some decent food and the care of his family to get better,” she said.

“I’m sure that is true. Please let any of us know if there is anything that we can do for you.” Charlie smiled at them all, but it was possible that his gaze rested on Lucia for a shade longer than the others. He moved back over to Ron’s bed, but he looked wistfully at Lucia periodically.

Ron had sent Pansy to the hotel with Draco, Harry, and Ginny. Draco had booked three suites for them, after all. Ron was sure he would be getting out today, and he thought it would be nice if Pansy walked in here without red rimmed eyes, looking as if she hadn’t slept in days. He trusted Harry to take care of his girlfriend as well as his sister, and if truth were told, Ron wasn’t sure if he could have told you which of the young women was more important to him. Some feelings were better off unexamined.

“Charlie,” Ron whispered to his brother, “Imagine how you would feel if Zabini’s brother was looking at Ginny that way.” That certainly got Charlie’s attention, and after only a second he was back to the friendly, rather quiet, dragon keeper. The interested man was merely hiding, and the wider smile from Lucia told Charlie that she was well aware of it. At least she had enough practice at this to hide from her brothers and her mother, while still letting Charlie see that he had a chance with her.

Bill and the twins walked in shortly after that, and they were suitably impressed with how well Ron was doing. Ron was very happy to have his brothers around him; however, the lion’s share of his attention was focused on the door, willing Pansy to walk through it. Eventually, of course, she did just that. Ron was happy to see that the shadows were gone from her eyes, and she looked quite content to pull up a chair at his side and wait for the Healer to examine Ron.

“Where is Ginny?” Fred questioned Pansy after general greetings had been exchanged.

That question put Pansy on the Hot Seat. She didn’t know what to say to Ginny’s brothers, knowing that she had spent the night with Harry at the hotel. “Um, I’m not sure. I didn’t wait for her before I left to come here.”

The twins burst out laughing, knowing exactly where Ginny was and who she was with. “We’re just teasing you, Pansy,” said George.

“You should have seen the panic on your face, love.” Ron smirked at his brothers. “That does not mean that you may tease, prank or torment Pansy in any way. The four of you take getting used to.”

Fred and George nodded solemnly, but the Weasleys knew that Ron’s pronouncement would not deter them in the least. Ron was hoping that Pansy would be around his family for many years in the future, and that meant that she was going to have to find her own method of dealing with the twins. He wasn’t worried.

Bill followed the direction of Charlie’s eyes to Lucia Zabini. “Are we still taking Blaise’s sisters out sightseeing?” he asked.

Charlie turned a rather pleading gaze to his older, very confident brother. “I haven’t asked them yet. Maybe you could ask if they would like to go,” he whispered to Bill.

“Sure, mate, what are brothers for,” Bill whispered back. The others watched as Bill charmed the Zabinis. It was effortless. He was back within five minutes. “Signora Zabini has invited us to have a picnic lunch with them, and after that, we will be taking the young ladies to see the Tate, and perhaps the Thames.”

He whispered to Charlie, “Which one do I get?”

Charlie answered back, “Elena. And there will be no trading.”

Bill caught Elena eye, “I wouldn’t dream of trading.”

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A/N – I hope you will all allow me to indulge in my obsession with Bill and Charlie Weasley. I think those 3 suites at the Connaught might not go to waste.

Kira Taijia – Bribery works for me.