Disclaimer: It's not mine, it's all J. K. Rowling's.

A/N: Annie Talbot and Machshefa are THE beta-readers! : :hugs: :

Chapter 3: Impatience

Four days and no sign of Miss Granger. What could be so damn difficult about taking a ring that didn't belong to her off of her undeserving finger and sending it back to him, its rightful owner? There was nothing complicated about that, and Hermione Granger hadn't been a moron in any case to not have understood as much.

Maybe she'd addled her brain in one of her Auror missions and was unable to follow simple, straightforward instructions such as "take the thing off, send it through." Maybe the know-it-all was trying to find what was wrong with the perfectly safe ring. Even so, three days was too many.

He'd decided when he'd optioned for this plan that he would wait at least a week before going after her. Now that he knew where the ring was, this waiting tactic was proving to be torture. He wanted his ring back, and he wanted it now. Every time the image of it adorning Granger's finger came back into the forefront of his mind, he felt like throwing caution out the window and going to take what was his, consequences be damned.

Then the morning post arrived and with it, a letter for him.

Dear Professor Snape,

Thank you for warning me about the ring. I would never have realized it was cursed in any way if you hadn't alerted me. I have stopped wearing it and will be observant of any changes in myself. I'm now very interested in the study we'll be running on it.

Blah, blah, blah. As if I care.He kept reading…

Unfortunately, we won't get to start until I'm back in Britain. Unless you have any tests in mind that I can run while we wait, I suggest you try to find the book you mentioned in your letter; it might be essential for our success. What do you know about the ring so far?

Back in Britain? She left the country? Severus was outraged by the news. Where did this woman take my ring? There was more in the letter…

Again, thank you for warning me. I'm touched by your interest in my well-being. We're not exactly friends, and we haven't seen each other in a long time, what makes the gesture even more grand. How have you been, by the way?

Appreciatively

Hermione Granger

So many words in her letter and he had nothing! Not even her location; his ring's location! Leave it to Granger to write words and more useless words on what was not requested.

He felt like scaring the first-years by throwing his toast at them, but thought better of it. He crushed the roasted bread instead, maintaining a calm demeanor to those who watched from below, but Minerva could see the subtle change.

"Something the matter, Severus?"

"The toast is too dry," he answered.

"Maybe something in your correspondence has dried it."

"Maybe I'll stop coming for breakfast in the Great Hall," he countered, pushing himself away from the table and rising to leave.

He was pushing the chair back into position when Minerva, eyes on her plate, said, "The house-elves' toast and the owls will find you here or there."

Severus ignored the comment, striding out of the Great Hall. Minerva was right, of course, but what she didn't know was that he would have been glad to have owls visiting him if they were to bring his ring back. He quickly arrived in his office, closing the door behind him and sitting behind his desk. He held his head in his hands, resting his elbows on the desktop for support. He had to control himself.

Since he'd woken up alive after the Battle of Hogwarts, it was the absence of his token that had caused him the greatest distress. It was as if losing it had shattered what he had left of his world, necrosing his heart. Severus had believed that he had nothing else to lose, but he was wrong. It was irrational, he knew; a ring couldn't cause such heavy feelings of loss.

He took a deep breath, then another, calming his heart and controlling his emotions. All would be back to normal after he had his ring back. More deep breaths and he was finally ready to think like the rational man he was. He could play Granger's game. He could be patient, as he'd been all his life, and sooner than later he would have his ring and his life back.

o0oOo0o

The next morning found Severus Snape going to the Owlery with a letter in hand. He watched with unreadable eyes as the owl took it and only left after he couldn't see it anymore.

Coming next... Snape's letter has an unexpected effect.