I am so very sorry for the delay, everyone... I hope you enjoy this chapter even though it's been a while! Please read, enjoy and review!

- Bekahbert

Chapter 3

At precisely four o'clock, Harry Potter stumbled through the floo, with Ginny Weasley on his arm.

Emma stood up in shock. "Severus! Why didn't you tell me it was Harry?" she scolded, "Harry dear!" she crooned excitedly and hugged the stunned young man. She released him and stepped back. "Oh, I am quite sorry. I have forgotten myself. You have no idea who I am, do you? Well, I was your mother's best friend, other than Severus here. I must tell you, dear, you look just like her." she finished excitedly, and Harry beamed at hearing that he looked like Lily instead of James like everyone usually told him. "And you, lovely girl, must be Molly's daughter! You look just like her in school, honestly. She was a seventh year when Sev, Lily and I were all first years."

Severus smiled softly to himself. The depression he sensed in Emma earlier seemed to evaporate, and he felt that Mr. Potter could not have arrived at a more opportune time.

"Well, I shall get the tea," he announced and turned to leave the room.

Emma stood abruptly and tried to head him off into the kitchen. "I can help, Sev," she said, with determination in her eyes.

He smiled and gently led her back to her seat. "You will do nothing of the sort. This is my house, and I believe I asked you here. Correct?" He asked, raising his eyebrows and speaking in a teacher voice that had Ginny and Harry nodding furiously behind her.

Emma just huffed and crossed her arms, looking the picture of Molly Weasley as she scolded one of her redheaded children. "You will do well to remember, Severus Tobias Snape, that I was there while you practiced that voice and that... that eyebrow thing you do in Lily's mirror. So if you think that it could possibly work on me now, you are incorrect," she declared.

Ginny and Harry were sure that they would have to flee the far reaching rage that was surely about to consume their potions teacher from being spoken to that way, but after a few stunned moments, the man chuckled amusedly.

"I really have missed you, Emma. No one has dared speak to me that way in years. But please, I must insist. Entertain Harry and Ginevra."

"Call if you need help," she settled, and sat down on a chair facing the two young people.

"The last time I saw you was your first birthday, Harry. Amazing, really, how long ago that was." she began. "I know you had no previous knowledge of me at all, but I would love to tell you that your mother and I were inseparable in primary school and the first four years of Hogwarts. I know you can hear about all the heroic things your mother has done since then from other people, but I can tell you things about her childhood and about her self and her preferences that she would have told you herself, had fate handed the cards that way. As you know, she and I were muggle born." Harry nodded, looking excited at the prospect of hearing about his mother.

"We lived right next door to each other, and were friends even before we started showing our accidental magic. I was the first to show it. I hid from her for a week, worried that she would think I was a freak and not want to play with me. She nearly beat down the door to show me 'her tricks' a week later." Emma paused to gather her thoughts. "That was the big difference between us. I always tried to downplay everything, and she was as boisterous as possible about it. We were a good pair though. Severus approached her first, having seen her perform her magic, while I tried to hide mine. He even tried to convince her to not be friends with me, because it was illegal for me to see the magic she was doing. Can you believe the nerve of that boy? trying to steal away my Lily? That was when he found out that I was a witch also. My accidental magic knocked down a beehive and sent them all flying after him." Emma said brazenly.

Her declaration sent the younger couple into a laughing fit. Harry shared a quick look with Ginny. In his eyes, Ginny saw the contentment and joy that had been missing for so long from his features. She knew that finding Emma was the one thing her boyfriend needed to lift his spirits- a link to his mother.

"Do you have any questions about your mother that I can answer?" Emma offered, once the laughing fit subsided.

Harry was hesitant, but Ginny held gave his hand a squeeze and he decided to start with an easy question. "Well... Everyone always says that I look like James, but you said I look like Lily. What of her do you see in me?"

"That's an easy one," Emma smiled, "The eyes of course, though I'm sure people say that all the time. You have James' hair, no doubt about that, but really your facial structure is Lily's. Your cheekbones are identical. I suppose nobody else looks past the hair and the glasses."

At that moment Severus bustled in with a tray of tea, set it down on the table and sat down next to Emma.

"Sev, if you look, you'll agree with me. Doesn't Harry have Lily's face, with James' hair and glasses?" Emma asked, turning towards him.

"Hmm," Severus said, and critically looked at the young man's face, causing him to squirm uncomfortably. Severus smirked. "I'd say you are correct in your assessment. Honestly, I am surprised that I didn't notice before. I bordered on obsessed with Lily for so many years."

"Oh did you?" asked Emma, sipping her tea.

"It probably had something to do with her being my only other friend, and not wanting to lose her after you disappeared at the end of fourth year." Severus explained. "Everyone knew I had my heart set on you before that."

Harry and Ginny sat back, eating the biscuits Emma had brought and listening to the interaction with amusement. Instead of laughing or shoving Severus as the younger couple expected, Emma visibly deflated.

"I wish things could have turned out differently, Severus. I fancied you as well, but I'm sure you knew that." Emma explained.

Severus scooted closer to her on the couch and put his arm comfortingly around her shoulder, rubbing her arm gently. "No, I hadn't realized that." He sighed softly.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other questioningly. Ginny was the first to speak. "Hey, what is stopping you two now?" She gestured to Severus and said, "You're still single, she's still beautiful, so what's the problem?"

Severus self-consciously drew his arm away from her shoulder, and Emma crossed her arms protectively over herself. "It's not what, but who's the problem," she spat.

If Severus held any reservations against being unkind to Robert Taylor, they vanished upon hearing Emma say that. Any man who deserved that tone from his sweet-tempered friend was obviously not worth the ground she walked on.

"So, I take it you did not marry this Robert because you wanted to?" Severus asked, trying to keep the hope out of his eyes.

"Just another of my father's machinations." was Emma's bitter reply.

Severus furrowed his brow furiously and the young couple looked at each other curiously. The clock struck 6, and Emma jumped up.

"Well, speak of the devil. He should be home soon, if he isn't already," Emma said in a falsely cheerful voice.

She squeezed Severus' shoulder and said her goodbyes to Harry and Ginny.

Severus stood to escort her to the door. "Same time tomorrow, then?" he offered.

She hesitated for just a moment before saying, "I'd be delighted," and walked out the door.