The Zabini Family

The Zabini family is a wealthy, pure-blood wizarding family known for their inclusion in the Sacred Twenty-Eight, a directory of supposedly true pure-blood families. They are associated with Slytherin House and are represented in the series primarily by Blaise Zabini and his famously beautiful, and lethally-married, mother. The family is distinguished by its immense wealth, which is rumored to have been accumulated through a series of suspicious spousal deaths.

The Zabini family holds a high social status within the wizarding world, primarily due to their pure-blood lineage and considerable wealth. Their name was included in the “Pure-Blood Directory” of the 1930s, later published as the Sacred Twenty-Eight, cementing their status among the magical elite (Pottermore). The family's reputation is dominated by that of Blaise's mother, a witch of legendary beauty who was widowed seven times. Each of her husbands died under mysterious circumstances, and each left her a substantial amount of gold. This history has led to a dark and notorious reputation, suggesting that the family's fortune was built by a “black widow.” Despite this, they appear to be respected and well-connected, as evidenced by Horace Slughorn's interest in Blaise Zabini.

• Mrs. Zabini

Mrs. Zabini is the mother of Blaise Zabini. Her first name is not mentioned in the original novels. She is described by Tom Riddle's memory in Slughorn's collection as a “famously beautiful witch.” Her defining characteristic is her marital history; she married seven times, and each of her husbands died suspiciously, leaving her and her son a “great pile of Galleons.” This implies she may have used Dark Magic or poison to secure her fortune.

• Blaise Zabini

The only Zabini to appear directly in the novels, Blaise was a student in Harry Potter's year at Hogwarts and was sorted into Slytherin House.

1. Physical Appearance and Personality: Blaise is described in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as a tall, dark-skinned boy with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes. He is depicted as arrogant, vain, and disdainful of others. He openly expresses his contempt for “blood traitors,” referring to Ginny Weasley as such. He is generally aloof and unimpressed by others, including Harry Potter.
2. Hogwarts Years: Blaise was invited to join the Slug Club by Horace Slughorn on the Hogwarts Express in his sixth year, not for his own talents, but due to his mother's notorious reputation. During the meeting, he was dismissive of Slughorn's other guests and questioned why Ginny Weasley was present. His allegiance during the Second Wizarding War is not explicitly stated, but he is consistently shown to be part of the Slytherin social group that opposes Harry and his friends.

The surname Zabini is Italian in origin. It may be a variant of “Sabini,” the Italian name for the Sabines, an ancient Italic tribe who lived in the central Apennines of ancient Italy before the founding of Rome. This suggests an ancient and possibly Italian lineage for the family.

• In the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Blaise Zabini is portrayed by actor Louis Cordice. His role is expanded visually, often appearing as a member of Draco Malfoy's gang alongside Crabbe and Goyle.
• In the film version of the Battle of Hogwarts, Blaise accompanies Draco Malfoy and Gregory Goyle to the Room of Requirement to confront Harry, a role filled by Vincent Crabbe in the book (film).
• J.K. Rowling confirmed the Zabini family's pure-blood status by including them in the Sacred Twenty-Eight list, which was published on the Pottermore website (Pottermore).