Black Moon Ranch (Colorado, USA)

Black Moon Ranch is a large ranch with 25 acres of land stretching around a large cream-colored, victorian-like house and a big red barn.
It's a well kept place, with the large expanse of land surrounded by a fence which holds in the many horses that live at the barn.

Black Moon Ranch belonged to Cynder's adopted Muggle father, and he lived and worked there most often, occasionally visiting London to see his children, his wife, and Cynder.
After his death, Cynder inherited the whole ranch and both her adopted and real family's fortunes after finding out no one in the family was alive to take them.

The road leading up into the property and to the house is very long, leading from a main road, and has cherry blossoms planted all down the path, making it very beautiful.

Veinna Crecent is the main worker there, and lives in one of the spare rooms in the house.

(( Black Moon Ranch will be an important place to Cynder to visit. It's something to do with her past and her family. It's not very well known in the Muggle World, and completely unknown to the Wizarding World. Anyone can visit it, however, and it's very easily remembered. ))

The small pop of apparation had been almost completely ignored by the people of the small town, who were too busy with their own lives to notice Cynder appearing in the middle of the sidewalk.
With a casual sort of gentleness, she entered a small scooter shop, handed some of her muggle money, and came out with a black moped.

----
Cynder eyed the address to the house, and looked up at the road ahead of her, the Address hung up on a tall archway with a black crescent moon hanging down.
Cynder revved the moped and shot down the paved pathway, the smell of cherry blossoms filling her nostrils.

"Miss Dustypaws! It's really a pleasure! I'm glad you could come!"

"It's nice to visit. This was my... adopted father's place?"
Cynder eyed the tall woman, who had long black hair that was tied into a pony tail. It had long purple and gold streaks in it. The girl figured if the hair was let down all the way, it would easily hang to the woman's waist.

Veinna Crecent let Cynder into the cream-colored house. a wide smile on her long face.
Cynder was shocked that Veinna was what some called a 'redneck'. She seemed such a city woman, it surprised and scared Cynder.
Not only was her hair multicoloured, but Veinna had long eyelashes that shaped into what looked like peacock feathers. Her nails were long, painted bright purple, and the only western sort of thing about her was the long-sleeve plaid shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots.

"Feel free to look around. I have supper on right now."

With a small smile, Cynder nodded.
This was going to be interesting.

Cynder didn't really know what to expect today.
She hoped that the man would come, maybe....
But then again, he could be busy..

She reminded herself painfully that not everyone can have it their way- and for Cynder, that just sealed that she shouldn't hold her breath.

The dogs at her feet shifted, still begging for the full plate in front of their master.

Exhaling quietly, she turned her eyes onto the uneaten breakfast sitting on the table, and the expecting green eyes of Veinna staring at her from the other side of the table.

"Are you all right, dear? You've been sighing like that all day now... and even last night you seemed too pensive for your own good..."

Cynder frowned and pushed her plate away from her, the cold eggs and hashbrowns not striking her as delicious this morning.
She had no appetite today.

"Just thinking, Veinna. And I'm not really feeling well, so I'm not really hungry this morning. I'll just have a biscuit with some jelly or something on it for lunch in a bit."

Veinna scowled at first, but nodded as she watched Cynder pull on her boots and slip on her riding chaps.
Funny.... she did so in the same order that her father used to...

Cynder paused before leaving to start working with her horses, turning to look at her father's old friend and worker,
"And Veinna, we might have someone visiting today.... He might come, might not.... but if he does, just show him where I'll be, okay?"

The woman nodded, batting her feathery, peacock eyelashes, brushing her now purple hair out of her face.
"All right. Stay safe, Cynder. You know how nervous I get when you work around that big old Shire...."

"He's not just any Shire horse, Veinna, and he wouldn't hurt a fly- least of all me. Don't worry, I'll be fine... Come on, Zoe, Sam."

Cynder patted her jean-covered leg whilst calling for the dogs as she left, and the German Shepherd and Golden Retriver followed with wagging tails as Veinna watched on.

Cynder had walked the length of the old cream-colored house to the large and sturdy barn several fields away.

The dogs remained at her heels- and she was thankful that they did.
It was nice to have a companion out here.

The weather was as it nearly always was in Colorado- hot with a near cloudless sky.
Though today wasn't like the others. It seemed a bit less hot- like the sun wasn't giving out all it's strength. It seemed like the clouds that were there wanted to let out their rains... but they didn't.

Cynder paused and glanced up at the sky, a dull blue unlike what it normally was. I was just... one of those days.
Bi-polar Colorado seemed to be reflecting Cynder's own emotions.

She sighed as she opened up the barn, and walked down to a large stable, where she was greeted by a large black and and white snout that pressed wetly against her face when she patted it.

The girl laughed and stroked the short fur, looking at the soft brown eyes shimmering past the long black mane.

"Hey there, good boy... ready to get a ride in..?"

Cynder had hooked the large black Shire up to a railing on the outside of the large barn, where she soon fed the other whinnying and hungry horses, and let them out to roam in the pastures.

The one she had tied up to saddle, however, ate out of a bucket she had placed for him while she groomed and got him ready for a ride.

Exhaling, Cynder had to pull over the small wooden staircase to brush of the draft horse, who was over 18 hands tall which made him several feet higher then the girl's head.

The shapeshifter smiled quietly as she groomed him, singing softly to herself.

"Don't worry...
about a thing...
'cause every little thing
is 'gonna be all right.."


The horse tossed his head and Cynder laughed.

"All right, don't get restless, I'll go get the saddle."

Cynder tightened the strap over the horse's belly, stroking his fur gently.

"That's a good boy, Phantom. Yeah..."

She smiled.
At least she had companions like these animals... so kind, not at all caring about what she looks like or anything of the like..

She paused.
And thought of Matthew.

.... Oh... how would she answer him?

There was a thick, sad look on her face that spread quickly.
How would she answer him? She didn't want to hurt the boy, but...

The girl exhaled and shook her head, turning her thoughts away.

The German Shepherd let out a small bark from behind her, startling the girl out of her thoughts.
The young dog was prancing, ready to run with it's owner and the big horse. It nuzzled Cynder's hand.

"All right," She girl sighed, stroking it's fur, "Settle down please... it's like you've never been on a walk in your life...."
A chuckle, she glanced at the Golden Retriever, who was laying down with a tired look on it's face- it wasn't old, but it didn't seem to want to move.

"And you," Cynder addressed the animal, "Look quite thrilled. Fatso."

The ride had been fun, but the sun was setting.
She hadn't gotten anything done, not really.

Roping up the Shire Horse to a large post near the barn, over a large plate of concrete, Cynder frowned.
She looked at the watch strapped to her wrist and frowned.

Oh, what did she think..?
She scowled lightly and patted the large, sweat-coated horse who snuffled in the large bucket of grain and chewed loudly and messily.

"Oh you guys.."
Cynder spoke, utterly dismayed, and utterly sad,as she sat on a fencepost nearby, her back facing the horse.
The dogs padded up to her, and she stroked their fur, looking quite downtrodden.
"What did I actually think...? I knew he wouldn't come... I just had my hopes up..."

She shook slightly, forcing a sob down her throat.

A large nose shoved her forward, and with a squeal, the girl stumbled into the dirt-covered ground, the dogs scattering out of her path.
Standing, Cynder turned to look fumingly at the Shire.

"Hey!"

There was a pause. The horse looked her straight on before nuzzling her.
the girl gave a small smile.
She was dust-coated now- the dirt on her face smudged lightly.

".... oh, Phantom... I'm sorry... thank you, you only meant good.."
And she hugged his snout.
And she wept to herself.

There wasn't much to be done.
Not now.

Tears streaming down her face and leaving salty paths down her dust-coated cheeks, Cynder hummed to herself comfortingly.
The horse tossed his head and snorted loudly, pawing the ground with his hooves, clicking and scraping the concrete.

The dogs played in the water that the girl sprayed from the hose onto the black horse.
As the horse shook in the middle of his wash, Cynder laughed weakly as her whole front was soaked.
She could feel herself lightening up a bit. Just a bit...

The German Shepherd, Sam, leaped forward and nipped at her owner's fingers playfully.
The Golden Retriever stood under the shower of water dripping off of the draft horse's neck and chin.

And though Cynder still cried, there was a small weight off of her shoulders.
She did love those animals.

Cynder finished her work with her horse, and patted his still damp fur.
She smiled quietly at him.

He really was a pretty boy. His white-star and streaked head tossed, and his white feathers glimmered silently.
Yes, he really was beautiful...

She stroked his black coat and took his lead.
The dogs were obviously tired from their romping around, and they followed Cynder sullenly as she returned Phantom to his stable.

While in the barn, the girl filled the other horse's trays with grain, replaced the uneaten hay with new and sweet alfalfa, and had time to grab a cold coke from the fridge.

She sat outside the barn and sipped from the tall glass, her shirt still soaked through to the point where it was sticking loosely to her skin.
And she sat on the log she had made to a seat...
Oh.... Cynder... what had she thought..

Cynder had so much to think on.
She wished it were all gone.

Her sides shook slightly.
She had set her coke-a-cola next to her, and had taken her legs up to her chest.
She had hunched over, holding her legs close to her, putting her head on her knees.

And though it remained quiet, the Colorado sun setting in a brilliant display of orange, red, grey, and purple, Cynder cried to herself.
Overwhelmed by doubts, regrets, and thoughts she wished would leave.

Cynder didn't wait any longer.
He wouldn't be there. Well, at least... not tonight.

She wished he had come. But one can never promise.
And sometimes, hopes have to be left low.

Cynder wiped her eyes and finished her coke, straightening up and tossing the bottle in the recycle.
The dogs were slumped on the floor, fast asleep.
The girl leaned down and scooped up the still small-ish Shepherd in her arms.
The dog wagged her tail and yawned, leaning against her master's shoulder.
The Golden heaved herself to her feet and followed Cynder quietly.
Everything was silent, painful... but forgiving.
There was always tomorrow.

-------------

When Cynder returned to the house, Veinna was sitting at the table, her purple hair done up in a bun.
She turned and looked at Cynder, with glad eyes that turned to worry.

"Oh, Cyn!"

"It's all right, Veinna. Don't worry about me.."

"What on earth happened to you!?"

"... I got... thrown by Phantom. He spooked and I wasn't paying mind. Don't worry about me."

The girl began to make her way to her room, still holding onto that German Shepherd pup.
Veinna's voice stopped her.

"Your friend didn't come... is that why you were crying..?"

Cynder paused. Tears filled her eyes again and she nodded quietly.

"When I invited him to come on his own will...I thought... maybe... that he..."

"Cynder, Dear," Veinna spoke, walking forward to put a hand on Cynder's shoulder, "Things happen. Maybe he got a bit busy. After all, if you just invited him, maybe something more important came up and he couldn't get back to you."

"Maybe... but-"

"No buts, Cynder.."
The woman had kind eyes, and she smiled.
"Now.... your face is covered with dirt, and you're soaked to the bone. You go get cleaned up, and get to sleep.... and don't let those filthy dogs sleep in your bed.. all right?"

"All right, Veinna. Don't get your bun twisted in a knot. I'll have the dogs sleep on the floor."

And of course, Cynder didn't pay mind to Veinna's fussing over the dogs.
She merely tightened her grip on the Shepherd, and returned to her room, the Golden at her heels.

She cleaned herself up, changed into her night clothes, and slipped into her bed in the master bedroom.
The dogs slept cuddled up next to her on the bed.

Quietly, Snape strode to the doorstep and knocked quietly at the door. He checked over his shoulders several times, making sure he had not been followed. If the Dark Lord knew he were here... these people would be in grave danger... If the Headmaster were here, he'd be thrown into Azkaban faster than he could say his full name.
A woman with purple hair in a bun answered the door.
This must be Vienna, he thought.
She looked at him, frowning. "Can I help you?" she asked patiently. "Because it's too late for me to allow anyone to use the bathroom.
Snape's lips twitched, not knowing whether to smile or not. "I--" he stuttered. "I was supposed to be here a little earlier but..." Dumbledore held me up for a few hours "I had a lot of things to do. I was buried in a gallon of work. I'm here for Miss Dustypaws. You must be Vienn--"
"She-- You're her friend?" she said, frowning slightly. "It's about time," she whispered softly. "The girl had been waiting for you to arrive."
Snape stared at her, an apology clearly seen in his dark eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but was silenced immediately.
"You must mean a lot to her," she trailed off. "Excuse me but who are you again?"
"I'm Severus Snape." He didn't dare to say anything else. "Please, call me Severus."
"Well, Severus," she began. "You must mean a lot to her. She cried when you failed to arrive. She's asleep now..."
"Well, I was wondering if I could try and make it up to her now?" he said hesitantly. Sure she was doing to tell him otherwise, Snape turned around, readying himself to leave.
"Can it wait until the morning?" she asked to Snape's retreating figure.
"Yes," he replied. "Yes it can."
"Come on inside then."

After offering the man hot beverages, Vienna handed him a blanket and 2 pillows.
"You're sleeping on the couch," she said in a friendly tone. "That could be your punishment." Her voice was light and conversational. "Cyn's room is there, by the way." She pointed to a door that was slightly ajar. "Til the morning you said. Please don't wake her. Goodnight Severus, friend of Cyn's."
"Goodnight."

After several hours of tossing and turning, Snape stood up and silently made his way to the room which Vienna had told him was the one Cynder was in.
Her soft breathing almost made him jump. Such a delicate creature, she was.
Looking at her made him feel calm. He walked towards her and brushed her hair out of her face.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” he said to her sleeping being. “I really am.”
The girl groaned and tossed in her sleep; as if she were awake.
Smiling sadly, Snape sat on the chair beside her sleeping figure and laid his head against the head rest. “Goodnight,” he mumbled before he let his drooping, heavy, eyelids close, allowing him to relax in the safe darkness of his mind.

Quiet sunbeams shone through the white-framed window, dancing in it's path across the bed and onto the floor of the bright room.

The Golden Retriver had already slipped off the bed silently and was now laying in the warm glimmer of sun on the room floor, soundly asleep again.
The German Shepherd was laying stretched out on the bed, her head at the pillows, her soft dog eyes open.
Cynder had an arm under the dog, and another on top of her side, as if to hug the animal while she slept.

Slowly, the girl's eyes opened, met by the brown and black fur of the dog next to her.
She stroked the animal's fur, yawned, and turned her head to look at the window- though the sun was shining through the windows, it was only sunrise.
She heard a muffled whinny from the stables.

That was right... sun-up, feeding time..

Yawning again, Cynder turned her head back to the dog, closing her eyes momentarily.
When she shifted upwards on the pillows only slightly, there was a faint shape in the corner of her eye, to the side of her bed.
For a moment, she thought it was her black cat, Jiji, sitting on the headrest like he usually did..
but, no... that didn't seem right...
Again she thought, not bothering to turn her head toward the fuzzy shape in her peripheral vision. She reminded herself of the dog next to her, her fingers entwined in it's fur.
Thinking it was just a morning dizziness blurring the pup's black ear, she moved her hand, but found the weak, floppy ear fallen back- not where her eyes found that shadow of a figure.

Now fully aware and slightly frightened, Cynder pushed herself quietly into a sitting position, her heart pounding, to get a true look at what, or who, was there.

Her surprise forced her jaw to drop, her eyes to widen.

Snape!?

Cynder stared for a while before noting his peaceful breathing that signalled sleep.
She held her own breath, listening to her own pounding heart, to his breathing.
A smile curled on the girl's lips.

After several moments of silence on her part, she took a quick breath.
The German Shepherd seemed slow on the uptake of the man being there, as well, and began to give a low growl that Cynder silenced with a comforting touch.

After moving the dog, Cynder put her legs over the side of the bed, her night shirt on one side was hanging off of her shoulder, and her hair was fussed up in a messy manner. She wore black paw-print decorated boyshorts.
She remained silent as she picked up the Shepherd, set her down on her feet so she didn't wake the man in her clumsy attempts to jump off the bed, and stood herself.
Walking softly, her bare feet not making a sound on the floor of the room, she moved to her western-style dresser, picked out her clothes for the day, and snuck from the room.

-----

Veinna was still asleep in her own room, as the house was quiet and didn't smell of coffee just yet.
She changed in the bathroom by the hallway before slipping on her socks and boots.
The dogs licked at her hands, and the black cat mewled softly and rubbed against her legs.
Like the softly whinnying horses, they too were hungry.

She scooped the dry dog-food into the two bowls and mixed in some broth and beef-fat before moving on to spooning out the canned cat-food into Jiji's own little food dish, even sticking a few salted sardines into the mash.
She let the dogs eat in their normal place, by the kitchen table, and set the cat's dish by them.

"You guys be good and eat. And don't wake either Veinna or Severus up, you hear?" Cynder hissed softly to her animals.
They continued to eat.

Cynder snorted in amusement, and walked hurriedly to the barn to feed and let out the anxious horses.

------------

It didn't take her long. She merely dumped the buckets of feed in certain amounts depending on the horse, and opened their stalls to the pastures while they ate.

When she was finished, she patted Phantom's nose as he chewed, and made her way back to the house.


When she arrived again within a matter of ten minutes, she took off her boots, made her way to the room again, and sat quietly on the edge of her bed, petting her dogs while the cat curled up on a bookshelf.
And she watched the man quietly, her eyes gentle.
He had come... and if she were right, it had been last night.

She could feel her heart swell in joy.
Her smile was soft, but it grew quickly.
And she just watched him as he slept.

The house reeked of sorrow and sadness as he crossed the threshold to the house in Godric's Hollow. Holding his breath, Snape silently walked upstairs, following the sound of a crying baby. The Potter baby? Alive? Did the Dark Lord fail his mission?
Whilst walking up the stairs, a still figure caught his eye. The messy hair and the manly figure indicated that James Potter was dead; lying on the top stair.
Snape walked over his body and into the room in which the baby was now screaming.
Why didn't his eyes pop out of his head at this moment!? There she lay. Lily Evans. The woman of his dreams. The owner of his heart. Face down.
Now sobbing loudly, not caring who saw him, he broke down beside her body, picked her up and hugged her. She was still warm.
Back and forth, he rocked, crying and mourning her death immediately.
When he dared to steal one last look at her face before departing, something was wrong. She didn't look the same. Her face....wasn't hers. It was.....Cynder's.

Suddenly, he shot up in the chair he had fallen asleep in. Cold sweat beaded upon his forehead. He opened his eyes and was surprised at what he saw first.

Cynder.

He was staring straight into those beautiful chocolate brown irises.
A small smile played upon his lips.

Cynder's expression had shifted while she watched the man.
He seemed to be having a nightmare...
She would have woken him, but he jolted awake on his own, before she made up her mind.

Her expression was concerned. No one just wakes from a regular dream, or a gentle sleep in such a jump like that...

However, when he looked at her, her heart picked up speed. Her face flushed, and she turned her eyes away, like a child embarrassed about being caught stealing a cookie.

She didn't keep her eyes away for long, and soon looked back in his cold, black eyes.

"Are you all right..? You look like you had a terrible nightmare..."

a pause.

"... by the way.. thank you for coming. I... it means... a lot to me.."

(( -humms a little tune and drums her belly- .... waalllnnutttyyyy u hurr?

boo...booobobobooooooouutbboobobobo.
-drumdrumdrum-
bobobooootobtuuooooooobo


....
doopdoopboooooo
bodumdumdumdum
boooooo
bumbumbumbumbuuuuummmm
bumbumbumbumbummmmmmm ))

Still shaken by the dream, Snape wiped the cold sweat off of his forehead with the sleeve of his robe.
"A dream and memory all in one," he said quietly, trying to forget what he saw.
Cynder's face... was the face of his dead love in his dream.
It was just a dream, he reminded himself. Just a dream.
His hands began to tremble as the picture of the dead Cynder in his arms ceased to leave in his thoughts.
STOP, he urged himself. The girl is in front of you. And is alive. STOP!

After a fight with his own conscience, a smile curved upon Snape's lips. A fake one which hid true horror behind his features.

"Well, I couldn't let you come alone, could I?" Crouch could have came and done something dangerous to you, he added in his thoughts.

At first, Cynder gave a pensive look, her eyes going stony and cold, as if zoning out.

A sharp pain shot through her chest, where the black pawprint mark sat over her heart.
A hand rose to her chest instantly, a grimace shooting over her face before she masked it as if she had been bitten by a bothersome fly.

Her hand rested still over her chest, her fingers touching the aching print.

Though the girl searched the man's expressions with a worried, stony look, she could find nothing.
Instead, she gave up and smiled wide, happily, joyously.

The Golden at her feet gave a grunt-like sound and pushed her muzzle under the girl's free hand, reminding her to keep petting.

"Thank you..." Cynder spoke carefully... gently.
The quietness gave way to laughter, and her eyes teared up in thankfulness.
"Thank you..!"

Swallowing the joyous tears, the girl gave a giddy, quirky grin, her eyes twinkling.

"Would... would you like to go riding today Sev...?"

Cynder seemed to realize what she called the man, and caught herself quickly, speaking in a rushed breath.
"er... if.. that's okay if I call you that.... sir..?"

Snape laughed with her until their laughter died down.
He saw how her expression changed when she called him "Sev" and he smiled sadly. That's what Lily used to call him.
"You can call me whatever you like outside of the school grounds, Miss Dustypaws," he said through a toothless grin. "And riding?" He looked puzzled for an instant. He stood up and spun carefully on the spot. "Wouldn't the horse trample on my robes?"

Cynder blinked, her eyes twinkling again.
She lowered her hand from her chest and put it on the Shepherd pup's head, who panted happily as the girl scratched her behind the ear.

"Well, before I continue anything else... I want you to know that you're always free to call me Cynder, or Cyn.... in or out of school, it doesn't matter."
The kind look in her eyes shone plainly like a light in a dark room, like a flickering candle illuminating her face with bright and lovely light.

"As for the problem of your robes..."

Cynder eyed Snape for a moment before standing herself.
She looked him up and down for a moment before putting a hand to her chin, as if in thought.
She muttered quietly to herself before nodding and smiling.

"My adopted Papa used to buy all sorts of clothing sizes and keep them in a large closet he kept in this house. He said he did so for any visitors to the ranch who either boarded a horse here or just came to visit... he knew that a lot of people didn't own many of these clothes, and he didn't want people to be caught unprepared and then be uncomfortable while riding. If you want, you can change into something different..."
A pause, and the girl raised her gaze to look Snape in the eye.

"Or... or if you want, you can doubt up and ride with me... Phantom is a big boy, so i don't think if you were on him that he could even come close to stepping on your robes."

Another grin, and a tilted head, Cynder lowered her hand.
Yes... that would be nice...~

After a few moments, Snape whispered her name. "Cynder. I will call you Cynder," he said a little louder. "Cynder," he said once more, confidently.
Straightening up, he cupped Cynder's face between his two hands. "Well, I wouldn't mind changing into different clothes and since I haven't had any experience with riding a horse," he said while looking embarrassed, "I suppose a teensy weensy ride with you would help me uh...get used to the feeling of riding a horse instead of a broom," he smirked.

A smile shone across the girl's face as Snape spoke her name over a few times before speaking it with confidence.

She felt a sincere and adoring grin roll over her face as he agreed to both changing and riding with her.

"Well~" she giggled, putting a hand on his and giving it a soft squeeze, "The clothes are in the closet behind the bookshelf in here. The muggle story of Cinderella will open it if you remove it. All of the clothes are equally sorted by size. The boots are in the drawer under the pants."

A sheepish grin, Cynder closed her eyes before looking the man right in the eyes.

"I'll pack something to eat and pad Phantom up. It would be too awkward to ride one on a saddle and one without, so we can go bareback... I'll be at the red barn just a bit away from here...."
A soft gaze, Cynder removed Snape's hands from her face, nodded slightly, and grinned.

"To get there, You can walk, take the motorbike, or... well, my broom's in the clothes closet too. You can fly if you don't let Veinna see you.... she's got not a clue about our world."

A wink, Cynder grinned happily before turning, slipping her boots back on, and walking to the room door.

"Thanks for doing this with me~"

-----------

Cynder loaded the saddle bags with biscuits, hot water with packets of tea, sandwiches, apples, jam... all sorts of things.
She even pulled from her stash of wizarding food- chocolate frogs, cauldron cakes, things of the like.
She took three large canteens of water, and two large goblets.
She even went to the lengths of packing a bottle of rich wine, and a jug of firewhiskey.... that is, if Snape wanted some.
Cynder didn't drink, so she had no plans on using her own cup.

She threw the saddlebags on the horse and made sure they were secure before taking the bit and reigns to the animal.
She stuck her thumbs into his mouth until she found the empty space between his teeth near the back of the mouth, pushed her thumbs in, and pressed on his tongue until he opened his mouth.
She slipped the metal bit into his mouth in that moment, made sure his bridal was secure, and patted his nose.

The Golden wagged her tail by the girl's feet.
... now.. where was the Shepherd..?

----------

The Shepherd pup had stayed behind in the room with Snape, and eyed him warily, as if to tell him that a wrong move would make her bite him.
However, her large puppy paws and floppy ears didn't post much of a threat, and instead just made her seem more affectionate.

She gave a sturdy whine to the man and layed down, her brown eyes still watching him.

(( NOTES:
Phantom is a male shire horse. He's black with white 'socks' on all of his legs, and thick feathers. He has a white nose streak up to a star on his forehead. He stands roughly taller then 18 hands (About 6'6" from shoulder to hoof) and weighs easily over a ton. He's kind and comical, and rarely spooks.
A few reference pics: http://planetbyde.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/shire-horse.jpg
http://www.horseforum.com/attachments/52258d1294980381-unique-horse-colors-black-forest-shire.jpg
https://2img.net/h/i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff179/silkynflame/Nature/shirehorse2.jpg ))

Snape smiled and nodded to her as she left.
The muggle story Cinderella, did she say? Snape walked to the bookcase and looked for the story. Jack and the Beanstalk, Pinocchio, The 3 Little Pigs, Snow White and ah... Cinderella. He slowly tugged the book out of the bookcase and voila, it opened, revealing a large closet of clothes.
He stepped into this closet and reached for the closest thing he could grab. A growl from behind him stopped him. A puppy sat a few steps behind him on the ground, staring at him with her large eyes.
Snape reached for a yellow checkered shirt but was growled at. Bright coloured shirt after bright coloured shirt, the puppy growled at him. Due to the fear of being bitten by this cute doggy, Snape pointed at a black polo shirt, readying himself for the growl but....no growl. Smiling, he placed the polo shirt in the bed and went back inside the closet. A black pair of jeans caught his eye and he stole a look at the pup. She was staring at the jeans too and when he went to grab it, the pup barked happily.
Quickly, he changed into his clothes which the pup had helped him select. Nervously, he stood up and headed towards the mirror.
His reflection looked nothing like him. The man in the mirror looked... almost handsome. The sculpted arms and chest. The broad shoulders.
Another growl. He looked at the pup through the mirror and she seemed to be staring at his hair. Maybe she wanted him to do something with it?
He pulled his wand out of his robes and began to bush his dark, black hair before he tied it up behind his neck. Lazily, he flicked his wand towards the Cinderella book and it flew into the bookcase, causing it to close.
“Wow! You really do clean up well,” said Vienna as she peeked through the door.
Snape stared at her as if she had found him naked.
“You look nice, don’t worry,” she sighed. “I just came up here to tell the Shepherd to keep it down. Sorry for interrupting,” she apologised as she headed back into the kitchen.
Smiling at her compliment, Snape quickly found a pair of black boots in the drawer and presented himself to the pup. She barked happily once more meaning Snape was good enough to go riding with Cynder now. He told Vienna he was going to ride with Cynder as she wouldn’t let him leave without breakfast, causing her to raise her eyebrows. “Have fun,” she said playfully before she continued baking croissants.

Walking to the destination in which he was going to meet Cynder was a very nice, long relaxing stroll. He breathed in the beautiful fresh oxygen and stared at the farmland. Never in his life had he seen this type of nature. Never.
He saw her. Cynder. She was standing with a beautiful horse which looked like it was wearing white shoes. Chortling, Snape strided towards her.
“Do I look alright?” he asked, feeling embarrassed and silly.