Chapter 32: In Which Severus Gets A Ring, Almost

The next day started well for Snape. He had gotten an owl from Mortimer's Potions thanking him for his current work on the problem, along with a cheque to cover his predicted expenses for the next leg of his research.

He had decided that he would go to Fledding's in the morning, get the ring made, stop by Knockturn Alley for a few ingredients, and then head home to work on the potion. Maybe send an owl to Hermione around dinner, see what she wanted to do this weekend.

After he had organized his day, Snape apparated to Fledding's. It was tiny, almost a booth, on the far end of Hogsmeade. No wonder he hadn't seen it before. It also appeared to be closed from the outside. He tentatively put his hand on the door, expecting it to resist his attempt to open it, but it swung silently inward at his touch.

An elderly witch sat behind the counter and wished him a good day.

"Come about a ring, have you?"

"Yes."

"All the lads are coming for rings these days. Let me show you what we have…" She began to shuffle off to the back.

"I'd like you to make a ring for me. I've got it designed, and I have the stones. I need someone to make the setting."

She turned quickly, much more quickly than he would have guessed she was able from the way she had moved off the stool. "Really? Let me see your drawing."

He handed her the paper. She looked at it critically, and made a noise he couldn't categorize. "Let me see the stones."

He handed them over. The witch eyeballed them with careful precision. Taking an eyepiece from some inner pocket, she scrutinized them further.

"We can do it. Let me get some metal samples so we can decide what you want." She hopped off her stool and walked behind the curtain separating the front of the store from the back. A moment later, she returned with several small rectangles of metal.

"You've got cool toned stones, so most people would go with metals in the gray or white color sphere. Silver, white gold, platinum, and titanium will all work with these stones." She placed the stones on each of the rectangles, so he could see how the metal would work with the colours.

"Now, if you want the blue of the sapphire to look bluer, you can use its complimentary color: orange." She moved two metals towards him. "Copper or red gold."

"Or you can go with one of the yellow settings, but..." She placed the stones on a rectangle of yellow gold. "Unless it's really important to you, I wouldn't recommend it. The colours don't do anything for each other."

Snape spent several moments putting the stones between the different metals. Finally he found the combination he liked, platinum and red gold. He explained how he wanted the centre curves to be red gold, and the next set platinum and so forth until the ring was complete.

"We can do that for you. Now let's talk price. Like most of the men who come in here with an idea of what you want, you've got an expensive vision, but do you have the galleons to make it real?"

"Maybe. Name your price." She looked at him carefully. The gall! The old lady was trying to use Legilimency on him to get a better idea of how much she could charge him. She was good at it, too. Most wizards wouldn't have noticed. He blocked her, and left her with a little mental nudge not to try that again.

She looked grudgingly impressed. "You're good at this game."

"The best ever."

She didn't look like she believed that, but wasn't willing to challenge him on it, either. "For the custom work and the materials: 1400 Galleons." That was within the price range Harry had told him.

"Done. When can I pick it up?"

"Two months, maybe two and a half."

"Two and a half months?" He was incredulous, and let it show. I could learn how to make one myself in that time.

She smirked at his unspoken insult and responded, "Yes, but it wouldn't be very good."

"How much to get it faster?"

"You don't have enough money to buy that."

"Try me."

"No one has enough money to buy that. My husband, children, and two grandchildren are working flat out. The market for rings has gone quite hot lately. The one thing money can't buy from us is a broken promise. If your order is moved up, someone else will get theirs late. Get your ring from us in mid-August, buy one of our pre-made ones, or try someone else and get lesser quality work. Your choice."

He spent a moment thinking it over, but in the end he didn't really know where else to go, and mid-August would come soon enough. "How much of a deposit?"

"Fifty percent now, fifty percent when you pick it up." He handed her a letter of credit at Gringotts for his account. She was writing his name on the order slip, when he saw her really see what she was writing. She looked up slowly.

"You weren't kidding about being the best."

"No. But you're quite good yourself. A very light touch."

"Thank you. That's why I run the counter when the rest of my family does the metal work. Very few people understand how useful that skill is to someone in our business. Can I give you some friendly advice?"

He nodded. "Everyone who buys an engagement ring buys two wedding rings. Find out what she wants in a wedding ring and place the order before you get the engagement ring, preferably before July. That's the latest we'll promise to have rings done by the October 31st deadline."

"Good to know." He pocketed the copy of the receipt she handed him.

As he walked out of the Fledding's, ideas ran through his head. Getting down on bended knee and handing Hermione a receipt didn't strike him as immensely romantic, but it looked like that would be the way of it. Maybe he could play it practical, why spend money on frippery, and then surprise her with the ring later? No, you need 'a token of serious intent' to make the damn thing binding. Give her the picture, idiot! He turned around and walked back into the store. "When do you need that picture?"

The old witch looked up. "We won't get started on yours for at least six weeks, Mr Snape."

"I'd like the picture back then. Can I see the metal samples again?"

She detached the picture from his paperwork, and handed him the red gold and platinum rectangles. He studied the colours carefully, and then coloured the sketch. He added the hues of the gems from his memory, and handed the metal samples back.

"I'll bring this back before the first week of July." The old witch smiled. Severus Snape was not the only wizard who would be proposing this month with a sketch of his intended's wedding ring in hand.