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.