Author's Note: All Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling. But I own all original characters.

Note: Thank you to Mystical Witch, Angel of Forgotten Souls, Sailor Hecate, Gabbana and Midnight Lilly for you reviews.

Chapter Three

Mother and Feeling Free

Snape saw a picture of a little girl on the back wall amongst the pictures of the horses. He reached over and carefully took it.

"That's me…when I had hair," said Emily.

Snape looked at the photo; it was a muggle photo as it didn't move. It appeared that she had a birthday, for she was standing behind a table with cake with blue and white icing and blue candles. Emily was wearing a very beautiful light blue dress and her beautiful strawberry blonde hair was flowing down her back. Her face was lit with a big smile and she was holding her hands up and showing up eight fingers.

"I take it you were turning eight," said Snape, taking in the picture.

"That was two weeks before I became sick," said Emily.

"When is your birthday?"

"The twenty-seventh of April," said Emily. "When's yours?"

"Ninth of January," Snape replied, not wishing to suppress a simple answer from a girl with an innocent question.

"So, you're a Capricorn" said Emily. "I'm a Taurus, they're both Earth signs."

"I am," said Snape, nodding. "I take it that you're into astrology?"

"I only know the names and their elements and I know all twelve gemstones to each month," said Emily.

"You do?" asked Snape, raising his eyebrows.

"January has garnet, April has Diamond," said Emily.

The sliding door was heard, as it opened. Both Snape and Emily looked around to see a woman walking in. She had wavy strawberry blonde hair and was wearing a burgundy business skirt and low-heeled shoes, a white blouse, black leather watch and gold earrings.

"Oh, hello," she said, when she saw Snape.

Snape stood up.

"Mum, this is Severus, Dumbledore couldn't make the trip," said Emily.

"Oh," said Emily's mother, she stepped forward and placed her hand out. "Dr Grove said Emily had a visitor, I just assumed it would be Albus."

"He had to do something that couldn't wait," said Severus, taking the hand. "I'm Severus Snape."

"I'm Kathleen Gordon," said Emily's mother. "It is nice to know that Dumbledore was able to find someone to talk to Emily while she is in here."

Snape nodded as their hands parted.

"Mum, Severus has a pet horse and his name is Emperor," Emily called out.

"At least you found something in common," said Kathleen, with a bit of a smile, walking over to her daughter's bed. "Horses I mean, Emily's just nuts about them."

"Nothing wrong with that," said Snape, with a small shrug.

Kathleen just looked at Snape with saddened eyes, but a nice smile. Snape could see that she had been in some deep battles and this was just one of them. It must be hard for her to have to find a way to cope with work and care for a sick daughter all in the one go.

"Well, Dr Grove said that you may go once I was here," said Kathleen, it was clear she wanted to be alone with her daughter.

Snape could understand deeply.

"Will you be back?" Emily asked straight out.

"If you're mother doesn't mind," Snape replied, looking at Kathleen.

Kathleen just smiled; "I don't mind…at least I know someone is here to help Emily, besides the doctors and such."

Snape nodded. "Then I'll be back," he said. "See you later, Emily."

"Bye, Severus," said Emily.

Snape walked out of the room and closed the sliding door. The blinds had been opened earlier and he peeped through them. He saw Emily and Kathleen talking, both were smiling, but they were sad smiles, both were suffering, but both were just too proud, or too brave, to show too much.

Seeing this panged at Severus's heart. It was a feeling Severus hadn't felt in a long time, not since his mother died many years ago. Severus walked away and down the halls. When he was far enough away from the hospital and knew people wouldn't see, he apparated.

He arrived at his real home, at an old farm that was well kept. He walked along the path, taking in his home. It was two stories, with a porch all away round and beside it was a set of stables. He walked over to the stables and walked into them and over to a particular stall.

Severus arrived at the stall to see his black stallion standing there. It appears that fresh hay had been placed and he had been recently been groomed. Emperor's black coat shimmered in the light; he moved his head around, along his nose was a thin white strip and his right foreleg and left hind leg had white ankles.

Opening the gate of the stall, Severus went over to his horse and placed is hand upon Emperor's shoulder. Emperor jolted his head up and down a bit, and made a neighing noise.

"I think someone's up for a ride," said Severus.

He took the girdle from the hook that was in Emperor's stall and placed it over the horse's head, placing the bit into the mouth and was pretty soon leading Emperor out of the stall and placing the saddle upon the back.

Severus took his helmet and placed it on his head and mounded upon Emperor and eased the horse to walk forward. It wasn't long before Emperor was galloping along the paddock; this allowed Severus to think, while concentrating on the speed of the horse. This was just one of those times where he felt the freest to think of anything and everything that has been happening.

Emperor continued to speed along and Severus continued to think.