Blaise Zabini

Blaise Zabini was a student in Harry Potter's year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was sorted into Slytherin house and seems to have been friendly with fellow Slytherins Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson.

Biography
Blaise is the son of a famously beautiful witch who, by 1996, had been widowed seven times, each time under suspicious circumstances. She acquired all her late husbands' possessions and is thus very wealthy. It is not known which of the seven husbands, if any, was Blaise's biological father. He is described as extremely vain, and like other Slytherins in his year, has strong prejudices against Muggle-borns and "blood traitors." In his sixth year, Blaise was one of the students invited to lunch on the Hogwarts Express by Professor Horace Slughorn, who was sizing up potential new members for his Slug Club. When Professor Slughorn expressed the opinion that Harry Potter had to have "powers beyond the ordinary", Blaise gave a little cough of "amused skepticism", which prompted Ginny Weasley to snap at him. Slughorn found this amusing, and jocularly warned Blaise off angering Ginny, but Blaise merely gave her a contemptuous look.

Blaise apparently passed the litmus test, as he continued to receive invitations to Slughorn's parties once the school year began. He did not seem to have a high opinion of his fellow members, if his comments to Draco Malfoy on the train were any indication, but in spite of that, he continued to accept the invitations. Also on the train ride to Hogwarts, Blaise listened to Draco's boasting about being given a mission from the Dark Lord, and seemed to suspect that Draco was showing off.

Physical appearance
Blaise is a tall, good-looking "black boy", with high cheekbones, dark skin, and long, slanting eyes.

Personality and Traits
"Yeah, Zabini, because you're so talented...at posing..."

- Ginny Weasley

Blaise seems to be an arrogant person, who looks down on nearly everyone and everything, though he rarely expresses his disdainful opinions in a confrontational manner. He reacted with scornful amusement when Professor Slughorn praised Harry Potter's talents, and with contempt when Slughorn suggested that he should not anger Ginny Weasley, who insulted Blaise's vanity. He also insulted most of his fellow Slug Club members and the parties themselves to Draco Malfoy, though he continued to attend the meetings and also did not seem to respect Draco very much. Pansy Parkinson claimed that Blaise is very difficult to please romantically; when she accused him of finding Ginny attractive, Blaise said he would never touch "a filthy blood traitor like her", which Pansy found very funny and which indicates that Blaise is prejudiced against Muggles, Muggle-borns, and those who are accepting of them.

Etymology

 * Blaise is a French name derived from the Latin blaesus, "lisping". One famous bearer was Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher. Also, Blaise Castle is an eighteenth-century mansion house and estate in Bristol, England called "the finest place in England" in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey.
 * The surname Zabini is Italian, suggesting that Blaise is of partly Italian descent. It bears similarity to the name of a custard-like Italian dessert, Zabaione.

Behind the scenes

 * For many years Blaise's gender and nature were hotly debated in fan forums, and both male and female versions of the character were heavily featured in fanfiction. This was mostly due to Blaise's elusivity in canon and lack of further explanation on J. K. Rowling's part. However, it is now known that he is a male who has appeared in the sixth book.
 * Based on the attitude Blaise expressed towards "blood traitors" and his association with elitist Draco Malfoy, the Zabini family likely at least claims to be pure-blood.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)