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.

Chapter 9

Eileen had mixed feelings on the day Severus took his first steps. On one hand, she was thrilled but she was also aware that he'll be a lot more mischievious now. Even so, she encouraged Severus to walk and very soon, he began running around in the house, exasperating Eileen to no end. Tobias bought him a ball and father and son spent every evening playing ball in their little backyard.

"Be careful, Sev," Tobias warned as they played ball one evening. "Don't break anything or else your mother won't spare either of us."

"Dada, ball..." Severus yelled happily and kicked the ball hard. Eileen was just coming out to the backyard with three glasses of juice for each of them.

SEV!" Eileen and Tobias screamed at the same time. Fortunately, the ball missed the tray narrowly and both of them heaved a huge sigh of relief.

Eileen set the tray on the table and picked Severus up. She handed him a small glass of juice and watched him gulp it down eagerly.

"C'mon," she said after Severus had finished. "Let's get you to bed early tonight. I'll take you to the market with me tomorrow."

"Great,' Tobias nodded. "Just be careful, Leen. You know how he is"

Excited with the prospect of another outing, Severus did not protest when Eileen and Tobias tucked him into his bed.

~*~

"Mama, ball!" Severus said, pointing to a shiny red ball in a toy shop. Eileen, though, kept on walking, holding his hand tightly.

"We don't want a ball, Sev," she told him firmly. "Daddy's already bought you one."

Severus pursed his lips, ready to throw a wicked tantrum but Eileen ignored him. Put out at being ignored by his mother, Severus continued walking, less enthusiastic than before.

Soon, they reached the market. Eileen looked sharply at Severus, warning him to stick close to her. Severus, though, had other plans. Just when Eileen got busy purchasing necessities for the house, Severus slipped past her and walked away.

"Petunia," Severus heard a voice and started walking towards it. He saw a girl, not more than two-years old, holding the hand of her sister.

'Petunia," her mother was saying. "Hold on to Lily. Don't let her slip by like last time."

Severus walked up to the two girls and held out his hand. He smiled at them, happy to find someone to play with. The girl named Lily smiled back at him and took his hand. Petunia, sensing that Severus had slipped past his parents, as Lily had done once before, pulled Severus close to them, lest he got hurt by anyone.

"Sweet?" Petunia asked Severus, holding out a small wrapped toffee. She smiled at him and Severus took the toffee from her hand. Lily, indignant that her sister had given the toffee to the new boy rather than her, smacked Severus hard on his cheek and snatched the toffee away.

Tears welled up in Severus' eyes but he fought them back, not wanting to cry in front of his new friends. Petunia, though, admonished her sister and gave Severus another toffee. Severus, immediately deciding that he liked Petunia more, stuck his tongue out at Lily. Lily, though, was unfazed and stuck her tongue out at him too.

Just then, their mother came up to their little group.

"Let's go, girls," she said. "I've finished."

Just then, she noticed Severus standing with her daughters. Knowing that Severus was either lost or had slipped past his parents, she decided to stay back till his mother came for him.

A strangled cry of "Severus!" ripped through the market and Eileen, frantic with worry, came to a stop in front of Petunia, Lily, their mother and to her immense surprise and relief, Severus.

Lily and Petunia's mother went up to Eileen and patted her, trying to calm her down.

"Don't worry, dear," she said. "Your son is safe. He was playing with my girls."

"Thank you," Eileen managed to say. "Thank you so much, Mrs..."

"Evans," the woman said. "And this is Petunia and Lily," she added, gesturing towards her daughters.

Exchanging addresses with Mrs Evans and promising to meet up very soon, Eileen and Severus made their way out of the market while Petunia waved them goodbye. Severus turned around for one last look at his new friends and noticing Lily staring back at him, stuck his tongue out at her once again.

Chapter 8

"Are you even listening to me, Toby?" an exhausted Eileen asked her husband one night as they prepared to go to bed. Tobias, bouncing a still enthusiatic Severus on his stomach, didn't pay any heed to his wife.

Toby, listen to me!" Eileen said, shaking him by his shoulders. "Sev's becoming impossible to handle. He's becoming more and more mischievious with each passing day."

"Mmm hmmm..." Tobias said, still not looking at Eileen. He tickled Severus under his chin and both of them burst out into peals of laughter. They were just starting a pillow fight when Eileen had had enough. She picked Severus up and plonked him on the other side of the bed, next to her but far away from Tobias.

"Dada..." Severus wailed, clearly upset at being separated from his father. He tried to cross over to Tobias but was blocked by Eileen.

"Enough Sev!" Eileen said, firmly. She then turned to face Tobias, keeping a restraining hand on Severus who was still struggling vainly to get to his father.

"Leave him, Leen," Tobias said, reaching over to Severus who, joyfully stretched his hands towards Tobias. But Eileen was quicker. She immediately smacked Tobias' hands away. "What has he done now?" Tobias finally asked.

"Elizabeth had come visiting...." Eileen started.

~*~

Earlier in the morning, Elizabeth had dropped in to meet Eileen and Severus. Happy on seeing her old friend, Eileen thanked her stars that Severus was asleep.

The two friends wasted no time in catching up with each other's lives. Elizabeth was happy to know that Eileen's relationship with Tobias had improved greatly after Severus' birth.

Eileen and Elizabeth were busy chatting when they heard a sharp cry. Eileen groaned inwardly on realizing that Severus had woken up.

"Oh great!" Elizabeth said. "I'll get to meet little Severus now. Didn't want to disturb his sleep."

"I'll bring him out," Elizabeth said and got up. Just as she was about to enter her bedroom, Severus came crawling out, searching for Eileen.

"Mama..." he cried and crawled towards her. Eileen picked him up and made her way to the couch and resumed her talks with Elizabeth. Severus, though, eyed Elizabeth warily.

Elizabeth reached out and tickled Severus. Now smiling, Severus immediately leapt on to Elizabeth's lap and started to tug at her pearl necklace.

"Sev, no!" Eileen said, horrified. Elizabeth, though, waved her off. She unclasped her necklace and gave it to Severus who immediately started trying to remove the pearls.

"Its fake," Elizabeth whispered to a skeptical Eileen. Eileen wasn't convinced but didn't say anything.

"I'll rustle up some sandwiches for us," Eileen said and went to the kitchen while her best friend joined her son in his games. Eileen returned, a moment later, with some delicious looking sandwiches and a bottle of ketchup.

Severus was immediately attracted to the red bottle of ketchup and, leaving the necklace aside, started to make his way to the table. Unbeknowst to the two ladies, he sat underneath the table, trying to figure out a way to get hold of the bottle when, by a stroke of dumb luck, Eileen dropped it.

It was all that Severus needed. He lunged for the plastic bottle, got hold of it and crawled away as fast as his little hands and feet allowed him to. Eileen ran behind him all the way to their bedroom, followed by an amused Elizabeth.

Severus crawled underneath the bed, far away from Eileen's grasp and started fiddling with the bottle. He finally managed to unstopper it and looked at it, curiously.

"Come out right now, Severus Snape!" Eileen yelled, peering down at her son who was still under the bed.

Startled out of his reverie, Severus squeezed the bottle and a stream of ketchup hit Eileen squarely on her face. Eyes twinkling with excitement at this discovery, Severus aimed the bottle at Eileen and squeezed again. This time, he got her dress. Elizabeth joined Severus in his laughter while Eileen pulled him out.

"Now you've had it, Sev," she said. "Now you've really had it."

~*~

"So what, Leen?" Tobias said. "He's a kid. I'd be surprised if he wouldn't have done all this."

"But don't we need to teach him a little discipline?" Eileen asked, incredulous about the fact that Tobias was openly supporting Severus.

Tobias sighed. "He has to grow up one day, Leen," he said, reaching over to pick up a now sleepy Severus. He stroked his little head all the while as he patted him to sleep. "Let him enjoy his innocent, carefree days for now."

Chapter 7

"Sev, stop!" Eileen exclaimed. "You'll break it."

Severus, now six- months old, had just learnt to crawl. And, from that day onwards, he had become Eileen's living nightmare. He crawled around the house, trying to get inside all the nooks and crannies. He even tried squeezing himself into the smallest corners of the house and invariably getting stuck. An already exhausted Eileen was then forced to go an extricate him from those corners. He adored both his parents but was especially close to Eileen.

"Please stop, Sev," Eileen said, exasperated by her son's antics. "Daddy will be very angry if you break that."

Severus held the little glass bird in his plump hands and looked at it curiously. The glass bird was a gift from Tobias and Eileen didn't want Severus to damage it. She inched closer to him, intending to take it from her son's hands.

Suddenly alert of his mother's cautious movements, Severus clutched the bird tightly in his hand and crawled away quickly with Eileen hot in her pursuit behind him.

"Mama," he called out, as if to taunt her into catching him. Just then, there was a knock.

"Don't you dare do anything to that bird, Severus," Eileen warned and went to open the door. Her mother had come visiting and Severus, excited on seeing his grandmother, dropped the glass bird. It came crashing down on the floor and shattered into tiny pieces.

"Now look what you have done, Sev!" Eileen screamed while Severus cowered in fright. He crawled up to his grandmother and tried to hide behind her. Mrs Prince picked up her grandson and patted him.

"Stop yelling, Eileen," she admonished. "You are scaring him. He's just a baby."

"And stop supporting him always, Mama," Eileen said. "There's never a moment of peace when Sev's awake. He's always up to something or the other. Breaking something or getting stuck somewhere."

Severus, sensing his mother's anger at him, whimpered. He looked at his mother, an innocent expression on his face.

"Oh all right," Eileen said, her anger melting away at the look on Severus' face. "I'll go and clean it up."

"Yes," her mother agreed. "I'll get the lunch ready." And she put Severus down on the floor.

Seizing the opportunity, Severus crawled away and picked up something from the couch. Just then, there was a loud bang and the shattering of glass. Excited by the sound, Severus began to clap his hands and laughed.

"My wand!" Eileen yelled, turning around just in time to see Severus clutching her wand. "He's got my wand! And he's smashed the window now!"

Amused, Mrs Prince restored the glass bird and the window with a flick of her wand. "Oh, stop screaming, Eileen," she said. "You cannot expect a baby to be quiet and serious."

Saying nothing to her mother, Eileen threw herself on the floor and wrestled her wand out of Severus' surprisingly strong grasp. Severus, who was enjoying his newfound toy, looked put out.

"Why can't he play with the normal toys that Tobias and me bought for him?" she muttered, not noticing Severus who had managed to find yet another forbidden, fragile article to break.

Chapter 6

The despair and frustration of the last nine months were forgotten once little Severus entered the lives of Eileen and Tobias. Tobias took a week's leave from work and spent every waking moment with his wife and son. Severus was a happy baby who clamoured for attention from both his parents. And they were only happy to give all the attention that he demanded. Severus was a splitting replica of Eileen but had inherited his jet black eyes and his black mop of hair from Tobias.

"D'you think we should try and reconcile with our parents, Tobias?" Eileen asked her husband one night.

"My parents will never accept us," he replied. "Severus or no Severus. But you can try talking to your parents."

"We'll take Sev with us to my parents tomorrow," she said. "They...."

"No," Tobias interrupted her. "My presence might complicate matters. Take Sev with you. I'll wait for you two at home."

The next morning, Eileen dressed Severus quickly and walked down to her former home. Severus looked around, his eyes huge and curious, this being his first outing. He tried to get his hands out from the blankets with which Eileen had wrapped him up to catch a tiny butterfly which had fluttered close to him but to no avail.

Very soon, Eileen arrived at the gates of the Prince's residence. She shifted a squirming Severus on to her left hand and opened the gates.

"Be still, Sev," she whispered, as Severus squirmed harder, evidently trying to get Eileen's attention. She hesitated for a while but gathered up her courage and knocked.

"Who's it?" she heard her mother call out.

Eileen took a deep breath. "Its me. Eileen," she replied, loudly. The door opened almost instantly.

"Eileen!" Mrs Prince exclaimed and enveloped her daughter in a tight embrace. Startled, Severus began to cry.

"And oh! This must be...." Mrs Prince gasped.

"Severus," Eileen said, trying to calm a still screaming Severus. "Severus Tobias Snape."

"Oh Eileen!," Mrs Prince exclaimed, tears coursing down her cheeks. "He's so adorable. He looks exactly like you."

Eileen smiled. Severus had calmed down and he looked around the house, his big eyes searching for Tobias.

Just then, Eileen heard her father's voice. "Who's it, my dear?" he called out. Both the ladies sprang up.

"Its Eileen," her mother replied, nervously. "And she's brought her baby son as well."

She saw her father walk out and was overcome with emotion. She handed Severus to her mother and ran up to her father. She wrapped her hands around him and hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go. For a moment, she had forgotten all about Tobias and Severus. She was her daddy's little girl once again.

"Why did you run away, Eileen?" her father asked her, not wanting to let go of her either.

"I was scared, dad," she said. "I know that you two don't like the Snapes. I..."

Her father interrupted her. "But you could have at least told us," he said. "You never gave us a chance to get to know Tobias."

"I'm sorry, dad," Eileen whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "I really am sorry. I hope you have forgiven me, dad."

Mr Prince patted Eileen on her head. "Forget about it, little girl," he said, smiling. "Now let me meet my grandson."

Saying so, Mr Prince took a smiling Severus from his wife's arms and bounced him while Eileen looked on at them, heaving a sigh of relief.

Chapter 5

"Where did you say they lived?" Tom asked Mrs Cook, narrowing his eyes.

"Little Hangleton," Mrs Bailey replied. Tom swung around to face her. "Yes...that's what she managed to say before she gave birth to him and died."

"Little Hangleton," Tom whispered more to himself. "Can we visit it sometime?" he asked Mrs Cook and Mrs Bailey.

"Of course," Mrs Cook replied, surprised. Tom never displayed any kind of interest in his parents or their lives.

"Very well," Tom said. "I'll go back to my room."

~*~

"This is a good development," Mrs Bailey said after Tom left the room.

Mrs Cook nodded. "Maybe he'll change for the better now," she said. "We must take him to Little Hangleton soon."

They had no idea how wrong they were.

~*~

A week later, Mrs Cook told Tom that they were ready to take him to Little Hangleton. For the first time, she noticed, Tom was enthusiastic about something. He dressed up quickly and met Mrs Cook at the gates of the orphanage.

The two of them travelled in silence. Tom occasionally patted his pant pocket to calm a restless Nagini.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived in Little Hangleton.

"I don't know where your parents lived, Tom," Mrs Cook said apologetically.

Tom shook his head. "Doesn't matter," he shrugged. "Leave me alone for sometime. I'll meet you at the bus stop in half an hour."

Without waiting for a reply, Tom walked away. Sighing, Mrs Cook entered a small tea shop. She wasn't worried about Tom. She knew that he could take care of himself.

~*~

Walking away from Mrs Cook, Tom brought Nagini out. She immediately wound herself around his wrist and looked at him expectantly.

"I know that you are hungry, Nagini," Tom whispered. "But you will have to wait till we are back at the orphanage. I'll smuggle in some milk for you."

"All right," Nagini hissed back, closed her eyes and dozed off.

Tom wandered around aimlessly, not knowing where to go when he heard a voice.

"Here you are, Mr Riddle," a shopkeeper was saying. Tom's ears perked up and he walked in the direction of the shop. He watched closely as the shopkeeper handed over a neatly wrapped package to a handsome man.

"Did you see him, Nagini?" Tom whispered, poking her awake.

Nagini woke up and took a good look at the man. "He looks like you," she hissed back.

Tom started to follow the man and his companion.

"What happened to your child, Tom?" he heard the friend ask the man.

The man shrugged. "No idea," was the answer. "I don't care about the child and his mother anymore."

It didn't take long for little Tom to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"I'm sure that the man there is my father," he whispered to Nagini. His suspicions were confirmed after he questioned the shopkeeper who had handed over the package.

"I'll come back for you one day, Father. And you will regret that day," Tom vowed and walked away to the bus stand where Mrs Cook was waiting for him.

Chapter 4

"Elizabeth!" Eileen exclaimed, genuinely surprised and pleased. "And Harry! What a pleasant surprise!"

Eileen hugged them both and ushered them inside. For the first time, in many days, Eileen had a smile on her face.

Eileen hugged her back. "Tobias is busy at work," she said. She refrained from telling Elizabeth about her current domestic situation. She can do without the stress, Eileen thought.

"We were worried," Elizabeth said. "You stopped writing to us after you passed out. The other day, I followed you home from the market and decided to meet you today. What happened, Eileen?"

"Nothing serious, Liz," Eileen tried to reassure her. "Tobias is always so busy...." She trailed off at the expression on her best friend's face. She knew that Elizabeth wasn't convinced at her feeble excuse.

Harry held Eileen's hand. "Look, Eileen," she said. "You cannot fool us. Tell us. What's the matter?"

Eileen burst into tears and related her entire story to them.

"You have to leave him, Eileen," Elizabeth told her firmly. "You cannot subject your child to this....."

"I know," Eileen cut her short. "But I love Tobias. He's sacrificed a lot for us. I cannot leave him now."

Elizabeth and Harry knew that nothing they said could change Eileen's mind. "Come and meet us when you can," she said, hugging her.

"I will," Eileen said, unsure whether she would see her friends any more.

~*~

Soon after Elizabeth left, Eileen felt a stabbing pain in her lower back. Taken aback, she slumped down on to a nearby couch. She glanced at the wall clock and saw that it was nearly time for Tobias to return. She would have to go and get dinner ready for him. But she couldn't get up.

Not knowing what to do, Eileen did not move from the couch. The pain grew in its intensity and Eileen started to panic. She contemplated running out to Elizabeth's house or Tobias' factory but her legs wouldn't move. They were completely numb.

Just then, she heard the click of the doorknob. She tried to get up but felt a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Sit down, Leen," Tobias told her, gently. He gathered her in his arms and took her to their bedroom. He held her hand while she thrashed around the bed in pain.

"We need to go to a hospital," Tobias said. "C'mon Leen..."

"No..." Eileen caught hold of Tobias' hand just as he was about to get up from the bed. "We don't have enough money. And I'll be fine. It won't be long now."

And she was right. A few hours later, Eileen held a perfectly healthy baby boy in her arms while Tobias looked on at both of them in wonderment.

"what do we call him?" Tobias asked, playing with his son's fingers.

Eileen looked at her son lovingly. "Let's call him Severus."

Chapter 3

"Now where did you keep my bag, Eileen?" Tobias asked, exasperated. Sighing, Eileen made her way to the bedroom and fished out a black bag from underneath the bed. Without a word of thanks to his wife, Tobias picked up his bag and walked out of their house.

Already seven months pregnant, Eileen was easily tired. She had just turned eighteen and had graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry a few months ago. She found out about her pregnancy during her Christmas vacations but thankfully, the word hadn't spread.

~*~

Eileen missed Hogwarts terribly. She had feared that her friends would desert her after she was sorted into the dreaded Slytherin but, to her surprise, they had not. Their friendship had triumphed over prejudice. She spent seven amazing years in the company of Elizabeth, Augusta, Harry and John who warned her to steer clear of the sinister Black family. Though the Black family too were in Slytherin, Eileen stuck close to her Gryffindor friends. She studied hard and passed all her exams with flying colours excelling especially in Potions. She discovered that she was a good Gobstones player and promptly formed a Gobstones club with her friends.

Then, one fine day, in the midst of her Christmas vacations, Eileen discovered that she was pregnant. Scared and not knowing what to do, Eileen confided in her closest friend, Elizabeth, who had already passed out of Hogwarts a couple of years ago.

And, as always, her friends supported her unconditionally.

~*~

Tobias, on the other hand, spent seven lonely years at Spinner's End. Though he had his own set of friends, it was not the same without Eileen. Life without Eileen was dull and boring. They wrote long letters to each other and each letter from Eileen made him more desolate. He could hardly concentrate on his studies and hardly took any interest in any extra- curricular activities or sports. As a last, desperate measure, the Snapes thought of sending him away to a relative's place but Tobias reacted so sharply that his parents were forced to drop the idea.

Days, months and years passed by at a snail's pace.

One Christmas, Tobias was unusually happy. It was Eileen's seventh and final year at Hogwarts. She'll be with me soon, he thought. Their frienship had blossomed into love and both of them were looking forward to a blissful life in the future.

But, one morning, during their Christmas holidays, Eileen told him that she was pregnant. Tobias was stunned but did not show it. He managed to pacify a nearly hysterical Eileen, advising her to complete her education at Hogwarts. In the mean time, he too would start looking out for part time jobs. No matter what or how, he would support Eileen and their child.

~*~

Eileen and Tobias eloped on the very day that she returned from Hogwarts much to the anger of their parents. They got married and moved to a small house in Spinner's End, not very far away from Eileen's former home. Tobias got a job in a nearby factory and earned enough to buy two square meals for Eileen and himself. He didn't care much about himself but made sure that Eileen remained healthy.

"How did he change so much?" Eileen thought aloud. In the beginning, Tobias was loving and caring towards Eileen. He paid attention to all her needs and going to great lengths to fulfill even her craziest wishes. But, gradually, Tobias began to tire of her. Her mood swings only added to the growing tension between the young couple. She learnt that her closest friend, Elizabeth, who, like her, had married Harry immediately after passing out from Hogwarts stayed close by but Eileen could not bring herself to visit her.

"I wish I could meet her," Eileen muttered to herself, rummaging her drawer. She pulled out a card which Elizabeth and Harry had sent her last Christmas and stared at it. "But I do not wish to trouble her with my problems."

She folded the card and kept it back in her drawer. She wished for everything to be normal once again. She didn't want to bring up her child in such a despondent atmosphere.

Just then, she heard a knock at the door. Surprised, Eileen opened the door. Her jaws dropped open at the sight of the unexpected visitors.