A/N: First off, I know Snape lives at Spinner's End, and yes Spinner's End does exist and come into play in this story, but I have given him another house. In my personal opinion teachers would make a good amount of money at Hogwarts; it's a widely renouned school and you probably have to be a pretty kick ass wizard/witch to teach there. Unless you're Trelawney and you just got lucky with your weird premonition voice thing. So, here it is! The third chapter! Thanks to my first reviewer (who I sadly could not respond to) you truly made my day! And thank you to everyone who has favorited/watched the story.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling may have inspired me with her characters and fantastical world, but she does not own this plot and nor do I own her amazing world of magic.

Music:

Bitter Sweet Symphony -- The Verve

Chapter 3

The Lighted Halls of Snape Manor

"Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions will never lie to you."

-- Roger Ebert

Severus approached the entrance of Grimauld Place feelings his insides twist slightly in nervousness. He had long since thrown out the thought of ever being a father, and the fact that he was more or less (now) a father figure seemed to be getting the best of him. Emma Lupin had always been one of his more pleasant students, even if she was from Gryffindor. She never caused any trouble and did fairly well in his class. She did not look at him as if he were some sort of beast like most of her classmates did but she did not try to be his favorite student like others. She minded her business and did her work, it was good work ethic; something he admired. All in all, of all the snot nosed brats to be stuck with, he certainly had gotten a good deal. However, that did not mean he was all too certain about being a guardian to her. It was no secret they would spend time together, and sooner or later she would need his guidance and support. That was what scared him and made him nervous. He was not sure he knew how to go about such things.

He could have easily walked into the house; he was a regular guest as of late. Still, he found he needed something to lift his spirits and keep his mind off of his nerves. He pointed his index finger and pressed the doorbell without regret. The loud ding reverberated through out him and the house. There was a deathly shriek as Walburga Black's portrait began to wail and curse the inhabitants of her home. He heard Sirius and Remus hurry up the stairs to shut her up and he could imagine their comical stumbling in their hurried stupor. Severus almost smiled at this, but he did nothing but sneer slightly. The large door opened and Riley stood looking perturbed by the shrieking that had just suddenly stopped. She smiled brightly when her eyes fell on Severus and she let him in; Sirius and Remus were coming down the steps and Sirius glared at him.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you Snivellus?" He asked.

"Why on earth would you propose that?" Severus asked casually. "I was simply displaying good manners."

Riley laughed aloud as her brother grumbled angrily before storming into the kitchen, "You're early, I don't think Emma's done getting ready."

"She's been too busy practicing her insults on the twins to get anything done," Remus grumbled tiredly, and then began to rant. "I don't trust those boys alone with her –"

"We already had this discussion, Remus, they're just friends." Riley cut him off.

"Yes, well, we were just friends for a while too," He said glumly, following Sirius' lead.

There was a pause as Severus and Riley were alone in the hallway together. "You will take extra care of her, won't you?" She asked. "She's really well behaved in other people's homes, or so I've been told. And you'll write to me and let me know how she's doing, right? If she's any trouble at all just let me know and I'll floo over and put her in her place," She went on.

"And to think, you never wanted children," Severus said dryly.

Riley rolled her eyes with a small smile, "Forgive me, I just want to make sure she'll be okay."

"I'm certain she will be," Severus said. "I will make sure of it." He paused, "Tell me; is it a law of nature for a father to assume every male who comes in contact with his daughter has the intention of…courting her?"

Riley laughed aloud at this, "Not exactly a law of nature, but definitely a usual occurrence." She said, "Remus has just been quite grumpy as of late. His time of month just past, and Emma's been signing everything with your last name for the past two weeks." Riley chuckled, "Even the best tempered men can be subjected to jealousy and a bruised ego."

Severus' eyebrow quirked up slightly and he was going to reply but a noise from above caught his attention. A loud, high-pitched scream was being emitted as Georgiana ran down the staircase and past her mother into the kitchen. Kreacher could be seen from the second story staircase cursing her from the railing. The screaming caused Walburga to start her own shrieking and Remus and Sirius were on their feet again. Georgiana was running after them, looking for protection, but as they went upstairs she stopped dead and hid behind her mother. Riley sighed and bent down to pick up her daughter who hugged her tightly and was shaking slightly with tears.

"What the bloody hell is going on in this mad house?" Emma said coming down the stairs, the twins following her. "What happened to Georgie?"

"I threw a dung bomb at Kreacher and he chased me!" The child cried.

"Where are you getting all these dung bombs, Georgiana? I thought your father told you not to play with them," Riley said.

"Ginny said that one wouldn't hurt him, and he was trying to get into Uncle Sirius' room!" Georgiana defended.

"Stop your fussing and say goodbye to your sister. She's leaving soon," Riley said handing the child to Emma. "You'll apologize to Kreacher later."

"All those damned elves hung on the wall and he can't be one of them," Fred grumbled.

"What a pain in the arse he is," George agreed.

"Mum expects us back on the sixth floor to help clean," Fred said to Emma.

"Remember all the insults we practiced," George said.

"And don't let the pureblood snots taint your mind," Fred advised. The twins kissed either of her cheeks and apparated to the sixth floor.

"Did you say hello to Mr. Snape, Georgie or were you too busy running for your life?" Emma asked in an amused tone, seemingly unaffected by the twins.

"Hello, Mr. Snape," Georgiana said turning in her sister's hold and moving her hair out of her face.

"Hello," Severus replied.

"Emmy I don't want you to go…" The child whined hugging her sister close.

"Aww…" Chuckled Emma. "I'll be back before you know it."

"Will you write me?"

"Darling, you can't read," Emma said.

"Daddy is teaching me, I'll use your letters for practice!" Georgiana protested frantically.

"Fine, fine," Emma rolled her eyes, putting her sister down as her parents came down the stairs with her uncle.

Riley pulled Emma into a long hug that was slightly teary. Emma held her mother tightly, trying to memorize how it felt to be hugging her, and tried to memorize her scent. Dragonsbane smoke and cinnamon. Georgiana told her story to Sirius who seemed to be appalled that Kreacher was trying to get into his room. Emma broke free of her mother after promising she would write everyday and moved to her father. Once again, Emma was memorizing his arms around her and the scent of Dragonsbane smoke and chocolate tickling her nose in a familiar way. He kissed her temple and she kissed his cheek before giving him a small sad smile. Her uncle opened his arms and pulled her in for a bear hug, all the while mussing up her hair by comically petting at it. She laughed and pushed away from him, kissing his cheek before kissing her little sister and giving her one more hug.

Severus opened the door and she walked out first waving slightly, he turned to the four watching with small frowns, "I'll keep her safe."

With that he left, closing the door behind him. Riley furiously wiped at the tears trailing down her face and tried to push them away. Remus rubbed her upper arm and kissed her temple, lingering there a moment to whisper reassurances to her all the while holding Georgiana who had forgotten all about her ordeal with the deranged house elf. Sirius clapped his best friend on the shoulder and moved past his sister kissing her forehead before moving upstairs to talk to Kreacher. Riley turned to bury her face in the crook of Remus' neck and felt comfort as her youngest ran her hands over her hair and tried to reassure her of things that were completely beyond her. Her trust went deep with Severus, but she still felt an uncontrollable fear in the pit of her stomach. The war may have just been beginning, but she had just sent her daughter behind enemy lines.

"Mum sent all my things through floo, I hope it won't be all over the place when we arrive to your home," Emma said as they walked down the steps.

"The house elves will have already moved them to your room," Severus informed her.

"You have house elves?" She inquired.

"Yes," Severus answered dryly. "Are you ready?"

"Um, yes?" Emma bit her lip.

"Take my arm," He offered her. "We're going to side along to Diagon Alley."

"Oh, right," Emma said, linking her arm through his.

"Hold on tightly, Emma," He said.

"Sorry," She mumbled, wrapping her other arm around, which made it seem like she was hugging his arm.

Emma felt an awful sensation in her stomach and then felt like she was being hurtled through space with no control. Suddenly it stopped and she lost her balance and fell backward, but Severus moved his arm forward and helped steady her. She was still clinging onto him for dear life, and did not let go until she was sure she could stand on her own and not vomit. She let go with an apologetic smile but he simply stared at her blankly. Diagon Alley was crowded as usual and Emma felt completely out of place. She was not wearing robes, but a simple pair of muggle jeans, a white button down shirt and a navy blue pinstriped vest. Severus began walking and she caught up to him. They said nothing to each other as they made their way through the crowd, but to where she had no clue. They stopped at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, and she followed Severus in.

"What are we doing here?" Emma asked meekly.

"You can't consort with purebloods in muggle clothes," He said. "We're here for a new wardrobe."

"But –" Emma said as he began walking to the counter.

"Is there a problem?" Severus asked turning on his heel and staring down at her, when she shook her head he continued on.

Madam Malkin was a squat woman with wild red hair; she looked from Severus to Emma, "How can help you today?" She asked cheerfully.

"My…daughter needs to be fitted for a new wardrobe," Severus said lowly.

Emma unwittingly flinched after he spoke; it was all too surreal to hear him call her his daughter. "Hello," She smiled to the woman.

"How large a wardrobe, sir?" Madam Malkin asked. "I may be able to get you a couple gowns today but an entire wardrobe could take up to a week."

"That's fine," Severus said. "Just put the payment on my tab."

"And your name, sir?" Madam Malkin pulled out a special pad of parchment and quill.

"Severus Snape."

"Ah," She said. "All right then, Mr. Snape, I'll have your little girl all dressed up and lookin' like a summer flower in no time," She grinned to Emma.

"How delightful." Severus said dryly with a hint of sarcasm. "I have orders to pick up from the Apothecary. Will you be alright by yourself?"

"Yes…father," Emma said with a forced pleasantness. Even calling him Severus felt less odd than calling him 'father,' she tried not to make it too obvious.

Severus merely raised an eyebrow and then went on his way. Madam Malkin swished her wand and measuring tapes were suddenly surrounding Emma and tugging at her. The older woman clicked her tongue and then dragged Emma to the back of the store where some pre-made robes and gowns were hanging. The woman took down countless of them and pushed her into a changing room. Emma tried on countless outfits and gowns and the woman only ended up liking how five of them already fit her. One was a more formal gown Emma really didn't think she would ever wear; the others were more casual but much nicer than she had ever owned. The woman let Emma have the reins when it came to fabric and color choices, but the Madam Malkin knew exactly what the final outcome would be.

"Let's get all of these pinned," Madam Malkin said, guiding her to a stepping stool. "Up you go."

Emma stood on the stool and was immediately being measured again; scissors flew into the air and began cutting up fabric into pieces that seemed to only make sense to Madam Malkin. "How long is this going to take?"

"Your father said an entirely knew wardrobe, Miss Snape," Malkin replied. "That's a lot of fabric and a lot of pinning, so sit tight."

"Wonderful," Emma grumbled.

"Snape…as in Severus Snape?" Came a new voice.

"Yes," Emma smiled, turning the girl being measured next to her who she had not seen before.

"I didn't know Severus Snape had any children," She said, she looked about Emma's age; her sky blue eyes studied her closely. "Hang on a minute…you go to Hogwarts!"

"Yes, indeed I do," Emma nodded politely.

"I thought I'd seen you before," Said the girl. "Aren't you a Gryffindor?"

"Sort of, yes," Emma winced. "Severus isn't my biological father. It's a long story."

"That makes more sense," The girl nodded. "I'm Gabriella Alastrina; I'm in Slytherin."

"I'm Emma Snape," She smiled politely. "Are you getting a new wardrobe too?"

"Not a complete wardrobe," Gabriella said. "Just a dozen summer robes."

Gabriella and Emma talked more as fabrics, pins and measuring tapes, periodically attacked them both. Despite just meeting her, Gabriella was very sociable and Emma found her very easy to talk to. She almost did not notice the immense amount of time going by as she and Gabriella covered subject after subject. The girl's light brown hair was pulled into a messy bun, her bangs clipped out of her face and Emma saw that she was very pretty. Her smile was perfectly brilliant and her curves were something to be jealous of. Emma's arms were tired from being held out for too long and she desperately wanted to be done. Gabriella got Emma's wish and stepped down from the stool, and moved to Madam Malkin's desk, she reached behind without invitation, but Emma never got to see what she was looking for as her line of vision was obstructed.

"Oh, hello," she said to Severus.

"Are you almost done here?" He asked.

"Umm…" Emma looked to Madam Malkin.

"Just a few more cut outs deary, not too long," she assured her.

"Oh, hello Professor," Gabriella said, smiling at Severus.

"Miss Alastrina," Severus nodded his head cordially.

"Here you are," Gabriella put a small piece of parchment in Emma's hand. "Write to me sometime. We'll meet up for tea or something."

"I will," Emma smiled genuinely. "It's been a pleasure."

"I know, it has, hasn't it?" Gabriella grinned. "Have a lovely day. Professor."

Once she had left the shop Severus turned to Emma, "Perhaps this will be easier for you than I previously thought."

"I think I just got lucky," Emma said.

"Well, Miss Snape, you're all done here," Said Madam Malkin. "I'll grab your pre-mades and your new wardrobe will arrive by the end of the week."

"Thank you, so much," Emma said politely.

"Aw, deary, it's my job," She chuckled happily, moving to the counter where the five pairs of robes had been put into a bag that seemed too small to contain them, but it did.

"Where to now?" Emma asked as she carried her bag out of the store.

"Now we head to Snape Manor," Severus said. "Through here," he guided her into a quiet alleyway where they could apparate without being bumped into, "Hold on."

"Right," Emma said, holding onto his arm as she had done before.

After the sensation faded Emma's senses were flooded with the new place. She did not lose her balance this time but when she opened her eyes she gasped a little. The smells of trees, flowers and grass were powerful as she looked at her surroundings. Snape Manor was built right on the edge of a forest; on one side of it there was an expanse of tress and on the other was a simple field that seemed to go on forever. A dirt path went through the trees to where, she did not know. When Emma set eyes on the actual home she felt her jaw drop a little. Two paved, curved stairways led to a circular landing that looked out to the dirt path; the landing led to another stairway that led to the entrance. The manor its self was much shorter than Grimauld Place, it was only three stories tall but it definitely looked more glamorous.

The manor was made of a white stone that seemed to reflect the sun's light. It was a majestic place, but graceful and yet it was obvious that were it not taken care of it would easily look very despairing. With a jolt Emma realized Severus was waiting for her at the circular landing of the steps. She laughed a little at herself and then ran to catch up with him. She could hardly contain her excitement as they approached the two large black doors to the house. Emma watched closely as Severus tapped a triangle into the doors with his wand and they opened slowly allowing them access. The floors were white marble, and the entrance hall was quite inviting. A white staircase with a deep green rug coming down the center of them, clinging to each stair led up to a landing that led to two different directions. The entrance hall itself led to two different directions.

"To your left you will find the dining room, and to your right you will find the den," Severus said. "The left wing second floor is divided into two rooms, my laboratory and the study, right wing second floor is basically guest rooms."

"Do you really have that many guests over at once?" Emma asked.

He chose not to answer that question. "On the third floor left wing is your room and mine, the third floor left wing holds the astronomy room, the music room, and the chess room." He looked down at her, "You are permitted access to all of these rooms except for mine and you may only enter the laboratory with special permission from me."

"Yes, sir," Emma nodded her understanding.

"Go," he said blandly, his expression changing to something she could not name. "Explore."

"Yes!"

Emma ran up the stairs, and turned to the left when she reached the landing. At the moment she did not care if Severus thought she was a silly childish girl, for at the moment she felt like a giddy child in a candy store. As she hurried up the steps to the left wing of the second floor she noticed the hallways were much lighter than she expected. She did not expect it to be some drab, gothic castle, but she certainly did not expect there to be so many windows letting in the light. It occurred to her that her teacher spent most of his time at Hogwarts in the dungeons, and it made sense to her why he would keep his home so open. The study and laboratory were appropriately labeled and Emma lingered in front of the laboratory. She itched to go inside, but the rest of the house beckoned to her and she would no doubt see it eventually.

When she moved into the study she noted that it was a very large room; nothing like the study on the seventh floor of Grimauld Place, but still generous. Countless bookshelves lined all of the walls filled to the brim with books. The carpet was a deep maroon giving the room a cozy feeling, especially with a comfortable looking white couch in front of the clean fireplace. There was a desk near the farthest window of the room, and if one sat at it they would have an excellent view of the front of the house, including the dirt pathway. A painting of a raven-haired woman hung above the fireplace, and she smiled shyly at Emma when she noticed it. The girl giggled a little before slowly moving out of the study and hurriedly walking across the landing and toward the right wing. All the guest rooms were the same: marble white walls; queen sized beds with white linens, and a small bathroom. When she reached the end of the hallway there were two doors opposite each other with placards. One read 'Draco Malfoy' and the other read 'Mr. and Mrs. Lucius Malfoy,' these were the only two rooms Emma did not inspect.

The third floor right wing was full of rooms she was eager to see and she wasted no time. The chess room was a very interesting one with a large chess board that looked almost like a dance floor; the chess pieces were a bit taller than her and they sat perfectly placed awaiting to be used. On either sides of the board were chairs where the players sat, one was white, the other black and they both looked like thrones of some sort. Emma left the room deciding to challenge her professor to a game one day, after she was used to this home and living with him. The music room was much like the study with many seats for an audience she assumed. There were countless magical instruments around the room, a large organ in one corner and a beautiful black grand piano. The astronomy room was just as interesting as it had sounded. Despite the vast amount of books in the study, there were more in this room all about astronomy, she presumed. Star charts neatly covered the walls and ceiling, and several magical astronomy tools sat on a small display. The room led out to a semi-circle shaped balcony and Emma stepped out to find a small sitting area that included a magical telescope.

Emma moved to the ledge of the balcony and grinned at the sight below her. The garden she was looking at was a beautiful explosion of colors and elegant statues. Cobble stone pathways led their way through the garden in swirl shapes she could see from the balcony. In the center was a small fountain with a faceless angel reaching her hands out toward the house, as if greeting whoever was exiting it; water flowed down her spread wings and trickled into the fountain. The cobblestone path led into the trees behind the house and Emma made a note to explore the pathway. She looked over to a twin balcony a ways over on the left wing. This reminded her that her room awaited her, and she moved back into the astronomy room, closing the doors behind her.

The sandy blonde practically skipped down the hall, across the landing and to the left wing. Severus' door was the first on the right, but it was not labeled like she had expected. This was one room Emma did not really want to see; it was already surreal to be living with her teacher, seeing his bedroom would be too intimate for her. As she moved down the hall her door was on the left and labeled in elegant writing with her name. As she walked in, she did not take notice of the room at all. She was too distracted by the cheery house elf smiling up at her as if she had been waiting for her. The elf had big blue eyes, and a small nose for a house elf. It was obviously a female judging by the way her dirty rag cloth clung to her body. The elf smiled wider and said in a shockingly cool female voice,

"Welcome to Snape Manor, Mistress," she curtsied lowly. "My name is Ditzy; I am your personal household assistant."

"Ditzy?" Repeated Emma.

"Yes, Miss," Ditzy nodded with a smile. "I have been working in the manor since my birth. Master Snape even named me himself." She seemed quite proud of this fact.

"And he named you…Ditzy?" Emma asked. When the elf nodded Emma mumbled under her breath, "The man has a sick sense of humor."

"Have you found the manor to your liking?"

"It's one of the most breath taking places I've ever seen," Emma said breathlessly. "I'm sorry, but what exactly does a 'personal household assistant' do, exactly?"

"Well, Miss, I personally take care of your laundry, supervise the cleaning of your quarters, help you get dressed in the morning and am at your humble service whenever you may need me," she explained calmly.

"Oh, wow," Emma said.

"Can I help you with anything, Miss?"

"Not at the moment, but thank you," Emma smiled.

Emma looked past Ditzy to her room and she nearly laughed. It was very big, and she was glad that though it was large there was not too much open space. The walls were a deep red with a black Victorian pattern, and her furniture were all the same dark cherry oak wood. The bed was a king size, four post with a canopy of heavy looking black fabric. The bedding was red with black pillows and it looked so comfortable that Emma was sleepy looking at it. There was a small desk, supplied with parchment, ink and a quill, a vanity mirror with a red chair with the same design on it as the walls, and a tall wardrobe. There was a comfy black chair by a fireplace on the far side of the room, and a large pair of doors that led to a small balcony. Emma saw it looked out to the front of the home and not back at the gardens. It was her only complaint, but it seemed far from an issue and she did not even think twice of it.

"It's stunning," she said breathlessly.

"I have taken the liberty of already putting your things away…they arrived by floo earlier this morning," Ditzy informed her. "And your new robes have been hung in your wardrobe, if you wish to change."

The house elves words were barely registered as Emma opened her bathroom door. It was brighter than her room and mostly marble but it was bigger than her room back at her parents' house. There was a changing screen, black with white flowers, and a large bathtub that Emma nearly squealed over. The sink was elegant and for a toilet, it was elegant as well. There was a large window (with black curtains that were drawn) and with it was a black, cushioned window seat. Emma giggled as she left the bathroom closing the door behind her. Her smile was uncontrollable and she bit her lip before looking left and right. No one was around, Ditzy had left, and her door was open. Emma took a running start and leaped into the air, landing flat on her bed, bouncing slightly. She laughed childishly and rolled onto her back.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Emma sat up and felt her face heat up as she found Severus leaning in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, an eyebrow perked up and one side of his lips quirked up ever so slightly. "Um…yes," She replied meekly. "It's all really beautiful. Thank you."

He waved off the gratitude slightly and stepped into the room, looking around as if it were the first time he had seen it himself. "You have met Ditzy, I presume?"

"Yes, but is a personal house assistant or whatever really necessary?" She asked.

"I assure you, Ditzy is very happy to take on the job," he said. "She's shown an annoying amount of gratitude since I approached her about it."

"I suppose if she's enthusiastic about it I shouldn't ruin it for her," Emma said contemplatively. "I like the name you chose for her," Emma said slyly meeting his gaze with a small smile.

"Dinner will be served in an hour," Severus said, not commenting on her sly teasing. "I suggest you write your mother before she bombards me with letters."

Later that evening Emma entered the Dining room, only to find it to be exceedingly expansive for someone who lived alone. The table was long, and Severus sat at the head of it. Emma sat on his right, and they had eaten in mostly silence. She tried to make conversations, but they did not last long. Emma sat on the astronomy room's balcony after dinner with her sketchpad and went to work on capturing the beauty of the garden. Her hand hurt immensely by the time she was done, but she had finished. She sat out there a while longer before moving back to her own room. She did not run into Severus for the expanse of the night and only alerted Ditzy once to request a glass of water before bed. She would have gotten it for herself but she had no clue where the kitchens were and she was afraid of getting lost. Emma fell asleep with her door open, laying face down on her bed in her clothes. Severus glanced inside on his way to his own room; he put out her fireplace and then left the room closing the door behind him. It was odd to have another human in the house, but Severus found that he had no complaints.

A/N: Haha, I like this chapter a lot for some reason. The next chapter won't be up until I finish the one I'm working on. I'd like to stay a certain number of chapters ahead of what I have posted, so I'll try my hardest, I promise. Please review! Even if you hate it, or have some complaints. Thank you to whispered angels for being a lovely beta, and thank you for reading!

-- Star Tweak