Chapter originally posted on September 17th 2018
Severus Snape, April 12th — June 19th, 1993
The last weeks after he'd slain the Basilisk were relatively satisfying to Severus. He didn't show any of it in the classes, of course: he still deducted points (especially from the Gryffindors), berated the them (especially the Gryffindors), made snide and caustic remarks (especially to the Gryffindors) and sneered at them all. He actually managed to make a third-year girl cry (A Hufflepuff, which wasn't as satisfying as making a Gryffindor cry, but one could hardly expect everything to go perfectly, right? Right.)
He'd sold some of the Basilisk parts and make a nice amount of Galleons to deposit into his otherwise quite empty vault at Gringott's. He'd spent a small amount on an interesting book and a fine-quality silver cauldron to his home laboratory, but saving most of the money for a rainy day, something he'd barely been able to do before: he'd actually quadrupled the meagre amount of money in his vault. He'd also acquired various rarer ingredients in trades, and he'd managed to snatch a few of the smaller Basilisk fangs for rare and valuable Basilisk venom for his own experiments.
He'd sent the Basilisk's hide to a professional who'd used some of it to craft him a pair of gloves. The man had taken some of the hide as payment for the work and paid for the rest of it: another large pouch of golden Galleons for Gringott's, Severus smirked. The gloves would resist magic and potions better than dragonhide, yet the gloves would be supple and his hands wouldn't sweat in them. They'd most likely last a lifetime.
Hermione hadn't been as satisfied. She seemed to detest the attention she received from her schoolmates, and preferred not to speak about the matter. The others seemed to find it odd, but it was written off as modesty as well as a traumatic experience.
Ginevra Weasley seemed to bounce right back: she had apparently gotten over the jealousy she'd felt towards Potter, and she, as well as a blonde Ravenclaw first-year called Lovegood, were integrated tighter into the growing group around Potter.
Lucius Malfoy lost his place in the board of governors and Lockhart had been sent to St. Mungo's: the man seemed half out of his mind. Severus had seen him stop by a mirror once, address it and tell his own image 'You are very pretty, you know,' after which he'd spent quite a while trying to chat his own reflection off. The Charmed mirror had been incredibly confused, and when Madam Pomfrey had managed to wrestle Lockhart back to his bed, Severus had locked himself into an empty storage room, cast a Muffliato and laughed so much he had to wipe tears out of his eyes. The Ministry sent temporary replacements for the Petrified Aurora as well as the incapacitated Lockhart. The Auror who'd replaced Lockhart for the final weeks was about to retire anyway, and had specialised in training rookie Aurors: he was loud, obnoxious, and the students had probably never been as exhausted as after his lessons. Potter, of course, was thrilled.
Albus cancelled the exams as a 'school treat', which made the staff at least as happy as the students: nobody liked grading exams. The O.W.L.'s and the N.E.W.T.'s would be sat, of course, but the Ministry graded those exams. Truthfully Severus had been torn between telling Albus that Hermione would be disappointed about exams being cancelled, but he decided she'd just have to get over it: and Minerva and Filius as well as some others had already progressed far beyond the second-year syllabus with her, giving her extra exams at every turn: the girl loved her exams, although she revised like a witch possessed for them. Still, her moan of disappointment over the loud cheering from the others was apparent when Albus announced there would be no exams. It was easier for everyone, really, with two teachers incapacitated, others taking care of Hagrid's duties, and two students Petrified in the hospital wing already behind in their studies and needing extra tutoring.
On the 29th the Mandrakes were finally large enough to be cut: after a long day of brewing Poppy administered the cure for the Petrified. Not even Hagrid protested over the Basilisk's death, although the half-giant was usually the first one to try and adopt every monster: being Petrified by a Basilisk was apparently experience enough. Potter's little gang brought Fang to the the hospital wing's doors, and the man and his dog greeted each other enthusiastically. The others were no worse for wear when they came around, although they were all feeling a bit stiff in the muscles and joints, and Severus had also brewed doses of muscle relaxants for them. Albus decided to celebrate this event with another feast: nobody was really surprised, knowing how much Albus enjoyed his celebratory feasts.
After the exams were declared cancelled, Potter was having a hard time getting her friends to concentrate on their studies. Since there was no need to revise for exams, the students spent their spare time wandering around, and Potter's occasionally shrill voice could be overheard all over the school, nagging at them bossily to get back to their books. It was, for the large part, useless: the staff, however, was quite entertained hearing Hermione Potter in her nag mode.
Draco Malfoy's birthday on the fifth of June was celebrated in large scale at the Quidditch pitch. The boy received a large present from his mother, but apparently nothing from his father, who was still extremely outraged. The younger Malfoy didn't seem to mind: the presents he received from his friends across the Houses were very likely to be modest and humble compared to what the pampered boy was used to receiving, but the boy seemed to rejoice in everything. Hermione had invited many of Malfoy's fellow Slytherins as well as the usual Gryffindor-gang, and the invitation had been accepted with moderate grace, although Severus was quite certain it was most likely out of respect for Malfoy rather than Potter. Still, the Quidditch teams for the birthday game were drawn from lots, and thus Nott and Zabini found themselves playing for a team with the Muggle-born Harry Granger as their Seeker.
Meanwhile on the ground level Hermione Potter had arranged a cheerleading team consisting of herself, Luna Lovegood, Ginevra Weasley and Neville Longbottom. After a while they actually managed to drag Pansy Parkinson into the cheering line, which led by Potter seemed to make up their movements as they went along. They were eventually dragged down by Longbottom, who managed to trip over his own feet and brought the others down like a pile of dominoes.
Longbottom's and Ginevra Weasley's birthday was celebrated close on the 17th of June, since they'd both have their birthdays during the summer — Severus hadn't bothered to find out the exact date. Hermione had asked him to come as one of the supervisors but Severus refused to attend a Gryffindor birthday: still, Potter brought him a fine selection of delicacies after the event, and Severus guessed she'd stored some of the best pieces for him from the table. The girl was in very apparent hero worship mode, though she tried to be subtle: she was true a Gryffindor, about as transparent as a sheet of glass and as subtle as an axe. Severus could do nothing but sneer and bare it: he'd never been made into a hero by an adolescent and the feeling was very uncomfortable. The treats from the Longbottom-Weasley-birthday were, however, extremely satisfying, and there was enough to last him several days: he'd never eaten a lot.
Gryffindor, unfortunately, managed to snatch the House Cup this year by a small margin: Severus lost his small wager, but this year he could afford it, and he slipped the Galleons off in good grace. Hermione Potter graced the leaving feast with a song: she sang the 'Scarborough Fair', an ancient Wizarding song describing miraculous deeds and a potion. Muggles had adapted a simpler, shorter version of it and it was quite popular, but the Wizarding version was longer and much more fascinating. The students and staff were in awe as her clear, beautiful voice soared in the Great Hall: even many of the ghosts had gathered to hear her sing.
Finally, on the last day of term, the students were sent off to Hogsmeade for their train ride back to London. Hermione seemed much more exited this year, when she wasn't being sent back to the Dursley's: she'd be picked up from London by Lupin and Jones, who'd escort her to the Order's safe house for the summer.
Severus Snape, June 22nd, 1993
Severus had spent a few days at mandatory meetings with the rest of the staff, cleaning his storage cupboards and transporting his items to Spinner's End, but he'd also dedicated some of his time to research Potter's Invisibility Cloak. The item was a marvel, Severus thought jealously as he examined it carefully: in pristine condition despite the years of use, the enchantments supreme, its weave of the finest quality. He had no idea how much one would have had to pay for such an item.
He sighed and undressed, heading to bed after a quick shower. The dungeons were still chilly though the weather outside was relatively warm: Severus burrowed his way under his various blankets and sighed, whispered "Nox" to extinguish the last light, closing his exhausted eyes.
Invisibility Cloaks were rare and valuable, and their enchantments usually wore off quite soon. And James Potter with his gang, playing with it like it was a toy, tormenting him with it. This rare, valuable... Hermione treated it with more respect than Potter ever had. Respect, like an object of such fine make would deserve.
His mind began to drift to his childhood, moments drifting by, and he forcefully shifted his focus away from the torment he'd been subjected to at Hogwarts. He tried to remember how he'd read in the attic of Spinner's End, reading through the old books belonging to his mother. Her old books of Wizarding fairy tales, the Tales of Beedle the Bard...
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open in the dark, and his black eyes darted around the ceiling. His hand snatched his wand, and hi cast Lumos, staggering out of bed in a fumble of covers and sheets. He'd hidden the Invisibility Cloak into a cupboard that he'd enchanted, protecting it from house-elves, creatures and humans alike. He quickly dismantled the protections and took the cloak into his shaking hands.
Could it be? Was it? It couldn't it, could it? They were a legend, surely?
It had to be. He was holding in his hands one of the Deathly Hallows: the Cloak of Invisibility.
Remus Lupin, June 19th — June 29th, 1993
The safe house was filled with people on the date when Hermione's train arrived from Hogwarts. They cheered when Remus and Hestia arrived with Hermione, who was securely clutched by Hestia for side-along Apparition, and many rushed outside or to the door to welcome her in. Molly Weasley had prepared a welcoming feast, though she herself had left earlier to welcome her own children and take them to the Burrow. Hermione received a multitude of hugs from all around the Order, along with congratulations for slaying the Basilisk. She seemed reluctant to accept them or even talk about it.
Life settled to a new routine relatively easily for Hermione: she worked hard on her homework, finishing up essay after essay, browsing her books and on occasion asking someone to pick up a book or three for her from the Hogwarts library. Her essays were much longer than required, often exceeding the length by several scrolls, although Snape groaned in pain when he saw the essay he'd set on Shrinking Potions: a whole scroll more than he'd ordered. Lupin had begun giving her extra tutoring a week after she'd arrived from the school: he would have given her a longer time to rest, but Hermione was having none of it, claiming that working was actually a holiday for her. Albus had promised Remus that he might be able to take Hermione to Hogwarts by floo so that she might practise defensive spells with her wand, not just in theory.
She sent and received letters frequently: an odd one here and there from Harry Granger, who'd gone with his parents to France, and an occasional one from Ron and Ginny Weasley. Her most frequent correspondence seemed to be with Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy: both only children of pure-blood families and trained on writing letters. Harry Granger and Ronald Weasley seemed to be closest to each other, but Neville and young Draco Malfoy seemed to consider her their best and closest friend. She wrote to them in turn, and Remus was quite certain a lot of it consisted of badgering them to do their essays, though he never pried.
Severus and Albus became much more frequent at the safe house a week after the term had ended: Albus had already settled to hiring Rubeus Hagrid to teach Care of Magical Creatures, and was currently trying to negotiate for the next Professor for Defence. Apparently the substitute they'd had for Lockhart was very competent, although Albus told them that his lessons could be heard two floors up and down before they'd cast some spells to silence his loud voice. The man was keen to retire, and Albus would probably have to use a lot of persuasion to convince him to stay. As of now, though, he considered other things to be of more importance.
A meeting for the Order of the Phoenix was called on the 29th of June. Hermione had been sent upstairs with a some new books for a school assignment, and the adults crowded into a meeting room. As they settled around the table and Molly Weasley bustled around pouring tea and offering sandwiches and cakes, Albus stood up and called them to order. He had already briefed them on the discovery and subsequent destruction of the first Horcrux — although the Horcruxes were to be kept a secret from Hermione — and Lucius Malfoy's involvement in the attempt.
"And yet his son is befriending her," Doge protested, his voice accusatory. "No good will come of it!"
"He means her no harm, Elphias," Albus said calmly. "I have peeked into his mind. He might have been asked to befriend her, but their friendship is genuine."
"You used Legilimency on a boy, Albus?" Hestia chided the Headmaster. "He's only a boy!"
"I was very careful and he never noticed me. My first duty is to protect her..."
"Isn't your first duty to the school and all the students?" Hestia snapped.
Albus shook his head. "Hermione is the most important person for this war. She is also my ward, under my legal care, not to mention I love her like she was my own child. I did no harm to young Draco, I only gauged his emotions and intentions towards Hermione."
"And what were those?" Elphias asked.
"Friendship and loyalty. He is Slytherin and does feel that friendship with her may profit him one day, but he also truly cares for her. As well as the others in the group," Albus added, gazing at Molly and Arthur.
Molly nodded. "Ginny, Ron, Fred and George have all said that he's become a good friend to all, including Harry Granger. If the boy cares not a whit about Harry being a Muggle-born, nor how bad things have been between the Malfoys and the Weasleys then he's a fine boy, especially compared to his parents," she said with a derisive sniff. "We've only met him a few times at King's Court and at Diagon Alley, but he's been polite, unlike his father."
"Whatever Lucius' ambitions are, Draco isn't taking part in his plans, at least not voluntarily," Albus said. "However, I shall not let her visit Malfoy Manor or any other of the Malfoy estates. Lucius is a Death Eater, and a loyal one at that, but Draco is not his father. Wouldn't you agree, Severus?"
"Yes," Snape said from the corner he'd taken. His chair was pushed back against a wall the farthest away from everyone, his black eyes as cold as ever, his face emotionless. "I have no doubt that Lucius will be playing for the other side. Of course, if things get rough for them, his first and furthermost loyalty is always to himself and to his family."
"So he'll switch sides if they begin to loose?" Shacklebolt asked.
"Likely so," Severus concurred. "Or at least try to appear neutral." The expressions on the faces of the other people showed exactly how they felt, and Remus remembered what James had once said: 'Slytherins are always like that... taking care of themselves first, then their family and money. Nothing else really matters to them!'
"Back to the Horcruxes," Albus said. "The first one is, as I told you earlier, gone. After Hermione told me about the memory of Tom she'd met in the Chamber of Secrets, I got an idea of where another Horcrux might be hidden. Tom Riddle was the son of Merope Gaunt and a Muggle also called Tom Riddle. Merope in turn was the daughter of Marvolo Gaunt, and Tom's middle name comes from him. I believe there is a good chance that one of the Horcruxes may be hidden in the old homestead of Marvolo Gaunt."
"Which one?" Daedalus Diggle inquired.
"I do not know, not yet," Albus said. "I shall see soon. It is a logical place to hide one. The cottage has been abandoned for years. I intend to go looking for it."
"I shall accompany you," Kingsley said in his usual calm manner.
"Me too," Remus said. "There might be traps laid there. It's good to have backup."
Albus nodded slowly. "I intended to go alone, but you might be right. Severus, would you also accompany us? You're the best expert we have on Dark Arts."
"As you wish," Severus said quietly.
"Kingsley, you have the busiest schedule of us all. Can you arrange a time for us all to meet? I think we should move as soon as possible, now that we have the means to destroy the Horcrux."
"Shall we continue searching for alternative means?" Emmeline Vance asked.
"In smaller scale, perhaps," Albus said. "We do have a good amount of Basilisk fangs: I have brought a few, and I shall leave them here, readily available in case someone needs one. Right now it would be detrimental to find out what the other Horcruxes are and who has them. If Lucius had one, the other loyal Death Eaters might have some as well. Severus, can you give a list of every name in the Dark Lord's inner circle you know of, dead as well as those alive today, and all the names you know of those who are not in the inner circle?"
Severus nodded curtly, and Albus continued, "I believe those of you in a position of do so could keep an eye on the people on that list. Find out who they are, where they live, and if they'd be in possession of a Horcrux, where might they have hidden it."
"On that note," Arthur Weasley interrupted, "I hope you won't mind that Molly and I won't be of much help this summer. It just so happens I've won the Daily Prophet draw, and with the money Molly and I shall take the children to Egypt, to see our Bill."
The congratulations from everyone except Severus interrupted the conversation for quite a while. Molly was obviously thrilled, and Arthur beamed: the Weasleys were not a well-off family, and they hadn't had a proper holiday in years.
"A holiday will do you good," Albus said. "Do go freely and enjoy yourselves, you have earned it!"
"Thank you," Arthur said. "We shall be leaving in about three weeks."
Severus Snape, June 29th, 1993
After the meeting Severus took the Invisibility Cloak upstairs, where Miss Potter had been doing her work. The chit was sprawling on the floor, her wild and frizzy hair sticking to every direction, wearing clothes that looked very loose and comfortable, and twirling her quill in her hands as she read from three books at once, her eyes jumping from one to another as she scanned the lines. She looked up as Severus opened the door, and her face lit up with a delighted smile.
"Professor!" she exclaimed, "You're here!"
"I am, Miss Potter, although temporarily for now. I've come to return your cloak."
"My cloak...? Oh, the Invisibility Cloak! Did you like it?"
"It's a cloak, Potter, an invisible one. I've kept it safe for you. I have devised a series of Charms that will keep your Cloak safe, although I shall have to teach them to you some other time, when you can practise with your wand and actually cast the Charms yourself."
Severus had, truthfully, enjoyed the Cloak of Invisibility. He'd used it to sneak around the castle unseen, trailing after Minerva, Filius and Hagrid all in their turns, spying on them shamelessly with a boyish grin on his face hidden under that blasted cloak that had made his youth a bit more of a misery.
"Mr Lupin — I mean Remus — promised me we'd be going to the school several times this summer to practise Defence. Perhaps you could show me then, sir?"
Severus nodded. "Perhaps." Then he cast a sharp look at her. "Usually I would protest to a student holding such an object at school, but seeing as the Headmaster himself surrendered it for your use, and that you have not abused it nor allowed your little friends abuse it, I shan't voice any of my concerns... for now. I suggest you make sure you won't disappoint me in that manner, Potter," he said, raising a challenging eyebrow.
"No, sir, I won't," the girl promised, and Severus nodded.
"Good. Make sure you remember." He turned and left the room. "Good day, Potter."
Remus Lupin, July 5th, 1993
Less than a week later, on the 5th of July, Remus dressed up in his most flexible and worn-out clothes, ready for the trip to search for the second Horcrux. Albus had warned them that the cottage at Little Hangleton was in near ruins: he'd visited the site briefly alone, but they'd agreed he wouldn't enter alone: he'd Apparate them side-along, Severus first, then by Kingsley and Remus.
The other men looked grave and concerned. Severus had brought several potions for emergencies, and Kingsley had acquired some interesting equipment to study and store Dark artefacts. Albus himself gave them each a Basilisk fang, and told them to handle them with care: a wound from a poisonous fang might prove lethal. Remus took his gingerly, holding it in his gloved hand before storing it in his pocket: he'd received the pair of gloves from Hermione for his birthday, a fine pair of excellent quality. They'd kept his hands comfortably warm.
Remus hated side-along Apparition: it always left him nauseous. He shook his head and took in his surroundings. The cottage was situated between large trees, hidden in the shade of their leaves. The entire house was speckled with moss, grime and dirt, most of the roof tiles lay broken on the ground around it, and the roof itself had sagged under the weight of the years. The windows were very small and grey with dirt, all but one of them broken, and the house was surrounded by a field of nettles and hay that grew high. No path led to the house, and no evidence pointed to anyone having visited there in ages. The chimney had collapsed onto the roof, and the large wooden door hung half open on its hinges.
Albus cut the nettles down to form a proper path to the door. Severus stopped him. "Let me cast some detection spells first," he suggested, and Albus stood aside.
No matter how Remus disliked Severus, the man was impressive in his power and skills: his wand drew delicate arches into the air as he cast one spell after another, detecting Dark intent, curses, protections, hidden things, monsters, creatures... Finally he sighed.
"A lot of powerful spells and protections," he said, "and many of them lethal. Some were meant just to repel Muggles, but the others... they'll take a while to dismantle. It's a good thing we tested for them. Walking in there would kill a man painfully." He set about dismantling the protections. After a while Remus took over so that the work wouldn't overtax Severus.
"Can you sense the Horcrux?" Albus asked.
"No, but I might not be able to," Severus replied. "There might be a layer of protection around it, to avoid detection. We should progress carefully."
Albus once again took the lead as the men made their way to the door. It had been worn down by the years of rain and snow: a grey mass of half-rotten, worm-eaten wood with a strange nail in the middle of it, like someone had at one point hung a wreath on it for Christmas. A strange memory of happier times in such a place, Remus wondered. A small touch of his hand had the entire thing collapse, as the last hinge gave away and the remains of the door collapsed on the ground with a creak.
"Careful, Werewolf!" Severus snapped. "Keep your bloody hands to yourself lest you get us all killed!"
Remus lifted his hands in placation and shook his head. Severus turned back and entered the door first, still casting detection spells. "Careful with the floor," he said, "it's quite rotten and we don't know if there's been a basement here. I can see the soil underneath here, but if there's space underneath somewhere, one might fall through."
The others entered after him. One of the walls had actually collapsed partially, though the damage had been hidden from the front, and the house looked like it might collapse under its own weight at any given day. There was a skeleton of a bird — a pigeon by the looks of it — on the floor. The house was nearly empty, with a simple wooden table, broken and collapsed, close to a window. A hearth on the Western Wall, some of the tiles from the chimney littered around and inside it. It had once been connected to the floo network: splintered remains of a simple brown ceramic bowl lay on the floor, covered by dust.
Kingsley cast some of his own spells. "I think I found something," he said, and Severus looked at him sharply, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Over there, under the floorboards by the hearth."
Albus cast some detection spells of his own. "I agree. There's something in there." A quick flick of his wand lifted the floorboards and sent them away: a small space underneath was revealed. Albus stepped closer carefully, and Remus followed: there was a small golden box inside the cavity.
Severus cast a quick succession of Charms over it. "The box itself is cursed. This might take a while." Severus set to dismantle the curses, the others waiting restlessly. The forest around the house was quite quiet, and the mood in the ruins of the cottage was eerie.
Finally, Severus sighed. "Done," he said, and Albus looked at him questioningly. "You can open it now. The box itself is safe. However, do not touch whatever is inside it. Gold will repress the magical signature of what it contains, so we cannot know what the artefact itself might do. What the diary did..." he trailed off as Albus opened the lid carefully with a spell.
There was something inside the box, though Remus couldn't quite see the small item.
"A ring," Albus said quietly, and reached to take it out of its box.
"Do not!" Severus snapped, and Albus' hand stilled, his eyes jerking to Severus. "Do not touch it! I can sense it now. It's dark. Very dark. Albus, that thing will kill you if you touch it."
"I agree," Kingsley said, a small device in his hand whirring and buzzing. "Very Dark, whatever it is. It is protected, Albus, just as the box and the house itself. Put it down, Albus, lest you hurt yourself..."
"But it's..." Albus tried, and then sighed. "Yes, you're right. I was sorely tempted. I believe it wanted me to put it on." He set the small box on a tile on the floor, straightening up. He reached for a Basilisk fang.
"Allow me, Albus," Remus said. "We don't know if it'll strike back. I'm replaceable, you are not, and if it strikes me when I destroy it, you're more of help for me than I would be to you." Albus looked at him sadly, but shook his head.
"I need to do this, Remus," he said. Albus drew his wand and cast some sort of complicated spell on it: he seemed to be layering it with something that Remus could not recognise. The ring, Remus noted, was an ugly, clumsily made thing with a strange black stone in the middle.
Albus knelt back down. "Back away, all of you," he said, and the three did as they were ordered, each ready to cast shields and protections. Albus drew breath and plunged the fang into the ring without hesitation: there was a terrible scream that seemed to shake the house itself.
The tiles of the chimney began to slowly topple down, and they heard a nasty creak from the beams above their heads. "Everybody out!" Kingsley shouted and clutched Albus by his elbow as the old wizard quickly scooped up the box and the ring, both still pierced by the fang. Severus was already at the door and out of it in a heartbeat: Remus pushed Kingsley and Albus ahead of him as the roof tiles rained down around them and the walls began to collapse. Albus moved surprisingly spryly as they cleared away from the toppling cottage: the ruins groaned behind them and the dust rose high into the air, before everything settled down once more.
"Are you hurt, Albus?" Severus asked quickly. "I saw you snatch the ring! You shouldn't have done that, not before we examined it for more curses!"
"It was a hasty decision, Severus, but it seems I am fine," Albus said, and Remus stood aside to let Kingsley and Severus past him. "Show me your hands," Severus ordered brusquely, and Albus showed his hands meekly, the box, ring and fang still in his right hand. "Set them down," Severus said, and Albus did so.
A quick examination revealed that the ring held no further curses, the Horcrux was gone and Albus uninjured.
"There's something in the ring," Kingsley said, moving his wand above the remains of the ring in slow movement. "Not a curse, nothing malignant, I should say."
"Move, Shacklebolt," Severus said, and cast his own spells. There was symbol carved on the stone, Gellert Grindlewald's symbol... Severus remembered Albus' involvement with Grindlewald all too well. Was it his ring? He, too, could see the traces of magic on the ring, but they were not harmful. He nodded quickly at Albus. "It's safe," he said.
"Well done, all of you," Albus said with a heavy sigh. "I should say it would have been wiser to destroy the Horcrux outside the ruins, but I was not expecting a reaction of that magnitude, I'm afraid." He picked up the box, extracted the fang and closed the box over the remains of the ring carefully, storing them all inside the various pockets of his purple robes.