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.