A/N - Written for Round 8 of the QLFC. We all had to write fluff this round and I had to include the Resurrection Stone. The stone got into the ring that Marvolo Gaunt wore somehow, so this where my musings about that went. Hope you enjoy!
Merric Gaunt ambled slowly down the streets of Diagon Alley, his mind on his future bride and not the business that his father had insisted they were here to conduct. Merric didn't know what the business was, in any case, and his beautiful Calliope was a much more interesting subject on which to dwell. It wasn't until his father's sharp tone interrupted his thoughts that he realized he had lagged rather far behind.
"Come Merric," his father snapped and the young man quickly shook his head to clear it and followed his father up the steps of Gringotts.
Ensconced safely in the cart after only a few moments, Malcolm Gaunt's formidable presence enough to hurry even the surliest of the goblins, Merric allowed his thoughts to drift once again. His father never spoke on the journey to the vault. Merric suspected it had something to do with the many drops and loops they travelled as they made their way into the farthest depths of the bank. His father would never admit this of course and Merric was smart enough to know it should not be mentioned either.
At last they arrived and once the vault was open, his father ushered Merric inside. He instructed the goblin to wait and father and son made their way to the very back of the large space.
"There is something that I have not shown you," Malcolm explained and Merric looked at him questioningly. "But as you are soon to be married and my heir, you need to know." His father drew his wand and spoke an incantation. He drew his wand over the wall in front of them and a door shimmered into existence. Smirking at his son's surprised expression, Malcolm wrenched open the heavy door and gestured for Merric to look inside.
Merric's jaw dropped as he did so. Although their vault was full of gold and jewels, as well as many family heirlooms, this tiny room seemed to hold more treasures than the entire larger room outside. His father gently pushed Merric inside and then shut the door behind them. There was barely enough room for the two of them to move around.
"Now, there is something I must tell you, however, I need your word as a wizard and my son that this information will go no further," Malcolm said seriously. "You cannot even tell your mother."
"Yes, sir," Merric answered automatically.
"I have brought you here to choose not only your future bride's ring, but one for yourself as well," Malcolm said solemnly.
"My-myself?" Merric questioned in confusion. "But surely Calliope-" Merric trailed off as his father held up a hand.
"The Selwyns have not," his father paused and sighed, "managed their fortune as they should have the last few years." Merric's eyes widened. "Miss Selwyn's grandfather liked to gamble." Merric's mouth opened once, twice, then closed again as he tried to process what his father was telling him. How was that possible? Calliope always wore the finest made robes in the latest fashions. Both she and her mother were always draped in jewels and other finery.
"I don't understand," Merric finally said.
"We are wizards Merric," his father replied. "Things are not always as they appear."
"But, you agreed to the match," Merric continued. Although arranged marriages among pure-bloods were the norm, Merric had fallen hopelessly in love with Calliope Selwyn the first time he had laid eyes on her at age eleven when they both stood in line and waited for their turn to wear the Sorting Hat. Still, Merric knew there were dowries and all kinds of other things that were considered before a contract was drawn up and agreed to. His father would have never done that knowing that the Selwyns were essentially penniless. His father sighed again.
"The property they have offered as a dowry was sufficient," Malcolm explained. "And the Selwyns are still a highly respected pure-blood family. As for the rest," he trailed off and Merric was shocked to see faint red spots appear on his father's cheeks. Biting his lip to keep from laughing in surprise, Merric waited until his father had recovered himself. Malcolm cleared his throat and hardened his expression, clasping his hands behind his back.
"As for the rest," he said again. "You are in love with the young lady, are you not?"
"Yes, Father," Merric replied. His father shrugged one shoulder as if that explained everything.
"Miss Selwyn is unaware of her current circumstances," Malcolm continued, straightening to his full height. "Therefore, you will choose a ring for yourself which I will then give to her father. Your bride will assume it came from her own vaults and I expect you to act as such when she presents it to you." Merric shifted uncomfortably. He did not like keeping things from Calliope, but knew this truth would only devastate her and so nodded his head in agreement.
"Very good," Malcolm said. He waved his wand and a large flat box floated towards them. Malcolm opened it and saw there was all manner of rings and jewels settled within it. He immediately found one that would be perfect for his future wife, but the men's selection was much smaller. And, if he were truthful, not at all attractive. At his father's impatient huff, Merric finally settled on a heavy, gold ring with a large red stone.
Malcolm narrowed his eyes in confusion at his son's choice, but Merric simply shrugged. The ring was more crudely made than some of the others, but it wasn't quite as large and had a unique look that the others lacked.
"But it is so…crude," his father said doubtfully. "Look at the way the gold is carved. There are rings here with much better craftsmanship."
"It is unique and different," Merric argued. "The others are all the same." There was a pause as father studied son.
"You are sure?" his father questioned.
"Yes sir," Merric answered and his father nodded once before sending the box back to its shelf. Malcolm held out his hand for both rings and Merric dutifully handed them over. His father clapped him on the shoulder and the two exited the vault and climbed back into the cart with the goblin.
A few days later, Merric was summoned to the gardens by his mother.
"Hello, darling," his mother said after he had greeted her. "Sit down please." Merric sat down next to her on the stone bench. She took one of his hands in hers and gave him a very serious look.
"What is it Mother?" Merric asked, immediately concerned. "Are you well?"
"Oh yes, I am fine, my son," she replied with a smile. "But there is something I need to tell you. It is about Calliope." Merric's heart started beating faster in his chest. His mother patted his hand before she continued.
"The Selwyns," his mother paused and cleared her throat. "The Selwyns are not as well-off as they would lead one to believe." Merric's mouth dropped open in shock, not because he was not aware of this information, but because his mother was.
"I know, darling, I know," his mother said quickly, mistaking the origin of his surprise. "Your father is unaware of this and I do not advise that you tell him. I do not wish him to make any rash decisions."
"But," was all Merric could manage. How on earth did his mother know? She sighed dramatically.
"Madame Selwyn came to me just after you had asked for Calliope's hand," his mother explained. "She was distraught, knowing how her daughter felt about you. She thought sure that your father would refuse, once he knew the true picture of things. I promised to help and I have been supplying Calliope with gowns and robes ever since." Well that explained a few things.
"Mother, how could Father not be aware?" Merric asked, wondering just what Madame Selwyn had said.
"Madame Selwyn had property of her own that she brought to her marriage," his mother explained. "She offered it to her husband as Calliope's dowry and your father accepted. I believe he thinks that is just the beginning of her fortune. Once you are married, there will be nothing he can do." Merric remained silent.
"I know how much you love Calliope and she is a lovely girl, my Merric," his mother said, putting a hand to his cheek. "But her mother has told me that there is no ring. So I have something for you." She put a hand in the pocket of her robes and pulled out a small box. She handed it to Merric. Opening it, he saw a ring sitting inside. The ring itself was hideously ugly, even worse than the ones that Merric had looked through in his own vault. The stone, however, was very intriguing. It appeared to be onyx and looked like two double pyramids stuck together at the bases. There was an etching on the front, although it was difficult to make out.
"That is the Peverell Coat of Arms," his mother said proudly. "My great-grandfather fashioned it himself."
"It's … wonderful Mother, thank you," Merric said.
"I will give it to Madame Selwyn and she will give it to Calliope to present to you," his mother announced.
"But won't Calliope know that it did not come from her vaults, if she sees the Coat of Arms?" Merric asked, trying to find a way out of the predicament he was in.
"I'm sure Madame Selwyn will think of something," his mother said waving away his concerns.
"But, surely Father will recognize it," Merric protested. His mother got a sly grin on her face.
"Ah, but that is the beauty my son," she said. "Your father does not know of the existence of this ring, or the significance of the etching. My mother gave it to me just before she passed and I have kept it hidden ever since. I had always intended to give it to you, but I knew you would not be able to wear it openly. This will be the perfect solution. But you must not tell your father of course. It will be our secret."
"Perfect solution," Merric repeated. "Of course Mother, thank you." He bent and kissed her cheek, then rose and offered her his hand. She took it and then tucked her arm in his as they strolled through the gardens toward the house.
Merric sighed as he looked at the two rings lying on the desk in front of him. He had asked his father if he could take another look at the ring he had chosen from the vault before Malcolm gave it to Calliope's father. Thinking that his son wanted to change his mind about the ring he had chosen, Malcolm heartily agreed. Merric had told his mother a similar tale and she had smiled proudly assuming that he wished to examine the family heirloom more closely. The question now was how was he going to pass one off as the other?
Merric remembered his father's comments about the rudimentary fashion of the ring from the Gaunt vault. He hadn't mentioned the stone at all and Merric wondered if he'd even noticed it. His mother had only remarked about the stone in the ring she had given him and said nothing about the setting. Perhaps…yes, that was entirely possible.
Merric picked up the Peverell ring and studied how the stone fit into the setting. Pulling his wand from his sleeve, he muttered a spell over the ring and the stone slowly separated itself from the gold below. Smiling widely, he set the onyx stone on the desktop and then turned to the Gaunt ring. This one was a bit trickier, but the third spell he chose successfully detached the large red stone from the simple gold setting. He set that stone aside and picked up the Peverell stone turning it once in his hand before settling it into the Gaunt setting. A few whispered spells and the stone seemed to be attached quite firmly.
Smiling at his ingenuity, Merric tucked the Gaunt stone and the Peverell setting into his pocket, then placed the newly formed ring in the box his father had taken from their vault. He didn't think the large red stone would fit into the more delicate setting from the ring his mother had given him, but perhaps he could fashion something if he studied it a bit. Grinning, he called for a house elf, which bowed and took the offered box to return it to Malcolm.
A few weeks later, at the formal party to announce their engagement, Merric happily opened the box presented to him by his fiancé, sliding the ring on to his finger and kissing her hand in thanks. His mother smiled widely at him and his father dipped his head in acknowledgement. Neither of them appeared aware of the switch he had made and now he wore treasures from both his ancestors. He brashly took hold of Calliope's hand and kissed the back of it once again before leading her to the middle of the ballroom for a dance.