Disclaimer: It's not mine, it's all J. K. Rowling's.
A/N: Annie Talbot and Machshefa are the lovely ladies who beta-read this fic! : :hugs: :
Chapter 5: Ignorance
Sunday was almost over, and there was no way his mood would improve. Severus Snape hadn't had such a bad weekend since his last one in Azkaban some years ago. It had been a miserable weekend, a harbinger of an even more miserable week.
In fact, there was something that could make it all better for Severus: the arrival of the ring. Unlikely to happen, if you asked him, for as far from Britain as Granger could be, she would have had enough time to read his letter and give his ring to the returning owl. Now it was already Sunday evening, the school owl he'd used had been back since the first hours of Saturday, and there was no sign of an answer.
Why was this torturing him so? It was just a ring, a woman's ring. It wasn't even that valuable; its stones weren't emeralds, its metal was a cheap kind of white gold. Then why couldn't Granger send him the damn thing? It was just a ring!
Why am I torturing myself about it, then?
Severus growled in frustration. He was ready to concede defeat and let his head fall on the pillow to sleep the night away when an owl flew through the enchanted hole near the ceiling of his living room. He stood from the bed with renewed energy to meet the bird.
His first disappointment was the absence of the ring; the second…
Professor Snape,
I shouldn't be answering you at all. The reason for this letter is very simple: I'm curious.
This made an eyebrow shoot to his hairline. He kept reading…
You see me wearing a ring I happen to have found the day Voldemort died. Your interest is obviously piqued. You write to me saying the ring is cursed and a danger, which obviously it is not. You insist that I send it to you at any cost.
Now, why would you do that? I understand you know the ring and want it, but why? You know, explaining things might get you what you want faster than manipulation, rude words and lies ever would.
Severus was looking in shock at the parchment he held, and there was more…
Keep that in mind when you word your reply – if you intend on replying at all – and stop being a Slytherin jerk.
Hermione Granger
Severus stared. The chit had no respect at all!
Slytherin jerk?
His shock was quickly wearing off and anger was seeping in just as quickly, making him squash the letter in a ball of parchment. He kept crushing the offending letter while he struggled with himself. He wanted to strangle Granger for her impertinence, but most of all for not sending him his ring, and that in itself was more irritating than anything else he was feeling.
He sank to the couch in front of the hearth and dropped his head into his hands, then growled when the damned letter got on the way of his fingers and his lank hair. He flung the offending ball of parchment away and pulled at his hair with gusto. This ring had been his solace since the day he'd realized he couldn't ignore the feelings that his young heart had nourished innocently and unrelentingly. Back then and during the darkest years of his life, it'd been his only company, his only reminder that there was some purity in his soul. A ring, a tiny little ring, for Merlin's sake! How could it rule his life so?
It was beyond irritating. It was insane!
He stood abruptly and strode into his bedroom. Severus simply threw his body onto the mattress, pulling the covers from underneath himself in irritation. He was going to sleep, and when he woke up, he'd have forgotten about Granger and the damn ring.
Using all the techniques he knew for clearing his mind, Severus slept.
For three days his internal struggle continued. There were times when he ignored his anguish and concentrated on his most tedious chores, there were other times when he sat in his office or classroom gazing into space in contemplation, and there were times in the privacy of his chambers that he gave way to his misery and thought about ways to recover his precious ring.
Those were the times he indulged in preparing plans to get what he wanted and, at the same time, tried to convince himself it was not for his need of the ring, but for his need to get what was his, that it had nothing to do with his past feelings, but pride and justice.
On the following Thursday, he still didn't have any brilliant ideas for a plan of action. He'd been through many and all possibilities in his mind more than once; he'd even contemplated telling the truth as an option, which was quickly discarded. Now he was going in circles, back and back again to the same stupid ideas, not even bothering to hide from himself that he needed the ring at all costs.
This could mean only one thing: he would have to choose the least dense of his ideas and write an answer to Granger. Severus was so frustrated with the situation that he broke his quill after writing two paragraphs in the answer, having to waste his good one on that piece of crap.
Stupid situation.
But if asking wasn't getting the desired effect, then he would have to invest more heavily. It was preposterous, but he was willing to negotiate.
He didn't care what time it was, all Severus wanted was get this over with. He went to the Owlery, and when he got there, the first rays of light were illuminating the horizon. He didn't seem to notice the beauty of the view while he watched the owl take flight with his letter attached to its claw.
Coming next… Hermione is intrigued by Snape's offer.