Chapter 16

"Sirius, come back here at once!," Mrs Black screeched. "Kreacher, get him!"

Kreacher, the house elf, ran behind Sirius but failed to catch him as Sirius flew up the stairs right into his room. He slammed the door shut and sat on the edge of his bed, panting, tired but delighted. There was a frantic banging of the door from Kreacher but Sirius ignored him. He picked up his paintbrush and paint box and proceeded towards his table. He was just about to start painting it in orange and gold when there was a soft knock on his door.

Sirius opened the door slowly, expecting it to be Kreacher. But it was Regulus. His three year old brother stood outside his room looking at him, suspiciously. Sighing, Sirius let him in.

"What is it, Reg?" Sirius asked. Although, Sirius was a year older to Regulus, it always seemed that Regulus was the older one. Regulus was quiet and brooding while Sirius was a livewire. Uncle Alphard, Sirius' favourite uncle, often referred to him as a ticking time bomb.

"What do you want, Reg?" he repeated.

Regulus leaned closer to his brother. "You did it," he said. Regulus found it hard to string words into a sentence, much to Sirius' amusement.

"What? What did I do?" Sirius asked, playing with a ball.

"You....Mama....wand," Regulus stammered. He was suddenly scared. "You take wand. I tell Mama."

Sirius laughed gaily at his brother. "Like you really will," Sirius muttered and caught hold of Regulus' hands.

Taken by surprise, Regulus could only stare at his brother while Sirius dragged him upstairs. He reached the attic and closed the door behind them. He opened a small window and beckoned to Regulus who approached him warily.

"You see how high we are, Reg," Sirius whispered. "One word to Mama and you will go flying down from this window. I mean it, Reg."

Regulus stared down the window at the garden, speechless. Sirius took one look at his brother's panicked face and burst out laughing.

"Look at you, scaredy rat," Sirius crowed. "I doubt Hogwarts will even send you a letter. They don't need cowards!"

Laughing without abandon, Sirius made his way back to his room while Regulus trudged back morosely to his, hoping to corner Sirius some day.

Chapter 15

"Do you know him, Dada?" Severus asked, clearly puzzled. He couldn't fathom the reason for the dazed look on his father's face.

"Yes," Tobias whispered, still stunned. "He's my Dada, Sev."

"Really?" Now it was Severus' turn to look surprised. "Why didn't you tell me about him earlier?"

"That's because we had a little misunderstanding," Mr Snape said, picking Severus up in his arms. "But I hope everything will be all right now."

Tobias was at a loss for words. Severus, however, clung on to his grandfather and looked beseechingly at his father as if to tell him to reconcile.

Mr Snape made the first move. Still clutching on to Severus, he approached Tobias and embraced him.

"I'm sorry, son," he said. "I shouldn't have cut you off from my life so completely. Can we start over again?"

Tobias held on to his father awkwardly while Severus pulled on to his collar.

"It wasn't you, Dad," he said. "Mom never liked Eileen and her family. She'd have never approved of our relationship. And Eileen was pregnant. I couldn't forsake her, Dad. Not at that time."

Mr Snape patted Tobias on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you, my son," he said. "I'm proud of the fact that you stood for the right thing."

Severus, sensing that the awkwardness had finally disappeared, hugged both the men.

~*~

"Mama, look who's here," Severus yelled, racing into the house. He crashed headlong into Eileen, sending a tray of cookies flying.

"Sev, look what you've done!" Eileen exclaimed. "Now you have to clean it all up. I'm not going to do it."

Not paying any heed to her admonishings, Severus pulled at her hand and dragged her along.

"Walk a little faster, Mama," he chirped as Eileen tried to keep pace with her son.

Presently, they came to a stop at the backyard where the two men were talking.

"Mr Snape," she whispered. "But what...?"

Her question was cut short by Severus.

"Grandpa, Mama's here!" he exclaimed happily. "Mama, Grandpa wants us to go and stay with him in his big house. He also said that he'll send me to the same school where Lily and Petunia go and he also said that he'll help me to become a big lawyer like him!"

While Severus' eyes gleamed in excitement, Eileen was suddenly apprehensive. How should she tell him now? And when?

Chapter 14

"Peter, come in. Its going to rain soon." A very formidable looking Mrs Pettigrew came out to the backyard to find her four year old son covered in mud.

"What have you done, Peter?" she said in an exasperated voice. "Now I'll have to wash it all over again. You are simply good for nothing."

Peter cowered in fright as his mother held on to his hand firmly and led him inside the house.

~*~

Never a day went by when little Peter Pettigrew did not wish to run away. Away from his mother. Away from his life. His father abandoned his mother and his little son for another woman in the same village two years ago and Peter never saw him again. It was assumed that he had moved to another village. Though Peter adjusted to this new situation soon, his mother didn't. The happy, smiling Mrs Pettigrew had turned into a bitter woman who didn't even care about her son.It didn't help, either, that Mr Pettigrew did not leave a single penny for them. Mrs Pettigrew had to rebuild her life from the scratch.

~*~

"Never a moment's rest for me," Mrs Pettigrew muttered under her breath, her hand still gripping Peter's very tightly.

"Mum, it hurts," Peter whined, tears welling up in his eyes.

Mrs Pettigrew kneeled down onto the floor and sviveled Peter around so that he came face to face with her.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" she said, mockingly. "Well, you just have to put up with it. Now go and get ready for supper."

"Is it cabbage soup again?" Peter asked in a rare moment of courage but quickly lost his nerve when his mother shot him a baleful glance.

"You will eat whatever is put on your plate," she said, scornfully. "Do you understand?|

"Yes, Mum," Peter answered, his voice barely a whisper.

"Good. Now get going or else I will not hesitate to starve you," Mrs Pettigrew said and marched inside the kitchen.

Chapter 13

"Hello," Severus said, looking up at an elderly gentleman at the toy stall. This time, he had accompanied Tobias to the market and was wandering around when he spotted the gentleman looking around.

"Hello, young man," the man replied, smiling. "And what brings you to the market today?"

Severus smiled back. "My Dada brought me here," he replied. "My Mama has fever and Dada and me want to help her."

The man patted Severus' head. "How old are you?" he asked.

"I'm four," Severus replied, proudly.

"You are an old 4-year-old," the man laughed.

Severus didn't understand what the man meant but laughed along with him, nevertheless.

"And what are you buying from here?" Severus asked.

"Nothing," the man replied. "I was just looking around at these colourful toys. I used to buy so many of them for my son."

"Where's he?" Severus asked. "Can he be my friend?"

The man laughed again. "I don't know where he is right now," he replied. "And he must have grown up by now."

"He doesn't stay with you?" Severus was incredulous. He couldn't imagine his life without Eileen and Tobias.

"No," the gentleman sighed. "I don't know where we went wrong. But he doesn't stay with us anymore. His mother died soon after he left and I'm completely alone now."

Severus felt sad for the old gentleman and slipped his little hand into the man's and gave it a small squeeze.

"You can be my friend," Severus said, smiling.

The man smiled back at him. "So, my little friend, what is your name?" he asked, returning the squeeze.

"Severus," Severus replied. "But everyone calls me Sev. So, you can call me that as well."

"Of course," the man said. "I'll call you Sev then. So Sev, choose something from here."

Severus hesitated, not knowing whether his father would approve or not.

"Well, nothing," he replied. "Dada's already bought me a ball."

"So choose another one," the man insisted. "A bigger one than the one your Dada bought you."

Just as Severus looked up to choose a ball, he felt a strong pair of hands around his waist.

"What are you doing here, Sev? Didn't I tell you not to leave my side?" Tobias said, picking his son up in his arms. The man whom Severus was chatting with had entered the shop to ask for some more toys.

"Dada, look!" Severus exclaimed. "I have a new friend!"

Tobias laughed.

"You always seem to make some new friends whenever you visit the market," Tobias said, still laughing. "Who's it this time?"

Severus wriggled out of his father's arms and dragged him towards his new friend. He tugged at the gentleman's coat.

"Dad," Tobias whispered, shocked, as he came face to face with his son's new friend.

Chapter 12

"Prove it," Tom sneered at Dumbledore. "Prove it that you are a wizard."

Dumbledore did not flinch at Tom's steely gaze. Instead, he kept staring at the boy intently.

Suddenly, the wardrobe in Tom's room burst into flames. Tom jumped up, startled.

"There's something in your wardrobe, Tom," Dumbledore said. "What's it?"

Tom went up and opened the wardrobe, surprised that the flames didn't affect him at all. He removed a collection of toys and trinkets and spread them out on the bed.

"Thievery isn't tolerated at Hogwarts, Tom," Dumbledore explained gently. "There'll be punishments for that. Detentions."

Tom just stared at Dumbledore, not saying a word. Dumbledore, though, was unaffected by the seemingly tense atmosphere in the room.

"So, come on, Tom," Dumbledore said, getting up from the chair. "We've got to get going now. Loads of things to buy."

Tom, though, was rooted to his spot. He looked at Dumbledore haughtily.

"I can manage it alone," he said. "I'm not scared of anything. Or anyone."

"Okay, Tom," Dumbledore said. "Here's your book list and ticket to the Hogwarts Express. You'll get everything you need at Diagon Alley."

Dumbledore then gave him the directions to Diagon Alley and started to leave when Tom stopped him.

"I haven't got any money to buy these stuff," he said.

"Oh! Don't worry, Tom," Dumbledore said. "Hogwarts has a fund for students like you. Just show this note to the shopkeepers."

Saying so, Dumbledore hastily scribbled a note and gave it to Tom who pocketed it. Dumbledore had barely made his way to the door when Tom stopped him again.

"I can talk to snakes too," Tom announced. "Is it normal for people like us?"

Dumbledore was shocked but did not allow it to reflect on his face. He merely walked out of the room without saying a word.

~*~

Tom was fascinated by the sights and sounds of Diagon Alley. He first entered Ollivanders and bought his wand, something for which he was very eager. Elated at acquiring his wand, Tom made his way to Madam Malkin's for his robes.

Very soon, he finished his shopping and paused in front of Eeylops. He wished he could buy himself an owl but he wasn't sure whether the Hogwarts fund will allow him to. And besides, he wasn't sure whether Nagini would accept it. He couldn't help feeling humiliated at the fact that he had to use the school fund to buy his school stuff.

"But, don't worry, Nagini," he whispered to her. She slithered around in the bag where Tom had hidden her. "One day, you and me will own this world."

Chapter 11

It was a sulky Severus on the breakfast table one sunny day. He picked up a piece of toast and started eating it, without a word of greeting to his parents.

"Good morning, Sev," Eileen greeted the four-year old. Severus merely grunted. Eileen, though, was unperturbed. She took the half nibbled toast from him and started to butter it. Severus, however, snatched it back and chomped on it, furiously.

What's the matter, sweetheart?" Eileen was alarmed at her normally cheerful son's behaviour. Severus didn't reply.

Tobias put down his newspaper and glared at him, angrily.

"Answer your mother, Severus," he said. Severus cowered. His father rarely got angry with him.

"I want to go to school," he finally replied in a small voice. "All the other kids in Spinner's End are going. Why can't I?"

"That's because your mother wants to home-school you, Sev," Tobias replied.

"But why?" Severus persisted. "Even Petunia and Lily are going."

Severus had grown quite close to the two sisters, preferring Petunia to Lily. His conversations with Lily always ended up in a fight and Petunia normally supported little Severus. Severus also managed to sneak in some forbidden treats, like chocolates, past his ever-watchful mother with some help from Petunia. Lily often threatened to tell on them but Petunia and Severus always bullied her into submission.

"Sev, Lily and Petunia's parents can afford to send them to school," Eileen said, softly. Tobias, though, looked pained. Eileen ran a reassuring hand on his back and smiled at Severus.

"But, don't you worry," she said. "I'll teach you much more than those schools. Right, Tobias?"

Tobias smiled back at her.

"Right you are, Leen," he replied, winking at her. "And it'll be fun as well."

"What is it?" Severus asked, his eyes glinting with excitement. "Tell me....tell me!"

Tobias and Eileen, seeing that their son's mini tantrum had finally died down, sighed with relief.

"You'll find that out tomorrow, champ," Tobias said, picking his son up in his arms and swung him over his shoulder. "Now let's go and hit some goals!"

Severus squeled with unguarded happiness. "Let's go, Daddy!"

"Have your breakfast first, both of you!," she called out but they were already out of earshot.

"Boys!" Eileen muttered to herself as she cleared the plates away.

Chapter 10

A few years later

Dark clouds circled the sky threatning to burst. Lightning streaked through the clouds and the thunder claps drowned every other sound. Mrs Cook and Mrs Bailey hurriedly started to pack up their things. They had thought that it was a good day for a picnic and had brought the children to the nearby mountains. They had trekked for a while before coming to a stop behind a cave. They were just starting to open their picnic baskets for lunch when the weather played truant.

"Let's get the children," Mrs Cook said, stuffing everything in the bags. 'Where are they?"

"Must be playing nearby," Mrs Bailey replied, looking around. "There's Tom."

"Tom," Mrs Cook called out. Tom walked up to them and looked at her questioningly. "Where are your friends?"

"I have no friends," Tom replied, automatically. Mrs Cook sighed. "Where are your companions, Tom?" she asked again.

"Over there," he replied, pointing over his shoulder. They looked all around but couldn't find any of them.

"Inside the cave," Tom said, condescendingly. The two ladies rushed over to the entrance of the cave and found it closed. They looked at Tom, horrified.

"Are they really in there?" Mrs Bailey finally found her voice. Tom nodded.

"But how?" Mrs Bailey whispered.

"No idea," Tom replied. "Now are you going to continue chatting with me or try getting them out?"

Saying so, Tom walked away, completely unaware of the fact that he was being watched intently.

~*~

The man made his way to the orphanage building, amidst the rain and thunder. He came to a stop in front of the door and knocked. Mrs Cook opened the door and was taken aback on seeing the strange looking man at the door. Nevertheless, she ushered him in.

"Whom do you want to meet, sir?" she asked him politely.

"I believe that there's a boy named Tom Marvolo Riddle staying here," the man replied. "I've come to meet him."

"Tom?" Mrs Cook was surprised. He never had any visitors up till now. She eyed the man suspiciously.

"And why do you want to meet him, sir?" she asked him, forcing herself to be polite.

"I've come to take him away," the man said. "To a school."

"A school?" she enquired, skeptically. The man nodded and produced a parchment. Mrs Cook looked at it and nodded.

"Very well," she said. "The last room to your left. And oh...I haven't asked you your name, sir."

The man stopped and turned to face Mrs Cook. He smiled.

"Albus Dumbledore," he replied.